Tilting her head this way and that in the mirror, she gave herself an assessing look. Not bad. She wouldn't know how it really looked until she got someone to button the back for her, though. Turning herself around, she reveled in the feel of the luxuriously, woven cotton. The tailoring was impeccable, down to the eyelet edging.
Gorgeous.
She'd turn heads in this number.
Nodding to herself, she poked her head out of the door, hoping to find an attendant to button up the back and stopping short when her eyes met Liam's. Averting his gaze immediately away, he turned his back to her, like he might be invading her privacy.
“I'm heading out in a few. Just making sure you're alright. If you need a ride, I can drop you somewhere.”
Somewhere. He hadn't said home. The earlier version of Liam would have wanted to see her home.
“Um, sure. If... it's not too much of a bother, do you think you can button up the back of this dress for me first? I want to see how it falls when its hanging like its meant to.”
Perilous, she knew, but she was being sincere. She wasn't going to buy this number if the top had a strange cut once everything was bound up according to its original design. Clearing his throat, Liam was a moment before answering.
“Uh, yeah.”
“You'd have to, um, turn around to do that.”
“Right.”
Jackie almost giggled at how uncomfortable he looked. It wasn't funny, of course. It was just... a very different version of Liam than she was accustomed to seeing. Waving him over like he was a shy pup, Jackie slipped back into the dressing room, presenting her back to him when he stepped halfway into it.
He didn't say a word, but whatever ice they'd developed between them thawed almost instantly when a familiar zag of electricity ignited her skin feeling his fingertips grazing her back as he fumbled with her buttons.
“Sorry.”
“Don't be.”
Falling quiet, he buttoned the rest of the trail up her back before stepping away, and Jackie tugged his arm before he could leave entirely.
“Wait. How does it look?”
Her stomach did a flip at the strange expression taking over his face, like he was experiencing some mild form of torture and poorly attempting to veil it. She felt it, too, but she was trying to be friendly and work her way past it. In time everything would balance out and fall into place, right? They'd eventually get past the impossible sexual tension, right? And one day be like brother and sister...
Suppressing a frown, she forced herself to smile pleasantly.
“Well, I like it. Can you unbutton me. I'm gonna take it.”
Clearing his throat, Liam stepped back into the dressing room, his jaw clenching visibly before she turned around and presented the row of buttons that would slowly unveil her tawny skin beneath the dress. He started slowly, still not saying a word, but something had markedly changed in the air, and Jackie's skin prickled feeling it.
When his fingertips brushed her skin again, she tilted her head, her eyes slipping closed as she tried with all of her might to be a good girl. When his fingertips brushed her again, she realized his hands had now slipped over her shoulders, and when he turned her, she lifted her eyes to him slowly, breathless.
“I've gotta go.”
He said it firmly, and by all appearances, it looked like he meant it, but his hands were still on her shoulders, and he didn't seem to be having an easy time disconnecting himself.
Stomach flipping, Jackie's alarms blared in her internal ear when she realized that she was edging closer to him, that her body was taking control well before her mind had even caught up with it.
“Jackie, I don't want to play games with you...”
“Then don't.”
Her voice had apparently taken the lead, too, speaking before her mind had a chance to approve the script.
“Jackie..."
“Kiss me.”
What was she doing? Heart beating rapidly, “sane Jackie” sat back watching aghast, unsure what to expect of the alter ego taking over her body. The diva. She'd gained autonomy. Jackie was thrilled and horrified in the same turn. There really was no turning back now. Not after this. This... was the green light.
Liam was a moment before answering her, but when he did, his kiss was soft and searching, a kiss that had his heart firmly at its center, radiating their orbit.
He was in love with her. She realized it in a burst of butterflies that broke free from the cage of her repression and flew freely in her belly. This wasn't the kiss of someone who was simply lusting after her. This was the kiss of someone who wanted to claim her for his own.
Succumbing to the heat of his unspoken claim, Jackie gasped breathily in his ear when he slid the expensive dress down, causing it to pool at her stomach as he lifted her up and turned her around, bending her against the wall.
Nipping her lip when he slid her panties down over her thighs like he was unwrapping an exquisite gift, she shuddered at the feel of his fingers slipping inside of her. Gasping when she felt the warmth of his own thighs pressed against her ass next, her sex answered him with wet.
Without skipping a beat, he eased his fingers from her, and slowly, achingly inched the hard length of him inside of her. The walls of her sex closing around him, she panted as the speed of his strokes accelerated, subduing her moans to throaty mews as his thighs smacked against her ass.
Gentle at first, his inner animal slowly began to take the wheel, his hands holding her hips with a commanding grip. Then he gestured her up, near-crushing her breasts against the foam-green wall of the dressing room as he pressed his chest against her back and pounded her from behind.
Seizing, Jackie strained against the burst of pleasure climbing her limbs, until she couldn't withstand another second, her pleasure point throbbing with release with every thrust. And then the ecstasy of his claim tumbled out of her, raining down over him as she half-whimpered, half moaned, her sex clamping around him with each wave of electricity shaking her against him.
He came then, too, ramming her with fevered thrusts until he burst, painting the inside of her with strings of seed that quickly changed course and glazed her thigh. Sweaty and panting, he fell against her, nipping her skin lustily as he regained himself.
It was a minute before their consciousness returned to the dressing room they'd just marked with their union, and an even longer minute before he spoke.
“There's no turning back now, babe.”
Literally.
A strange feeling circled Jackie's belly. Not one of regret or even fear, just... something new, maybe a sense of realization that this demi-god of a man, whom she thought she needed to keep at arms length had no intentions of letting her go. There was really no point in running. No point in the inner diva prevailing over her ability to detach.
All that was left was acceptance.
Liam
That was... unexpected. So much so, it was all Liam could do to maintain his bearings when he finally drove her home. He'd thought he'd lost her, but apparently that wasn't the case. Maybe there was something to the old saying about letting something go to see if it came back to you. Because he had. Let her go, that is. And in the end, she'd surrendered her butterfly wings to him. Let him mark her with an animal lust he'd never given so heartily to any woman before. Ever.
He hadn't wanted to give in, certain she'd play some sort of game, or that she was only giving in to momentary lust that she'd surely wind up shying away from after the fact. But when he'd walked her to her door, she'd stood up on her tippy toes and given him a meaningful kiss that ensured him something had changed in her. That she'd actually accepted what was really going on between them.
His head was reeling after that, but it soon settled into a warm glow when he took a left on the fairway back towards the studio.
Still no call from his agent, yet, but he wasn't losing hope. He'd get the part. His shop alone would ensure that. Still didn't stop him from sitting at the edge of his s
eat about the whole thing. He'd never been a particularly patient person. Determined, sure. But waiting for anything had always been painful for him.
Pulling onto the freeway, he cranked up the volume on Soul Cry, singing along with a cracking voice as his fingers kept the beat on the steering wheel.
It was a nice night.
The weather was unseasonably warm, and he got the girl, by all appearances. How they were going to handle it from here was anyone's guess, but she was his now, and that's all that really mattered. He'd never been the type to pander to his father's whims, and it wasn't like his dad really gave a fuck about Donna, either way.
She was an unusually, youthful looking woman in her forties who'd kept herself in shape and had a submissive enough demeanor to suit his tastes, right now.
Liam was even beginning to like her, and that kind of sucked because he didn't relish the thought of having to watch the fall out when his father eventually ditched her for a shinier model.
With any luck, she was wise enough to know what she was getting into and savvy enough to milk it for all it was worth. His father didn't deserve anything better. Any woman in her right mind would make solid use of the credit cards he passed along to them until the day their access card to his fortune was revoked.
Turning off of the fairway, he leaned back, eager to get in the house and take a load off. Not that the fitting was particularly strenuous, but the lovemaking to follow had taken a lot out of him. It was hard not giving her his all. Every time he touched her was like the first time. Even running his fingers over her gave him a thrill that coiled in his gut and roused his inner animal.
Flicking his gaze to his right, he made to turn into the studio of his lot when he saw the assholes congregating out front.
Little Mike's riders.
So the fuckers were back.
Pulling up, he saw that it was much worse than that, and jerking his car to a stop, he released his belt, and hopped out of it, tucking the keys in his pocket as he half-ran over to the building. The motherfuckers had smashed his windows and had the nerve to have a few brews while they waited for him to return.
His gaze flicking downward, he saw that they'd smashed some of their beers there, too. So they'd been there awhile. Fucking assholes.
“You want action, bitches? Come get your fucking action.”
The words flew out of him in a huff, and before he realized it, he was taking on three of them while the other two wisely stayed off to the side – obviously having come along under pressure and with no real want for problems.
Fists boxing mouths, hands grabbing hold, and body slamming them in succession, none of their hits did more than irritate him as he was caught in the gut a few times, and took one to the jaw. Liam raged enough that they eventually backed off. Fortunately none of them pulled a blade. It was sheer luck that they'd hadn't.
Heart raging blood through his veins, he felt invincible in that moment, and the look in his eyes surely communicated a taste for blood none of them wanted him to satiate at their expense.
Watching them flip him the bird half-heartedly as they backed toward their bikes, he dusted himself off and hurled a torrent of insults their way.
“You come back; you bitches are fucking dead. You hear me, twats? I'll fucking kill you.”
It was a struggle to calm down, and he hit the wall of his shop several times before he gathered his breath and managed to force himself to breathe evenly. He hated getting like this, coming so close to the edge of his wits that he might actually kill someone.
His threats hadn't been idle. He'd fucking meant them, and they were damned lucky he didn't have a weapon on him today, or he probably would have drained the blood out of at least one of those fucks.
Clenching his teeth, his head sagged against the wall, jerking back up when he heard a groan. A familiar one. Panning the parking lot, he confirmed every last one of the assholes was gone, groaning as he felt the ache in his rib where he'd been struck by the biggest of them. It hadn't felt like anything when he was high on adrenalin, but he'd be paying for it tomorrow.
Without question.
His head snapping to his left at the sound of scuffling, his jaw clenched noticing his brother struggling to get up. He hadn't even noticed him. Fuck. They hurt him bad. If he'd known that, he'd have broken their teeth against the cement when he'd had a chance.
“What the fuck, Corey?”
Groaning, his brother leaned against him when Liam lowered to give him an arm and pull him up.
“I was having a cigarette, and they rolled up-”
“Talking shit.”
“So much shit.”
“So you naturally talked shit back.”
Stilling, Corey searched his eyes, like he feared Liam might kick him back out into the street.
“Yeah... I-”
“Well, I can't blame you. They were on my fucking property, uninvited. You needed more man power to fuck with that many assholes, but I commend you for trying.”
Liam's eyes flicked down to the blood on Corey's knuckles.
“Come on. Let's get you cleaned up. How's your head?”
“Operational, but the big one knocked me the fuck out.”
“Yeah, he has a clear, size advantage... I'll be feeling the full brunt of his blows in the morning.”
~
Looking his brother over, Liam was struck with the thought that the kid might actually be taking everything he'd told him seriously. Tonight's little episode couldn't be helped. If Liam had been in the same position, he'd have talked shit and rumbled with those assholes, too. Hell, he had actually, when he'd pulled up.
Corey looked pretty banged up, but he was clean now, all of the blood washed away, and he was devouring the subs Liam ordered for them. Guys like them didn't just eat one. Whatever calories were there to be had tended to be burned off in the gym.
“You coming to the gym tomorrow?”
Corey's head popped up from his half-inhaled sandwich, and he quirked a brow.
“Don't you need me cleaning up? Doing the floors and whatnot?”
“Casey can handle it for a few hours. He'd a clean dude, anyways. His station is fucking spotless.”
An endeared smile touched his brother's mouth.
“Yeah, he is a little anal. Sick artist, though.”
“His hyper-attention to detail is one of the main reasons for that, actually. I'll take an anal-retentive inker over a slouch any day of the week. I know I can count on him. He'll always have a place here.”
“Yeah.”
Gobbling up another bite, Corey chewed thoughtfully before speaking again.
“So what took you so long? Thought you were just getting measured for dad's bullshit photo opp.”
Liam could hear the resentment ringing his tone. It wasn't directed toward Liam, but he had every right to feel the way he did. No one liked to be categorized as “not good enough.” And that's essentially what their father had done.
“I, uh...”
Corey grinned knowingly.
“You stopped by to see a chick, huh?”
“Well, no. She was... She was already there.”
“Yeah? One of the cashiers?”
Liam grinned. Cashiers. His brother's innocence was so refreshingly honest.
“Not an attendant, no. She's... the daughter of our step-mother to be.”
Corey laughed, a hearty, rumbling laugh.
“Get the fuck outta here. You're shittin' me.”
“I kid you not, brother.”
“How'd that happen?”
“It happened before we knew about our parents... We've decided; we don't give a fuck.”
“Huh,” Corey mumbled approvingly, finishing another bite. “I wanna meet her.”
Liam smiled at that. He wanted Corey to meet her. Hell, he wanted everyone who mattered to know who she was. She was a keeper, and he intended to do just that.
“After the gym tomorrow. We'll take her out for lunch.”
“
Sounds like a plan.”
"At Donovan's. She has to experience Donovan's."
Jackie
Jackie stared at the Two of Hearts inbox, doing her best to come to grips with the enormity of what she and Liam had done. They'd crossed the line, and now... it was getting real. Swallowing her nerves, she answered back, her fingers flying over the keyboard: “Sure, what time?”
“Around lunch. You hungry?”
“Famished.”
“We're taking you out <3”
“Sounds good :)”
So, the “we” he was referring to? He meant he and his brother. The one who'd started the bar fight the other night. Jackie didn't know how she felt about that, but she was flattered Liam wanted her to meet his family.
She'd met his father only under mandatory circumstances, and in reality, Liam and his dad weren't close.
Being introduced to his brother actually meant something, and it wasn't something he had to do. It gave her a deepened sense of ease about passing over the diva line into the realm of “relationships” again. She couldn't help but feel that this was going to be different. It was the exact opposite of what she'd expected might happen. For a minute there, she'd given up on the idea of finding a man who wasn't afraid to open his heart to someone.
Rushing off to the shower, she dressed as quickly as she could, school-girl nervous when she emerged dripping in a towel, rifling through her closet for the right thing to wear. Eventually settling on a pair of particularly well-made leggings, and a half-vest over a long-sleeved rayon tee, she slipped into a pair of matching boots and headed back to the bathroom to settle the matter of her hair.
By the time she was done primping and preening, the door bell was buzzing, and Jackie ran to the intercoms to press the security release allowing them up.
Heart thumping in her chest, she took a last look in the mirror before she made her way to the door and pulled it open, her heart melting to see Liam leaning in for a kiss.
F*ck Buddy Page 8
