by Cindi Madsen
“Yeah, I thought you might,” Finn said with a smug grin.
Turned out, I didn’t have to go far—Chelsea and Brooklyn were nearly to us.
“Congratulations, Finn,” Chelsea said, giving him a hug at the same time Brooklyn did, and she echoed the happy sentiment.
The second Chelsea dropped her arms from around my brother’s shoulders, I reached out and snagged her hand. “You’re coming with me.”
Brooklyn and Chelsea exchanged a look. At Chelsea’s nod, Brooklyn backed away. Since making a scene in front of all these people wouldn’t be good for the gym, I kept the lid I’d slammed on my boiling-over temper in place, walking briskly into the locker room and jerking the door closed behind us.
Then we were alone. Finally, yet a bad idea at the same time.
The simmering heat I’d held inside escaped in a hot puff of air. “What the fuck was that?”
A couple seconds of tense silence hung in the air.
“Well?” I flung up my hands. “What’s with the ring girl stunt?”
Chelsea crossed her arms, emphasizing her cleavage and her indignation at the same time. “I was…being assertive. Doing something bold.”
“Why don’t you be assertive and bold somewhere else besides the cage, especially if you’re going to be wearing so little clothes?”
“Fine. How about right here, right now? And also, you can’t tell me what to do.”
My irritation spiked higher, along with frustration and a dozen other emotions I couldn’t sort through, but I didn’t like them, that was for damn sure. “Which one do you want to focus on? That I can’t tell you what to do? Or being assertive right here and now? Or is that you trying to be assertive? Because I gotta say, babe, the delivery needs work.”
Her mouth dropped, and fire flared through her big brown eyes. “Stepping into that cage in front of all those people, dressed like this, took a lot of courage, and I’m proud that I went through with it. So why don’t you ask yourself why you’re so pissed off about it?”
I growled. This wasn’t going to take us anywhere good, so I turned to gather my stuff. “Let’s just cool off and talk about it later.”
“No,” she said, but it came out weak.
I turned, only to see she was closer now, nearly close enough to touch. I took a step toward her. “Still not assertive enough. When you said no, you didn’t make me believe it.”
“Oh, maybe I’ll just be like you and stare.” She narrowed her eyes, and with the added edge of her actually being angry, she nearly pulled off the intimidation. I was intimidated as hell by the girl, just in all the wrong ways, and she was pushing me toward the brink of giving in to my baser instincts. “Now”—she jabbed a finger to my chest, tapping it with each word—“why did it piss you off?”
“All those guys staring at you. I…” I raked a hand through my hair and growled again.
“Were you jealous?” Her tough facade broke, vulnerability rushing in. “I need to know, Liam. I need to know if there’s any attraction at all.”
The full impact of her words hit me, flattening my lungs and making it impossible to take a breath. She wanted to know if I was jealous. If I was attracted to her… I was afraid to move and afraid not to.
She covered her heart with her hand, as if she might have to protect herself from my answer, and everything inside me crumbled.
“Of course I’m attracted to you, Chelsea. Look at you.” I gestured to her and got caught up in staring at her smooth skin and her red hair and her legs and her lips and as I was trying to decide on my favorite part, a healthy dose of lust pumped through my bloodstream.
“But when I hit on you last weekend, you brushed me off.”
“You were drunk. I was trying to be noble.”
She shoved her hands against my chest. “Well, be less noble!”
The thread on my control snapped, and I backed her up against the wall. I braced a palm next to her head and pressed closer, teetering on the edge, a mere breath away from welcoming the free fall. “This is what you want?”
She nodded.
I caught her chin between my thumb and index finger. “Is that your idea of assertive? A second ago you demanded I let you be bold, so don’t back down now.”
That fire flooded her features again, and God help me, it turned me on, taking me from hard to rock hard. Her body was soft and warm and pliant underneath me, too, and the word “mine” flashed through my head like a neon sign. But I needed her to cross some of the lines. Needed to be sure it was what she wanted, too, not just me being selfish and pulling her into my messy life in a way I knew I shouldn’t.
Her hand fisted the front of my shirt, and with surprising force for such a little thing, she jerked me to her and planted her lips on mine.
Like a match to a fuse, the kiss burned through me fast and then blew everything inside me apart. I pressed her harder against the wall. “Don’t stop there. I’d hate for your lesson to be incomplete. Right now you’re looking at a C, maybe a B minus.”
“Are you purposely pissing me off?”
“Maybe.” I brushed my lips across hers, using up every last ounce of my self-control not indulging in the urge to take another taste quite yet. “After all, that’s what your stunt earlier tonight was about, right? Pissing me off?” I ground against her, reveling in the moan it ripped from her throat. “Or maybe I’m just finding out which button to push to help you reach your goals.”
“How about this button?” She grabbed my hands and planted them on her breasts.
Finally my hands were where I’d wanted them for weeks. I couldn’t help myself. I squeezed, basking in the way her eyelashes fluttered, and then forced words past my sandpaper throat. “Now we’re in A range.”
Since she’d had her turn being assertive, I decided it was time for me to take the controls. I ran my tongue along the seam of her lips, and when she parted them, I swept it inside.
In that moment, I knew one taste would never be enough. I wanted to slow down and savor her, and yet I couldn’t wait for more.
I groaned and ran my hands down her sides, then I reached around, got my hands on her ass, and boosted her in my arms. It lined her up perfectly with my erection, and spots of black danced across my vision as she wrapped her legs around my waist, bringing us tighter together. I buried my nose in her neck, inhaling her scent before planting an open-mouth kiss on her soft skin.
“Don’t stop, okay?” she said through labored breaths.
“I can’t take you right here in the locker room.” Even if I really want to.
“Yeah, probably not the ideal place for my first time. Then again, it’d be a great story.”
That newsflash statement nearly made me drop her. I pulled back until my eyes met hers. “What did you just say?”
She sank her teeth into her lower lip, and I groaned again, my cock pulsing against her, as if it knew I was about to fuck things up for him. “It’ll be a great story.”
“You know that’s not the part I mean.”
“Me and my big mouth.” She placed her hands on the side of my face and peered into my eyes. “It’s not a big deal. I want it to be you.”
“You’re a virgin?” I asked, and she slowly nodded. “Then it is a big deal.”
She dropped her head on my shoulder with a sigh. “Liam, if I have to go home and take care of myself again, I’m going to scream.”
My fingers dug into her ass cheeks as I thought about listening to her cries through our shared bedroom wall, and holy fucking shit. “Are you trying to kill me, woman?”
“It’s not the end goal, but as long as we have sex first…” She gave me a teasing smile and skimmed her fingers over my jaw, soothing and riling at the same time. “Don’t freak out. I’ve been wanting to kiss you for a really long time.” She lowered her lips to mine and made an mmm noise. “And now that I know it’s even better than I imagined…”
“You’re right, and I imagined it plenty.”
“You did?”
She poked my cheek, and I grunted, which only made her grin grow.
“I don’t want to screw things up,” I said, and the center of my chest went achy and raw. “You’re one of the few people in my life… Chels, you’re the only person I ever fully feel like myself around.”
Her eyes went shiny. “I feel the same. And I tried really hard to convince myself I didn’t want more, but remember what I said about your face and how it looks?”
“You said it affects you. I remember.” It’d haunted me. I shouldn’t ask, but we were shoulder deep in it now. “Affects you how?”
“In all the ways it shouldn’t. For instance…” She pressed a kiss underneath my ear and whispered, “You should feel how wet I am right now.”
Fuck me. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, and my heart thundered against my chest. Clearly she was embarrassed she’d said it, unused to being so bold. I walked us backward and sat on the bench in the locker room, leaving her straddling my lap. “I’m guessing it’s close to how hard I am right now.”
She rolled her hips, dragging herself over my raging erection. “Feels like maybe. I might need a closer examination.”
“Me too.” I skirted my thumbs over the insides of her thighs, and she arched against me again.
“And your face isn’t all that affects me, by the way. Your arms. Your legs. Your chest.” She pushed against it. “And yeah, your…” Her gaze dropped to my crotch, and I arched against her, my head going as hazy as her eyes.
“I think about your face. Your hair. Your legs.” I smoothed my hands up her thighs and reached around to cop another feel. “Your ass.”
“You do?”
“It’s all I can think about lately. And when I saw you walk across that cage, it took every ounce of my self-control to not go grab you, throw you over my shoulder, and carry you away so I could have my wicked way with you.”
“Then we’re on the same page.” She grinned. “Get it. Same page. Same book.”
Now all I could think about was being inside her. Making sure that her first time was as satisfying as possible. First times came with so many complications, though, and we already had plenty of those.
But damn did I want to be her first. My inner caveman thumped his chest at the idea. And at least I could make it a good experience, better than any other guy could, and if I thought about her having sex with other dudes, jealousy would get the best of me, and I’d opt for swinging a club toward anyone who so much as glanced her way.
I ran my thumb along her full lower lip, and even more desire pumped through me, hotter and faster this time. “Well, if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right.”
“If?” She wrapped her arms around my neck, her breasts brushing against my chest. “I’ve had assertive training, so words like if don’t really work for me.”
I wound a strand of her hair around my finger. Then I gave it a light tug, tilting her head back so I’d have better access to her mouth. I thrust my tongue inside, kissing her the way I’d imagined doing countless times over the past few weeks, not satisfied until she was as breathless as I was. “I’m taking you home, Chelsea Jessop. And you’re about to get a whole new lesson in being assertive.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chelsea
A big part of me thought I had to be dreaming as we made our way to the parking lot, while the remainder hoped I didn’t wake up before the rest could play out.
Liam opened the passenger door of his truck and helped me inside. He rounded the hood and climbed behind the wheel. He looked across the bench seat at me, the storm of sexual tension brewing stronger and choking the air, and then he tugged me over until I was right next to him. His large hand circled my thigh, and he gripped on to me like he was afraid I might go somewhere otherwise.
The only place I was going was with him.
For all my talk of being bold and assertive, nervous butterflies mixed in with the excited ones as he pulled up to his apartment complex. We walked upstairs in total silence, as if we were both afraid talking might pop the enchanted bubble that’d encased us in the locker room.
If I didn’t take a breath soon, I’d pass out before we got to the rest, and that was motivation enough to force some oxygen into my lungs.
As soon as we stepped inside, I turned to him. “Can I have a minute or two?”
“You can have as long as you want.” As if I wasn’t swooning hard enough already, Liam brushed a section of hair off my face and gently tucked it behind my ear, his callused fingertips giving my body all sorts of delicious ideas. “We don’t have to do this right now, Chels. How far we go is completely up to you.”
I pressed a finger to his lips. “I still want this. I just want to be wearing something sexy.”
“Then you’re already there,” he said, and I smiled. But I’d seen the girls he normally dated, and I only got one chance to have sex for the first time, and as much as I’d enjoyed the boost of my temporary ring girl gig, I wasn’t sure I wanted to lose my virginity in the signature outfit.
“Make that something sexy that no one else has seen yet, then.” I tipped onto my toes and kissed him, sighing at the way his arm automatically came around and drew me tighter to him as he worked his magic with his lips and tongue. Much more of that, and I’d jump him right here in the kitchen.
George meowed, crying like I’d left him starving for hours, in spite of the fact that I’d fed him before I left.
“I’ll take care of him,” Liam said, and my heart swelled even more. Pretty soon it wouldn’t fit inside my chest.
I rushed into my room, opened my suitcase, and riffled through the contents. Man, why hadn’t I thought past walking around that cage and formulated a better game plan for afterward? Honestly, I’d worried Liam might simply congratulate me on being bold before going about his business as usual, and then I would’ve had to come back, pull the emergency ice cream out of the fridge, and eat my feelings.
He’s attracted to me.
We’re about to have sex.
I’m about to have sex for the first time. With Liam. Another knot of nerves formed in my gut, but I was ready. Beyond ready, and a big part of that had to do with how much I already cared about Liam. And it was okay if it hurt a little because I knew he’d take care of me.
Finally, I found the Victoria’s Secret bag with the black mesh baby-doll and matching thong. Might as well go all out for my first time, right? I slipped into it, fluffed my hair, then smoothed it back down. Then I popped a mint and slicked on lip gloss.
A quick spritz of perfume and I walked to the door, sucked in a deep breath, and poked my head out of the room. “I’m, uh, ready.”
Liam glanced in my direction, and his throat worked a swallow. He strode down the hall and stepped into the open doorway of the bedroom.
His eyes heated as he took in my sheer outfit, and my heart beat out a rapid rhythm. “Before I come any closer, I just need to ask one more time. Are you sure? We can take it slower if you want. Work up to sex.”
“I don’t want slow. I’ve waited a long time for this. For you.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, doing my best to smother the impulse to fidget under his steady stare. “No pressure.”
“Oh, I’m not worried about me. This night is already high on my list of favorite nights, and I promise I’ll take care of you in every possible way.”
The ache between my thighs flared to life again. “Then I’m ready. I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy”—I fiddled with the edge of my frilly skirt and flashed him my best flirty grin—“asking him to screw me.”
Liam’s mouth fell open. Then he stalked forward, and even though I’d basically asked him to, it still sent my pulse skittering, my instincts shouting for me to flee from the predator while my body shouted, Yes please.
He yanked me to him, crushed his lips to mine, and kissed me until the room spun and my only choice was to cling to his giant biceps or melt.
His hands slid down to cup my
butt, and then he boosted me into his arms like he had in the locker room. He squeezed and massaged and I panted and arched against him.
Suddenly I realized we were leaving my room. “Wait. Where are we going?”
“To my room,” he said in a deep, gravelly voice I’d never heard before. He moved his lips to my neck and lightly sucked on the skin there. “The bed’s bigger, and while I can make do with tight quarters, I’d prefer to have more room to work with.”
He kicked the door to his bedroom closed behind us and carried me to the bed. He lowered me onto it, then stood and raked his gaze over me. The hungry gleam sent my heart rate skyrocketing even higher, and wetness pooled between my thighs. He tugged off his shirt, and then I was the one staring. He crawled over me, the sublime weight of him pinning my body to the bed as his hands went to exploring. My thighs, my collarbone, my breasts.
He pinched one nipple between his fingers and rolled it, and I moaned and writhed against him. “Do you remember the night you tried to make me dinner?”
Finding my tongue incapable of words, I simply nodded.
“You had on that thin tank top, and I could see your hard nipples through the fabric, and that night I knew I was going to have a hard time keeping my hands off you.” He tugged one strap off my shoulder, dipped his head, and circled the nipple he’d just worked into a frenzy with his tongue.
“Guess I should go braless more often,” I said as I tunneled my fingers into his hair, basking in the extraordinary sensations traveling across my skin and settling deep in my core. “With how small my boobs are, it’s not like I need to wear one anyway.” I cringed. Ugh, why did I say that? Obviously I could still say the wrong thing and ruin the mood in two seconds flat.
“Yes to going braless, but these breasts…?” He tugged the other strap of the baby-doll dress down, exposing me fully to him. “They’re perfect. You’re perfect.”
Before I could brush off the compliment that warmed me from the inside out, he moved his mouth to the other nipple and a different, needy, encompassing heat took over my body. One of his hands slid up my thigh, and his fingers brushed over me through the fabric, causing an involuntary whimper, along with a hundred zips of electricity.
