Dream Under the Hill (Oberon Book 8)

by P. G. Forte

  Liam sat. “My friend?” he repeated blankly, mesmerized, as Gregg’s hand stroked slowly, up and down; the fabric of Cara’s skirt riding the motion like a curtain. Rising. Falling. Rising. Over and over again. Revealing a little more each time.

  Her breath came faster. So did his. As he felt her tension start to mount again, Liam closed his eyes and tried to slow the racing of his heart. Tried to remember what the hell he was doing here. Amy. Jack.

  Nick had claimed to have found something out about Jim; something too important to leave in a message. Something that, presumably, he’d been on his way here to tell him. That had to be why he was stopped, why he was nearly killed. It was the only explanation, the only thing that made sense.

  “Yes. Your friend.” There was more than a hint of humor in Gregg’s voice. “The woman you went to see last night?”

  “Oh.” Right. His girlfriend. Liam ground his teeth together in annoyance. What the fuck had possessed him to come up with such a stupid story, anyhow? Sure, he had to say something; he damn well couldn’t mention he’d been on his way to find Nick, could he? And running into Chay was what had brought Chenoa to mind, in the first place.

  But, come on, his girlfriend? Only in the sense that she was a girl and his friend. And, speaking of friends, he didn’t give them up to dangerous perverts like Gregg, who’d only hurt them. “You don’t want to hear about her.”

  “Really?” Gregg’s eyes flashed a warning at him. “And here I thought I did.” He gave a sudden, sharp thrust and Cara yelped, her body jerking hard against him as his fingers penetrated her. As she attempted to twist away, he shoved again. And then again.

  “Stop it,” she protested breathlessly, struggling against his restraining arm, pushing uselessly at his hand. He ignored her pleas, ignored her distress, continued to ram his fingers deeper inside her. “Gre-egg!”

  “Hey!” Liam found himself on his feet, in a cold sweat, his stomach turning cartwheels, his breathing stalled.

  “Relax,” Gregg ordered quietly. He brushed a quick kiss across Cara’s lips and smiled. “You like this, pet, remember?”

  Cara nodded. Swiping her tongue across her lips she murmured, “I know, but, please, I–” She broke off, whimpering softly, too softly to conceal the faint sucking sounds her body made as Gregg thrust rapidly, in and out, first with two fingers, then with three.

  This is crazy, Liam thought as he remained standing, irresolute, his heart pounding in his chest, unable to move past all the fear, all the confusion, all the anger he was feeling. I have to do something. I have to stop this – but how? He could always punch Gregg, he supposed. He could grab Cara away from him, and make a run for the door. But then what? Who would that benefit? What would it even accomplish?

  “You like this,” Gregg repeated firmly. “Don’t you?” His voice seemed to echo in Liam’s head, like something in a dream. Like a voice from a million miles away, or a million years ago. “Come on, let me hear you say it.”

  Cara nodded again. “I do like it,” she panted, her face flushed, her eyes glazing. “I do, I do, but, but... ”

  No, Liam thought, almost voicing the words aloud. No, you don’t. Stop saying that. She didn’t mean it. She couldn’t mean it. But, what if she did?

  Does that matter? Do I care? Should I care?

  His shirt was soaked with sweat, and his mind reeled as feelings of helplessness and despair, crashed over him. It was all too familiar. His own mother had claimed to love Jim; despite how he treated her, despite what he did to her kids.

  Yeah, and look where that got her, where it got us…

  Cara hadn’t asked him to help her, and maybe she didn’t want him to. But, maybe she did.

  So, why don’t you? Why don’t you open your damn mouth and say something, do something–

  He cleared his throat. “Hey, Gregg, come on, dude,” he said, trying to smile, trying to make a joke of it. “Go easy, huh? Don’t you think you’re maybe playing a little rough? It doesn’t look like she’s enjoying this too much.”

  Gregg arched an eyebrow at him. “Who makes the rules around here, Liam? Is it you?”

  Liam shook his head. “No. No, I–”

  “No.” Gregg nodded agreement, his rhythm slowing. “I didn’t think so. Now, I think I asked you about your friend, didn’t I?”

  Jesus. Is that what it’s about? Liam sighed in defeat. He collapsed back into his chair and eyed the other man warily. “What is it you want to know?”

  Gregg shrugged. Maybe he wasn’t trying to look triumphant, but he managed all the same. “Just the usual, I suppose,” he said as he slowly withdrew his hand from Cara’s body; his fingers glistened with moisture as he used his hand to massage her thigh. “Like…how long have you two known each other, and where did you meet?”

  Liam watched as Cara slumped against Gregg’s chest, gulping for breath; her eyes closed, her legs trembling.

  “Is she hot?” Gregg continued. “D’you think I’d like her? Why don’t you bring her around so I can meet her?”

  Cara’s eyes blinked open in surprise. She stared at Gregg in disbelief. “What?”

  Gregg ignored her. “I have time this weekend,” he suggested amiably.

  Cara bucked against his arm, scowling furiously. “Gre-egg!”

  “Something wrong, pet?” he asked, tilting his head to the side and smiling at her in seeming innocence.

  “You– you– you–” Cara’s eyes seemed suspiciously bright. She swallowed hard, blinked rapidly, and as her chest began to heave again, it didn’t look to Liam as if she’d ever be able to finish her sentence.

  Gregg’s eyebrows rose. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous, just because I’m anxious to meet Liam’s friend?”

  She flushed and pouted harder, her eyes narrowing; but she said nothing.

  Gregg smiled. “Well, now, what’s up with that, hmm? Do I get mad when you let some other guy make you act all stupid? Or when you walk around dressed like you are now, making everyone hard for you. You think I’m not gonna want someone else from time to time, just ‘cause you’re here? Do I look dead to you?”

  Cara’s eyes narrowed further, into tiny, little slits. She was silent for another moment, and then, “You know what, Gregg?” she muttered in a voice that vibrated with anger. “You suck.”

  “I do?” A wicked smile transformed Gregg’s face. “I think you mean I will, don’t you?” Before she could say a word in answer, he dipped his head and took her mouth. His hand moved up her neck to cradle her face for a moment, and then, when she’d stopped fighting him, it moved down to her breast, pushing the fabric of her shirt aside. Until one shoulder and half of her chest was bared. Until Gregg was cupping her naked flesh in his palm, his thumb tracing circles over one rigid, pink nipple.

  Until all the air had been sucked from Liam’s lungs and his balls were drawn so tight, he could have swapped them for a pair of golf balls, and not known the difference.

  Maybe this would be a good time to leave? Maybe he could slip away now, unnoticed? But, that would mean leaving Cara here. With Gregg. And with the mood Gregg was in—not such a good idea. He didn’t trust him. He couldn’t trust him, and he couldn’t leave. But he also couldn’t stand to stay.

  “Your friend,” Gregg prompted, sounding faintly breathless as his mouth followed the path of his hand, from lip, to neck, to breast. It took Liam all of a minute to realize he was talking to him.

  My friend. Right. Liam sighed. “I met her through her grandfather. He was a healer, did a lot of energy work. After he died, she kind of inherited his business and... and we began to hang out. That’s really all it is.”

  “I thought she worked in a bakery?” Gregg asked, his voice muffled against Cara’s breast. Her head was tipped back, her eyes were closed again. Liam found himself staring at the long column of her throat, tracking the beat of her pulse. Her heart was racing even faster than his own.

  When he found himself longing to fasten his mouth on her neck and feel her pul
se with his lips, he tore his gaze away and forced himself to stay on topic. Forced himself to focus his eyes on Gregg, instead. “She doesn’t just work there,” he said, staring fixedly at the tattoo that crawled up the back of Gregg’s neck and head, a realistic rendition of some kind of reptile, red, black and scaly. It appeared to be eating its way into his skull. Nice. Liam shook his own head to clear his thoughts. “She runs it. Like I said, she inherited from her grandfather, and–”

  Gregg turned, eyes flashing once again. “You said he was a healer? Now you’re saying he owned a bakery, too? So, what did he bake? Medicinal cupcakes? Sugar glazed suppositories? This must be some kind of bakery.”

  “He was a healer,” Liam said, pleased to be talking about anything else. “One of the best I’ve ever known. He worked with chakras and auras... any kind of energy work, really. But, he looked at that as a sort of giveaway. He didn’t charge for it, just took donations. The bakery is just a regular bakery. It’s where he made his money, that was his real business.”

  Gregg looked at him, his face suddenly devoid of expression, and Liam felt the familiar tug at his solar plexus. Uh-oh. Gregg was after something, but what? “And the granddaughter, is she a healer, too?”

  They were back to Chenoa already? Great. Liam felt himself starting to sweat again. He shrugged, trying not to let his discomfort show. “Yeah, she is, actually.”

  Gregg stared blankly for another, long moment, and then sat up, still eyeing him, still probing his energy.

  “Gre-egg,” Cara whined in protest, shivering as he moved away from her. “What are you doing?” She struggled in his lap, tugging at her clothes, trying vainly to cover herself.

  “Shhh. Be quiet,” Gregg commanded, not looking at her, still studying Liam. “Tell, me something, Liam. This girl of yours, is she a psychic, by any chance?”

  Suddenly, Liam no longer felt sweaty. There was a new chill in the atmosphere. The room was still thick with tension, but it was tension of a very different kind. Something warned him to proceed with caution. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “I suppose it’s possible.”

  “What kind of work does she do? Does she get visions? Does she dreamwalk?”

  “I don’t know,” Liam repeated, stubbornly. “We’ve never talked about it.”

  “No,” Gregg insisted, his eyes darkening. “You do know. Tell me.”

  Liam shook his head. “No, really, I–”

  “You can find out then.”

  It wasn’t a question. Liam felt his chest tighten. He shrugged and answered, as casually as he could, “Yeah, I suppose. I could ask her.”

  Gregg nodded. “Good. You do that. And bring her here. Soon. I want to meet her.”

  Yeah, that’ll be the day. Liam nodded agreeably. “All right, sure. I’ll ask.”

  Gregg continued to stare, continued to probe his energy. “You’re rather full of surprises today, aren’t you, Liam? I must admit I’m intrigued by this friend of yours. She sounds very... interesting.”

  “Oh, she is,” Liam answered, still trying to appear unaffected, although the constant prodding at his chakras was getting harder to bear.

  It would be nice if he could get a little break from that, a little relief from the tension. It would be nice if he could get a little help from Cara, but she just sat there, her clothes forgotten, her eye narrowed, her gaze pingponging back and forth between his face and Gregg’s.

  “Are you two gonna talk about this girl all night?” she demanded at last. “Cause, if you are, I’m outta here. Let me go.”

  For a moment, Gregg said nothing. But, his eyes glittered and a slow smile curved his lips. He looked at her, as though considering her words. His hands glided up and down her thighs; softly kneading her flesh. He looked even more like a cat than ever as he slowly stretched his legs, extending first one and then the other, hooking her feet behind his calves, then curling his legs back in to trap her feet against his chair. He sighed and shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “I- I mean, it, Gregg.” Cara stuck out her chin in a show of bravado, but the tremble in her voice pretty much spoiled the effect.

  “Now, pet,” he said, his voice a silky threat, “you know you’re not going anywhere, don’t you? Besides, after the way you went down on me so nicely this afternoon, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t return the favor.”

  His words hit Liam square in the chest. This afternoon? While he’d been pacing in the hallway, waiting for Cara, worrying about her, that’s what she’d been doing?

  A vision sprang suddenly into his mind, vivid and real, hot enough to make him ache. A vision of Cara on her knees between his legs, smiling, teasing, bouncing eagerly in place as she licked her lips and begged for his cock. For a moment, it was all he could think about, all he could see. He closed his eyes, hoping that would make the image go away, but it didn’t help.

  Jesus, it has to be this room. Some weird kind of incense. Latent memories, trapped in the atmosphere. Or maybe it was none of those things. Maybe he saw what he wanted to see, no more, no less.

  And, that’s when it hit him. His reasons for wanting her away from Gregg had nothing to do with her age and very little to do with Gregg himself. It wouldn’t matter who she was with, he wouldn’t want her with any of them. He wanted her all to himself.

  Which was great, except for one little hitch. He couldn’t have her. Not anytime soon.

  “No,” Cara murmured in a voice that still trembled. “No more, Gregg. Not now.” Liam opened his eyes. Her face was pale. She was looking at Gregg and shaking her head.

  Gregg’s eyebrows lifted. He looked surprised. “How come?”

  “Well, b-because,” she said, looking surprised now, too. As if she never expected him to ask for her opinion on anything. “Because, I- I just– I don’t want you to. That’s why.”

  “Hmm.” Gregg’s expression turned thoughtful. His gaze drifted over her, then shifted briefly to Liam. “Maybe you’d like Liam to do it for you, is that it, pet? Is that what you’re thinking?”

  Liam felt like he’d just been dropped head first into very deep water. “Do what?” he asked, certain he’d missed something, because it sounded like Gregg had just asked–

  “Go down on her,” Gregg replied. “Give her head, or whatever else you want to do to make her come. You’d be up for that, wouldn’t you? After all, you’re the one who knows what she’d enjoy. Didn’t you just say so? Well, here’s your chance to prove it.”

  Liam felt his mouth fall open. He shot a quick glance at Cara. Her face was beet red, her expression mortified. He shook his head, too stunned, yet, to feel any real anger on her behalf. He figured that would come later – along with regret. He shook his head. “No. Not happening. Sorry.”

  “No?” Gregg sounded puzzled. “Why’s that? You don’t want to show me up? Isn’t that what you’ve been waiting for? You do like girls, don’t you Liam?”

  “Yeah, I like girls.” He liked girls just fine. He liked Cara a lot. But even if she were older, even if there was nothing else holding him back, he still wouldn’t want any part of this scene. This wasn’t how he wanted things to be between them. “That’s not the problem.”

  “Oh, I see.” Gregg glanced somewhat sadly at Cara. “You mean you want to check under the hood before you go for a drive, is that it?”

  “Huh?” Liam stared at him in confusion. If possible, Cara’s face had turned an even darker shade of red. What the hell was Gregg talking about now?

  “I know,” Gregg sighed, sounding vaguely apologetic. “It’s a little hard to tell from the top half, isn’t it? But, I promise, she really is a girl.” He tightened his grasp on Cara’s legs and, ignoring her strangled cry of protest, pried them further apart. “Here, if you don’t believe me, take a look.”

  “Not necessary,” Liam growled, as the rage he’d been too shocked to feel earlier, finally surged to the forefront. In another minute he might have decked Gregg. But, that, it appeared, wasn’t necessary, either.
>
  “Gregg, stop it!” Cara ordered, almost shimmering with anger. “Let go of me. Leave me alone. I don’t want him anyway!”

  The blast of emotion nearly rocked Liam in his seat. Even Gregg seemed taken aback by it. The two men stared at her. She glared back at them both, regal, defiant, furious. And even though Liam was proud of her for standing up for herself, he was hurt by her rejection, more than he had any right to be. He was only trying to help her. Why couldn’t she see that? He gazed at her, helplessly. Without warning, Cara’s lower lip started to tremble.

  “Oh, now, pet, don’t cry.” Gregg wrapped both arms around her and held her close. “You still have me, you know.”

  And if that’s not a reason to cry, I don’t know what is, Liam thought as he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, exhausted by all the drama. Apparently, Cara agreed, she began to sob even more loudly.

  Enough was enough. Pissed off and disgusted, Liam peeled himself off the leather chair and got to his feet. “I’m going now.”

  “If you walk out that door, you can just keep going,” Gregg said, before he’d taken so much as one step. “And don’t come back.”

  Liam exploded. “Look, this is bullshit.” He gestured toward Cara. “You’ve got your hands full. It’s obviously a bad time.”

  “I’ll decide if it’s a bad time,” Gregg said. “You and I aren’t done. Now, sit.”

  “What is it we’re not done with?” Liam demanded as he returned to his seat—again. He was getting damned tired of that chair, and he hadn’t liked it much in the first place. His gaze cut to Cara, who was still sobbing quietly. Gregg was holding her with surprising gentleness, but that wasn’t enough. Liam’s jaw clenched. He hated to see her cry and if she didn’t stop soon, then fuck the consequences, he’d take her away from Gregg and comfort her himself. He could hardly do a worse job.

  “You’re not done telling me about last night.” Gregg studied him for a moment and then asked, “You’re an empath, Liam, aren’t you?”

  Yeah, and what a surprise he’s figured that out, Liam thought grimacing slightly. He’d hoped to keep his vulnerability a secret. He should have known that wouldn’t last. “Yes.”