Rumor Has It

by Leela Lou Dahlin

  “It’s okay. I understand. I don’t have a problem with what we have together, but it would be hard to let people know we were going out and then not. I’d rather not have to deal with that when you move on.”

  “When I move on?” He looked to see if she believed that. “Because that’s what I do?”

  “Yes. You get the girl, she falls for you, and then you move on.”

  “Maybe I hadn’t met the right girl yet.”

  “Maybe you haven’t.” And with that, she turned on the radio and turned to look out the window. With his head reeling from so much information and so many emotions in such a short time, he didn’t get why she was upset until twenty-five minutes into the drive, and by then she was asleep.

  He called Ethan and asked him to drive the materials to his house and leave them in the entryway, and good-natured Ethan agreed without a problem. Too bad, because Liam was frustrated and looking for a fight. That too was unlike him.

  When he pulled into his driveway, he was happy to see Ethan had been there and gone.

  * * * *

  Raina woke up when he shut the door. “Where are we?” She had been knocked out on the ride home. Between the late nights, her body being played like an instrument, and the disappointment she knew she shouldn’t have felt by Liam telling her he hadn’t met the right girl to get him to settle down, she was exhausted.

  “I thought we could get takeout and finish the trinkets here.”

  He was so confusing. First acting jealous, then the zinger about the right girl—as if he thought she needed to find a way to get over him.

  “Ethan’s bringing them to my house.”

  “I called him and asked him to bring them to my house. I told him we’d finish them and take them to the calligrapher.”

  All right…maybe she was still sleepy, she thought as she walked over to the door, because this wasn’t making any sense. “Wait! We’re doing this at your house?”

  “Yes, why?” he said as he unlocked the door and ushered her in.

  “Because I’ve never really been to your house.”

  “Yes you have.”

  “I’ve been in the kitchen to drop off things when we’ve run by, but I’ve never been in your house for a full-fledged visit.” Some of her anger was being displaced by sheer inquisitiveness.

  He turned on the lights. “Is it everything you imagined?” he joked. It wasn’t fair that he was hot and sweet and a secret squirrel. He was everything she wanted. She’d have to stop thinking like that. She wanted to be married and have children by the time she was thirty, and she knew that wasn’t in his plans.

  She looked around his living room and walked through the dining room and into the kitchen. “I thought there would be whips, chains, and sex swings.”

  “Really? You thought I would need all that hardware to satisfy a partner?”

  “No. I just know that you get bored very easily, and I thought… It doesn’t matter what I thought.”

  He backed her up against the wall in the hallway. “I thought about the conversation we were having before you turned on the music and tuned me out.”

  “I don’t want to talk about that. We both know this isn’t going to last, so let’s not do anything that will jeopardize our friendship.”

  He looked hurt, but that couldn’t be right. She must be hungry or tired or something.

  It was so quiet in the hallway with him looking at her like he was trying to figure out where to go from there and her trying not to look at him at all.

  “It appears you don’t want to talk about that. I can accept that. How about I talk about something else I figured out about you?”

  She wished things were different, but she’d started this, and she didn’t know if anyone would ever know how to play her body and make it sing like he did.

  “You wear your smart little pantsuits with your beautiful hair pinned up tight. It gives the illusion that you are a bit pent up yourself. But with what I’ve seen and what you’ve said, you want more but don’t want to ask for it. You want someone to just give it to you. Maybe we can work on that.”

  “Work on what?” She sounded like she’d just run a marathon.

  “You asking for what you want. Since you know this isn’t going to last, you’re going to need to find a way to let the next guy give you what you need.”

  He was saying the right things—they were things that he would say—but there was something wrong with the tone. It was so hard to think about it, though, because he was waving her favorite carrot in front of her face. She was going to get to be with him again. She would worry about the alarms going off in her head later.

  “All right,” she responded, and if possible it seemed like his face got stormier. That shouldn’t make her hot, right? What in the world was going on? It was like he was speaking a different language that sounded like the one she knew but the subtext was off.

  He was surrounding her. His hands were on either side of her head, and he was leaning in to kiss her. She pushed him against the opposite wall and was pleased to see him off balance for a minute. She sank to her knees and opened the button and zipper on his jeans.

  “Raina…” Her name sounded like a plea and a warning. He was right; she had to start asking for what she wanted—or demanding it.

  She pulled his jeans and boxer briefs down to reveal a hot, throbbing, picture-perfect specimen of manhood that belonged on the cover of Cock Weekly, if there was such a publication.

  He hissed when she stroked the length from the bottom all the way to the plum-like helmet she’d ached to kiss. She licked off the sticky drop of pearl liquid that accumulated at the tip and looked up to see what the torment was doing to Liam.

  He looked more aroused than she’d ever seen him. His brow was furrowed, and his mouth was opened slightly. She was getting stirred up watching him watch her.

  “Do you like this, Raina?” His voice was deep and slightly unsteady, and she felt like a powerful woman.

  She licked the head, and his eyes closed briefly. “Yes, I do. Tell me what you want.”

  He grinned at her. “Trying to change the game, huh?”

  “You know what they say. What’s good for the goose…” She continued to place small kisses and licks in the same general area.

  “Put it in your mouth,” he groaned, and she opened her mouth wide. “Just the tip.” She closed down on the head and sucked, using her tongue to stimulate.

  He put one hand on her jaw and the other on his cock and pulled it out of her mouth. It came out with a soft popping sound. He rubbed the tip on her lips and then put his hands on her arms and brought her to her feet.

  “Tell me what you want.”

  “I just want you, but that wasn’t really the question, so then I guess I want to be naked.”

  He helped her out of her clothes in record speed. “Well, beautiful…you have me, and you’re naked. So, now what?”

  “I want you to do me right here, in the hallway.”

  He backed her up against the wall and lifted up her leg so he could make a space for himself between them. He quickly donned a condom and proceeded to rub against her, making sure the cap of his cock hit her clit with each stroke.

  He bent over, sucked her nipple into his mouth, and entered her slick passage at the same time. She looked like a content kitten who’d gotten exactly what she wanted, and he could only hope that his body felt even a quarter as good to her as her body felt to him. He fisted her hair and could feel her orgasm rippling as her abs clenched and shuddered. The moaning and spasming just went on and on.

  “Oh, Liam…please don’t stop.”

  He had let go of her breast and was pumping like a fast piston. She reached up, pinched his nipple, and then sucked the skin right beside his Adam’s apple. Hard. She had a few nice tricks up her sleeve as well. The lusty-mixed-with-coy look she was giving him was the last thing he noticed before he filled her with what felt like everything he had. “Oh fuck.”

  He withdrew from
her body and kissed her on the forehead. He took her hand and led her to his bathroom. He gave her towels, turned on the water, and gave her a long shirt and some sweatpants. After making sure she had everything she needed, he told her he’d be back.

  Chapter Seven

  What the hell had just happened? He’d had no idea it could be like that. The sex got better and better. Every. Damn. Time. He had no clue what was going on, but her speech in the car about them not ever going out had made him think about the way she saw his visits as opposed to how they really were for him. He wanted to find a way to get the trinkets done without putting it back on Raina since he’d already worked it out so she wouldn’t have to do it but then messed it up. He’d taken away her helper, he didn’t want to get on her bad side, and he wanted to take her out on the town. He took a couple of minutes to think, and he knew just the person to do it. Giving the person a quick call to make sure it was okay, he felt pretty good about how he’d worked all that out.

  She came out smelling like his soap—that shouldn’t have been a turn-on. She was wearing his shirt and a pair of sweatpants that he should have thrown out long ago, as they were way too tight on him.

  “I called Sue, and she said she has time to do the trinkets. She told Ethan she could do them, but he said you’d probably want to do them.”

  “That’s good. I need to get home anyway.” That was what her mouth said, but her demeanor said “screw off, jerk.”

  “Oh…I thought maybe we could go out and get something to eat.”

  “No. That’s okay.”

  There was something wrong, and although he had a feeling of what it was, he wasn’t sure he wanted to open that particular can of worms. She hadn’t wanted to listen to what he was trying to say in the car, and it didn’t seem like she wanted to talk now. “Let me load the stuff into the car, and I’ll drop you off.”

  “You’re going to take it to Sue’s after you drop me off?” she asked, sounding like it was killing her to ask.

  He looked at her face, at the flushed cheeks and pursed lips, and wondered if she was going to say what she wanted to say or keep it locked inside like usual.

  “That’s the plan.”

  “All righty, then…great. Let’s go.” She was giving him that smile she reserved for other people, the too-bright smile. He always wondered who thought that was a real smile.

  He knew why she had it, and he knew what she thought, but he wasn’t going to discuss it. If she thought he was that disgusting, willing to leave her and be with another woman, so be it. She could always ask and he’d tell her, but he was disappointed in her faith in him. He could see why she didn’t have any, but for some reason, that didn’t make it hurt any less.

  The ride back to her house was the quiet that had been a part of their world off and on for the last few days, and he hated it. It was dark, angry, and thick. He opened the window to get some air circulating. He wanted to say something to get her to talk to him. His charm was failing him; he couldn’t think of a single thing to say that wouldn’t sound like he was begging her to think highly of him. Let her think what she thought—he didn’t care what people thought of him. The little voice that was saying he did care what Raina thought was about due for an ass kicking if it didn’t shut up.

  They pulled up at her house, and she jumped out before he could turn off the car.

  “Thanks for taking me to the wine tasting. I had a great time. Enjoy your night.”

  “Raina.”

  “Look, it’s not a big deal. I know you like variety, and we’ve been hanging out for a few days nonstop. I knew it was bound to be over soon.”

  “What?” He walked around the car as she took large steps backward to the door, almost tripping on the uneven pavement.

  “No hard feelings, Liam, I promise. I’ll see you at the meeting this Sunday.” She turned to unlock her door. “Have a great night.”

  The door closed, and Liam was furious. Not only had she written them off after their outrageous connection in his hallway, but she’d insulted him on so many other levels. He needed to think about a lot of things, and maybe she did too. Anything that came out of his mouth right now would be tinged with anger and could possibly cause more disruption than they seemed to have between them now.

  He sat there for a few more minutes and then started up his car. He wasn’t usually so emotional, and damn was it tiring. Having the most intense sex he’d ever had in his life probably hadn’t helped.

  * * * *

  The twenty-four hours she hadn’t been with Liam should have been a breather, but he was with her at all times because he stayed in her mind and, damn it, her heart.

  Talia had done a wonderful job with the party favors. Raina had wanted to go over there yesterday to help out, since she’d been home and driving herself crazy, but in the end Sue had done it by herself and taken it to Talia’s for completion.

  It had run around her head that she could always give him a call since he’d gotten another cell phone. A few hours after she left him looking dazed, standing by the car as she made her retreat into her home, she’d received a text. Got another cell phone—same number. Call me if you need anything. She wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean.

  She’d never asked him for anything before, and the only thing she would’ve needed was him, so she’d not responded to the text. She fretted about it and then thought about texting later that night, but it was too late, and she thought she’d look unstable. She didn’t want him to think she’d been pondering her response for that long of a time, but she had.

  Deciding she was going to have a good time at this wedding, she put her all into getting her outfit together and looking good, and who knew…maybe she’d find an interesting man to talk to. This thing with Liam had been meant to do a couple of things. It was supposed to remove the mystery of him so she could stop thinking about him, stop her from subconsciously bringing him into her relationships, cease judging men based on the Liam standard, and find out if she could actually have an orgasm with another individual present. It had given her some good information about herself, but she didn’t hold out hope that Liam wasn’t going to be in her mind. If anything, he was going to be the five-star standard she held all sexual relationships to. He was supposed to be downgraded in her mind, but she didn’t think that was going to happen.

  She’d done all she planned to do with Liam. So she should be moving on, giving mere mortals a chance. He wasn’t for keeps, and she’d gotten much more than she’d thought she would, so she should be happy. Right? They were still friends; they could still hang out. What was the problem? There was probably a problem with how much she wanted to hang out with him, and she didn’t even want to think about the next girl who came up to her fresh from his bed to ask about how to keep him interested.

  Think about that another day. This day was for a beautiful wedding at a gorgeous chapel at dusk. This was about a marriage between two people who loved each other and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. She could feel longing overtaking her and decided to view the wedding a bit more critically so she would have something to tell her friend when they talked about it later.

  To occupy herself, she flipped through the program, happy that the printer had done such a great job of making it like a keepsake instead of some cheap-looking booklet. A hush descended across the chapel, and then soft murmurs replaced that. The wedding wasn’t even close to starting, so she glanced around to see what the murmurs were about.

  She should have known. Liam. He looked like every woman’s fantasy. He was definitely hers, and it was even worse because she knew the reality was even better than all of their fantasies combined.

  The smile on her face grew as she observed him walking toward her and tried to ignore the pride she felt looking at him with his gaze only on her. He reached her pew and stopped.

  “Is this seat taken?” he asked with an amused smile on his face.

  Where were her manners? She had seen him in his fire gear,
casual gear, and even workout gear, but she’d never seen him in a suit. The charcoal attire fit him perfectly, and she was blown away by this new appearance.

  “No,” she said as he moved by her, leaving her in the seat next to the aisle.

  He sat down and studied her face. “You described all the work you’ve put into this wedding, and I had to see the chapel you love so much.” His hushed tone and gleam in his eyes made her want to leave this place and take her prize home, but this wasn’t her prize; this was her friend. Her platonic friend she’d promised she wouldn’t become a crazy, stalking sex fiend over. She might not have promised him that, but she’d definitely promised herself that.

  “You should have told me you wanted to come. We could have ridden in together.” She could’ve bitten her tongue to stop the flow of stupidity that seemed to be exiting her body through her words. “But you’d probably have a better chance of getting someone home with you if you brought your own car.” She knew she was rambling, but there didn’t seem to be an off switch. “Angie brought me here, and I have arrangements for her to take me home.” Raina, shut up. If she’d known he was coming, she could have prepared herself and her mouth to settle down, but as it was, she was fidgety and nervous about the whole situation.

  He was about to say something when the music started up. At least for a while, she would be able to focus on the wedding and not on the confusing feelings that were in a bundle thanks to the man on her left.

  They stood when the bride walked in the door, and he pulled her close to him. The combination of the beauty of the room, the excitement of the people, and the smell of hot man behind her was almost overwhelming. How was she going to get through this night if he was going to be surrounding her like a lover? She was trying to keep him in the friend box, and it was hard enough to do by herself, but if he was going to keep kicking the lid off of said box, she didn’t know that she’d be able to do it. For now she could give in to her desire to be a couple, and out in public no less. That people could see them made it different than just eating dinner or watching a movie at her house.