Back to Life

by Mellie George

  “What?” I asked, nervous.

  “Your lips taste as good as I dreamed they would.”

  I felt a tug in my belly. Swallowing hard, I said, “You’ve dreamt about me?”

  “Yes, many times. I, however, wouldn’t be a gentleman if I elaborated on that,” he said.

  “I’ve dreamt about you too,” I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper.

  His eyes locked with mine and his eyebrows shot up. “You have?”

  Blushing, I said, “Of course I have. That’s why I’ve been such a crabby bitch to everyone for three weeks. I was feeling guilty and almost felt like I was cheating on Mason because I was attracted to you. I know it seems silly, but…”

  “It’s not silly at all. I think you are really brave, Rory. I’m really glad you told me everything.”

  “I am too,” I said, but that little pang of guilt was still there. I knew he’d never look at me the same if he knew the rest of the story. “So, you think Brody and Marissa are still going at it in there?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  He smiled at me. “Do you want to go check?”

  I laughed at him and shook my head. “No. Whatever happens with them is good. I’m just going to sit back and let it happen.”

  “Well, you sitting back while they figure it out on their own isn’t as bad as my mom,” he laughed. “You know she’s somewhere in Manhattan exploding with glee because I just kissed you.”

  “I know. When this gets back to her she’ll be thrilled.”

  “Well, if she’s thrilled by a little kiss, wait until she finds out about this,” he said, and pulled my face to his. This time, I felt his tongue glide across my bottom lip and I groaned in pleasure. Instinctively, I parted my lips, inviting him inside. He obliged and slid his tongue into my mouth. My blood was racing already as my hands slid into his hair, fisting it. I moaned into his mouth as he kept one hand on my face as the other slid down my back and rested at my waist. He tasted so good…like peppermint and a little bit of tequila. Suddenly, muscles deep down in my belly started clenching, and I just had to pull away from the kiss. Breathless, he said, “Rory, what’s wrong?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing. It’s just…fast. We’ve got to slow it down a bit,” I said, trying to catch my breath.

  He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ve got all the time in the world when it comes to you, Rory. I’ll wait as long as you want. I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

  This guy completely floored me. He was absolutely perfect. He was not only patient, funny, and kind, but he was hot as fuck. The ink on his arms alone had me drooling, and it made me want to see the ones on his back even more. I could see myself falling for this guy…I was just hoping he was still willing to catch me once he knew the whole truth.

  Chapter 6

  Liam

  This girl was way more complicated than I ever dreamed. I thought maybe she’d been dumped, but to watch her fiancé dying right in front of her eyes on their anniversary? It was just tragic. And just to know that she was comfortable enough with me to tell me something she’d not been able to say out loud in four years to me was mind-blowing. If her physical attributes alone weren’t enough to send me into a tailspin, her vulnerability just made her even more beautiful to me. At that moment, I realized I didn’t just want a fling with her. For the first time I can remember, I really thought this might be the start of something good.

  Above all else, she’d let her guard down and let me kiss her. I knew she’d be nervous about it, and that I might get a slap across the face for even trying, but she stayed still and let it happen. And it was incredible. The first time I kissed her it was light and innocent…and my world lit on fire. Her lips were sweet and soft and tasted amazing. I felt like the luckiest man alive to have kissed those perfect lips even once. The bite of her piercings just made it even better. It was better than kissing her in all my fantasies. When she confessed she’d been having hot dreams about me too, I thought I was going to explode. I couldn’t fight the urge and leaned into kiss her again, running my tongue across her bottom lip, barely grazing the snake bites. To my surprise, she’d parted her lips for me, and I immediately thrust my tongue inside her sweet mouth. Her tongue ring gliding across my tongue and her hands grabbing fistfuls of my hair…I wanted her here and now. Thankfully she broke the kiss to slow it down because any more and I might not have been able to stop. She looked nervous about stopping it, but I reassured her I wouldn’t be going anywhere and that I’d wait for her. And I was telling the truth. Rory was hands down the most incredible woman I’d ever met in my life, and I was determined to keep her around.

  I felt her shiver beside me. “Are you cold?” I whispered in her ear.

  “A little,” she said, and I wrapped my arm tightly around her shoulders and began rubbing.

  “Do you want to go inside?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

  I grinned. “You don’t?”

  “Well, my head is telling me to go back in the club and keep drinking, but my pants are telling me to pull you into the back alley and take advantage of you,” she said, laughing. I know that she was trying to lighten the mood, but I almost choked and I had to shift in my seat for her to avoid seeing my rock hard erection. My reaction made her giggle. I loved that sound.

  “You think that’s funny? You know you’re killing me, right?” I laughed.

  “I’m sorry. Back inside, it is. Come on,” she said, standing up and holding her hand out to me. “Let’s go find out if those two dumb asses have come up for air yet.” Grinning, I placed my hand in hers and let her lead me off the bench. When we got back inside, my eyes immediately went to our table, and it was empty. Rory turned to me, looking puzzled. “Where did they go?” I shrugged my shoulders. Rory took her cell phone out of her pocket, scrolled through it, and sighed. “Well, I truly have been ditched,” she said, a smile in her voice.

  “What is it?” She held up her phone and it said,

  Rory, I went to come find you, but you looked like you were in good company, *wink* Brody and I are heading back to the apartment to talk, wish me luck, love you!

  Smiling her killer smile, she typed something into her phone and put it back in her pocket. “So, what now? Do you just want to head out too?” I asked, hoping her answer would be no. It was only eleven, and I was used to being up late. I could still taste Rory’s kiss on my lips, and I didn’t want to go home knowing she wouldn’t be coming with me.

  She shook her head, making her hair fall around her shoulders. “No, it’s still early, and I’m off work tomorrow. You want to stay and hang out with me? Maybe throw some darts?”

  “You throw darts?” I asked, impressed.

  “Yes, but not well. Pool on the other hand? That’s my game.”

  “Really? You think you could beat me at pool?”

  She narrowed her eyes playfully. “Oh, I know I can. Don’t think just because you’re a guy that you can beat me at pool. I can kick your ass all over this place.”

  “Really now? Care to make it interesting?” I said, cocking an eyebrow.

  She crossed her arms across her chest, making her breasts push together and lift higher. I kept my eyes on hers because I didn’t want her to catch me staring at her amazing chest. “Name your terms, Tanner.”

  “If I win, you go to dinner with me tomorrow night on an actual date,” I said.

  She tried to hide her smile, but she couldn’t. “And if I win?”

  “Name it.”

  “You pick up my tab tonight. Deal?” She held out her hand to me, but before I could take it, she pulled back. “Think about it first. I can run up a pretty high bar tab.”

  I didn’t doubt that for a second, but I was feeling pretty cocky. I took her small, delicate hand in mine. “Deal,” I said, and we walked over to the pool table.

  Leaning over the table with her hot, perfect ass sticking out, she looked wickedly at me and said, “Eight ball, corner poc
ket,” she said. Without even glancing at what she was doing, she kept her sexy eyes on me and hit the ball with her cue, sinking the eight ball and officially kicking my ass again. She stood up, smiling in triumph. She sauntered over to me and held her hand out to me. “How many games does that make now? Four?”

  I ran my hand through my hair and tossed my pool cue on the table. “Come on, best out of nine?” I said, exasperated.

  Laughing, she said, “Hell no. Time to pay up, Tanner.” Rory wasn’t kidding about being awesome at pool. If that hairstylist thing doesn’t work out, she’d make a killing as a professional pool player.

  I handed her my debit card and said, “Here.”

  Grinning, Rory took another shot and took the card from me. “Thanks,” she said, cheery, and walked over to the bar. She also wasn’t kidding about running up a high tab. Rory could definitely drink with the best of them. I sat down on a nearby stool and watched her as she leaned against the bar and waited for the bill to be paid. She had arched her back so her bottom was sticking out and was rocking on her heels. God damn, this girl was fucking hot. Her jeans were so tight I wondered if she even had panties on. I had to stop my mind from going there because one more thought about her in lingerie and I was going to go in my jeans. Even though she spanked me at pool, I loved watching her play. The way she would lean over the table, sticking her bottom out…that scene would play in my dreams of her tonight that was for sure. She came sauntering back to me and handed me back my card.

  “Thanks,” I said, putting it back in my wallet. I noticed Rory stifle a yawn, and I looked at the time on my watch. It was ten after three. “Are you tired? You want me to take you home?”

  “S’okay, I can take a cab,” she said.

  “Um, I’m not letting you go home by yourself this time of night drunk off your ass, Rory. Let me take you home,” I insisted.

  “Normally, I would fight you, but right now, I’m just too tired,” she said, smiling. “Take me home, officer.” That was quite possibly the sexiest thing I’d ever heard any woman say. I stood up off my stool and wrapped my arm around her waist and I led her outside and to my car. I opened the passenger side door and helped her in. Going over to the other side, I slid in and started the car. “This is a badass car, by the way,” she said. I drove a black 1969 Mustang. Most guys named their cars, and I was no exception. Elvira was my pride and joy.

  “Thanks, Rory. What kind of car do you drive?”

  “I don’t. In true New York style, I either hail a cab or take the subway,” she mumbled, and was starting to doze off.

  I patted her on the arm. “Shh. Just get some rest. We’ll be at your apartment soon.”

  She sat up straight and shook her head. “No, wait.”

  “What is it?”

  “Brody and Marissa are there. What if they are still talking? Or more, having sex? I don’t want to interrupt what might be their first time getting it on,” she said. “Can you just take me to a hotel?”

  “No fucking way! I have plenty of space at my apartment. You can crash there,” I said.

  “Oh, Liam, I don’t know,” she protested.

  “Rory, it’s settled. You’re coming back with me. Text Marissa and Brody letting them know where you are. I’ll take you back home in the morning.”

  She groaned and rested her head on the head rest as I drove the rest of the way to my apartment. Even though Rory wasn’t coming back to my apartment to rock my bed, at least she’d be there and I’d get to see her in the morning. We drove the rest of the way in silence and when we got to my apartment, I pulled into the garage and parked. Rory wasn’t asleep but all that alcohol she drank was starting to hit her, and she was having a hard time walking, so I picked her up and carried her to the elevators and held her the whole way up to my apartment. I had to set her down to get my keys into the lock, and when I did, I kicked the door open with my foot. I carried her to the loveseat in the living room and ran back to lock the door. She was looking around my apartment while I went into my bedroom and found her an old tee shirt of mine to sleep in. “Nice place,” she said when I walked back into the room.

  I handed her the tee shirt and she said, “Thanks.”

  “No problem. And yeah, I like it here. I’ve been here about three weeks now.”

  As she started to take off her boots, she said, “I thought your mom said you moved back almost two months ago.”

  I nodded. “I did, but I was crashing with Nick until I found a place.”

  “It looks like you found a good one,” she said. She was grunting, trying to get her boot off. “Damn it!” she shouted, and her foot went sideways.

  I walked to her and knelt down in front of her. “Let me help you,” I said.

  She grinned. “You’re just going to try and cop a feel. Cop, get it?” she giggled.

  I smiled. “Rory, believe me, I’m not going to try anything. Even though I like to think of myself as tough, I know if I tried to sneak a peek you’d probably grab my balls and twist. I am fond of my nuts being right where they are,” I said, and she laughed, which made her breasts jiggle slightly. I could feel myself getting a semi.

  “Damn right I would.” She sat back as I took off both of her boots. She slid the tee shirt over her head and before she slid her arms through the sleeves, she maneuvered her shirt and bra off and set them next to her. She started to unbutton her super tight jeans, and was having trouble getting them past her curvaceous hips. I looked at her and held my hands up, showing I was just trying to help, and she nodded at me. I hooked my thumbs into her belt loops and gently tugged.

  Well, I was wrong. She was wearing panties, but they were the sexiest things I’d ever seen. She was wearing a sheer black thong with a hot pink zebra print bow right at the middle of the waist. They were sheer enough for me to see through them…and in that moment I had to clench my eyes shut and blink hard for a few moments because I could see that she was completely waxed except for very small strip. My fingers trailed the curves of her beautiful bottom while I slid the jeans off her waist. Once her jeans were off, I stayed knelt down on the floor while I folded them. I had to get my hard on to go away somehow. Jesus, being around this girl was turning me into a teenager with a constant boner. Once I got Liam Junior to behave, I looked up at her and her eyes were drooping shut. Setting her clothes down, I picked her up in my arms and carried her into my bedroom. I held onto her with one arm and pulled my blankets back with the other, and laid her down on my sheets, pulling the blanket above her. She immediately drifted off, and I watched her for a moment. She was so breathtakingly beautiful that it almost hurt to look at her. Her fiery red hair was in waves around her on the pillow, and she looked so peaceful. Not able to resist, I leaned in and kissed her lips lightly, whispering, “Good night, beautiful.” She mumbled something in her sleep as I grabbed an extra pillow from my bed and walked back out into the living room. Grabbing the throw blanket off the back of the couch, I lay down and covered myself up. I stared at the ceiling and thought of a half naked Rory sleeping in my bedroom, and before I knew it, sleep claimed me and I drifted off into a very sexual dream involving her laying naked on a pool table.

  The next thing I knew, I woke to the smell of fresh coffee the sound of sizzling. I opened my eyes and sat up. After I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I looked toward the kitchen and saw Rory, still in my tee shirt, hovering over the stove. She was a vision. “Good morning,” she called out. “Are you hungry?”

  I stood up and stretched. Surprisingly, considering the dream I had about her last night, I wasn’t sporting wood this morning. “You cooked for me?” I said, as I walked over to her.

  “Well, how could I not? You were so sweet to take care of me last night, so I just wanted to do something nice for you this morning. Is that okay?” she asked, looking a little nervous. “I mean, I didn’t mean to invade your space or anything.”

  I smiled reassuringly at her. “You can invade my space like this anytime,” I said, and she relaxed. “Yo
u look hot in my shirt, by the way. Did you sleep okay?”

  She furrowed her eyebrows together. “Actually, yes,” she replied before turning back to the skillet on the stove.

  I moved beside her and leaned against the counter. “Is that a bad thing?”

  She shook her head, making her hair flow around her shoulders. “No, not bad, just surprising. I woke up feeling calm and rested, which for me is a big deal.”

  “That’s good. I want you to feel calm around me,” I said, and I turned to get two mugs from the cabinet.

  She turned off the stove and picked up the skillet. She walked over to the breakfast bar and scooped the whatever she was cooking in the skillet onto two plates. It was some kind of scrambled egg concoction and it smelled heavenly. “You do?”

  I poured coffee into both mugs and turned around to walk to her. “Of course I do. I told you last night, Rory. I like you.” She put the skillet in the sink and grabbed a plate that had bacon and toast on it, bringing it over and setting it down. She sat down on a stool and picked up a fork. She looked down at her food for a second before taking a bite. “Rory, what is it?” I asked, scooping a bite of food into my mouth. The taste of eggs, cheese, tomatoes, green peppers, and mushrooms filled my mouth. Oh my God…this girl can cook some eggs.

  She looked into my eyes. “I guess I just don’t understand why. Why are you so into me, Liam? Is it because of the way I look, with the tattoos and piercings? Is it because your mom wants us to be together? Is it because I’m all scary and damaged and you feel like you want to fix me? I mean, what is it? Because I honestly don’t see what you see in me,” she blurted out. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes looked the color of molten gold around the irises.

  I stared at her and was completely dumbfounded. “Are you seriously asking me this? Rory, you are single handedly the most fascinating woman I have ever known. You are completely bad ass and can handle yourself against anyone, but you also have this softer side that almost makes you stronger, if that makes sense. Yes, the tattoos and piercings are beyond hot, but that’s just an added bonus.