“I can’t take that risk, Addison. I won’t be responsible for your getting hurt.”
I shifted on the bed until I kneeled in front of him. “Then let me take the responsibility, Liam.”
I sat back on my heels and tilted my head to the side so that the long fall of dark red hair cascaded over my shoulder.
The pose was designed to catch Liam’s attention, and it accomplished its goal. His eyes left my face and trailed down my body, his eyebrows rising as he saw what I wore.
“Jesus, Addison…”
I shushed him and let my hands run up my sides until they cupped my breasts through the flimsy material covering them. “Let me at least show you what you’ll be missing. Don’t let this email ruin our night. We can decide later.”
Liam looked like he was about to protest, but I gave him a look that carried more words than I could give shape to with my lips. He nodded.
I smiled and lay back on the bed. I crooked my finger.
He got to his hands and knees and crawled alongside my body, his shoulders and back flexing as he moved. When his lips touched mine, it wasn’t with the fierce desire of earlier in the night, but the bittersweet knowledge that something special might near its end before it even had a chance to bloom.
We stayed like that for long minutes, exploring each other’s lips like it was the first time. As it grew deeper, I let the possible future fade away and concentrated on the moment.
If I would get only one more chance at this, I would do it right.
Liam shifted to cover my body, his powerful frame hovering over mine. His strength held sway over my body, commanding me even though he kept it reined in.
His lips left mine to kiss my sweetly perfumed skin, just the way I’d imagined while in the shower.
“This outfit is incredible,” he said between kisses. “Your body is incredible.”
His lips felt amazing, and his appreciation felt even better. “Thank you. Oh! Yes, like that.”
He’d shifted the covering out of the way so that his tongue could tease the hardened nub of my nipple. With care and deliberate thoroughness, Liam bathed my breasts and nipples in his attention, going from one to the other until I urged him to move on.
“Liam, please taste me. I’ve waited for so long.”
After his pledge earlier in the day, I was afraid he would tease me forever. I knew he was capable of it—an iron will would allow him to spend hours torturing my body in the most pleasurable way imaginable.
Instead, he shifted between the legs I spread for him, kissing the inside of my thigh. His finger hooked the panties and pulled them to the side, exposing my pussy.
It was the first time he’d seen it since the night we met. Two months earlier.
“It’s just as gorgeous as I remember,” he said, giving it a light kiss that barely touched my lips. Even still, I gasped at the contact, his attention to my breasts having made my body electric and needy for his touch. Just the gentle brush of his lips was enough to send a jolt through my body.
I was so hypersensitive that his breath on me sent shivers up my spine and tingles over my scalp.
“Liam…”
He took the word as a request and sent his tongue on a leisurely tour up the length of my pussy.
“Fuck!”
My hips bucked involuntarily, trying to get firmer contact, something to grind against and give me a burst of sensation. Liam didn’t let that happen, riding my lips with ease, keeping his kisses and licks gentle.
“Liam, I need more. Please give me more.” I breathed the words, too caught up in the magic he created with the dance of his tongue.
His next movement sent his tongue deep inside of me, and my legs spasmed as I moaned.
Liam built his pace and intensity over the next five minutes, expertly weaving a cocoon of pleasure that surrounded me and lifted me to my peak. By the time I fell over the edge in climax, my mind had no room for anything other than what he was doing at the junction of my thighs.
“God, yes, Liam!”
My third orgasm of the night, and the best one yet.
He was by my side moments later, kissing me deeply. I could taste myself on his lips, but I pulled him closer.
“That was incredible. Let me return the favor.”
I put my hand on Liam’s shoulder to push him onto his back, but he didn’t budge.
“Lie back for me.” I nipped his shoulder with my teeth, the playful bite leaving a red mark that quickly faded.
He smiled. “I’d rather get on top of you. I want to be inside you again.”
His words brought a flush to my face and a need between my legs.
“I want to treat you,” I said with a pout. “If this is…”
I trailed off because I didn’t want to say it. Even acknowledging that this could be our last time together would ruin the magic of the moment.
“Let me take care of you,” Liam breathed into my ear.
I bit my lip and nodded.
Liam reached down to tug off his boxer briefs, tossing them to the floor beside the bed and exposing the cock that fit me so perfectly. That would be impossible to replace.
He settled into place over top of me, our bodies meshing like they were two parts of one whole. His head at my entrance gave me that stretch, the gentle pull that made it feel so good.
We looked into each other’s eyes as he split me open. My eyes fluttered as he hit the deepest parts of me, touching on the special spots that pulsed white heat along my nerves.
Our lovemaking was soft and sweet. The need was present but buried beneath the gravity of the moment. We both knew how much could change after the night was over, and it made every thrust more intense, every motion more meaningful.
This time, there was no frantic slapping of skin as we pushed each other over the edge. A gentle swell caught and carried us both up to greater heights than we had ever reached. Together, we reached our nirvana.
When Liam finished inside me and buried his face in the pillow beside my head, my lips formed the words I couldn’t say.
I love you.
16
~ Liam ~
Sunlight from the skylight announced late morning more effectively than any alarm. The searing brightness sent a jolt to my head, almost as though a hangover pierced my skull. I’d considered having the skylight removed, but it was a fitting punishment for being lazy and staying in bed for too long.
Addison shifted against me, her face still in shadow for now.
I pulled her closer, even as courses of action raced through my mind.
I can’t let her stay.
No matter how I approached it, that was the bottom line. Her life was in danger, and as much as I wanted her by my side, that would be the most selfish thing I could do when I couldn’t guarantee her safety.
The discussion couldn’t happen until Addison woke, so I used the time to pull her body against mine, memorizing the way her red hair spread over my chest and the sound of her breathing. The smooth skin of her back was soft under my hand—she’d taken off the lingerie after we finished last night.
Her transition from asleep to waking was audible in the way her breathing changed. A pang of regret filled me for what had to happen.
“Mmm, good morning,” Addison said, stretching her body like a cat before cuddling into my body even closer than before and resting her head on my chest. “I feel fantastic.”
Physically, I couldn’t disagree. Something about the tremendous release the night before had lent a loose relaxation to my limbs that made me feel up for anything.
Too bad that helps none of my problems.
“Good morning.” I resisted the urge to kiss her head—it would only make the rest of this more difficult.
The unfinished business between us hung like a dark cloud in the room, but neither of us acknowledged it. Neither of us said anything at all for half an hour, unwilling to untangle ourselves from each other and face the realities the world presented us.
“I guess we won’t be seeing the play today.” Addison’s voice was wistful.
Ice broken, I rubbed her back. “We should get dressed and figure out what we’re doing.”
“You’re right.” She said the words, but she didn’t move.
“Addison.”
She sighed. “Let me have another couple of minutes?”
I couldn’t deny her, not when I was just as reluctant.
Two minutes turned into fifteen before I summoned the strength to break the spell.
“Okay, we have to get up.”
“I know.”
This time, she sat up in bed. She hovered over me for a moment before rolling away, like she was about to kiss me.
She knows it’s not a good idea.
Last night had been incredible, but we had to leave it behind us, at least for now.
“I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” she said over her shoulder as she left for her room.
I watched her go, locking the memory of her naked body into my mind.
I hope I have the chance to see that again.
By the time I showered and dressed, magnificent scents drifted through the apartment. My stomach rumbled in response.
“That smells great,” I said as I crossed into the kitchen.
Addison had gotten ready much quicker than I had, and she stood at the stove in a simple sundress.
“Nothing special, just eggs and bacon. Thought we might as well have something in our stomachs as we talk.”
She poured a cup of coffee and slid it across the countertop.
“About last night…” I said, pausing to organize my thoughts.
“Why don’t we leave last night where it is?” Addison said. “We both know what we did, and we know what we have to deal with. What we need to decide is how.”
I nodded. “That works. Let’s tackle this one step at a time.”
Toast popped up, and Addison buttered it and distributed the food.
“The way I see it, I can’t leave.” Addison watched me out of the corner of her eye as she dipped her toast in the yolk of her egg, as if she expected me to flip out.
“Can’t? That’s a strong word. You can leave, and I still think it’s in your best interest.”
“Let me worry about my own interests, okay? You still have the same problem that brought me to you in the first place—there’s a blackmailer out there who hasn’t made their demands clear, and you don’t know what information they have.”
I shrugged. “That’s true, but there’s no reason I can’t deal with that on my own. Hell, I could go to the police, or I could just give them what they want once they make that clear.”
Addison shook her head. “Your original reasons still apply. You don’t know what the blackmailer has got on you, and you don’t want that information in front of more eyes than necessary. And we both know that you won’t give them what they want—it has to be tons of money, right?”
“Okay, so I won’t go to the police—not until I know what they’re threatening me with. But what if they only want a couple of million pounds? I’d pay that to keep you safe, never mind what other information they have.”
“And what if they keep asking for more? What if, because you gave in so easily to a couple of million, they then ask for fifty million, or a hundred? The threat will still be out there, ready to be used against you at any time and for any reason. Discover who it is and cut them down so they don’t have that power over you.” Addison slammed her hand on the counter with a chopping motion.
I leaned back in my chair.
She’s right—she’s way too smart.
“That doesn’t lessen the danger to you, though,” I said. “I can find someone else. You aren’t the only hacker in the world who is good at what they do.”
Addison smiled. “That’s true.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
She chuckled. “Because another hacker, besides being difficult to track down and impossible to trust, can’t help you—just like I haven’t been able to.”
I narrowed my eyes. She had to be leading to something, but I couldn’t tell what that was.
“You aren’t exactly building the case for why I need you to solve this. If you can’t help, you might as well leave so you aren’t in any more danger.”
Addison took a big bite out of a piece of bacon, savoring it. I waited, but she was in no rush to continue.
“Addison, what do you have brewing in that devious little mind of yours?”
“Just the answer to our problem. The encryption on the emails is uncrackable, I’m certain of that. But the blackmailer finally made their mistake.”
“And what’s that?”
“They threatened me. And if they intend to do something about it, then they’ll give us a chance to figure out who they are and put an end to this.”
It was brilliant. But it was even more dangerous.
“Absolutely not. Not only are you suggesting you stay, but you want to use yourself as bait to draw this person out?”
Addison nodded, all trace of her smile gone. “It’s the only opportunity we have, Liam. We can sit back and wait for another few months and hope they give themselves away, or we can take advantage of our one chance to go on the offensive.”
I wavered. Usually, once my mind was made up about something, it was done. But I didn’t greatly expand the family business in the course of a few years by failing to be agile.
“I still don’t like it. Not only would you stay here, but we’d have to purposefully put you in dangerous situations to see what happens. There's too much that could go wrong.”
Addison leaned on the counter, bringing her face within a foot of mine. “Liam, you have to trust me. I worked with James for years. I don’t know how well you know him, but that man is one of the finest conmen of all time. Watching him at work was like seeing Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel. The man was an artist. I picked up a few things along the way.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say yes, even though I wanted her to stay so desperately that the thought of her leaving turned me hollow inside.
“Trust me, Liam.”
Could I trust her?
I would trust Addison with my life, so why couldn’t I trust her with her own? She should be able to make her own decisions about what she does with her life.
“Okay. Let’s get this bastard.”
17
~ Addison ~
The luggage rattled on the sidewalk as it skipped over the lines between the stones. They only held clothes I no longer liked and could spare from my ever-expanding wardrobe in the apartment, but they were still heavy enough to appear fully-packed. I walked away from the apartment building I’d spent so much time in over the past two months, looking back at it with a look of vile disgust on my face.
Hopefully, there’s someone watching who will note this.
It felt weird to put on such an over-the-top performance for an invisible audience. One of the things I’d learned while in the spotlight at Liam’s side was that there was always someone watching when out in public, even if the streets looked barren.
The sky was overcast, the streets gray and somber as though the weather cooperated with our plan. It was a movie-perfect day for a breakup.
Let’s just hope it's worth it.
We’d spent a few hours hatching our plan, which included a call with James to get his input. The man was a genius for these sorts of shenanigans, and it was his contributions that led to my leaving Liam’s apartment as though he’d just broken up with me. Instead of leaping directly to flaunting their demands, James convinced us to pretend as though Liam had complied with the command to break things off and see what happened next.
Knowing there was someone out there willing to hurt me if I stayed with Liam gave me the urge to constantly look around like a crazy woman. My skin crawled as if under the eyes of a malevolent watcher.
I stayed so focused on not looking around and acting natural that when someone came up
beside me, I dropped my luggage and jumped two feet away in fright.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I saw you walking by and I thought I’d say hi. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
It was the woman I’d met on the sidewalk the last time I dragged these bags along the sidewalk—the one from the Wimbledon party.
“You,” I said. I stared at her for a moment, shocked. I’d forgotten about her and her weird insistence that I leave Liam. I shook my head, realizing I took far too long with my thoughts. “Hi. Sorry, my head is all over the place right now.”
She looked at the bags on the ground. “I can see that. Did you finally take my advice and leave Liam?”
I shook my head, letting my eyes screw together and grow moist. I’d always excelled at fake crying in the drama classes I took in high school.
“No. He… he broke up with me.”
She nodded. “He’s an asshole. But don’t worry, it’s for the best. I promise you that if you knew what I know, then you would have run away the first time we met.”
Something about this woman was off. She carried such a hatred of Liam, something I’d never seen before in any of the people I’d met in London. He was one of the most well-liked people I’d ever known.
Maybe she’s the blackmailer.
The thought had crossed my mind at the Wimbledon party, but I’d lost it and never remembered it. It would make a certain kind of sense—why she was near his apartment all the time.
Plus, she was at that party, and Liam said that everyone who had access to his personal email account would be there.
She glanced at me and looked down to my neck. “Nice locket.”
I wore a locket that Liam had given me—it hadn’t occurred to me to take it off. He’d gifted it at a party in front of quite a few people—it had been in the paper the next day.
“Oh, Liam gave it to me. I forgot I was wearing it.”
“You should smash it for what he did to you.” The woman’s eyes lit with a glimmer. “It’s not like you’d wear it again after this.”
“I…”
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