Vice

by Rosanna Leo

  He moved to the bedroom door and poked his head around the corner. Kate sat quietly, watching some sort of documentary on space in the other room. She stared at the screen, clearly not absorbed in the content, fiddling with the ends of her hair. Watching her, he shed his clothing, feeling his cock swell and thicken in anticipation of the hunt.

  Despite the fact their bodies seemed so in tune with one another, he knew he’d alarmed her the last couple of times they’d fucked. He could be a willful son-of-a-bitch and the reticence in her gaze had not been lost on him. But it was only in coming with her that he managed to forget himself for a while. When he lost himself in her body, he forgot about his present obligations, past sins, and future mistakes. He even forgot those damn chest pains.

  The moment she tightened under him, lost to the pleasure he created for her, was the closest he’d ever come to heaven.

  And quite frankly he was better at fucking than talking about his emotions.

  Kate had seen right through him the night he confessed his past to her and he hadn’t been at ease since. He’d never let himself be so vulnerable in front of anyone, not since he poured his heart out to his stepmother… and look at the travesty that had caused.

  It scared him shitless.

  He knew Kate wanted more, wanted honesty and openness. Hell, he wanted those things too. But he also knew if he allowed himself to be vulnerable with her again, he might fuck it up and lose her altogether. He’d already lost everyone who ever meant anything to him. So the primal beast inside him told him to keep her numb with ecstasy. If she couldn’t walk, she couldn’t walk away.

  Flawed logic to be sure, but right now it was all he had.

  As soon as he was nude, he pumped his cock, and sucked in a deep breath, then strode into the room.

  Kate looked down to his crotch, then slowly back up to his face. Her face lit up with strange emotion. Need, it had to be need, because he felt it too.

  He leaned over, picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, depositing her on his bed. “Now. Take it all off.”

  She did, not breathing a word. Liam walked over to his closet to retrieve one of his ties. Once her nude form was illuminated by the dancing flames of the fireplace he whispered, “Trust me.”

  She hesitated, but nodded.

  He placed the tie around her eyes, making sure it wasn’t too tight. The deep blue of the silk complimented her red hair and the skin that grew pinker with each fraught moment. Everything about her made him want to push his boundaries and explore hers. He wanted to tease her into sexual submission, to take total mastery over her mind and soul.

  He wanted to make her his.

  “Liam,” Kate whispered, tilting her head as if to catch his scent.

  He spread her legs, savoring the sight before him, and slid between them. “I’m here,” he said, as he licked at her inner thigh.

  He drank her essence, losing track of where they were altogether. She tasted perfect, so bloody perfect, and he could never get enough of her. To have her blindfolded, at his disposal, gave him a heady rush that made his cock swell even more.

  He glided his tongue along each sweet fold, savoring her. Kate’s body shook and she made a strangled noise. He looked up, ready to encourage her to shout out her pleasure. However, what he saw made him pounce back up the length of her body so he could see her better.

  His tie was wet at the edge where it covered her eyes. A slow trail of tears rolled over her skin. Panicked, he removed the blindfold. Had he freaked her out? “Kate, sweetheart. What is it?”

  “I got a call before. I think it was Vaughan.”

  Fury blazed inside him like the flames in his fireplace. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. In a hushed voice, she told him about the call and that she’d already phoned the cops. He was glad about that, but enraged Vaughan would try his scare tactics again.

  He wanted him dealt with. Yesterday. He urged her to lie down on the bed and held her in his arms. Their bodies felt so right together, and as much as he wanted to be inside her, he held back. Even still, their bodies seemed to have their own minds. Each time one of them moved, the other responded. His cock hardened. Her nipples pebbled. As soon as his hand met with her moist pussy, he could no longer hold back. She whispered his name, so quiet and full of mystery, as he thrust his fingers inside her.

  He wanted so much more of her. He wanted to take her and shake her and break her, until she was ruined for any other man.

  She reached out with a shaking hand and rummaged inside his bedside table, producing a condom. Ripping the package open with her teeth, she pulled it out and sheathed him herself. One kiss, two kisses. A deft turn of his hips, and he penetrated her, thrusting deep.

  “I’ll keep you safe,” he promised, murmuring into her fragrant hair. “Just stay with me.”

  She clutched his backside and wrapped her legs around him as they crashed into each other, orgasms ripping through them with simultaneous violence.

  As her body quaked, he whispered again, “Stay with me.”

  Two days later, Liam sat in a wing chair in his office suite while Kate slept, dressed only in boxers. Despite spending every hour together in the past…fuck, he’d lost track of how many days it had been, and despite how much his body craved sleep, he couldn’t seem to close his eyes. Even now, at 2am, it was all he could do to stare out the window at the city lights and listen to the sirens of emergency vehicles as they raced down the Strip.

  The air conditioning kicked in. He rested his head on the back of his chair and shivered as a blast of cool air teased his body. Damn. Maybe it was time they put some real clothes on. They’d been naked together much of the time, throwing on the bathrobes whenever they got cold.

  She’d given him her body for days on end, had let him do whatever he wanted with her. He’d held her and caressed her, nibbled and sucked and tweaked her. He’d pinned her down, spanked her and mastered her beautiful body with his fingers, tongue and cock. He’d needed her more than he’d needed anything. Although she’d dropped off to sleep now and then, every time he’d so much as crooked a finger in her direction, she’d come and let him take more.

  He’d never experienced such greed before. If she’d been cake, he would have glutted himself.

  She lay peaceful on the bed, her hair trailing behind her on the pillow, making a slight noise like a kitten’s snore. He smiled, oddly comforted by the soft sound. He clearly needed to let her rest for a while.

  If only he could.

  He got up and walked into the kitchenette to pour himself a fingerful of Scotch into a glass tumbler. He moved back into the bedroom and sat on the bed next to Kate’s unmoving form. She’d kicked all the sheets off and he couldn’t resist running a hand over her bare spine. Her skin already bore goose pimples from the A/C so he reached for the covers and draped them over her. She made a sleepy noise of appreciation and burrowed in next to his thigh.

  As if they’d always slept together. As if they always would.

  Liam knew in that moment that he would do anything to keep Kate safe. He’d suspected it when he first saw her. He’d been convinced of it after she’d been attacked by Vaughan. And now, after sharing so much with her, their bond floored him with its simplicity and depth. He wanted her to have a home with him, and not some souped-up office in a casino. A real home, full of love and laughter. The kind which he’d always dreamed about, but feared he’d never have.

  I want you out of my home. Do you understand me?

  “Oh, yeah, Shauna,” he muttered. “I understand. I understand you’ve lost your power over me.”

  It was true. Since telling Kate about his childhood, about his feelings of inadequacy, somehow they’d all but fizzled away. Where he used to grow so enraged every time he pictured his stepmother, he now felt only sadness. Sadness for Shauna, because she missed out on having him in her life, or even having t
he life she’d wanted.

  For the first time, he felt ready to forgive. It defied logic, but in listening to him, in sharing herself with him, Kate had taught him there was so much more to life than recrimination or a need to prove his worth. Hadn’t he been doing just that in building his casinos, trying to prove how important he was, how special? And all because he’d never heard those words uttered by a ghost of a woman.

  With Kate’s gentle touches and sweet words, he’d realized he didn’t need to prove himself. He only wanted to live up to one standard now, to be the man who would take care of Kate.

  Kate.

  She was so fucking beautiful whenever he took her, each and every time. Something incredible passed between them every time they touched. She’d seen it too, he could tell. Something profound and mysterious and strangely binding. For years, he’d kept people away. He’d never shared himself completely with anyone. He was too busy maintaining the cult of Liam Doyle and burying his past. But Kate had helped him see the past wasn’t clawing its way out of the ground, reaching for him. The past didn’t need to be buried again and again.

  Of course, he might have already gone and fucked it up a couple of times. He saw the hesitant light in her eyes, knew his intensity scared her. He just didn’t know how else to be with her. He could tell she wanted, needed, to talk to him about their pasts, but he was ready to leave the past behind. He didn’t want to dwell on hate anymore. He wanted to concentrate on how Kate made him feel. She made him soar. She made him despair. She made him dare to love.

  He closed his eyes for a moment, floored by the sentiment.

  She must think he was a basket case. Good thing she forgave those peculiarities.

  As he thought about the nature of forgiveness, Liam realized there might be room in his heart for one more act of it.

  He put down the tumbler of Scotch on the bedside table and picked up his cell phone. He dialed and waited until a groggy voice came on the other line.

  “Nando? Yeah, I know it’s late. Sorry about that.” Liam paused. “Look, I want you to drop the suit for Michelle’s custody. Yeah, I’ve changed my mind.” He listened to his lawyer’s words. “Don’t worry about the costs, just bill it to me. Cover theirs as well. It’s time to move on. Get some sleep, and thanks.” He ended the call before Perreira tried to talk him out of it. Perreira could talk the devil out of devilry.

  Liam sat still in bed and waited for true rock bottom to hit. He braced himself for the lump in his throat.

  It didn’t come.

  Yes, he would miss Michelle. Would miss her terribly. But he knew he did the right thing. Andy and Bridget weren’t perfect, but they wanted to give their little girl a family, which was more than he often felt he had growing up. He wouldn’t rip it away from them.

  “Goodbye, Michelle.”

  Besides, as he looked as Kate, sleeping amidst rumpled sheets, he couldn’t help but think he’d found a new family.

  She stirred in the bed and reached out a hand to him. He lay next to her, winding his arms about her soft body.

  Her lips found his neck and she kissed him. “You did the right thing. I’m proud of you.”

  He nodded his gratitude and held her until morning.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kate took a moment to admire the soft lighting of their surroundings and the opulent, yet understated furnishings. This was a part of Vice Liam had never shown her before. It wasn’t even officially open, still blocked off and barred to the public.

  “What is this place?”

  “It’s called Decadence. It’s a piano bar. Do you like it?”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  He grinned. “I hope to see it open in a month or so. Once I pin down the right talent.”

  She ran a hand over one of the velvet bar stools that were cheekily constructed to fit two people. “Lucky talent.”

  His grin expanded into a wide smile and her breath hitched. Damn. They’d slept together, bathed together, and spent the wee hours of the mornings together. He’d taken her every which way, yet her heart still pounded every time he smiled at her, even if her brain still occasionally tried to warn her away.

  He shuts you down every time you want to discuss something more important than room service. Run.

  Ignoring the voice, she let him lead her, his hand at the small of her back, to a booth at the back of the empty bar where they sat.

  “Kate, I brought you here because for the first time in a long while, I’m excited about looking forward. I want you to sing for me. Ever since you told me you performed torch songs, I knew I had to hear you.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” No way he really wanted her to audition. He must be speaking through the haze of lust that had driven them both the past few days.

  He gestured to the small platform next to the piano. “I never kid. Except when I do. Come on. If you managed to get me sexed up with a hideous used car jingle, just imagine what you can do in the right setting with the right music.”

  She looked around the room. With the gleaming grand piano, rich upholstery and expansive bar filled with colorful liqueurs, Decadence was the piano bar of her dreams. A real launching point for her career. She could already imagine herself on stage, microphone in hand, wearing a sumptuous gown as she crooned.

  “Kate, come on. Just a scale, an arpeggio. I want to hear your voice.”

  “You’ve already heard it.”

  “Yes, but I want to hear something other than ‘Oh, God, Liam! More, baby, more!’”

  She elbowed him in the ribs.

  “Don’t get me wrong. It’s music to my ears.” He slid his hand up her thigh, mere centimeters away from her core. He squeezed and her body responded, radiating with warmth. “But I want to hear you sing.”

  “I don’t know.” Yes, Liam’s nightclub was a thing of beauty but it still sat in the middle of a Vegas casino, precisely the type of venue she’d avoided for years. She’d had one or two offers to sing in casinos before. Lucrative opportunities, truth be told, but she’d always turned them down. It was one thing to frolic in bed with Liam, but to work for him? To be on the payroll at Vice? It seemed wrong, even unfair to anyone else who might have wanted the job. And the hypocrisy…

  “Kate.” Liam’s low voice made her rebel against her common sense. One word from him, and her libido took up arms against her brain. He nibbled her ear, tracing the shell with his tongue. “I’ll keep hounding you until I get what I want.”

  Of course he will. It’s what he does.

  Her resistance turned to soup. “Okay, okay.” She slid out of the booth and stood, marching to the stage. “You sure are pushy. Do you conduct all your business this way?”

  “No, ma’am.” Liam leaned back, watching her through hooded eyes. “I’ve only employed these tactics of persuasion with you.”

  She stuck out her tongue and sat on the piano bench. With a tentative hand, she stroked the keys and closed her eyes as she struck a familiar chord. Why was it music always sounded more poignant coming from a grand piano? She launched into a melody she’d played for years, wincing when she came to a part that had always stumped her. Avoiding Liam’s hawk-like gaze, she took a deep breath, drawing from her diaphragm as she’d been taught, and sang the opening notes of “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.”

  She took her time, feeling strangely free even under his intense scrutiny. Ornamenting her phrases, she added a few jazzy syncopations. With him watching, she enjoyed playing with the music, lilting and scooping up to the higher notes, drawing them out to create heartbreaking dissidence. And even though she endeavored to remain distant, not acknowledging Liam’s heated looks, in her heart she sang to him and of him. She poured her heart out for him.

  Even before she hit the final note, he approached, fire in his eyes. As the note died away, she looked up at him.

  He pulled Kate to her feet
, his face serious. “You are incredible and you’re hired.”

  “Liam…”

  “I mean it. Once the police find Vaughan, I want you to open my club.”

  He didn’t let her respond. Wrapping her in his arms, he claimed her mouth. Tongue, teeth, lips, he took them all and she shook like a leaf in a storm, unwilling to fight him.

  She wanted to tell him she couldn’t sing at Decadence, at Vice, but the words wouldn’t come out. And once his hands slid down her back to knead her bottom, she forgot how words worked.

  “Kate,” he said on a deep groan. “I need you now.”

  Yes, her body shouted, overpowering the brain that yet fought to keep her strong. Her nipples hardened and the pressure in her womb grew frenzied. She clutched at him, her greatest temptation, and moaned into his mouth as their tongues battled. She would give herself to him again, right here. She’d do anything he asked.

  She was falling in love with him.

  Liam ripped off his shirt, and Kate tugged off her own, tossing it onto the stage. He worked his belt buckle while she threw her bra to the floor. Liam eyed her with hunger and motioned for her to lie back on the piano bench. She did, arching her back at the sensation of cool wood on her skin.

  He knelt next to her and cupped her breasts. Rolling her nipples between fingers and thumbs, he plucked them until she flailed and moaned.

  “So beautiful,” he said. “So goddamn beautiful.”

  As he was to her, with his sexy eyes and wicked grin. She could look at him forever.

  He closed his lips over one nipple and laved it with his tongue. As he suckled, he danced his hand over her belly and slid his fingers over her mound and between her legs. She was already so wet, so primed, he must have felt her moisture right through her jeans. Scratching a fingernail over her denim-clad pussy, he chuckled when she bucked beneath him.