by Lucy Gage
A woman can’t sleep during a spring storm, so she wanders into the living room and watches the lightning blaze trails across a moonless sky. Enraptured by the power and the beauty of the spectacle before her, she is unaware of the killer behind her until he grabs her from behind…
Suddenly, a hand on her shoulder made her nearly jump out of her skin. Her heart raced. She whipped around and saw Liam.
“Oh, my God. You scared the crap out of me!”
“I’m sorry,” he said as he enfolded her in his arms. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you’d heard me.”
“No, I didn’t hear you. I wasn’t paying attention. I don’t think your idea of being loud is the same as other people’s.” Thinking she’d give him an opportunity to tell her more about himself, she added, “Learn stealth in the CIA, did you?”
Liam laughed. “Long before that, but I perfected it on the job.” He sat behind her and pulled her against his chest as they watched the lightning together. He didn’t add more and she didn’t push. After a couple minutes of listening to the rain pound on the roof and the thunder rumble, he asked, “Why’d you come out here?”
“Couldn’t sleep and didn’t want to wake you. Figured I should sit out here. Watching the storm makes it less scary for me.”
“You’re scared of a little thunder and lightning?” he teased as he nipped her ear.
“These storms are scary because uncontrollable fires and mudslides generate from them. When it’s sunny most of the time, the violence of this weather is a little frightening.”
“I think it’s beautiful,” Liam said reverently. He looked at her. “Terrifying, but beautiful. Kind of like you.”
“You think I’m scary, huh?” she asked.
“A little,” he replied as a lightning flash illuminated his eyes.
Jenna turned to face him. “And why is that?”
He gave a small smile. “Because you make me do, and say, and think things that scare the shit out of me.”
Did that mean what she thought? Was it too much to hope?
“What kind of things?”
“Oh, like surfing,” he redirected, made light of his comment. But she’d seen his eyes, and he hadn’t meant surfing.
“Come back to bed. I’ll protect you from the storm,” he said.
“Will you?” she asked, knowing she didn’t mean nature’s fury raging outside the walls of Rob’s house.
“Always,” he said.
God, she hoped he meant what she had.
**********
Los Angeles, California, one month later…
After his first time surfing, Liam realized that his love of the waves trumped the terror of the big fish with the scary teeth. At least once each week, he and Jenna surfed together.
As the weather warmed, they shed the wetsuits and donned swim gear or, occasionally, rash guards. It didn’t matter what Jenna wore, she was drop dead gorgeous all glistening with salt water and sunscreen. He caught her staring at him almost as much as he stared at her.
At those moments, he’d wonder what went through her mind Sometimes, lust was written on her face, but there were also times when he knew it was more. He longed to ask her, but he was still afraid of what she might say.
Given how inseparable they’d been the past few months, it was reasonable for people to call Jenna his girlfriend. Liam held her for hours at night and felt sad when she left his arms. They’d never professed undying devotion, but their passion involved far more than sex. She hadn’t pushed for more or lectured him on his level of commitment. It was the elephant in the room, always present and never acknowledged.
**********
On their last night together in L.A., Liam and Jenna sat at dinner, side by side. They attempted to have a casual conversation on the patio of Bistro Mexique, the restaurant where they’d had their first date. It was nearly impossible when her hand kept stroking his thigh under the table.
Several times, he let his own hand sneak between her knees and he touched the soft skin of her inner thigh. He wanted to lean into her with one arm around her chair, his other hand up her skirt, and let his fingers slip inside her while they sat in a public place.
But he didn’t.
Later, standing in the parking lot, Liam threaded his fingers into Jenna’s and drew her close as he leaned against the car hood. She wound her arms around his neck, her hands caressing his skin and playing with his hair as they locked eyes in a lustful stare. Liam let his left hand wander down to her ass while his right one brushed the hair from her cheek and looped it over her ear. His fingers lingered on her jaw and he ran the pad of his thumb over her lips before he succumbed to the simmering heat and thrust his tongue into her open mouth.
The kisses were demanding as their tongues warred. She bit his lip and he squeezed her ass, forcing her hips into his so she’d feel how hard he was for her. Jenna’s hand dragged down his chest and cupped his erection, causing them both to groan.
Liam pulled away and said, “If we don’t go to your place soon, we’ll be arrested for public indecency.” Jenna nodded her agreement and they rode back to L.A. holding hands in silence, while the fact that their time was coming to a close loomed in the distance.
Before the door to her apartment shut, they were tearing off each other’s clothes. Liam shoved her against the door in seconds and he growled when he realized she hadn’t been wearing panties all night. He wanted more than anything to impale her right there, with her skirt hiked past her hips and her stilettos still on her feet.
If he’d had a condom in his pocket, he would have. But he didn’t.
Apparently, it was the theme of the night.
He carried her to the bedroom and dropped them both to the bed as she wrapped her legs possessively around him. When he pressed his erection into her, it elicited moans from each of them. Overdressed, he sat up and yanked his shirt over his head.
Jenna sighed. “I love watching you do that.”
Liam laughed. “Am I your own personal Chippendale?”
“And then some. Take me to bed, Liam.”
“Not yet. We have a long way to go before you’re ready.”
“I’m ready now. I want to have you as many times as I can tonight. I need to store up for while you’re gone.”
And the elephant rears its ugly head.
Liam’s heart sank. He had no idea what they were going to do after this. He didn’t know what she wanted from him. Hell, he didn’t even know what he wanted himself.
With a sigh, he scrubbed his hands over his face and stared at the ceiling. “Shit.”
Jenna sat and pulled her skirt down, as Liam plopped onto the bed beside her. “I ruined it,” she said morosely.
He grabbed her hand. “No. We needed to talk about this.”
“What do you want me to say? That I won’t miss you?”
“No! Christ, I’ll be disappointed if you don’t miss me at least a little. I wish I didn’t have to go, but I do. You’ve always known that.”
She nodded and bit her lip. “I understand if you don’t want to…stay exclusive. I mean, we never said we were before, but you’re either with me or Rob, so I know you’re not seeing anyone else right now.”
“You’re right, I’m not, but we’ll hardly see each other for most of the next two years, at least. Maybe more. I’ll be on location with Rob or in Minnesota. We’ll be in L.A. here or there, but not often. I think he wants to avoid this place because of Lola and Rachel. It wouldn’t be fair if I asked you to sit and wait for me.”
She laughed as though she was sharing a private joke with her subconscious. “No, you’re right. It wouldn’t be fair, to either of us, to stay together when it would be impossible to make it work.”
“I’m not saying I want this to be over, but I’m not ready to watch you walk down a church aisle in a white dress, and I can’t ask you to wait for that to happen. I want to see you as much as I can, but I don’t expect you to let opportunities pass by because of me. If
you met the right guy, I’d want you to be happy.”
I’d be miserable, but I’d deserve it.
Jenna nodded, tears in her eyes, biting her lip and obviously trying to avoid crying. She inhaled deeply, and on the exhale, she said, “You’re right. If you met the right person, I’d want you to be happy, too. You never made me promises and I told you that they weren’t necessary. They’re not. Let’s leave this the way it has been. When you’re here, if we’re both single, we can be together. If not, then that’s how it goes. It doesn’t mean I won’t miss you.”
Liam sighed in relief. “Thank God. I’ll miss you all the time.”
She shook her head and kissed him. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Make love to me over and over until we’re both so exhausted we can’t move?”
Jenna laughed. “No more fucking, huh?”
He squeezed her hand. “It was never that and you know it.”
She nodded. “I know.” She touched his cheek, kissed his lips, pushed him back onto the bed and straddled him. They made the most of their last night together – just as Liam had suggested – making love until they were both too tired to move.
Chapter 9
Minneapolis, Minnesota, three years ago…
For six long months, she dreamed and fantasized about Liam while her vibrator earned its keep. Rob provided Jenna with updates on Liam in their daily phone calls. Her boyfriend had returned to the U.S. – he’d primarily been overseas with Rob since they left L.A. in April, first in Germany and then in Italy.
The morning they landed stateside, Rob called from the airport in Atlanta and said, “Hey, gorgeous.” He sounded happy.
“Hey, sexy. What’s in your plans?”
“I’m headed to New Orleans. But you knew that. What you really mean is what’s Liam doing next.”
Jenna sighed. “Okay, yes.”
“He’s headed home.”
“To Boston?” Crap, that meant he might see Dana and she was currently single, according to her Facebook page, which Jenna had hacked again last week.
Rob chuckled. “No, to Minneapolis. Don’t worry, he isn’t going anywhere near Dana. Besides, when Liam talked to his mom the other day, she said Dana has a new boyfriend.”
Phew and double crap! Minneapolis meant Ally. “Yeah, but Ally is in Minnesota.” She knew very little about Ally and that was frustrating.
“Why don’t you meet him there? It’s Homecoming weekend at school, remember? You have an excuse to head to Minnesota. You know my parents would love to see you.”
He had a point. She hadn’t been many times since graduation, but she had gone once or twice. It was actually a brilliant idea.
“Thanks. I’ll do that. If he doesn’t want to see me, I’ll hang with your family. They do love me.”
“Yes, they do. I wish I could be there. I miss you.”
“You talk to me every day, often multiple times.”
“It’s not the same. I need a good hug.” The happiness she’d heard in his voice earlier had turned to sadness.
“You okay, honey?” She hoped he wasn’t getting depressed.
Rob cleared his throat. “Yeah. I am. I’m good. Have fun, okay? Give my love to my family. He’ll want to be with you. He loves you.”
“Does he?” She hadn’t heard from Liam once in six months and it gave her pause.
“He does. I told you it might be this way. I know he loves you, but I think he’s scared of it.”
“I guess we’ll see what happens in Minnesota. I’ll call you again later so you can see the updates when they’re done. Call if you need to talk. I’m always here for you, honey. Just because I love Liam, it doesn’t mean I don’t still love you.”
“I know. You really love him, huh?” He sighed.
“I do. I miss him. I miss you, too. When do I see you again?”
“Winter. We’ll be back in L.A. then.”
“You still owe me a dinner.”
“Whatever you want. Name the time and place.”
“I’ll think about it. Bye, honey.”
“Bye, gorgeous. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Jenna made all her arrangements and then did the one thing she’d wanted to do for six months but hadn’t yet: she called Liam.
“Hey, baby. What’s happening with you?” Liam answered. She could practically see the smile through the phone, his voice was so upbeat. Maybe she should be calling him more?
She inhaled, nervous. “Hi, baby. Funny you should ask. I’m headed to Minnesota for Homecoming. You going to be around?”
“I will be if it’s this weekend.”
“It is. I’m renting a car at the airport. I’ll visit the Deacons, too, so I’ll be around Minneapolis a little bit. Maybe I can see you while I’m there.”
Jenna bit her lip and closed her eyes. She wanted to see him.
“Stay with me at my place. I know it’s not near campus, but I’m an alumnus, too. I can go with you to Homecoming.”
Jenna was shocked. She’d hoped he would want to see her, but never expected him to actually want her to stay with him. Her heart raced. “You’d want to do that? Have me stay with you?”
He sounded surprised that she’d question it. “Of course, if it works for you.”
“It does. I’d…like to stay with you.” Don’t be overzealous.
“Well, then cancel your car rental. I have a car. You don’t need one. It’s a waste of money.”
“If you’re sure…”
“Positive. I want to pick you up at the airport. Give me your flight information and your itinerary.”
She relayed the details and took a deep breath again. “I guess I’ll see you then?”
“Looking forward to it.”
“Really?”
“Really. See you soon, baby.”
“Yeah. I can’t wait.”
She hung up the phone and screeched in happiness as she danced around her apartment. He wanted to see her! He was looking forward to it! She was thrilled.
On the flight from LAX to Minneapolis, her nerves got the best of her. Jenna tried to read, work, listen to music, but nothing would keep her from fretting about how their reunion would go once she arrived.
Their relationship had been so intense in L.A., when they’d last seen each other. Jenna knew what she wanted to happen when their eyes met for the first time in six months – for Liam to be as happy to see her as she would be to see him, to know whether she’d pined for him all these months with good reason. If her perception of their affair had been accurate, she’d be able to tell immediately if he was as in love with her as she was with him.
She debarked the plane with trepidation. Her heart raced in anticipation, and she staved off an anxiety attack. What if he didn’t want her anymore, or that electrical connection, the chemical explosion between them before, had been a fluke? What if the emotional intensity had fizzled? What if she’d imagined it all?
He wasn’t like any other guy in her past. She believed to her marrow that Liam felt more than lust for her. If she was wrong, what would she do then?
**********
Liam paced the area outside the security checkpoint before Jenna’s flight finally arrived. The TSA guards were giving him wary looks and he knew why. He’d been in counter terrorism in the CIA and this kind of behavior was suspicious. Liam didn’t fit the profile, but that didn’t mean anything these days.
Unfortunately, knowing that he resembled a terrorist didn’t reduce the fidgeting. To prevent being questioned and missing Jenna altogether, he approached a guard to explain.
“Sorry, man. My girlfriend is coming from L.A. I haven’t seen her in six months and I’m freaking out a little.”
“Well, that explains a lot, but you might want to tone down the crazy, buddy. You’re making people uncomfortable.”
“I know. Sorry. I’ll try to distract myself.” He sat and put in his headphones, listened to the Stones and played Angry Birds. It was his
go-to option whenever he was bored, antsy or sleepless, and it worked until her flight arrived. Then, he paced and tapped his fingers on his leg. Yep, he was a nervous fucking wreck. God, this was worse than that first night they were together.
“Her flight just arrive?” the guard asked.
“Yeah.”
“Planning to propose or something?”
Liam almost choked on his tongue. “Uh, no. No, just haven’t seen her in a while and I’m not sure what to expect. We sort of left things up in the air.”
“Well, good luck.”
“Thanks.” Liam returned to wearing a path in the floor. Then the hair on his neck rose and he knew she was nearby. He turned and saw her. God, was she more beautiful than she’d been the last time he’d seen her? And she looked as nervous as he felt. That was a good sign, right?
**********
As Jenna made her way toward the security checkpoint, she could see him. He was uncharacteristically pacing and fidgeting. Liam was too collected for that, which meant he was nervous, too. It was a good sign that he was wondering how the situation would be between them. If he wanted to see her, was nervous enough to pace, then maybe she hadn’t been imagining last winter.
She strolled through the gate and as she approached him, her breath hitched, waiting to see what he’d do. He looked at her and his brown eyes sparkled under his long lashes, those gorgeous eyelashes that had caught her attention the first time she’d seen his photo. A huge grin spread across his face, and it was contagious – she felt her mouth arc in a wide smile. He stepped closer and reached for her hair, tucking it over her ear and caressing her jaw.
She’d always loved when he did that.
“Hey, you,” he said, still smiling.
“Hey, yourself,” she replied.
She dropped her bags and ran her hands up his chest, still grinning ear-to-ear. Her skin tingled all over in excitement.
Arms wrapped around her waist, he pulled her closer, then leaned in at the same time as she did, and they pressed their lips together. Heat zinged straight to her core and she melted into the kiss, opened her lips so that he could slip his tongue inside her mouth. Oh, how she had missed kissing him.
