Rumor Has It

by Leela Lou Dahlin

  Opting to give what he’d asked a try, she got off his lap. Covered only by her white panties, she did her best not to be self-conscious as she walked to the hallway. Hesitating for a quick second, she took a deep breath and turned around to find Liam watching her.

  “Come talk to me back here.”

  He got up and followed her to her room. What could she say to end the silence? Usually quietness was normal and pleasant for them, but this time it just seemed awkward. She turned around when she got inside her room. She was so nervous she was almost ready to call the whole thing off… Almost.

  He was on her as soon as she turned. He must have been taking off clothes as he walked down the hall, because his broad chest was out and on display. As always, when she saw that spectacular sight, her breath caught and she could feel the arousal spreading throughout her body. She couldn’t count how many times she’d seen his chest and wanted to rub it, touch it, lick it…bite it. Now she would get her chance.

  His smile was warm, and it was making her hotter. He kissed her and guided her to sit down on the bed. She was eye level with the bulge in his jeans, and she hummed in anticipatory excitement when he put his hands on the top button and opened it.

  “Let me do it,” she whispered so low she thought he might not have heard her.

  “What?”

  “I…I want to do the rest,” she said, looking up into his handsome face. “Do you have a problem with that?”

  “No, darlin’, I don’t.” He released the hold he had on his jeans.

  Now that she had the green light, she was shaken at how badly she wanted to do this. The zipper was loud, or maybe it was because she was so sensitive, and it was like she was hyperalert. She pushed down the pants, leaving the black boxer briefs in place, enjoying teasing herself.

  She put her mouth to the hot throbbing cock that lay covered and attempted to learn its shape with her mouth. The moan she heard above her was deep and went straight to her core.

  He backed up and finished the job she had started—removing his clothes while she did the same with hers. She watched him walk to the other side of the bed and lie down. He reached over and helped her find the way to him in her soft bed.

  This might ruin her bed for any and all other fun with another person. Liam looked perfect in it, like it was just the place for him to be.

  “You said you wanted me to talk to you, right? Well, I’ve thought of something I want to say.”

  Her breath hitched and she couldn’t find her voice, but she nodded.

  “Watching your mouth open over my cock was one of the sexiest things I’ve seen in a while.”

  “Really? I’m glad, but it didn’t seem to make you too hot for me. You didn’t throw me down and take me.”

  “Another trigger for you?”

  “I don’t know…maybe. Let’s try it and see,” she said as his wicked grin sent tingles straight to every naughty bit she owned.

  He rolled on top of her and gave an open-mouthed kiss to the crook of her neck that increased the burn on her desire. “Spread your legs for me, Raina.”

  She opened her legs wider to accept him and was delighted to take a minute to view Liam the way she’d always wanted to see him, but he moved over her before she could take in the full impact of all that was Liam. Damn. She’d wanted to get a better and longer look, but she could feel the thick, pulsing heat as he stroked the length up and down her wet opening. His body felt incredible, warm and hard, and she guessed she could settle for a thorough inspection of the body that was making her feel so good—later.

  She tried to arch her body so she could get him to enter her and was surprised at how quickly she could be turned on. She’d never felt this ready…this eager…or had this much fun. This had to be the reason Liam was in high demand.

  He kissed his way down her body with his hot, wet mouth. He produced a condom that he must have put on the table beside him and slid it on so quickly she barely got to see the masterpiece she’d fantasized about.

  “Your pussy smells so good, Raina. I know you’re ready for me. You are so wet.”

  She panted at his words. She wanted to say something, but she feared her voice wouldn’t work or she’d say something stupid.

  “You think so loud. Just go with it. If I say something you don’t like, let me know. You can say whatever you want. Don’t worry about how it sounds.”

  “That’s not it. I just—” she tried to explain, but she couldn’t come up with the words. She was just overwhelmed by all the sensations.

  He leaned in to kiss her, and she was pleased he’d taken the burden off her, as she couldn’t think of a thing to say. She could feel him at her entrance, and she held her breath. It all seemed like it was so important, and she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around what was going on.

  This was just an experiment. Right? To see if she could come with another person? Why did it feel so different? So important…so meaningful. Maybe it was because she’d known Liam for such a long time. Maybe it was because—if she were going to be honest—she’d wanted this since she met him.

  He was large, but it felt incredible going in. He was gently aggressive, and her body was responding. He waited for her to adjust, and she let out the breath she was holding.

  “You okay?” he asked, watching her closely.

  “Yes…please,” she pleaded.

  He moved slowly…so slowly it was frustrating.

  “Please?” he said with that soft Southern twang. “Please what? Go faster, go deeper…go harder?”

  She wound her fingers into his hair, fisting the soft strands as she pulled him down for a taste of his mouth. She liked that he kissed her hard; no one ever did that for her. She got gentle, soft, and mannerly kisses usually, but she craved the ones she was getting right now.

  He kissed the way she liked, but he was still moving slow. She broke away from the heady sensations and tried to catch her breath enough to speak.

  “Liam.” That didn’t come out as forcefully as she would have liked, but she knew she’d gotten his attention.

  “You didn’t answer the question, sweetheart.”

  That surprised her. He’d never used cutesy names before. She’d think about that later.

  He moved his teasing breath and deep voice right next to her ear as he murmured, “I’d like to hear from you too. Tell me something with your beautiful voice.”

  She cleared her throat because she felt full and like she hadn’t talked in a long time. He stopped moving altogether and stared down at her. She couldn’t see his eyes the way she liked—the robust Kelly green had been her favorite color before she met him, but now that she knew him, it solidified her thoughts about her color choice.

  “I want it harder, deeper, and faster. Right now, please, Liam.”

  “Mmm…that was pretty good.”

  He picked up the tempo, and she could feel something building deep inside her. It grew, and her body seemed to tighten, like each long deep push into her body was winding something up. It felt so pleasurable it was almost scary. Tighter and tighter, faster and faster, until the something broke, and she shattered. Her body continued contracting and releasing around his in quick succession.

  On her way down, she heard Liam call her name as a groan as he came.

  Once both of their breathing had calmed down, Liam got up, disposed of the condom, and went into her bathroom, returning with a warm washcloth. He made quick work of cleaning her up but was so gentle she wanted to hug him.

  He came back to the bed and rolled to his back. Raina looked over at Liam as he lay there quietly, staring at the ceiling.

  “That was incredible,” she said to his profile and watched him turn to her and offer a soft smile. Something about him seemed off, but she didn’t know what it was. It was probably because of the rose-colored glasses that seemed to tint this whole experience in calming goodness.

  “It was,” he conceded, but he didn’t sound happy. He didn’t sound unhappy either, but h
e did sound odd.

  He rolled toward her, gathered her in his arms, and stroked her hair. She fell asleep before she could ask him if there was any way to appeal the one-day limitation he’d placed on them both.

  * * * *

  The green glowing clock read 6:25 a.m. when he opened his eyes. Damn it. He never fell asleep after sex, but then again, he’d never had sex like that. He had to get to a meeting, and if he didn’t get out of there, he was not going to be able to make it.

  He’d always loved Raina’s hair. He’d never really touched it before last night, but he figured if it was going to happen, now was the time. He’d done so many things last night that he didn’t normally do. Raina was right when she talked about some of the rules he put on sexual escapades. He’d broken his biggest rule. No sleepovers.

  She made him let down his guard and relax his rules, and for that reason alone, she was dangerous. He slipped out of bed and began to gather up his clothes. Where was his shoe? He searched around for his items so he could leave, knowing it was best to do it before she woke up. If he had to look at her fresh from sleep, he might never get himself to go.

  She had come like a bottle rocket, hot, fast, and illegal—at least to his state of mind. What was he thinking, sleeping with Raina? She was the one person he could come to when he just needed a quiet place to sit. He liked unwinding at her home and talking to her about things she thought were important. She kept him sane. He’d noticed a few times her glances were full of lusty hunger, and he knew she liked to look at him, but he couldn’t fault her for that. She was one of his favorite things to look at as well.

  Fuck. Where were his pants? This was just one more indication that last night something different had happened. He never had clothes strewn all over the place like this. He was neat…orderly… He made sure all parties had a good time with no hard feelings, and then he was gone.

  He’d wanted to see what Raina looked like while she was sleeping, and he’d wanted to touch her soft hair that always smelled so good. Those were the things that had kept him here way past the time she fell asleep, and then he fell asleep beside her. What the fuck! He never did that. And he especially wouldn’t have if he’d known that it would lead to this out-of-control feeling of being sucked into a vortex.

  That was what she did to him, and for the love of Jim Beam, he couldn’t understand it, but it had been like that since he met her. She’d been a quiet, shy beauty in the loud and bustling Fire Hydrant. That local bar had been good for a lot of things, but he’d have never guessed he’d find someone who could possibly steal his heart.

  One last item and he was gone. She slept like a log, and for once he was glad of it. Usually when he was getting ready to leave and trying to wake her up so she could get up and get into bed, not so much.

  He’d sworn and cussed throughout the madness of finding his things and dealing with how he’d handled the whole situation. He’d let her fall sleep because he didn’t want her to start drawing castles in the sand. Sex like they’d had could make you do that. He could handle it if it were just she who was emotional, but feeling the way he did right now, he would be the one making most of the plans, and that scared the crap out of him.

  With one last look at the beauty who meant so much to him, he tried to commit this image in his mental file. This was a picture he wanted to keep forever. Her white sheets were crisp, and her deep-red hair was draped on the pillow beside her…where he had been sleeping. The place he still wanted to be now. Her sexy, full lips were slightly open, and she slept the total opposite of the way she looked awake. She looked like a woman in wild abandon with her arms flung out, silently beckoning him to return. Shit. Now he was getting poetic. It was so time to get out of here. He’d see Raina in a few days like usual, and hopefully they’d both be back to normal.

  She had her answers. Could she come during sex? Yes. Could she enjoy herself? Yes. Questions answered and case closed. He walked out the door and made sure it was secure. He was serious about her safety, but he’d have to admit she was in one of the safest neighborhoods in the tri-state area, and he’d never known of her being in danger. Okay…enough was enough. He was out of there.

  Chapter Three

  He made it to the meeting with only seconds to spare. Usually he was the first one at meetings, but he doubted anyone would comment on it.

  “It looks like everyone is here, so I guess we can get started. This isn’t going to be a long meeting—we actually have a problem with the upcoming annual ball.”

  Liam watched Assistant Fire Commissioner Theo Redford as he stood in front of the auction committee and wondered how the hell he’d ended up having to attend this meeting in the first place—the only others there were Theo’s secretary and the event chairperson. Right, his district chief had said he was requested. He’d been instructed to attend the meeting, probably to represent Fire Station 9.

  Theo was Raina’s ex-boyfriend. Sure, Liam had known her first and had tried his best to act pleased with the pairing, but he’d been more exuberant than a lottery winner when they’d separated suddenly a few months back. Since then, Liam had always felt like he was in some sort of pissing contest with the guy, even though there had been no reason. Even after last night, there was no reason. She was single, and he couldn’t be counted as a threat to a relationship that was no longer in existence. He wasn’t even going to focus on why the ending of their relationship made him so happy.

  He thought it was because if this guy had his way, Liam would never see Raina again, and just the thought of that happening made him want to shake the large man going on about today’s agenda.

  “Would you be willing to do that, Liam?” Theo asked, looking annoyed that he’d had to speak to Liam directly.

  “I’m sorry. I missed what was asked.” Liam was so wrapped up in Theo’s past relationship with Raina and the possibility of ending their friendship, he wasn’t listening to a word that was said.

  Theo blew out a breath of frustration. ”I was saying that Betty Bishop, the event planner who has been doing the Fire Ball for the last three years, had to leave unexpectedly, and there is no one to finish what she was doing with the auction. We need someone experienced to step up and help us get it all done. I’ve been told that it’s all set up and everything is in order, but we need some help with the finishing touches.”

  “Sounds reasonable?” Liam said, not understanding what they wanted him to do. He could sit there and vote about this or that, but he couldn’t plan anything.

  “Would you ask Raina to fill in and help us with the event?”

  What? It was going to be hard enough to see her the next time he visited, but if he had to go in asking for something…that was just too much. He hated asking for something almost as much as he hated being indebted to someone.

  “Is there a reason you can’t ask her?”

  “There is, but I don’t want to go into it right now. Plus, I’m calling in a favor from you.”

  And this was why he hated to be indebted to anyone… They always used it to get something they’d never get from you without the debt.

  “Also, we really need her. She did an outstanding job with the police officer’s ball. People are still raving over it, and it was the best fundraiser they’ve ever had.”

  Liam must not have looked convinced, because the man kept going. “I know she would do a great job at this, even though it isn’t a lot of time, and I also know she would do anything for you.”

  “What would make you think that?”

  “Because I know her.”

  After that cryptic remark, it seemed he was done with that topic and moved on to the next subject. The rest of the meeting passed in a flash, and Liam thought he was home free.

  “Liam,” Theo said as he walked over to him. “Here is the information Raina will need to get started. If she needs anything, you let me know."

  “I could just tell her to call you.”

  “No. That’s okay. I just—” He looked away, like he
didn’t want something to slip out, but this tough guy was about as likely to share personal thoughts with Liam as he was to get any in return.

  “I’ll ask her and let you know what she says.”

  “When are you going to ask?”

  Damn this guy was pushy. “Tonight,” Liam answered, trying not to be annoyed.

  “Great.” Although when he said the word, it didn’t sound great; it sounded like he was gritting his teeth.

  “Look, Theo, I don’t know what’s going on with you and her, but she’s never said anything harsh about you after the breakup. So whatever the reason you broke up, there doesn’t seem to be any hard feelings.”

  “What?” The frown was fierce, and Liam knew why the people in his department feared him, even though Raina had never seen this side. He was always sunshine and rainbows when she was around. Not the fake kind, but Raina could do that to you. She could make you mellow and happy and…wait, what were they talking about?

  “I didn’t break up with her.” It was official; he was gritting his teeth.

  That’s what I get for trying to make it better for the guy. He should have just committed to asking her and been on his way. He didn’t want to hear this.

  “You didn’t?” That caught Liam by surprise.

  “No, I didn’t. She broke up with me,” Theo barked, and Liam knew this was one of the times being silent was the only option. “I guess she didn’t tell you about it.”

  He tried to remember what she’d said about the breakup but just remembered being so content they weren’t together and happy she didn’t seem to be suffering any ill effects, he hadn’t spent a lot of time talking to her about it.

  “Not really.”

  “Good to see I meant so much to her.”

  Liam didn’t know what to say about that.

  “Forget it. Just get her to do the fundraiser. I’ll be happy with that.”

  “I’ll try my best.”