by R. R. Banks
Adam walks in with a wide smile on his face. He gets to me and I shake his hand.
“Paige, this is Adam,” I say. “Adam, this is Paige.”
“Good to meet you,” he says.
Paige, seemingly unable to speak, just nods and gives him a weak smile. Adam gives her a look of understanding. Given what she's been through tonight, she's probably in shock.
“The cops are going to need your statements,” Adam says. “They might be able to wait until tomorrow though.”
I nod. “They get everybody?”
Adam nods again. “Yeah, they scooped Damon up when he was trying to slip out the back door,” he says. “Brittany is in the back of a car already and the big man is being loaded into an ambulance. I hear he's going to be fine. He's definitely going to prison, but he'll be fine.”
I take the hat off my head and look at the small decorative pin. It's a camera, of course. The same kind he'd been using when I met him at the outdoor mall. I'm also wearing an audio recording device.
“I'm so glad that you have the best toys.”
“The toys are what make my job fun,” he says. “Batman's got nothing on me.”
“Thank you for everything tonight,” I say. “You are literally a lifesaver.”
He shrugs. “All I did was hook you up with some gadgets,” he says. “You're the one who walked into the lion's den.”
Truthfully, Adam did more than that. After I called him earlier, I'd sent the helicopter to pick him up. He'd wired me up and talked me through the process. Told me what I needed to get them to admit to doing on tape. It's completely unassailable as evidence in court and it's going to put them all away for a very long time. He also coordinated with the local authorities on tonight's response. He had them all in place and ready to roll in when I gave the word.
And surprisingly enough, everything worked out without a hitch. Nobody got hurt – except for the big idiot, but he deserved that.
When I look over at Paige though, I see that the big idiot wasn’t the only one who was hurt. She's standing there with a dazed look on her face. She's white as a ghost and can't seem to stop the tears from rolling down her face. She's absolutely traumatized.
I take off the hat and hand it to Adam, as well as the audio transmitter under my shirt. He takes them both and drops them into a plastic bag.
“I think I should go ahead and get her home,” I say. “Do you think you can square it with the cops? We'll come in for statements tomorrow.”
He nods. “That shouldn't be a problem,” he says.
“Thank you, Adam,” I say. “For everything.”
He laughs. “Hey, no worries,” he says. “Just know, I'll be sending you a bill.”
“Whatever it is, double it,” I say.
I slide my hand around Paige's shoulders and turn her away, leading her toward the door and to my car beyond. Adam's voice stops me. I turn around to face him again.
“You two,” he says, giving me a meaningful look, “you look good together.”
I give him a smile and a nod, turning and leading Paige out into the darkness of the night outside the warehouse. She's a wreck and I have a feeling that it's going to be a long night. But, I'm going to be there for her every step of the way.
Every single step.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Paige
My mind and body are numb, and I'm still in shock when we arrive at Liam's home. I can't believe what happened. What we went through together. I've never experienced something so traumatizing and terrifying in my life. Never wanted to. That was like something you see in an action movie, not real life.
And yet, it happened. Every single moment of it happened. And I'm still in disbelief.
I can't stop shaking and can't seem to find my voice, but Liam makes sure to stay by my side. He holds me close to him, his arms wrapped around me. His presence is large and reassuring, and with him right next to me, I somehow manage to feel safe.
He guides me into his room and sits me down on his massive king-sized bed. He silently takes off my socks and shoes, and then pulls back the covers, helping me lay beneath them. After that, he gently covers me up with a thick, warm down comforter. He sits on the edge of the bed, stroking my hair, but saying nothing. He just looks into my eyes, an expression of warmth and compassion on his face. I'm still shaking, but it's not from the cold.
A few minutes later, Janice brings in some hot tea and some sandwiches on a tray, quietly setting it down on the table beside us.
“If there's anything you need, anything at all,” she says, “Just call for me. I'll be right here.”
“We will, Janice. Thank you,” Liam says softly.
I mutter a thank you as well, though my throat is dry, and my words sound completely garbled to my own ears. They're the first words I've spoken since everything went down at the warehouse though, so I suppose that's an improvement. Minimal and pathetic though it may be.
Janice gives me a compassionate smile and a nod, then leaves us alone again, shutting the large, heavy wood door to the bedroom behind her. Liam helps me to sit upright again and puts one of his large arms around me, pulling me close to him.
Liam hands me a cup of tea and I cradle it in my hands, savoring the warmth upon my skin. I raise it to my mouth and take a sip of it, letting the liquid quench my parched throat, the warmth of the tea sliding down my throat and spreading throughout my belly. He takes the cup from me and sets it back down on the tray again.
I lean into him and somehow am able to forget, at least momentarily, about the fight we had earlier. About the ugly things we said to each other – well, the ugly things I said to him. Sitting there in his arms, with his body pressed close to mine, I begin to remember the feelings he inspires within me. The good feelings. The feelings of comfort and caring we shared. I close my eyes and just allow myself to feel safe. To feel that warmth between us.
Liam may not always be honest, and I have some serious trust issues, but the one thing I do know is that he'd never let any harm come to me. Tonight proved that in spades. He leans back against the headboard of the bed and I snuggle into him, resting my hand on his chest. I can feel his heart beating in his broad chest, faster than normal.
We sit in comfortable silence together, but after a while, Liam turns to me, a look of pure anguish and regret on his face. It tears at my heart to see him in such pain and I raise my hand, resting my hand on his cheek. Liam leans into my touch and closes his eyes.
“I'm so sorry you were pulled into all this, Paige,” he says softly, opening his eyes again to look at me. “I had no idea that any of them were capable of this. I had no idea any of this was going to happen.”
“I know,” I say softly, tilting my head so I can look him in the eye and I feel my heart swell upon seeing nothing but pure sincerity there. “I don't blame you for what happened, Liam. It's not your fault. I know that. I just – I still don't know what to think about your plans here. With the town. With me. I don't know what to think about any of it.”
“I'm sorry I didn't mention it to you before, Paige,” he says. “Believe me though, I only have the best of intentions. For you and for the town.”
“I want to believe you, Liam,” I say. “I really do. I still feel so betrayed. And I don't know what to do about that.”
“I understand the way you feel and I'm sorry for that,” Liam says as he strokes my cheek, pushing back a strand of my hair. “Will you believe me if I tell you? If I show you what I'm doing?”
I look at him for a long moment and then nod. I want to trust him. I want to believe what we have is real. I want to believe that he's not just using me. That he's not betraying me.
“My plans for Port Safira are simple, really,” he says. “I just want to keep the town as it is. I want to support the local businesses and keep everything that's charming and unique about this place. I had to move quickly and quietly because I wanted to buy up the properties before Damon could swoop in with his offers. My goal was to bloc
k his moves and in the process, keep the local businesses going. I see potential here, Paige. Port Safira will never be Seattle, and the way I see it, that's a good thing.”
I sit up straighter, so I can look at him directly. So, I can look into his eyes and gauge his level of truthfulness.
“But there's no money in that, is there?” I ask. “I understand that you're a businessman and you're in it to make money. I don't begrudge you that, Liam. I just don't like the way –”
“I disagree,” he says. “I see potential here that others don't. If you talk to people – and for my business, I talk to a lot of people – most of them will tell you that they're getting tired of the large chains and high-end, corporate-owned businesses. The younger generation is actually yearning for a simpler life and Mom-and-Pop style operations. I really think that small, locally owned businesses are the future. More than that, I want to invest in this town. It's my home, Paige, and I want to –”
Before he finishes his sentence, I lean forward and press my lips to his. My heart surges with happiness and I can't stop myself. I kiss him hard, passionately, and hold his face in my hands. He seems shocked at first, his body a little stiff, but he quickly warms to it.
Liam's tongue enters my mouth and our kiss grows more intense in what seems like a matter of seconds. He takes my breath away with his kiss and the warmth deep inside of me begins to grow and spread. The fear inside of me has subsided and my shaking has stopped. Soon, I'm so caught up in Liam, I forget about everything that happened tonight, at least for a while, and focus on the softness of his lips on mine. The sensation of his hands on my body.
He pulls back and looks deep into my eyes, a small smile on his lips. “You didn't let me finish what I was saying.”
“Oh, was there more you wanted to say?” I ask.
He smiles. “Now that my plans for the town are out of the way,” he says, “you asked about my plans with you. And I –”
I press a finger to his lips, almost afraid of his answer. I know he cares about me now, but I don't want to push it. But he kisses my fingertip and moves it away, his gaze firmly locked on mine.
“Paige, I had no plans for a relationship so soon after my divorce,” he says softly. “Believe me, I was doing everything I could to avoid it. But, then you came into my life and fighting my feelings got harder each day I spent with you. It wasn't all that long that I wanted to stop fighting it altogether. If there's one thing that tonight proved to me, it’s that the thought of losing you is unbearable to me. Somehow, through all the shit I've been through in the past few months, and despite the fact that I was bound and determined to hide myself away for a good, long while, I've found something special. Somebody special. Someone that I want to hold on to. I denied it for a while, but the truth of the matter is, I'm falling for you, Paige. Hard. I've never met someone who fulfills me the way you do. Nobody has ever given me such a sense of – safety. Happiness. Nobody but you.”
I lean down to kiss him again, but he stops me with a finger pressed gently to his lips.
“Let me finish,” he says softly. “To be perfectly honest, I think I'm falling in love with you, Paige.”
His kiss stole my breath, but his words damn near make my heart stop in my chest. My body is trembling and my heart, finally starting to beat again, begins to race. I can't believe those words came out of his mouth. They were the absolute last words I ever expected to hear from him.
As he looks at me, I see the emotion in his eyes, hear the truth in his words and can't stop the tears from starting to well up. My lower lip trembles and I reach up, putting a shaking hand against his cheek.
“I think I'm falling in love with you too, Liam,” I say, my voice barely more than a whisper. “I think I already have.”
Now, he lets me lean forward and kiss him again, and when I do, the emotions running through me are as powerful as I've ever felt. As our tongues meet and swirl together, I can't stop my hands from exploring his body. I unbutton his shirt as he slips my sweater up over my head. His hands cup my breasts and he runs his thumbs across my hard nipples, drawing a shudder from me.
I lean down and plant soft kisses on his chest, circling his nipples with the tip of my tongue. And he draws in a sharp breath when I respond by giving him a playful nip. I look up at him and smile right before leaning forward and kissing him again.
We've slept together before, a few times, actually, but this feels different. This time, it feels like there's an even deeper connection forming between us. Even more profound than when we made love in the helicopter.
He traces a line of kisses down my neck, cupping my breasts in his hands, kneading them. We very slowly and deliberately remove the rest of each other's clothes, thoroughly enjoying stripping one another down. The air between us is saturated with passion and need, it’s as if desire is literally oozing out of our every pore. And when he looks at me, I once again see that expression on his face – like I'm the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, and my insides turn to jelly.
Liam leaves a line of soft kisses down my neck, moving down to my collar bone and then to my cleavage before he runs the tip of his tongue down to my nipples. Looking up at me, he takes a nipple into his mouth and sucks, gently. My back arches as a bolt of sensation and desire tears through me. His licking and sucking on my nipples grows even more urgent, more passionate, and I intertwine my fingers with the hair on the back of his head, pressing him harder against my breasts.
“I need you, Liam,” I gasp as he gives my nipple a playful bite.
Liam gently pushes me down onto the bed and climbs on top of me. Our naked bodies press against one another, the scent of our desire growing thicker as we kiss. He reaches down with one hand, running it up the inside of my thigh as he spreads my legs open, positioning himself against me.
I reach down and wrap my hand around the base of his cock and stroke it. He moans softly, and his eyes roll back in his head when I grip him tighter and stroke him harder. Lifting my body up off the bed, I guide his stiff rod to my hot, wet opening and press him against me, yearning to feel him inside of me. All of him.
“Let me just get a –”
“No need,” I say, biting my lip as I meet his gaze.
I'm stroking the head of his cock with my thumb and give him a salacious smile. We're in love now. We're together. We don't need to be as cautious with one another as before. I know he's going to be there for me just as I'm going to be there for him. There's love between us, but more importantly, there's trust.
“I'm on the pill,” I say. “And I trust you, Liam.”
His eyes soften as he leans down and kisses me. It's a soft, tender kiss and it conveys all his feelings for me. He moves a little bit and I feel him pressing into me now, and I spread my legs wider to accommodate his large body – inviting him to slip his cock inside of me.
Liam gently thrusts himself into my slit, and I cry out. My hands grasp at anything they can, digging into the flesh of his shoulders. As he starts to pump his cock into me, he draws in a sharp breath when I rake my nails down his back. I can't stop myself though, it just feels so good. He feels so good.
Liam moves slowly at first, rocking back and forth and taking his time. He seems to be savoring the sensation of slipping his cock into me. The entire time, he's kissing me and touching me, making me feel loved. Making me feel cherished.
I wrap my legs around his waist tighter, pulling him into me. I'm using his body to urge him onward, to show him how badly I want him. I arch upward, meeting his thrusts, taking him even deeper inside me. The adrenaline from everything that happened is still coursing through our veins, making everything feel that much more intense. Our senses are heightened and the pleasure of having him inside of me is that much more vibrant.
Feeling him, skin-to-skin also increases the sensations roaring through my body like a freight train. Liam's movements pick up speed, seemingly becoming more determined. Each thrust goes deeper than the last, and my body accepts every inch of him. I
spread my legs wider, allowing him to move more easily. He gets up onto his knees, grabs hold of my legs, and stares down at me as he thrusts his stiff dick deeper and harder into me, drawing a loud, breathy moan from my lips.
With each thrust of his glorious cock, I can feel him hitting my G-spot. Each thrust is a mixture of pleasure with a slight pinch of pain. The slight bit of pain only makes the pleasure that much more intense. That much sweeter. Sweat drips from his brow and rolls down his face as he clenches his jaw tight.
His whole body is tense, his muscles all tightly corded. I know he's fighting back his orgasm, trying to delay the inevitable. Wanting to please me first. Like I said before, he's an incredibly generous lover and he makes me feel utterly amazing.
“Oh God,” he mutters. “Come, Paige. Come for me, please. I can't hold out much longer –”
Seeing Liam on the verge of losing control, my body tenses up. A warmth spreads through me that's so vivid and bright, my toes curl as I climax. I cry out loud, calling his name as the muscles inside of me spasm hard around his cock. Feeling me orgasming sends him over the top, and he falls forward, bracing himself on his hands as he buries his long, thick shaft into me one last time.
He's so fucking deep inside of me, we both cry out in pleasure. Our bodies are both shuddering as we come together. They tremble and spasm as we both fall into the abyss of ecstasy. Feeling Liam's cock pulsing inside of me, feeling him filling me up with his hot, wet seed intensifies the pleasure that's rocking me, and I hold onto him for dear life until our bodies finally stop moving.
Gradually, the sensations begin to fade, and the pleasure loosens its hold on us. Our breathing returns to normal and the tension drains from our bodies. I feel spent. But so fucking amazing at the same time.
I needed this. I needed to have him inside of me. After everything that happened tonight, after fearing that I might die – or he might – coming together like this, sharing this passionate, life-affirming experience, heals me in ways I didn't know were possible.
