Between Friends (Between the Raindrops #3)

by Susan Schussler

  “And then today, I walk out by the pool where we were all supposed to meet and Hayden is rubbing sunscreen all over her. His hands were everywhere. I almost lost it. I don’t know what my problem is. For three months, I’ve been trying to get her out of my mind and I can’t. Even with what happened to Seth, I still can’t stop thinking about her.”

  “Sounds like you need to get laid. If that doesn’t take care of it, then maybe there is more between you to explore.”

  “Daniel Nackerson, you are a genius. That must be it. I haven’t slept with her yet. That’s the power she holds over me. All I have to do is fuck her out of my system. What I was doing wasn’t working so try the opposite. Jon basically gave me his blessing, right? I wouldn’t be going against any man code.” I stand with renewed hope and start digging through my clothes for a shirt and shorts.

  When I get to my parents’ room, I hesitate by the door, inhaling a deep breath, and letting it out before knocking. Mom opens the door.

  “Oh, good, Liam, you’re here. Are you all packed?”

  “I’m not leaving today. I’m taking the flight on Saturday.” I make the decision right then to spend as much time as I can with Meg. I may as well do it right.

  “But your brother needs you,” Mom says, stuffing a makeup bottle into one of her bags.

  “He can’t have visitors for two more weeks. How is me coming home today going to affect him in any way?”

  “We need to have a united front to show him how much we care. He can’t do this alone,” she says, looking over at Dad.

  “Well, I’m staying because he’s not going to know whether we have a united front or not for two more weeks. I know how strict the rehab places are about their no contact policies.”

  “You know, don’t you? You’ve been through it yourself. Maybe you need to come home to help your mother deal with what we are going through with Seth in treatment. Your mouth and that girl put us in this situation. Take some responsibility.”

  Take some responsibility? I want to deck my father. “I am the only responsible person in this family. I’m the one who found Seth and rescued him from the hell he was existing in. If I hadn’t found him, there is no doubt in my mind that he would be dead. You may have hired some guy, but I went out and did it. One thing rehab stresses is taking responsibility for your own actions. I am not responsible for Seth putting a needle in his arm. He’s eighteen. He’s an adult.”

  “Liam, we are all grateful you found your brother, but if you are staying because of that girl, you need to rethink it. When it comes to women you are not a good judge of character.”

  “I’m staying because I need the vacation. I’ve spent the last month tracking my brother down. I start back to work next week. I’m going to spend the week relaxing. And you’re wrong about her. She comes to the table with her own tabloid baggage. She’d never sell anyone to the press. It had to be the redhead.”

  My dad looks at me with his famous furrowed eyebrows. He’s not happy with my decision to stand my ground, I can tell. I stare at him unwavering.

  “I’ve made mistakes in my life and I am sure I will make more, but I’m not mistaken about her.”

  Chapter 23

  Megan

  NOT LONG AFTER I return to my room, there’s a knock on my door. I’m dripping wet, fresh out of the shower. It’s too early for Nordstrom so it doesn’t matter what I look like. Jessica probably wants the nail polish I borrowed from her yesterday. I stretch a towel around me, tucking it together between my breasts and answer the door as I blot my hair with a second towel.

  “Damn,” Liam says as his eyes slowly inspect my entire body, starting at my damp hair and working his way down. “Damn. Just damn,” he says.

  I back away as he stalks toward me. His eyes spear me as fear permeates my body. I don’t know where it comes from—I’m not scared of him. I’ve never felt so vulnerable, though. He grasps my arm without a word and pulls me against him. One hand slides to my ass and the other pulls the towel from my hand, drops it and curls into my hair. His lips are on mine, burning and claiming. His tongue pushes into my mouth and the fear dissipates, spreading in a wave of heat to the tips of my fingers and toes. He tugs on the towel covering me and it falls to the floor with a soft thud.

  “The couch or the window?” his gruff voice asks as he pulls away from my mouth.

  I look around trying to figure out what his words mean.

  “Make a decision or I will.”

  “The window,” I say, and he backs me up against the window.

  “Good choice.” His mouth covers one of my nipples.

  Holy… It’s painful, but the sensation drives right to my core. I moan and Liam pulls back, determination spreading on his face.

  “I feel as if I’ve waited long enough. It’s been long enough, right?” he asks before he sucks my other breast into his mouth.

  “Yes,” I breathe as my body arches against him. He reaches behind his back and pulls his T-shirt over his head like the slow motion of a TV ad. His shirtless skin singes me where we connect.

  He groans as he nips me and then pulls off.

  “Turn around,” he says.

  I do it, and he presses his body against mine again. He wraps his arms around me and asks, “What do you see?”

  I ignore his words because his hand has found its way to the place that doesn’t allow me to think and all I can do is whimper.

  “Meg, open your eyes and tell me what you see. I want to know what you see.”

  I open my eyes and try not to focus on where his hand touches me. “The ocean.”

  “What else?”

  “The beach.” I grind back against him, frustrated by his complete control. I reach my hands into his hair and pull.

  He groans.

  “What else?” He bites my ear and pulls me closer, locking me in place with his stance, like he did in the water. My eyes focus to give him what he wants.

  “A tree with white flowers.”

  “Good. What do. The flowers. Smell like?” his sultry voice demands as his mouth sucks wet kisses across my back.

  “I don’t know,” I pant. “I can’t think.”

  “Concentrate, Meg. Tell me what they smell like.”

  “Skittles and saltwater taffy.” I say the first thing that comes to mind.

  He half chuckles and half groans. “Flowers that smell sweet and salty like you.”

  His tongue swipes up my neck and I almost ’gasm right then. His hands move to caress my butt cheeks for a couple of seconds, and as his lips devour my neck I hear the rip of a condom. Finally. I am so ready. I look down to see only his bare, toned legs. “I didn’t think when you said we would hook up later you meant this.”

  “If you don’t want this, tell me now.”

  “I want this, Liam. There’s nothing in the world I want more.”

  “That’s what I wanted to hear. Grab the sill,” he says, grasping my hips and pulling me back. His fingers graze the place where the mere thought of being with him has drenched. “This is going to be hard and fast. We’ll savor next time.”

  I don’t have time to process his words because his knee spreads my legs, and he slams into me, thrusting so hard and deep my hand flies to the window to brace me before my face smacks against the glass. It’s never felt like this. I can’t even wrap my head around it. I am completely consumed by the buzz in every inch of my body.

  “Sweet mother of…” he grunts, before letting out a breath. “You feel like heaven. Why didn’t I take you the first night we met?”

  One of his hands moves to my breast and as he pinches and tugs, he starts moving again. This is going to be fast. I’m going to lose it soon. No one has ever hit the place where he’s hitting and I think the half scream, half moan that keeps escaping me tells him just that. Both hands move to my hips again, the pace picking up. My mind has already surrendered to him and my body can’t hang on any longer.

  He grasps my shoulder, his body curving around mine with eac
h thrust. His other hand smooths across my hip and down, pressing at just the right spot, releasing every bit of the built-up tension at once. “Ohhhh…” My whole body shudders and I literally see stars. He drives hard one last time and stills.

  “Christ,” he grunts. I can feel his heart beating against my shoulder, his body wrapped around me. He’s holding me up as we both pant, trying to catch our breaths.

  Oh, my, god. That was… Wow. If that was sex, it is the first time I’ve ever had it. I rest my head against the cool, air-conditioned glass.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asks sweetly, still panting in my ear. His cheek rubs softly against mine. For as raw and animalistic as the last few minutes have been, he is equally sweet and tender now.

  “If by hurting, you mean ruined me for all other men, then, yeah, you hurt me.”

  “Good,” he says, kissing the side of my head. I can hear the smile in his voice. His arms unwrap from around my waist as he slowly peels his hot skin off me. He retreats to the bathroom and I get a glorious view of his backside.

  How can anyone be that beautiful? I know he’s disposing of the evidence of what we just did. I don’t regret this and I will never forget it. I realize I haven’t moved off the window, so I stand and walk to the drawer where I had stashed my entire unpacked suitcase. I find a white lace thong and pull it on.

  “You won’t need those.” Liam stands in the doorway, his hands grasping the top of the jam. He’s completely naked without an ounce of modesty. Not that a man of his blessings needs modesty. Definitely not.

  “I only brought the one condom, but I’m not leaving. You shouldn’t have answered the door in just a towel.” He walks to the bed, pulling the blankets back before sitting on the sheet. He watches me as he calls the front desk and asks the concierge to send up the largest box of condoms available. Or is it a box of the largest condoms available? I’m still trying to get my thoughts straight as I process what just happened. Probably the latter. That thought makes me blush inside.

  “Am I going to get charged for that?” I ask, faking a scowl.

  “I’m pretty sure it’s on Jon and Sarah. It’s an all-inclusive week, right?” He pats the bed next to him

  “Let’s hope their statement isn’t itemized.” I climb onto the bed.

  “I say we order another ten boxes. Jon’s got the money.”

  I laugh. “It’s great to see you’re so open to spending Jon’s money.”

  “It’s okay. He’ll never know it was me using them. He can’t get mad at me.”

  I punch his shoulder, not hard, but hard enough to change his smug face. He’s still my whipping boy after all. I guess that means he’s not telling him about our hookup. What happens in paradise, stays in paradise.

  “Lay down and flip over,” he says. “I’m going to give you that backrub you wanted the last time we were together.”

  “Bossy, aren’t you.” I can’t believe he remembers. A backrub was what I bet against his naked sandwich. I turn over, and he kneels next to me.

  “Oh hell. Those condoms better come soon. You have the most amazing ass.” He caresses my behind and then leans down to kiss its left cheek. His hands smooth down my thighs and my muscles stiffen. I don’t know why. This just feels so personal and after what Hayden said the last thing I want is to think of this as anything but sex.

  “Relax.” His thumbs, oh so slowly, brush up my inner thighs.

  I mumble an obscenity into my pillow, and he laughs.

  “You’ve got to slow it down, Meg. We’re just getting started.” He’s teasing me now.

  There’s a knock on the door and his hands leave me. He quickly picks up the towel I had dropped on the floor earlier, wraps it around his gorgeous torso and a minute later he returns, pulling a box of condoms out of a brown paper bag.

  He drops the towel back on the floor, straddles my hips, sets the box on the bed, and then starts massaging my back. His hands are like magic, tensing my core while releasing my muscles. I know I’m falling for him—him and his magic hands. This feels so intimate, it scares me, but even my brain welcomes the connection.

  “This feels right,” he says as his fingers graze the side of my breasts. “I wasn’t sure you would ever open up to me. I’m glad you did because this is so much better than a non-hookup.” He leans closer to my ear and I can feel him hard against my back. His hands slip under me, cupping my breasts as his lips singe my shoulder and neck.

  Was he waiting for me to break down and spill my secrets? “Was it a test?” I ask.

  “Well…I couldn’t be with you if you weren’t going to be honest with me.”

  “It’s not natural for me to open up, but you’re easy to talk to. You’re the only guy I’ve ever told about my mom.”

  “I understand why you talked to your friends, and I can see that after all you went through, you wouldn’t leak anything to the press.” We’re skin to skin and his lips have moved up to my ear. He moves his hands from my breasts and uses my butt to push himself up into a standing position with his hands still on me. I glance over my shoulder at him. He just walked up my butt from the downward dog yoga position. He is so flexible. Liam stands, posturing over me.

  “You need to flip over again. I want to feel your gorgeous legs wrap around me and after hours of foreplay, I want to see that perfect O form on your lips. We’re going to savor this, remember?” His eyebrows raise, a smile brewing under his skin as he stares down at me.

  Hours?

  ***

  “You’re beautiful when you sleep, and I could watch you all night, but we’re going to miss the clam bake if we don’t leave this bed.” I open my eyes, and Liam is lying next to me, his finger drawing a figure eight on my stomach. “I guess we have left the bed. So I should say this room.”

  “Can’t we just stay here?” I pull the sheet up to cover me and turn onto my side away from him. His hand moves to my hip.

  “No way, Meg. If neither of us shows up they’ll all assume we’re doing exactly what we’re doing.”

  “Does it matter what they think?”

  “No. But the guys and I only get together a couple of times a year. I want to go.”

  “You go. Just send Hayden back up to fill your spot while you’re gone. He’s not gay by the way.”

  Liam breaks out laughing. “Did he ask you out? Hell, Meg, I only left you for a half hour and he hit on you?”

  “No. I asked him if he was, and he said you were cock blocking. You’re a jerk for lying to me.” I turn over to see his face and his eyes light with amusement.

  “He does it to me all the time. He’s always telling girls I don’t play for their team. I wasn’t the one who started this war.”

  “I suppose he doesn’t even have a baby sister?”

  “He told you about Ellie? That was not completely my fault.” He collapses into his pillow as if he wishes I didn’t know about her. “It’s his twin sister. She’s only a few minutes younger than him. We were friends and then she changed the rules. She pursued me. She threw herself at me over and over again. I was only eighteen. I messed up, but it didn’t happen the way Hayden thinks.” His expression turns heavy. “I’ve atoned for my mistakes.”

  I laugh. “You’ve atoned? What does that mean?”

  “She wasn’t innocent and I let him think she was. I let everyone think I was the bastard and I almost lost all my friends.”

  “It’s kind of a douche move to sleep with his sister.”

  He shakes his head as if I’m not understanding.

  “So was all this just a ploy to see who could get in my pants?”

  “No. I tried not to want you this way, mostly because of Ellie. Sarah thinks of you as her sister and that makes you Jon’s sister. I didn’t want a repeat of what happened between Hayden and me. But I can’t help the chemistry I have with you.” He trails a single finger from my navel to the tip of my breast. “The part about him sharing everybody’s secrets and not his, is the truth. Besides, we’re friends and you barel
y know him. Admit it, you’d rather be with me and I waited long enough.”

  His lips cover mine, not letting me answer. He’s right, of course. When he pulls back, he jumps off the bed. Where does he get the energy?

  Even though I didn’t get another shower before throwing clothes on, we head to the clam bake. Everyone is already eating by the time we arrive. Liam and I squeeze onto the bench between Jessica and Nak. I’m starving. The food smells great with garlic, spicy sausage, and roasted vegetables.

  Liam rises, and leaning into my ear, he says, “I’ll get us some plates.” Then his lips touch mine. It’s chaste, but any more at the dinner table would be gross.

  Jessica grabs my knee and whispers out the side of her mouth, “Are you and Liam hooking up?” Her eyes are wide, but there’s a huge smile on her face.

  I bite my lip and nod. “He’s incredible.” Jessica and I haven’t seen each other since yesterday. The last she knew Liam was ignoring me.

  “He’s even better looking in person,” she adds. “So hot.”

  “I heard that, Jess,” says Jeff, putting his arm around the back of her chair.

  “I know,” she says with a giggle, and then we both break out laughing.

  I can feel Liam approach. My skin buzzes with excitement—probably a remnant of the incredible orgasms he doles out. He sets a plate in front of me. It’s heaping, not the skimpy plate most guys would fill for a woman.

  “I bet you’re starved. I am.” He leans in my ear again as he sets his plate down, he whispers, “You are the best work out.”

  He doesn’t eat off my plate, which impresses me. Most guys act as if my plate is their back up. Instead, he refills his plate and returns with an extra crab cake for me. As he pushes it into my mouth, his fingers linger on my lips and I suck them in. That’s when my gaze bumps into Hayden’s. He’s watching me intently, shaking his head. I don’t care. I can only control myself for so long. If Nordstrom uses me, I’m going to enjoy it.