I jumped off my bed and made my way to the door to stop them before they broke out into a full on screaming match. “Cindy, please,” I pleaded. I might be feeling a bit confused at the moment, but I wasn’t ready to give up Liam. He’d been a good friend and he deserved to chance to talk things out. “Would you just give us a little time alone?” I asked Cindy.
“You’re kidding, right?” Cindy sounded offended and pissed. “You need to get out of here and leave her alone,” she practically hissed at Liam.
Liam’s nostrils flared. “Maybe you should choose the people you hang out with better!” he accused. “If you hadn’t been hanging out with that scumbag, then Hailey never would have followed him and none of this would have happened.”
I stepped between them and held up my hands to keep them separated, and then I looked back to Cindy. “Cindy, please, just let me have some time to talk to him.” When she crossed her arms I whispered please one more time, and Cindy huffed in frustration before she grabbed her purse to leave. The way she was glaring at Liam on her way out made it obvious that she didn’t want to go, but when she realized I wasn’t going to change my mind she huffed out a loud breath and stomped down the hall, away from our room.
I walked back over to my bed and sat down on the edge, and Liam followed behind me only stopping to shut the door. Liam sits down beside me and I can feel his knee brush against mine as he settles on the bead. “Hailey, are you okay?” he asks. His voice is laced with emotion and I know without a doubt that he is truly worried about me.
“Yes, but Liam,” I pause for a minute to get myself together and think about how I want to say what I need to tell him, “when you lost control last night, I can’t deny that you scared me. I’ve never seen anyone in a fight up so close, and it was like you weren’t there; like the Liam I know had left and was taken over by this guy full of rage.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry,” Liam said. He turned so his body was facing mine and he took my hand and began rubbing his thumbs over my fingers. “I know I have issues with my temper. I’ve had them for a long time now.” I turn so that I am facing him as well. I want him to know that I am here and listening. “My mom got hooked up with this guy when I was a kid who didn’t like the idea of sharing her time with me, and when my mother married the asshole it only got worse. As a result, I spent a lot of time in the hospital thanks to his endless attempts to get rid of me.”
I fought hard to hold back the tears that were burning the backs of my eyes. I wanted to cry for Liam; for the boy that he was and the childhood he never got to actually have. “Where is you mom now?” I asked him hoping that there would be a better end to this story then his anger implied.
Liam looked down at our hands, staring at them as he continued to rub his thumb over my fingers. “She never got away from the jerk, not until he killed her. After that the social services sent me to live with my Aunt Mary.” He looked back up so that our eyes met. “Hailey, I’ve done things I’m not proud of. I used to take drugs to try to drown out the memories; drown out the pain that they caused. Honestly, that is why I was hanging out with Anna when we first met. She loved to party hard so I knew that there would always be drugs wherever she took me. But, then I met you and you made me feel like I was actually worth something. Like I deserved someone who wanted to spend time with me because they actually enjoyed my company.” Liam leaned closer to me and took both of my hands and held them to his chest. “You’re the first person who has ever made me feel like there might be some good left inside of me; you never saw me as a freak. I don’t know how I will deal if I have scared you off too. Please tell me that you’ll give me another chance.”
This time I can’t hold back my tears anymore. Liam looks so vulnerable and all I want to do is take away his hurt. No one should have to endure the things that he did when he was a boy, and they shouldn’t be shunned because of the scars that something that horrible left behind. Instead of saying anything, because I can’t think of any words that are even remotely enough right in that moment, I leaned forward and softly kissed Liam on his lips. He kissed me back and released my hands to wrap his arms around me and hold me close. We kiss softly for a few minutes, and then we just lay down on my bed and hold each other. We talk and share the occasional sweet kiss until we both fall asleep.
CHAPTER SEVEN
For the next month Liam and I are practically inseparable. Despite the gravity of the situation, the whole incident with Jeff has actually brought us even closer together. Once Liam decided to open up to me about himself, he stayed open. We shared everything with each other and there were times when I honestly felt like I knew Liam better then I knew myself. Cindy was still big into boys and the party scene and as usually rarely spent much time at our dorm, so Liam and I hung out there a lot. It actually got to the point where he wound up with a small collection of clothes which I kept stored in a drawer I cleaned out for him because he fell asleep in my bed holding me so often.
About a week before Thanksgiving Liam came over with plans to stay the night. It was a Saturday night and Cindy had made it clear for me not to expect her home until she was ready for sleep on Sunday. Liam had said he couldn’t believe I had never seen “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy so he was bringing the movies over for us to get started watching them.
When I heard a loud knock at the door I knew that it was him and I opened it up with a big smile on my face. Liam stood on the other side smiling back at me. He had a pizza in one arm and the movies tucked under his other with two sodas held between his fingers.
“Sorry about kicking your door,” he said, “but my hands were a little full. Probably should have thought to grab a bag to carry this stuff in.” He moved the arm with the sodas and movies in it enough to indicate that was the stuff he’d been referring to.
I grabbed the drinks from him to lighten the load he was carrying and stood aside so he could walk in my room. He didn’t waste any time putting in the first movie, and before I knew it we were both sitting with our backs against the headboard of my bed, eating pizza and watching Bilbo and Gandalf on the small TV that was set up in my dorm room. When we were done eating I found myself leaning back in Liam’s arms watching the movie. It wasn’t long after that when I felt him begin running his fingers through my hair. it felt so good that I closed my eyes and let out a small moan of pleasure. Anytime Liam’s hands were on me I felt a surge of heat take over my body, but lying in my bed while he held me only intensified the situation.
With my eyes still closed I felt Liam press his soft lips against mine. My body responded immediately, and I leaned up into the kiss letting my mouth mold to his as he continued kissing me. Our kiss went from soft and sweet, to passionate and hot. Within a few minutes Liam had rolled us so that he was partially over me with one of his knees between my legs. When I felt his tongue caress my own I moaned and plunged my fingers into his hair. My whole body felt like it was burning up and in that moment I knew without a doubt that I wanted to give myself to Liam. I moved my hands down his back and began pulling up on the bottom hem of his shirt. Liam knew what I wanted so he sat up and pulled her shirt over his head, tossing it onto the floor beside the bed. When he came back down and began kissing me again I raked my fingers down his bare chest, and I could have sworn I felt him shiver just the slightest bit as my hands drew closer to that V just above his pants. His lower body was pressed close to mine, and judging by the hard ridge I felt pressed against me I knew he was feeling the same way I was. Slowly I began rocking my hips, creating friction between myself and Liam’s hardness that was rubbing me in just the right spot with each of my movements.
Liam broke the kiss and moved up on his knees so that we were no longer pressed together intimately. His breathing was heavy and his eyes seemed to be glazed over. Between the look on his face and his bare chest heaving right before me, he was a beautiful sight and watching him like that only served to turn me on even more. I bit my lip and brought my eyes up to meet his. Liam groaned. “Ha
iley, you’re so, shit. I, I just need a minute to calm down.”
I leaned up and quickly pulled my shirt over my head. “Liam, I don’t want you to calm down,” I told him. My voice also sounded different; thicker. “I want the same thing you’re wanting right now.”
Liam’s eyes raked over my chest, clad in a white bra with hints of lace, and then back up to meet mine. If I thought he had looked turned on a minute ago, now he looked like he was on fire. “Hailey, I don’t want you to feel like we have to do this.”
“I don’t,” I said quickly, cutting him off. I didn’t have any reservations about being with Liam, and I didn’t want him to sense any hesitation from me.
Liam leaned back down over me and caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. It felt so amazing, and I closed my eyes and sighed, leaning my face closer to his hand. “Hailey, are you sure?” Liam asked.
I opened my eyes and smiled up at him. “Completely.”
Then his lips were on mine and I could feel his hands behind be, undoing the clasp of my bra. When it was free he sat up, taking my bra with him, and looked at me. “Beautiful.”
He moved his hand down my chest, between both of my breasts, until he reached the top of my pants. Slowly he removed my pants and panties, and then he stood up. I watched him unbutton his pants and slowly slide then down, never taking his eyes off of me as he did so. When he stood back up he was completely naked, and my breath caught. I had dreamed about this moment with Liam for a while now, but my dreams had nothing on the real thing. I was certain he was the most perfect male on earth; or maybe he was just perfect for me.
He crawled back on the bed and slid between my legs. I could feel his length, hot and hard, pressed against me and it only turned me on that much more. I’d never done this before and everything I had heard said it would hurt my first time, but right then feeling him pressed against me I wanted nothing more than to feel him inside of me. I moved my hips, trying to show him how badly I ached to feel him.
“I’m going to go slow,” he said. “It will hurt for a minute, but I’m going to make it good for you, I promise.”
Liam slowly slid inside of me, and at first it just felt super tight; like he would never fit. As he pushed in further I began feeling uncomfortable, but right before he pushed all of the way inside I felt his fingers begin circling my most sensitive spot. The pleasurable sensation distracted me from the pain when he pushed the rest of the way in. I felt the sting of losing my virginity, but Liam kept himself seated inside of me, only moving his fingers against me until the pain became a memory and all I felt was the pleasure building as his fingers moved faster against me. I began rocking my hips upward, wanting to feel him move inside of me. The pleasure was building and I couldn’t bear to stay still any longer. Liam moved his hand so he could hold himself above me, and began moving in and out slowly.
The pain was forgotten and I moaned loudly as pleasure began building even stronger within me. I wrapped my legs around Liam, and he started moving faster. Soon I felt my pleasure explode inside of me, and my body began to spasm around Liam when wave after wave of pleasure washed over me. “Liam,” I moaned his name over and over.
“Ahh, Hailey,” my name sounded like a groan on Liam’s lips, and then I felt his body quiver and felt the warmth of his release inside of me. We moved together slowly until we had both rode out our pleasure. Liam laid down and pulled my back up against him so he was spooning me. He moved my hair back behind my ear and laid his head down so that his mouth was right beside my ear. “I love you, Hailey Rose.”
My heart melted when I heard those words, and I felt myself smiling. I wrapped my arms around his where he held me and squeezed. “I love you too, Liam Elliott.”
I could feel Liam’s smile when he pressed a kiss to the side of my cheek. That night when I fell asleep I still had that smile on my face, and I dreamed about Liam and I and our lives together until I woke up the next morning.
***
Liam was hesitant when we left school for Thanksgiving break to go back to my home in Kansas. I was a bit nervous too, after all, Liam was the first boyfriend I had ever brought home to meet my parents, but I loved him and I wanted my parents to meet the man who had taken up such a huge place in my heart. It was no surprise that Liam’s hesitance mirrored my parent’s own worry when we arrived at my home and I made introductions. My dad had always been protective of me and knowing that I was dating a boy he’d never met while I lived so far away was hard on him I think. Over dinner my parents tried to had their interrogation of Liam as innocent conversation, but they weren’t fooling anyone. I wasn’t made though; I knew that they just wanted to make sure Liam wasn’t going to hurt me.
“So, how did the two of you meet,” my mother asked. She was smiling, but I could tell she was nervous about the answer she was about to get. We were in college after all, and I knew she worried about the partying despite the fact that she had pushed me to go away to school in the first place.
“We met in U.S. History,” I told her. “When I got overwhelmed on my first day in class and didn’t think to take good notes, Liam volunteered to share his with me so I could study for the quiz coming up. We sort of became friends from there, and we spent time together studying and getting to know each other ever since.” When I saw her and my father look at each other and smile I knew that I had settled many of their worries. Letting them know that Liam was someone who cared about school like I did was the best ice breaker.
After dinner was over, and everything was cleaned up, Liam and I went for a walk around the property. He had always shown interest in my home life, and the idea of living in the country so I wanted to show him how beautiful it really was. When we had finished our walk around the farm, we settled on one of the swings my parents had on their wrap around porch and watched the horizon while the sunset. “It’s so beautiful, and peaceful here,” Liam said. “Not as beautiful as you, but still pretty good,” he winked at me. “I wish we didn’t have to go back to school so we could just stay here forever.”
“Well,” I said, “we have only got four years of New England winters to contend with while we get our degrees. After that, we can come back here to the farm, or go to New York. We can go wherever you want to go.”
Liam smiled and wrapped his arm around my back. He leaned in and gave me a small kiss. “I like that sound of that,” he said, smiling. “I love you.”
I smiled back at him, “I love you too, Liam.” We sat there under the moonlight holding each other and talking about our possible future until it became too cold and we had to go inside. After this trip, I knew that Liam and I were going to be together for a long time, and I prayed that long time turned out to be forever.
~*~
MÉNAGE MFM COLLECTION
~*~
After Divorce
~Bonus Story~
A Steamy Contemporary Menage
Nina Parker always thought she was happy. Strong, beautiful and well-kept, she had her life together. But only until her cheating husband James forced her to start all over again. This time around she would find real happiness though – in the arms of two best friends. Nathan Haynes is intense, passionate and a bit rough around the edges – a writer who spends his life dreaming.
His best friend, Evan Wood is a trust-fund baby who wants for nothing in life and has a dreamy confidence to match his flawless good looks. When Nina finds herself sleeping with both, her conscious is easily confused by this new dynamic. But the two men set her at ease comfortably, drawing her into their world with seemingly no effort at all. They don’t mind sharing and neither does she. This time, the world is her playground and nothing will stop her – not even Nathan’s fear of flying!
* * *
<
Nina had always thought they would live happily ever after. But as she scribbled her signature at the bottom of the divorce papers, she could no longer deny that things were over.
She should have probably accepted this fact the da
y she found her husband in bed with a woman ten years her junior but part of her had hoped that it was all just a bad dream. Nina was willing to start again, to forgive (but maybe not forget) but instead of apologizing for his behavior, James announced that he was leaving her for ‘the other woman’.
After that, things happened pretty quickly and it was less than a month before they wound up here, sitting stiffly across from one another like strangers, accompanied by their lawyers.
“Can you hurry up please, Janet is waiting for me,” James smirked as she read each page carefully again before initialing. “You’re already getting half, what more do you want from me?” he was annoyingly smug about the whole affair, making Nina even more bitter.
“Would you at least pretend that the past seven years wasn’t completely meaningless?” she spat, signing another page without looking up at him. Nina couldn’t help but still feel hurt from the betrayal. She left like a fool, like her whole life up to this point had been a lie. She was signing away everything she built her world on, with a surname she couldn’t bear herself to separate from. She would always be Nina Parker, regardless of the divorce – she had decided already. He could take her home but not her name.
“Shame, Miss Parker – better luck next time,” he grinned and she felt like stabbing him in the eye with the pen. But she pulled herself together, scrawling her name on the last page before pushing it back across the table.
“Is there anything else?” she asked coldly, folding her arms in front of her, finally raising her piercing dark eyes to meet his. She could no longer recognize the man she married in him.
Sold To The Dragon Princes: The Novel Page 123
