Back to Life

by Mellie George

  Grayson released me and I went willingly into Liam’s waiting arms. “I’m just fine, babe. I was hysterical when I came out here, but your old man here set me straight.”

  Grayson smiled. “Old man, huh?”

  I smiled back at him. “Original player, sorry,” I said, and he laughed deep from his belly.

  “Original player, I like that. Maybe I’ll put it on my license plates,” he said. “I’m going to go talk to the police. Liam, you take care of our girl,” he said, winking at me.

  “Don’t worry Dad, I will,” he said, kissing the top of my head. Grayson walked back inside the house and Liam lifted my chin with his finger. “Are you sure you’re okay? I’m so sorry that I didn’t come rushing after you, but I had to give a quick statement. Well that, and I was elbowed in the stomach by a bad ass redhead, and it kind of knocked the wind out of me for a minute,” he said, laughing.

  “Oh, gosh, Liam, I am so sorry about that. Did I hurt you?” I said, feeling embarrassment creeping through me again.

  “Nah, I’m just fine. Never better,” he said, and he leaned in and kissed me before I could speak. It never failed to amaze me how I could melt over and over again every time he kissed me. “You’re really okay?”

  I nodded at him. “I’m fine, hubby, I promise,” I said, and he smiled widely.

  “Hubby?”

  “Yep. Soon to be anyway,” I said.

  “How soon may I ask?”

  “Whenever you want to,” I said.

  “Okay, let’s do it now. Come on, we’ll drive to Atlantic City and find an all night chapel,” he said, grinning.

  “Liam, come on, I didn’t mean that soon,” I laughed. “Look, we can talk about this later, okay?”

  “Okay, angel. Do you want to head home?”

  “Yes, but I need to say goodbye and apologize to your mother first. Is that okay?”

  He kissed me quickly again. “Of course it is. Let’s go,” he said, taking my hand in his. As we walked, he pulled my hand up and kissed the back of it, then kissed my ring. “I can’t believe you said yes. I feel like the luckiest bastard in the world right now,” he said, and I smiled. Just as we climbed the steps, the front door opened and the two cops came through escorting Erica out. She had a bit of dried blood on her lips and chin, and her nose was swollen twice its size. There was also a pretty nasty bruise on her jaw line. She glared at me as she and the two cops walked her down the steps.

  “You think this is over, little girl, but it’s not. Just remember that,” she said, and the cops pulled her down the steps toward the squad car and placed her in the back.

  Liam rubbed my arm. “Don’t pay any attention to her, baby. She’s just been humiliated in front of her colleagues, so she’s just throwing out idle threats.”

  “I know she is. I’m not afraid of her,” I said, feeling a weight lift off me.

  “Come on, let’s go back inside,” he said, and we walked in the house together. Thankfully, most of the guests had left while Grayson and I were outside, and the only ones still inside were Grayson, Vivian, Marissa, Brody, Nick, and Samantha. Their eyes all snapped to me at once, and they all wore concerned looks on their faces. Suddenly, as I looked at Vivian’s face, I burst out into tears again.

  “Darling, what’s wrong?” she asked, rushing toward me. Liam let go of my hand and she wrapped her arms around me.

  “Vivian, I am so sorry for that. Please forgive me,” I cried.

  “Rory, sweetheart, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Hell, I wish I could have gotten a swing at her. I loathe that woman,” she said, rubbing my back with her delicate hands. “I just wish I had known about all of your history with her before we extended her an invitation.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but it was just too painful to talk about,” I said, sniffing.

  “I’ll bet. You poor girl, losing your fiancé and your baby all at the same time. My heart just breaks for you.”

  “So, you’re not mad at me or ashamed that I’ve been engaged and,” I swallowed hard, “pregnant before?”

  “Absolutely not! I could never be ashamed for things that happened to you! Rory, your story isn’t shameful, it’s tragic, but it’s made you a strong, confident, beautiful woman. For you to have gone through all that and still be here standing and moving forward makes you the strongest woman I have ever known.”

  I felt fresh tears stinging at my eyes. “Really?”

  “Of course, sweetheart! How can you not see what a dazzling girl you are? We all see it,” she said, motioning to Brody, Marissa, Nick, and Samantha. “Trust me, Rory, we all love you very much and we’re proud of you for fighting back after what happened to you.”

  I hugged her again. “I promise I won’t do anything like this again,” I said, and she laughed.

  “Like I said, I wish I could have slapped her too,” she said, releasing me.

  “Well, Mom,” said Liam, “I think we are going to head out, if that’s okay. We have a two hour drive ahead of us and I don’t want to get tired while I’m driving.”

  “Well, if you are getting tired, you are more than welcome to stay the night here and head back to the city in the morning. All of you are welcome to stay, we have plenty of room,” she said.

  I looked at Liam, waiting for him to answer. “Do you want to stay, angel? It’s up to you.”

  Actually, the idea sounded great. I was physically and emotionally exhausted after what happened with Erica, and curling up in a beautiful king size bed next to my handsome fiancé while the ocean waves rolled onto the sandy beach sounded like heaven. “I think staying here sounds amazing,” I said, and he smiled.

  “Okay then, I guess we’re staying,” he said to Vivian, who lit up.

  “Oh wonderful! I’m sure I have some spare pajamas you can use since you didn’t bring any extra clothes.”

  “That’s okay Mom, I have an extra tee shirt in my car, she can use that,” he said, winking at me. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I can’t make love to you when you are wearing my mother’s pajamas,” he said, and I giggled.

  “Okay, then,” she said, thankfully not hearing us. “How about you all? Would you like to stay?”

  Everyone nodded in agreement, and Vivian looked absolutely elated. “Wonderful! I will have the maid get you all some fresh clothes and get your rooms set up,” she said, and she quickly left the room with Grayson in tow.

  Nick walked over to me and picked me up into a hug and swung me around. “Damn girl, this is the second time I have seen you kick someone’s ass, and it was just as awesome as the first time,” he said, and I laughed.

  “Gee, thanks, Nick,” I said when he set me down.

  “Seriously though, I’m really sorry about your fiancé and your baby. God, that’s so awful,” he said, genuine sadness on his face.

  “Thanks, Nick,” I said, patting him on the back.

  “Did they ever catch who did it?” he asked me.

  I shook my head. “No, they didn’t.”

  “Well, it’s your call Rory, but if you want us to, Liam and I can do some digging. Maybe we can find out did this,” Nick offered. If it were possible, I felt my love for him grow even more in that moment.

  “That’s sweet that you want to do this for me, but I really don’t think you’re going to find anything. Mason was shot on a busy New York street with probably three hundred witnesses, and apparently no one saw the man who shot him,” I answered. “I guess the guy was wearing a mask or something, so no one could identify him.”

  Nick shook his head. “I don’t know, though. I think there is something there that the initial investigators missed. It just seems a little too convenient to me, a little too clean. I mean, think about it. There are muggings all the time in New York City. People don’t wear masks and commit a crime right out on the street, but this guy wore a mask to make sure that no one saw his face. It just all sounds a little too… ‘staged’ if you ask me,” Nick said, and I could see the wheels in
his head turning.

  “Well, if you want to look into it you can, but I don’t know what you will be able to find that the cops didn’t already find.”

  “Your lack of faith in me is insulting, Rory,” he said, smiling. Hugging me again, he said, “I just want to help.”

  “And I love you for that, Nick. Thank you,” I said, and he laughed when he released me.

  “You hear that, Tanner? She said she loves me. I better back off before she decides to trade up,” he joked, and I slapped him on the stomach.

  “Behave or I’ll kick your ass, you know I will,” I said, and he laughed as he walked back over to Samantha. He leaned down and kissed her and said, “Sorry baby, I was just teasing.”

  “I know you were, but you still have to make it up to me,” she said, winking.

  “Oh, I think I can find a way,” he said, and she slammed her mouth on his again.

  I turned back to Liam. “Okay, on that note, I think I’m ready to call it a night,” I said, and he smiled at me.

  “I will go and see if Mom needs any help,” he said, nodding at Brody and Marissa before walking out of the room. After what just happened, they are the only ones I hadn’t talked to yet.

  Brody came and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Rory, are you okay after all of that?”

  “Yeah, that had to have been hard, seeing her here,” Marissa added.

  “You guys, I’m fine. I was only really upset because I felt like I embarrassed Liam’s parents. Believe me, I’ve wanted to do that for a long, long time. I feel like a weight has been lifted off me. I bet Mason would have been proud,” I said, smiling.

  “I bet you’re right. He was probably looking down and cheering you on,” Marissa said. I smiled and a tear escaped my eyes. “Rory, what’s wrong?”

  I shook my head and wiped my cheek. “Oh, it’s nothing. It just still makes me sad to think about him,” I admitted.

  “I know, sweetie. So, are you really going to let Liam and Nick reopen his case?” Brody asked.

  “If they want to they can, but like I told Nick, I don’t think they will find anything.”

  “I don’t know, Rory, I think Nick has a point. It does seem a little too clean now that I think about it. I hope they find something so we can really get some closure on all of this,” he said, and I hugged him back.

  “I hope they can too,” I said. Just then, Liam came back into the room with Vivian and said that our rooms were ready. I took Liam’s hand in mine as we bid everyone good night, and we climbed the stairs and walked down the last bedroom at the end of the hall...the one that Liam and I had been in just hours before. He turned on the light and shut the door, locking it behind him. Before I could think, his arms were around me and he moved my ponytail to the side and began kissing my neck. I was really beginning to love this room.

  Chapter 16

  Liam

  “You are an animal, you know that?” I heard Rory whisper in amusement as I kissed my way down the nape of her long neck. “We’ve barely been in the room for thirty seconds and you are trying to get me naked again.”

  “Of course I am. This is our engagement night, and that means we need to be rolling around naked together in that bed all night long celebrating,” I said.

  She turned around to me. “Oh you think so, huh?” she smiled, and right before she kissed me, there was a knock on my bedroom door.

  “Liam, its Mom, sorry to interrupt,” Mom said from the other side of the door. I groaned, and Rory smiled at me and motioned for me to answer her.

  I unlocked the door and opened it to find her there holding a folded pile of towels. “You didn’t interrupt anything, Mom. What’s up?”

  “I just came to give you some fresh towels and a couple of robes for you both so you can shower,” she said, smiling.

  “Thanks a lot,” I said, taking everything from her.

  “You’re welcome. Well, I’ll leave you two alone now. I’m so glad that you are staying with us,” she said, beaming at Rory.

  “Thank you for having us, this place is so beautiful,” Rory said, smiling at my mother.

  “It’s my pleasure, darling. You two sleep well, and um, enjoy your night,” she said, winking at me, and I smiled at her. “Congratulations again, you two.”

  I hugged her quickly and said, “Thanks Mom. Good night.”

  “Good night,” Mom said, and Rory waved at her. I placed the towels and the robes on the dresser and immediately wrapped Rory in my arms.

  “Now, where were we?” I said, and leaned into kiss her but she stopped me. “Why are you stopping?” I asked.

  “Actually, if you don’t mind, I kind of want to take a shower. This is our engagement night, like you said, and I don’t want us to have sex again in that bed before I wash out all of the sand I got in my hair,” she smiled, and I laughed.

  I kissed the tip of her nose. “Okay, angel, go ahead. I’ll think I’ll use the bathroom across the hall and shower there so we can go to bed together,” I said, and she leaned in and kissed me.

  “Thanks, babe. I won’t be long, I promise,” she said, and immediately grabbed a robe and a towel from the dresser and headed toward the bathroom.

  “Take your time. Oh yeah, the tee shirt I brought is lying next to your purse by the door,” I said and I turned to head across the hall, grabbing the spare robe and towel on my way out. I walked into the bathroom and turned on the lights and quickly turned on the shower head. The water didn’t take long to get warm. I jumped into the shower and washed myself quickly. In less than two minutes, I was clean, stepped out onto the mat and dried myself off. Slipping on my robe, I turned off the lights in the bathroom and walked back across the hall to my bedroom. I shut the bedroom door and locked. I walked over to the large bay window that overlooked the ocean and opened it, feeling the coolness of the sea breeze touch my skin. I then walked to the bed and pulled the duvet back. Slipping out of my robe, I placed it on the chair beside the bed and slid under the sheets completely naked. I didn’t have an extra pair of shorts to sleep in, but it didn’t matter because I didn’t plan on either of us wearing clothes for the whole night.

  After about ten minutes of listening to the waves crashing outside, I was starting to feel sleepy from the relaxing sound of it when the bathroom door opened. I expected Rory to step out wearing her robe or my tee shirt, but instead I saw her walking slowly out of the bathroom completely naked with her damp hair clinging to her skin. All thoughts of sleep suddenly were out the window as she turned off the bathroom light and sauntered toward me. My dick went from soft to painfully hard in no time as she closed the distance between us and slid onto the bed next to me. “Hey,” she said, snuggling against me and wrapping her arm around my chest, “are you tired?”

  “Not at all,” I groaned, and I pulled her lips to mine and kissed her deeply. I slid my tongue past her lips and she opened her mouth to me, letting me in. Her soft moans as my tongue explored her mouth made me even harder. I moved my hand down her face past her neck and down to her shoulders. Her soft skin stared to tighten and she had goose bumps as my fingers grazed the side of her breast and down her sides to rest on her hip. I moved my mouth from hers and my lips began to trace everywhere my fingers had just been.

  She rolled onto her back once I kissed her hip and I parted her legs as I settled between them, nipping at her hip bone with my teeth. “God, Liam,” she moaned, gently tugging at my hair as I moved my mouth closer to her heat.

  “You smell so delicious,” I whispered, my warm breath causing her to shiver.

  She bucked her hips up, and begged, “Please, Liam. Oh God, please.” I loved when she would beg me, but I wasn’t going to tease her this time. She’d been through too much tonight, and all I wanted to do was make her forget it all. I moved my mouth to her clit and I lightly traced it with my tongue. She inhaled sharply and cried out, “Yes, baby, that feels so good.”

  “You are so sweet, I could taste you forever,” I said, moving my tongue around
her most sensitive area. She grinded her hips into my mouth, and I started to suck harder. I wanted her to come apart right there. I eased two fingers into her dampness, her body clenching and drawing me in. I swirled my fingers around while I continued to lick and suck hard until she was shaking and pulling my hair. Her inner walls began to tighten, and she moaned, “Don’t stop, baby, I’m so close.” I continued my rhythm with my tongue and fingers until she lifted her hips off the bed. I withdrew my fingers and held onto her hips to keep her in place as her body rocked hard with her orgasm. I kept my mouth on her clit, gently nipping and licking to prolong her release. When she finally came down from her euphoric high, she sat up and gently urged me on my back.

  Neither of us said a word as she leaned up and kissed me, her arousal still fresh on my lips. Our tongues danced together for a moment before she started to kiss down my body until she reached my throbbing cock. She took it in both of her hands and began to stroke me up and down. “So big,” she whispered, and I could feel her breath on the head of my dick, causing me to shiver. I felt her thumb rub across the head of my dick and wipe away the bead of moisture that was seeping from the top. I watched with wild, hungry eyes as she lifted her thumb to her mouth and licked it.

  “God, that was hot. You make me so fucking hard,” I moaned, and she quickly moved her head down and took my length into her mouth, causing me to inhale loudly. I twisted the sheets in my hands for a moment before I placed my hands on the back of her head and guided her. She took me in as far as she could until I hit the back of her throat, and I swear it took everything in me to not come right then. I had never done that with her before and I didn’t want to fire off into her mouth and her not be okay with it. I gently lifted her head and she was forced to release me, her mouth making a soft popping sound as she let me go.

  “Babe, what’s wrong?” she asked, her brows furrowed. “Did that not feel good for you?”

  “Oh, baby, that felt fucking amazing,” I said, and she relaxed. “If I’m being honest, I was about to come in your mouth and I didn’t want to do that.”