“She’s gone.” He turned and before I could lower my arms he fell into me. Liam’s face was buried in the crook of my neck. His tears collected on my skin as my own fell down my cheeks, and his hands fisted the fabric of my oversized t-shirt at the small of my back. My fingers trailed up and down his spine as I repeated the same thing over and over again, “I’m right here.”
He raised his gaze to mine, and the man I’d known for so long was gone. His dark eyes were cinnamon, his tight features gentle and worn. His eyes fell to my mouth and my unsteady heartbeat failed me, once, twice, each beat making me light headed as he dipped his head and whispered, “Take it away.”
I framed his face with my hands, my brows knitted with confusion. “Tell me what you need?”
His scent was everywhere. The leather smell heady as he closed the gap, his mouth brushing mine as he spoke, “Take away the pain, I’m fucking tired of all this pain.”
I lowered my hands to his neck, and my pale fingers stood out against his ink, the image a reminder of how much I missed being this close to him. I leaned against the wood of the door as he dropped his mouth to my neck, and I closed my eyes as his hands fell to the hem of my t-shirt, his fingertips grazing my thighs as he lifted it to my waist. “Make me feel something other than loss, take away this night, take it all away.” His deep voice vibrated against the sensitive skin of my jaw as his lips pressed and placed kisses along the line until his mouth hovered above mine. A shiver covered my limbs. He was asking for the impossible, but I’d never wanted to give him something so badly before, so I gave in and let my lips find his—let his mouth cover me. I took his hurt and suffering, bitter on my tongue, as I opened myself for his kiss.
His fingers pushed into the flesh of my hips as he pressed me into the door. His lips were tender, and the ache in my chest grew as he took his time, as he fought himself, fought his body. Liam broke away and his brown eyes stirred all the forgotten feeling, everything that I knew he was capable of puckered my skin into goose bumps as he fell to his knees in front of me. He raised my shirt high enough that my entire bottom half was exposed. His eyes hooded as they wandered down past my belly to my hip and paused on my tattoo, his ink.
His left hand gripped my hip and held up the white cotton of my shirt as his right thumb trailed along the thick black lines of my tattoo. I threaded my fingers through his hair, my breath getting caught in my throat as he brought his wet lips to the mark and kissed the crown. I shuddered as his forehead rested against me, his hot breath against my core, his nose drifting down along the fabric of my underwear. All the years we had between us were dust, and the anger shed away as we both plunged into the deep end.
His thumbs slid under the thin straps of my underwear and he eased them down my legs. My thighs trembled as he lifted my left foot, and then my right, removing them completely. He looked up at me, his face full of color, his eyes the way I’d always loved them, warm and stoked with a bit of amber. The bright embers held me captive as his lips kissed the inside of my thigh and, when his mouth moved between my legs, he closed his eyes and inhaled. My fingers tangled in his hair as he hooked my right leg over his shoulder. His tongue assaulted me, and his name was just a whimper from my lips as he savored me. His grip on my hip held me in place, demanding, as he nipped at the sensitive pulse. Heat shot through my belly, and the muscles in my limbs contracted as I drew closer to climax.
“Liam,” I gasped and lowered my leg. I kneeled down, too, meeting him eye to eye. I needed his mouth on mine, our bodies together. I needed to be a part of him again. His hungry eyes lit the skin of my cheeks on fire as he stared at me. His silence made everything more acute, sharp, and the throbbing between my legs thrummed, begging for him, knowing, and waiting for him to relieve me. I held his face between my hands, his lashes still wet with tears and said, “It’s you and me, Liam. You can let go, let me give you what you need, let me take it all away.”
He grasped my waist, supporting me as I lay back onto the floor. The carpet was coarse against the bare skin of my legs and ass, and I watched him unbuckle his jeans. His hands were no longer unsure, his jaw tight as he stood and took them off. He stood above me only for a few brief seconds before he kneeled down onto the ground parting my legs, and settled himself between them. The muscles in his neck flexed as our skin met. The lids of his eyes at half-mast as he said, his voice low, “I need your fingers in my hair, your nails peeling the skin from my neck like you used to, until I bleed for you, fuck you until I can’t breathe anything other than you, until all I’m able to feel is something other than this goddamn pressure… this sadness.”
Liam reached between us and aligned our bodies. My thighs shivered with anticipation, and when he finally opened me up, pushing himself hard and all at once, the feeling of being so full again, it ripped me apart and put me back together again. Patched me up and healed all our old wounds. He groaned, and I dug my nails into his neck, drawing blood as his left hand supported his weight and his right held my throat, his thumb at my pulse point. Liam’s eyes were fixed on mine, and I saw the moment he finally let go. The shadows receded and his pupils dilated. I moaned at the power of each thrust, strong and fast, his grip on my neck a bit firmer than before. He was finally free despite the veil of sadness, and, as our mouths collided, I took his pain and devoured it.
The sting of his stubble spread across my chin, the soft pinch of his teeth on my jaw, my bottom lip, I wanted it all. The carpet burned my back as we moved together. Liam released his hand from my throat and palmed my breast above my shirt, his mouth following suit on the other side. My nipple peaked and brushed against the stiff cloth. I lifted my hips and he swore under his breath, a growl parting his lips, and his forehead fell to my brow. My fingers gripped his shoulders as he angled himself up, reaching a depth he’d never found before. Liam wasn’t fucking me, he was crawling inside me, all the way past flesh and bone, this was permanent, and I cried out as he pushed me beyond my limit. My body clenched, holding him tight, keeping him still as he came, his heat spilling all around me as his body collapsed onto mine.
Our chests moved with harmonized breaths as his nose trailed down my left cheek and into the hollow below my ear. He leaned onto his left forearm and raised his right thumb to the four-inch long scar on my cheek. My tears gathered and brimmed as he traced a reverent line with the pads of his fingertips.
Liam mapped out every delicate inch, his eyes searching mine as the salty water trickled past my lashes. “I don’t think you’ve ever looked more fucking beautiful than you do right now.”
A broken sob shook my chest and my heart spun as he placed a kiss just below my bottom lashes at the top of the scar. I gulped down a desperate breath as Liam toyed with a piece of my twisted hair. His fingers brushed my neck, his words filled me with the hope that maybe this could be a beginning and not just a man losing himself for a night.
“I’ve missed you so much.” My voice wavered as the lump in my throat choked me.
I held my hand to his cheek and he turned his face, kissing my palm. When he looked at me again he said, “I don’t want to be alone.”
The tightness in my chest returned as the sadness seeped back into the creases around his eyes. His brow was heavy, the weight of his loss pulled his eyes shut as he caught his breath.
“You don’t have to be.” I ran my fingers down the back of his head and rested them at his hairline. “Stay until the morning or whatever you need.”
His eyes opened, and a small flash of fear darkened his irises as he nodded, lifting himself to his knees. Liam held out his hand and I took it as he pulled me up, our chests meeting, our knees sinking into the carpet. His palms found my face, and his thumbs wiped away my remaining tears as he leaned in and said, “I just need you.”
He’d lost his mother, and I knew Liam, he was blaming himself. He was punishing himself with what ifs. I didn’t know what happened, and I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to ask. At least not right now. He’d come to me, when he wa
s at his weakest moment… lost in physical need, his eyes asking me for the world. I wanted to give it to him, give him everything I should’ve given him three years ago.
I kissed his top lip, and he exhaled as if I’d lifted the weight of all the stars from his heart, and I said, “Then come to bed.”
Once Upon a Present
Her lips were separated, and the full curve of her mouth parted with each breath. Kelly’s eyes were closed. The shiny raised skin of her scar was prominent under the sun that poured in from her window, illuminating the arch of her cheek bone. She’d never understand how fucking gorgeous she was, scar or no scar. The slope of her neck disappeared under the cotton collar of her shirt and I remembered how good she smelled last night. She stirred and pulled the sheet down sending goose bumps along my exposed chest, reminding me I was laying next to her in nothing but my boxer briefs. She was by my side again, and the illusion was something I wanted to hold onto. I was scared, fuck, I was so scared that when those brown eyes opened her charity would have reached its limit.
My mother was gone, and my life… I had no idea where I went from here. All I knew was that Kelly had to be a part of it, regardless if she wanted to be mine or not, she was too important to me, and I had to stop pushing her away. You never fucking knew when your number was up. When the universe decided your ass was done… it was done. I’d never erase the image of my mother lying in that hospital bed. My chest caved in as the sound of Paige’s broken sobs infiltrated my memory and how Dex had held her belly, his forehead to hers. I’d never be able to repair Declan’s heart, knowing that our mother would never get to meet his children. I’d never be able to help Kieran understand that it wasn’t his fault, that the guilt he felt was goddamn useless. And on top of all that, I’d never stop hating myself for failing them, for breaking when they’d needed me most.
Kelly’s eyes opened slowly, and I refused to look away, expecting and fearing the regret I’d most likely see as her eyes locked with mine. We stared at each other, the long seconds passed without a word. Her eyes were soft, but I couldn’t read her. The questions in my head ran a million miles an hour. I could only imagine what the hell she was thinking. The longer she stayed silent, the higher my anxiety rose. Maybe she didn’t know what to say. Maybe she didn’t want to hurt me, not after…
I exhaled a heavy breath and said, “I’m sorry about last night.”
Her brows pinched together and her eyes dimmed as she sat up and faced the wall in front of her. She said, her voice full of indifference, “I’m glad I was here to help.”
Irritation coursed through my veins. I whipped the sheet back and sat on the edge of the bed. I hung my head and rubbed my hands down my face. Why was everything so goddamn difficult? Anger fueled each rise and fall of my chest. It wasn’t a mistake to come here. She’d taken the burden. She’d held me up when all I could do was fall. I hadn’t imagined that.
“Kelly… I’m sorry you had to see me like that, not that I wish we didn’t… Damn it… I’m sorry I don’t say shit right. I’m sorry, I don’t know where the hell to go from here…” I felt her move, the mattress dipping under her weight. I raised my head, still facing away as I swallowed my fear and threw everything I had left into her lap. “I’m fucking sorry I can’t stop loving you, even when I know you’ve moved on.”
“Liam,” she breathed my name and I faced her. It was time to take the bullet. “I’ve never stopped loving you.”
The muscle in my jaw pulsed and she inched toward me on her knees. Her chocolate hair was wild from sleep, and her cheeks heated as I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t believe it. “Then why did you leave?”
“You weren’t ready. You tiptoed around me like I was glass, and I figured you wanted your space, it’s been too long and—”
“No.” I shook my head. “Why did you go to California without any fucking explanation?”
She lowered her eyes. “You know why I left, Liam.”
“We fought… but—”
“You were drunk, and you punched the wall…” She raised her voice as she fisted the sheet in her hand. “We were headed down the wrong path. Every time you told me you’d leave, you knew it was a lie, and you started to resent it. You had to be here for your family, and I had to find my own way.”
“You could have done that here.” My heart was thundering in my chest, my temper boiling, begging to lash out, but I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t push her away, not after we were finally sorting all this shit out.
“You were bitter that you couldn’t give me the freedom you’d promised, and I would’ve hated you for caging me. I would’ve been stuck at the Handy Mart and, that bitterness, Liam, it would’ve changed you. It was changing you. When you punched the wall that night… your face… you were so angry, and the man I’d known since he was nineteen was gone. All I saw when I looked at you was my dad.”
“I should’ve followed you.”
“We were a sinking ship,” she said averting her eyes.
I lifted my legs and kneeled in front of her. All these years I’d been feeding off of a perverted truth. “I never wanted to lose you…” She lifted her chin. “I fucked up. I let you down time and time again. I should’ve never drank so much that night. I lost control. I haven’t gotten that drunk, not once, since that night. I’m not perfect, and I’ve had my moments, but I’d never hurt you… I’m not him, Kelly. I’m not. I should’ve gone to L.A., picked your ass up, thrown you over my damn shoulder if I had to, and brought you home. Told you I was sorry, made everything fucking right.”
Kelly moved forward, our knees almost touching as she sat back onto her calves. I lifted my hand, settling my fingers at the nape of her neck, cradling her head, my thumb tracing the length of her jaw.
Kelly’s eyes glittered as she gave me a watery smile and said, “I think we needed that time to be apart. I needed to find my own way and let you find yours.”
“I can’t do this anymore.” My throat began to ache as she closed her eyes. “Every moment of my life has been to hold up this family, to keep everyone afloat, not realizing all the weight I held would eventually drown me. I’d cut my own fucking heart out if it gave my mother a few more years… it’s who I am. I pushed you away. We’ve both been hurt enough, sacrificed plenty. I was the one who always came to your rescue, Kelly… and you’re right… I might’ve turned into a monster. I resented you… resented that you stopped needing me.”
Her eyes opened and she shook her head, a puff of aggravation parted her lips. “I’ve always needed you, you idiot.”
A small smile lifted the edges of her lips and I framed her face. “All this time…” I clenched my jaw as everything, last night, right now, what she’d just said, settled into my heart. My fucking lungs burned as I took in each breath. “I’ll never stop loving you, Princess.”
She brought her forehead to mine, her tone humble. “Tell me your name.”
The familiar words of our shared childhood story, The Painted Prince, stirred the liquid heat in my stomach, they sparked and seared through every beat of my heart. The muscles in my arms flexed as I angled her head in my hands. Her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth, her eyes watching, waiting under her thick lashes. My skin turned to flame as I answered, “I am your King.”
I leaned in, my thumb gliding across her bottom lip, pulling it from her teeth as those words, her hot breath, pumped blood through my veins fueling my need for her. Kelly arched her back, pressing her chest into mine as I nipped her soft lips. The shape of them almost like a heart, and always flavored with something I couldn’t ever place, something just her. I dropped my hand from her cheek as I kissed her, my mouth moving with aggression, my tongue sweeping against hers. My fingers found the hem of her shirt and she raised her arms as I lifted and tossed it to the floor.
She kneeled on lean legs. Her supple hips and ass giving her the curves I craved. I dipped my head to her neck and licked her pulse as I rolled her nipple between my thumb and finger. My grin was private as s
he leaned into my palm with a shudder. I took the deep pink flesh into my mouth, sucking and pinching it with my teeth. She was always so fucking pliant for me. Kelly grabbed my face and pulled me to her hungry mouth. She wrapped her hands in my hair, ran them down my neck, and I grabbed her ass, my cock pressing against her stomach.
I devoured her mouth as she drew sharp lines above the waistband of my boxer briefs and then slipped her hand beyond the barrier, fisting my hard length. I groaned and grit my teeth as she pumped once, and then again, her thumb teasing the head. My stomach muscles knotted and a low sound rumbled in the back of my throat as I gripped the back of her thighs lifting her body enough that she fell backward, and the heat of her hand disappeared. My eyes scoured her body. Those tits, those lips, her long legs, they were mine, and they always had been. I was just too stubborn to figure it out.
Her dark hair spilled across her purple sheets, my gaze falling to the crown tattoo I’d placed so many years ago. A possessive shiver ran down my spine as I hooked my thumbs under the fabric of her underwear and pulled them down. I lowered my own past my knees and kicked them off sending them to the floor. I knelt down in front of her again, taking it all in. Her hooded eyes fell to my mouth, red filling her cheeks as they moved even lower. Kelly admired my flesh. The color of every piece of ink reflected in her irises. Her lips trembled as her gaze moved slowly over my body until she claimed my eyes again.
“Spread your legs.” The command in my tone flushed her skin even further, all the way down her chest as she complied.
Fuck.
Everything about Kelly turned me on. Her ridiculously sexy smile, and goddamn, those legs were a mile long, but nothing turned me on more than this. My girl giving herself to me, trusting me, fucking loving me. I moved between her legs, my eyes on her crown. I lowered my lips to the skin, kissing her—bowing down to her. She was my queen, and I’d always give her what she needed.
Kingdom (Avenues Ink Series Book 2) Page 20
