The Redemption Series

by Melynda Price

  “Sure,” Ashley waved farewell and disappeared back into the crowd.

  “Can I give you a ride home?”

  Olivia didn’t answer right away. For a moment he thought she was going to refuse. “All right, that’d be great.”

  Liam stood up and tossed a twenty on the table. He escorted Olivia outside, protectively placing his hand against the small of her back as they weaved in and out of the crowd of people. He walked over to the passenger door and opened it for her. She smiled up at him and cast a nervous glance around the parking lot as she climbed inside. It wasn’t until the driver’s door shut and the engine started, that she began to look more relaxed.

  “Is there any place you’d like to go before I take you home? The sun’s going to set soon. If we hurry, I bet we could make it down to the beach in time.”

  “Sure, that sounds great. I love watching the sunset.” She smiled over at him, and his heart beat just a little faster. Does she have any idea how beautiful she is?

  “The only thing better than a sunset is a sunrise.”

  Liam smiled. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  Chapter Eleven

  As they drove toward Clearwater, Olivia noticed that Liam kept glancing in his rear view mirror. Maybe she was imagining it, but the color of his eyes seemed a shade lighter than she remembered. His handsome features hardened into a scowl, but it didn’t detract from his stunning looks. It only enhanced them, if that was even possible.

  Olivia glanced over her shoulder, following the direction of his rear view mirror. “Liam, is something wrong?”

  “What happened between you and Max tonight?” His voice held an edge of tension that sent goose bumps prickling up her arms.

  “Why do you ask?” Even she could hear the defensiveness in her voice, but she didn’t want to discuss Max’s betrayal, not that it was any of his business. She didn’t even want to think about Max right now. Dirty, rotten bast—

  “Because he’s following us.”

  Liam’s matter-of-fact, no-nonsense answer did nothing to stem the sudden burst of panic rising up inside her. She subconsciously reached up and rubbed the tender spot on her bicep. “How do you know?” she demanded, trying to keep the alarm out of her voice, but failed miserably. Olivia cranked around in her seat until her back cracked in protest. Sure enough, a single headlight followed behind them no more than a mile back.

  “I just know.” he growled, giving her no explanation beyond that. Oh shit! I can’t believe he’s following me!

  “You’re afraid of him.” It wasn’t a question. He glanced over at her, and his frown deepened, making him look downright menacing. If she had any common sense, she should be afraid of him. It wasn’t until he placed his hand over hers that she realized she was trembling. There was no use even trying to deny it. The moment he touched her, a delicious rush of heat swept up her arm. How could someone she barely knew make her feel so…safe?

  “I never used to be,” she confessed softly.

  “How long have you been together?” His hand curled around hers protectively.

  “For a couple of months. We had a fight tonight, he’s been drinking…Alcohol seems to act like lighter fluid on his temper.”

  She liked the feeling of Liam’s hand on hers, and rotated her wrist to slide her fingers in between his. Her pulse quickened as their palms connected. She glanced down at their hands interlaced together. This felt good… He felt…right.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  This time, there was no mistaking the amethyst sheen in his eyes. She’d never seen anything like it before. It was almost as if his eyes changed color with his moods. Impossible. Olivia shrugged her shoulders. “Not really, he just scared me more than anything.”

  Liam growled something under his breath. It sounded like another language.

  “If you want to, I’d still like to take you down to the beach. You’d be safe with me, you know that, right? But if Max follows you down there, I can’t promise you that he won’t get hurt.” Liam’s thumb brushed across the top of her hand, sending a shiver up her arm.

  Olivia wasn’t sure how she felt about Max anymore. She may not want to be with him, but she certainly didn’t want him to get hurt, nor did she want to chance Liam getting hurt on account of her.

  “We’d better skip it. I think I’ve had enough drama from him tonight.”

  Liam squeezed her hand gently. “I understand, maybe some other time.”

  He took the next exit, crossed the overpass, and turned back toward Evercrest. The rode in silence, Liam frequently glanced at her, and she could feel the heat of his gaze, now dark violet again.

  Occasionally, she’d look over her shoulder at the single headlight hanging back in the distance. The slow back and forth caress of his thumb calmed and excited her at the same time. How could he possibly have such a strong effect on her? Not only was there an intense physical attraction to him, but there was something else, something more, something…deeper.

  She watched him for a while, looking for some sign that he felt it too. He appeared calm—relaxed. The only changes she saw in him were subtle, and they had nothing to do with holding her hand. Every time he glanced into the rear view mirror, his eyes turned cold and hard.

  “Your eyes, they change color.” She watched him intently, waiting for them to change back again.

  “Yeah, I know,” he said, glancing over at her. “They change with my mood. Everyone in my family is like that. It’s a pain in the ass, honestly. Everyone always knows exactly how you’re feeling.” Liam laughed. The sound was biting and sarcastic. “Talk about total honesty. There are no secrets in my family.”

  “How many are in your family?”

  “A lot.”

  “Max’s eyes change too, they go from brown to black.” She was thoughtful a moment. “He isn’t related to you, is he? Is that why there’s so much animosity between you two?” That would definitely explain the bad blood between them. Something had been brewing long before last week.

  “Not anymore…” he replied gruffly.

  Olivia frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “Look, Olivia, Max isn’t any good for you. He’s dangerous, and I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  Her scowl deepened. Liam knew more than he was telling her. “Why would Max possibly want to hurt me?”

  “People do things for many different reasons, and things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes there’s an ulterior motive.”

  “What are your motives, Liam?” she countered irritably, wishing for once that she could finally get a straight answer out of him.

  Again with the caress—if he kept this up, pretty soon she wouldn’t be able to put two rational thoughts together. When he turned toward her, his eyes were that rich, deep violet again. “I only want what’s best for you—for you to be safe…and happy.” The sincerity in his voice actually made her heart ache.

  “Why do you care?” she pressed, desperate for answers.

  “I can’t explain it, Olivia. I just do.”

  “This is ridiculous. How could you possibly? We only met last week. You don’t even know me.”

  Liam pulled into Olivia’s driveway and parked the car. He turned in his seat, taking her other hand in his. “Don’t you feel it?” he whispered. “You can’t seriously tell me that I’m the only one.”

  Liam reached up and gently brushed his hand against her cheek, letting his thumb trace along the edge of her bottom lip. Olivia closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring the tingling rush of his scent. She couldn’t resist leaning her cheek into his palm.

  Oh yeah, she definitely felt it, but Olivia didn’t understand what it was, and it scared her—a lot. “You’re not the only one,” she whispered.

  ***

  Liam couldn’t tear his eyes off her perfect lips, just begging to be kissed. His thumb brushed against the full, pouty flesh. When he’d dreamed of touching her, imagining what she would feel like, what she would smell like, never on
ce had he imagined such bliss. He ached to run his hand along the delicate curve of her throat.

  The scent of sweet vanilla-jasmine filled his senses. She stirred an awakening within him he’d never experienced before, unexplainable sensations and desires running so deep they threatened to overtake him. The pounding of his heart echoed in his ears. He longed to tell her how much he loved her—that he’d always loved her.

  Olivia’s soft voice pulled him back to reality. “I…I don’t know what I think anymore,” she whispered.

  He could feel her uncertainty—see the confusion in her eyes as she stared back at him, trying to understand what was happening to her.

  The loud rattle of Max’s Harley flew past them, shattering the moment like tempered glass. Olivia turned away from his touch to look out the window. She frowned, her eyes following the taillight of the motorcycle as it disappeared into the darkness.

  “Speak of the devil,” Liam growled.

  “I think he’s going to be really mad. He thought I was blowing him off tonight to see you. And here we are, together. It looks really bad.”

  “That’s what your fight was about?”

  “No, I caught him with another woman. He insisted she was just a friend, but I doubt it. I didn’t want to talk to him, especially when he was drunk.”

  He was encouraged to hear Max’s true colors were shining through. Hopefully, the son of a bitch hung himself. Liam didn’t want to manipulate Olivia’s free will. It wasn’t fair to her. He wanted her to choose him because she wanted him, not because she’d been coerced into it.

  “Are you worried he’ll come back tonight? Do you want me to stay with you?”

  “No, that’s okay, my mom and dad are home.”

  “If he comes back, or if you change your mind, you can always call me, you know. You still have my number, right?”

  Olivia laughed. “What are you, my guardian angel or something?”

  “Something like that,” he chuckled, reaching over to take her hand. He interlaced his fingers with hers. They looked so small and delicate compared to his hands—hands of a warrior that have seen centuries of violence and bloodshed. Hands that were unworthy to even touch this perfect creation sitting beside him.

  “Do you have any idea how badly I want to kiss you right now?” His raw voice cracked with emotion. The temptation to taste the forbidden fruit of her lips was almost too much to bear.

  Liam felt several emotions run through her at his confession—excitement, desire, guilt. “You probably shouldn’t,” she whispered softly. “I’m not sure what this is between us, and honestly, it scares me a little. Technically, Max and I are still together. I owe it to him, and to you, to get that straightened out first.”

  Liam gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it. “I understand.” He respected her honesty and integrity. With a little time, he knew he could win her heart.

  Liam got out of the car, walked over to Olivia’s door, and opened it for her. He held out his hand and she took it. Her touch was soft and her fingers so fragile inside his strong grasp.

  “Thanks for the ride home.”

  “Anytime. I still want a rain check on that sunset.”

  “Sure.” Olivia slowly pulled her hand out of his as she turned and walked up to the house. “I’ll see you around,” she called, pausing to look back over her shoulder before going inside.

  “Good night, Olivia.” Liam watched her walk up to the house. He didn’t leave until she was safely inside.

  ***

  Olivia closed the front door and leaned the back of her head against it. What just happened?

  She could hear the car door shut, followed by the low growl of the idling engine. She bit her bottom lip, tempted to go back outside and stop him before he pulled out of her driveway. She should have let him kiss her. What would it have been like? Every time he touched her, an explosion of desire coiled in the pit of her stomach. She’d never experienced anything like it before, and a daring part of her hungered to explore Liam’s touch.

  “What are you doing?” she hissed to herself. “He’s a stranger. You know nothing about him.” Then why did he feel so familiar—so right?

  The soft rumble of the Camaro’s engine faded away. Her opportunity gone—just as well, if she’d kissed him then she’d be no better than Max. Just the thought of that slimy bastard twisted her stomach into a knot. The bitter pain of betrayal stabbed into her heart like a hot knife. She’d seen a different side of Max tonight. A side she didn’t want to admit that she’d always knew existed, but she’d been too caught up in the delusion of him to face reality. She gently rubbed the tender spot on her arm and lifted her sleeve to reveal three dark purple fingertip-sized bruises. Maybe Liam was right, Max was dangerous.

  “Is that you, honey?”

  “Yeah…” Olivia peeked into the living room. Her parents were curled up together on the couch, watching a movie. She smiled to herself. It was nice to see that some people did get their happily-ever-after. “I’m really tired. I’m going to head up to bed,” she told her parents, starting up the stairs.

  “Is something wrong, Liv?”

  Olivia stopped halfway up. “Why do you ask?”

  “Max stopped by here tonight. He seemed pretty upset and asked us if we knew where you were. I figured if you two weren’t together, then maybe there was a reason. Did something happen that you want to talk about?”

  “Not tonight. I just want to go to bed.”

  The scent of sandalwood and cloves greeted Olivia as she walked into her bedroom, and a smile touched her lips. She changed into her nightshirt and walked over to Liam’s towel lying on her bed. She picked it up, held the soft terry cloth up to her face, and breathed in deeply, testing to see if the same calming strength she felt with him would wash over her again—it did. Olivia hugged the towel against her chest and climbed into bed. She quickly fell asleep, wrapped in a blanket of Liam’s scent.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Goddamn it!” Max yelled, burying his fist into his kitchen wall. Sheet rock crumbled to the floor as he yanked his hand free from the large hole. He paced restlessly from kitchen to dining room to living room. He fucked up tonight—big time. The next twenty-four hours were critical if he had any hope of saving his relationship with Olivia. She was already slipping from him—he could feel it.

  He tried calling her several times tonight, not that she bothered to answer, not even once. She was really pissed at him. So here lies the million dollar question—just how forgiving was little Olivia going to be?

  Five minutes—if he’d only left five minutes earlier, Cindy would be in his bed right now, and Olivia would be none the wiser. “Well, what the hell does she expect? It’s not like she’s putting out,” he growled. Of course, that wasn’t going to be the defense he used to get back into her good graces.

  Now, how to go about making this up to her. If she tried to leave him, he’d have to kill her—sooner than he’d wanted to. Earth had grown on him, and he wasn’t ready to leave yet. He’d definitely have to put forth the effort to make up with the girl. Olivia better hope, for her sake, that she takes me back, because she’ll like the alternative even less.

  He wondered what the warrior said to get her to leave with him tonight. Was he already starting to bend her will? Where were they going before they turned around so abruptly? The unanswered questions haunted him. He was going to have to step things up if he planned to stay in this game. Liam was proving to be a worthy adversary after all.

  Max looked up at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. It was already seven a.m. Olivia would be up by now, getting ready for school. He needed to talk to her, to do some damage control before things got further out of hand.

  The empty driveway boded well as he pulled up to Olivia’s house. Her parents were already gone—so far so good. He held a single rose in his hand and walked up the front steps. He took the key from the hidden hook under the step and unlocked the front door.

  Max slipped in
side, silently latching it behind him. He could hear the shower’s hiss as he crept up the stairs. An image of Olivia, naked and wet, standing beneath the water’s spray flashed through his mind. They were all alone…no one would hear her scream. He stood in the hallway, hesitating. If he turned left, he’d be joining her in the shower. If he turned right, he’d be in her room. Decisions, decisions…His jeans suddenly fit a little tighter. He reached down and grabbed the denim, trying to make an adjustment that didn’t help one little bit.

  This was a game altering move. As he contemplated his next step, the water turned off. Max muttered a curse and ducked into Olivia’s room. He walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge to wait for her.

  His stomach suddenly heaved and bile rose up his throat as the scent of Sandalwood hit him like a sucker punch in the gut. He instinctively inhaled, trying to locate the source of the smell. Rage flooded his veins like molten lava. The warrior…was the warrior here, with her? Max spun around and saw the towel lying on her bed. Where did she get that and why was that warrior’s scent all over it?

  A shrill scream tore through the room, releasing a rush of adrenaline that flooded his veins. Olivia’s fear slammed into Max like a brick wall, releasing the predator inside him. Max’s vision sharpened and his mouth began to water. He could taste Olivia’s fear, and it was delicious.

  It took every ounce of strength he had to keep his feet planted on the ground. His muscles quivered with barely restrained tension, fighting the urge to strike. In less than a second, he could have her on the floor and beneath his hard body. Make up plan be damned…

  He inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of her terror, but his high was crushed when he was assaulted with the warrior’s scent which clung pungently in the air.

  Max reigned himself back in and gave Olivia his best attempt at a genuine smile. “Hey, Liv, I’m sorry I frightened you.” He held up the rose as a peace offering.