by Maya Hughes
“I haven’t heard from him since the break-in at my apartment. I was hoping that maybe he’d been caught and they just hadn’t told me yet. I was hoping that if I ignored it and stayed close to the bar that maybe it would all just go away.” She sighed, resting her head against the headrest and closing her eyes.
“I don’t like the idea of you being out there without anyone to look after you.” She’d been on her own for a long time. She didn’t need anyone to look after her. And the last time she’d been rescued…it hadn’t turned out so well. While she wanted to feel safe, the rescuing aspect of the situation made her uneasy. With nowhere to go, she felt like she was falling into an old pattern and it turned her stomach.
“I’ve been on my own for a long time, Liam. I’m used to it. Not really used to people offering to help me, I guess.”
“Well, get used to it. It’s happening from now on,” he said, glancing at her. She closed her eyes. Liam was not Jon. Liam was absolutely not Jon. She repeated the mantra over and over in her head. He reached over and rested his hand on her knee, giving it a rub with his thumb. Her previous worries fled for the moment and that fluttering feeling in her stomach was back in full force.
They drove in silence for a while, the coast so close that in the middle of the night, without all the hustle and bustle of commuter traffic, she could hear the crashing waves of the ocean. Liam whipped the car around, pulling up in front of a massive gate. He typed in a code on a keypad and the gate shuddered before swinging open.
“The code is 4-8-3-9.”
“Okay,” she said, craning her neck to get a look at the massive house that grew larger as they pulled into the circular driveway.
“What’s the code?”
“4-8-3-something,” she said absently, her head hanging out the window.
“4-8-3-9. I want you to remember it in case you ever need it.”
“4-8-3-9. Are you happy now?”
“Yes.” He pulled the car up to the front of the house and hopped out. Rox opened the door, swinging her legs out and staring up the entire time. His house was massive. A massive display of white and glass with wrap around balconies the whole way around. It was lit up with blue light accents running along the underside of the balconies that gave the whole thing a spaceship vibe. She'd known he was a big deal, and some people had freaked when he came to work at the bar, but wow, this place was ridiculous.
“I was going to open the door for you.” She shrugged. She wasn’t an “open the door for you” kind of girl.
“My arms aren’t broken. I’ve got it,” she said, still staring up at the house, slinging her duffle onto her back. He gently pulled it from her shoulder and put his arm around her, guiding her to the front door. Waving his hand over a pad, the door opened and Rox’s mouth hung open as she peered inside. It was a huge, open plan room that had a living area, kitchen and sunken seating area.
“Wow,” she said, running her hand over the dark wooden table beside the door. Liam dropped his keys into a bowl there. This was his house? Just for him? You could fit a whole football team into the entryway.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” he said, setting her bag down on the couch. Rox chuckled and wandered around.
“Humble, my ass. This place is ridiculous, Liam.” She side stepped into the dining room, complete with a ten-person dining room table. Why the hell did he need a table that big?
“The tech lifestyle comes with certain expectations.” She jumped as Liam came up behind her. She shot him a skeptical look and he shrugged. “Well, that and the fact that I might have gone a little overboard when we first started making money. I rode my bike past this place one night and I saw that it was for sale and I jumped at the chance. It’s pretty rare to find a place like this one on the beach without neighbors all on top of one another.”
“I bet.” She wandered around the place, checking out pictures, random buttons, and gadgets that were placed all over the house. Liam kept popping in and out, doing who knows what. This house was amazing. It was massive but homey at the same time. There were blue and green accents everywhere and warm comfy fabrics on the couches and chairs. They were calling to her and she couldn’t wait to lie down. Fatigue started to set in and she yawned. Liam popped up in front of her as she sat on one of the bar stools, resting a hand on her cheek.
“Would you like a tour?” he said, smiling holding out his arm for her. A small part of her started shouting that this wasn’t a good idea. Look at everything he had, there was no way he was interested in her. Even if he was, did she want to get him mixed up in the shitshow that was her life right now? She pushed that voice down and smiled back.
“Sure,” she said, jumping down from the chair and hooking her arm around his. The place only got more impressive. There was an eight-seat mini-theater, complete with popcorn machine and candy bar. Five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a game room with old style arcade games, and an infinity pool. And she’d thought the entry way and living room was impressive. Ha!
She let out a low whistle as they stepped out onto the stone patio that surrounded the infinity pool. Sitting on one of the loungers, she laid back and stretched her boot-covered feet out. Her muscles relaxed and she closed her eyes. She could sit out here forever, just listening to the water spilling over the edge of the pool, soft lights casting the entire patio in a sapphire light.
“It’s quite the place you have here. Pretty amazing,” she said, peering up at him. He sat down on one of the loungers next to her, his arms propped up behind his head.
“It’s been an adventure living in this place.” She was sure it was. One wrong turn and you’d end up lost trying to find your way back to the front door.
“I can imagine.” She yawned, covering her mouth and closing her eyes, the ocean waves crashing beyond the glass balcony. Screw a bedroom, she could sleep out here all night. The warm summer air mixed with the slight breeze off the ocean comforted her.
“Let’s get you to bed.” She cracked her eyes open and turned her head toward him, smiling at him.
“Ah, so we’ve come to the real reason you invited me here. Trying to get into my pants again?” she said, smiling.
She swore his head was going to explode from all the sputtering he was doing, trying to sit up from his lounge position. “What? No! I just want you to be safe.”
“So you don’t want to get into my pants?” She put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes again.
“I didn’t say that. I just don’t want you to think that the only reason I invited you here was to have sex. This isn’t about sex, this is about keeping you safe. There are plenty of bedrooms and you can stay in any of them.”
“Any of them?” She turned back to him and smiled. He was a good guy. She needed to keep repeating that to herself. He was Mark’s friend. Mark entrusted him with the bar and Mark didn’t trust very many people when it came to one of his last connections to his parents. And they’d had fun in the freezer. She wondered if he still smelled like fresh soap.
“Yeah, sure. Any of the bedrooms, they are all fully stocked and ready for visitors.”
Sitting up, Rox stared into his eyes. “And what if I want to stay in your bedroom?” She licked her suddenly dry lips.
She’d never seen someone electrocuted before, but she had to imagine that it looked something like Liam did now. He shot up out of his seat and grabbed her hand, pulling her up, and they were in the house in less than a minute. She couldn’t help but laugh as he waved his hand over touchpads along the way to his bedroom, turning off all the lights in the house. An environmentalist to boot. What couldn’t he do?
Spinning her into the master bedroom, Rox landed on the bed with a bounce. He was on her immediately, pushing himself between her thighs, kissing her as he pulled off her boots, which hit the floor with a thud.
“Someone’s eager,” she laughed. When he turned to look at her the funny mood suddenly dried up. The look in his eyes was anything but funny. He was hungry for her and she sq
ueezed her thighs together. And she was hungry for him. She missed his arms around her, although they’d only had that one night together.
“You have no idea. You’ve been driving me crazy since we were locked in that freezer together. But this time I want to taste you,” he growled.
“I think that can be arranged.” She shivered and licked her lips again. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down onto her. Biting his bottom lip, she soothed it with her tongue and he groaned, pressing her further into the bed. Unbuttoning his shirt slowly, Rox slid her hands under his shirt and pushed it over his shoulders. He stared down at her and he had a look in his eye she couldn’t quite place. She pushed herself up on her elbows.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing, I’m just really glad you’re here.” He answered, shaking his head.
“Although you were a big bully to get me here, I’m really glad you did. And I think we have some really interesting items on the tasting menu for today.”
His eyes immediately focused on her pajama shorts. He ran his hands up from the bottom, grasping her ass and making her moan as he palmed her cheeks. She lifted her hips and he grabbed them and pulled them off. Her sex completely bare to him, he sunk down on his knees and glanced up at her with a small smile on his lips.
“I think I’m going to enjoy what you’ve prepared for me this evening.”
“I think you will too,” she said breathlessly. He parted her folds and gave her a nip on her inner thigh. His thumb began to play with her clit, making her hips come off the bed. He placed a hand on her stomach to hold her down and buried his face in her pussy. She cried out, the racing excitement of ecstasy rocketing through her as he licked and tongued her core until she was a quivering mess. His tongue was magic and he continued to delve into her. He pushed two fingers into her pussy and set her off like a rocket, crying out and trembling as her orgasm took over.
She shuddered as he kissed his way up from her pussy to her tank top covered breasts. He squeezed them through the fabric and played with her nipples under the shirt. He took both of her dusky peaks into his mouth through the top, giving them a sharp bite before continuing up to her mouth. Taking his face in her hands, Rox tasted herself on his lips as he continued his exploration of her mouth, taking her breath away.
“My turn,” she said with an impish smile. As she turned around, whipping her top over her head, she flipped him onto the bed and sank down onto the floor.
“I think I like where this is going.”
“I don’t think you’ll be disappointed,” she said, maintaining eye contact as she unbuckled his jeans and pulled them down over his hips. She ran her fingers over his stomach and down to his cock, taking it in her hand. She lifted its heft and brought him into her mouth with his eyes on her all the time. It wasn’t until she took his head into her mouth, she closed her eyes and savored his flavor.
He let out a sharp breath as she used her hands and her mouth to coax more moans and groans out of him. He ran his fingers through her hair, gripping it tightly as she ran her tongue over the head of his cock. And he let out a yelp when she gently grazed her teeth along the underside of his shaft. Not wanting them to be left out, she caressed his balls and rubbed them. She could feel them tensing and knew he was going to come soon.
“I’m going to come,” he groaned.
She redoubled her efforts, increasing the suction so that it made his toes curl. His breathing picked up and his eyes were closed as he held her head steady and unloaded into her mouth. He laid flat for a second as she got up from her knees. He pulled her down on top of him and kissed her breathless once again. He caressed her breasts and only when he reached her back did she tense, wondering if he could feel her scars. She felt safe in his arms as he held her close and seemed determined to figure out every spot on her body that would make her moan.
Rolling her under him, he reached for the nightstand and pulled out a condom from the drawer.
“Already?”
“It seems to be something that only happens with you,” he said, rolling it on and spreading her legs. He slid himself between her thighs and nudged at her entrance with his latex covered cock.
“Are you ready?”
She answered by locking her legs behind him and pulling him forward. Her unexpected move caught him off guard and he sunk into her completely in one thrust.
“Oh shit,” he groaned out as she moaned. He pushed up on his elbows and started pumping into her. Wrapping her arms around his back, she bucked her hips, grinding herself against him. Her body was trembling as he ran his hands through her hair, staring down at her and attacking her mouth again, never letting up the pace. Reaching down between them, he started to rub her clit, which set her off like a firework. She squeezed her thighs together and let out a scream as he roared next to her ear, following her over.
Panting, he dropped over to her side, before hopping up to throw away the condom and then settling himself next to her. She was still shivering in recovery from her explosive orgasm and he pulled the blanket over them both and brought her close to him against his chest.
Rox let out a contented sigh and ran her fingers over his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She could get used to this.
12
Chapter
Lying together basking in the afterglow of some pretty hot sex, he could still feel his heart racing. Liam had been with his fair share of women over the years, but none had been as open, playful, and fucking sexy as Rox. When she had him in her mouth, he’d had to use every bit of restraint he had from blowing his load in the first five seconds. Her mouth was magical. And staring down at her as her pussy gripped him so tight, he couldn’t help but think of how beautiful she was.
Her rockin’, short on the sides, long on top faux hawk, smooth skin, and big eyes that stared up at him like he was giving her something she’d never had before. It was all it took for him to push her over the edge before he embarrassed himself by coming first. She was lying on his chest, skimming her fingers across his skin and causing him to rise to the occasion once again. She glanced down and chuckled.
“Seriously? Again?”
“Stop with all the temptation and he’ll leave you alone,” he said, stopping her hand with his and holding it to his chest. She was a temptation, even more than he could have imagined now that he’d sampled her twice. To think of all the time they’d lost because she thought he hated her. He kicked himself for not getting to the bottom of it that first night in the bar. He’d seen her racing around in the back and couldn’t keep his eyes off her. But he had her now. He had her in his house, in his bed and in his arms. He knew she already had a place in his heart and he wasn’t going to be letting her go anytime soon.
With everything that had happened to them in the past few weeks, Liam knew there was much more of her past he didn’t know. Her body was amazing, she was strong but still soft, and could give him a run for his money in the stamina department, but he’d noticed the scars on her back and how she tensed when he tried to touch them. He wanted her to know that every part of her was beautiful to him, even things she saw as imperfections. Rage started to boil in him as he thought that maybe that guy had something to do with it. Did she know him beyond the attack in the alley - and if it wasn’t that guy, then who else had hurt her?
She peeked up at him through her eyelashes.
“What’s wrong? You’ve gone all stiff all of a sudden and I’m not talking about Mr. Happy down there.”
“I was just thinking.” He tried to relax, focused on unclenching his muscles and his jaw.
“Thinking about what?”
“Nothing.” He didn’t want to freak her out. He needed to chill out. Take a deep breath.
“Come on, thinking about what?”
“I was thinking about the scars on your back.” She immediately tried to pull her hand from under his, but he wouldn’t let go. “Rox, don’t run away. Just tell me, okay? I want to know.”
“Maybe I don’t want to t
ell you.”
“If you don’t want to tell me that’s fine, but I want you to know you can talk to me about anything and everything. I’m here for you.” He ran his hands up and down her back, the ridges of the scars moving under his fingers. This was a start. At least she let him touch her there. He’d take things as slowly as she needed him to.
They sat in silence for a while with her lying against him like a board, until she exhaled into his chest and burrowed a bit deeper into his hold.
“It’s from the night I decided to leave my ex, Jon. He was the guy that attacked me that night in the alley.” She peeked up at him and he gave her a small smile and nodded his head. She took a deep breath and rested her head back on his chest, running her fingers up and down his chest. He fought to keep his breath steady and not tense up as she told him her story. “I ended up with him after I ran away from home at seventeen. I thought he was my knight in shining armor.” She let out a humorless laugh and shook her head. His hand fisted at his side and an internal war raged in him. The need to be there for Rox and the need to go out there and rain down hell on this guy battled for Liam’s control.
“I moved in with him and things were great, but he was relentless in tracking my movements. That was how it started, but later it got worse, a lot worse.”
“He hit you. That night in the alley wasn’t a once off.” If he ever saw that piece of shit again, he’d be sure to kill him this time. Thinking of anyone putting their hands on Rox made his blood boil. He took another deep breath as she laid there, staring out the window.
“Not by a long shot,” she said, her fingers stilling on his chest. He put his hand over hers and got her to start again. “First, it was control. He didn’t let me go many places on my own, just his parent’s house, school, and a coffee shop that was near where we lived. Then, he needed to exert his control in other ways and that was usually with his fists. And no matter what, he was always there, watching me. Even then, I’d managed to make a friend at a coffee shop I visited sometimes. I would sit and read and Jenna was always a friendly face.” She let out a deep breath.
