by Kaylee Ryan
“I suggest you leave my girl and my sister alone, unless you’re yearning to get your ass handed to you again,” I snarl at him.
“Fuck you! You’re all talk. Hit me and see where you land with the NFL,” he spits back.
I grip his arm tighter in my hand. I can see the tension in his jaw; I’m hurting him. Good, after what he did to Allie, he’s damn lucky I haven’t unleashed my wrath on him. “You listen to me, and listen good, mother fucker. Those girls are my life, so don’t you think for a second the NFL, or anything else, is going to keep me from protecting them.”
I look over and see Hales and Allie are both tucked in close on either side of Aiden, he has his arm around each of their shoulders. Todd has his hand on Jason’s shoulder, trying to pull him away from me. I stretch my arm that isn’t touching him out toward Allie. I immediately feel her small hand grip mine, only then do I release my hold on Jason. I pull Allie as close as I can get her, Aiden does the same with Hales. “The next time I see you anywhere near either one of them, I’ll beat you within an inch of your life,” I seethe.
Jason stares at me, not moving and not saying a word. Todd’s still trying to pull him away silently. A campus police officer walks up. “Hey, MacCoy, Emerson, everything all right here?” he asks in an authoritative voice.
“We’re all good, these guys were just leaving,” I say back to him, never breaking eye contact with Jason. They both nod at the security guard, turn, and walk away.
I draw Allie close and hug her, like my life depends on it. I pull away and tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You okay, baby?”
She nods yes as she turns to look at Hales. I refuse to let go of her, so I move closer to where Hailey and Aiden are standing. I keep one arm around Allie and the other reaches for Hailey; she doesn’t make any attempt to come to me. Aiden has her clutched tight to his side. I rest my hand on her shoulder “You alright?” She simply nods.
I nod at Aiden, a silent communication of me letting him know I appreciate that he has my back protecting Hales. I hug Allie again and kiss her on top of the head. “Let’s stay in tonight, instead of going out, we can order pizza.” She looks to Hailey for her approval, who nods in agreement, and with that we are headed home. I call and order delivery on the way there, so the pizza will arrive about the same time we do.
Back at the apartment, Aiden and I grab quick showers. I walk out of my room the same time Aiden walks out of his, and I follow him down the hall toward the living room. I suddenly bump into him, and when I look up he has his finger to his lips to tell me to be quiet. I raise my eyebrow in question as he mouths ‘listen’ to me.
We stand still in the hallway and listen to the girls. I feel bad for eavesdropping, but I know this might be my chance to find out what really happened with those two fuckwads. Don’t get me wrong, Allie would tell me if I asked her, but I know she’ll play it off as no big deal, trying to diffuse my anger.
“Allison, I’m so sorry for all of this. If I never would’ve dated Todd and talked you into doubling with us and Jason, none of this would have ever happened,” Hailey tells her.
“Hales, this isn’t your fault. They’re pompous assholes, who like to hear themselves talk. Jason can tell me all day long that he’s a better man than Liam, he’s just spouting hot air because I know better,” Allison replies.
“No, really. I knew Liam didn’t like them, and I also knew he was into you. I should have seen this coming,” Hailey argues.
“Regardless, when Liam found out about Todd, he would’ve had the same reaction. You’re his sister, and he loves you,” Allison tries to reason with her.
Hailey sniffs. “I thought Todd was a nice guy, I should have listened to Liam. AGHH! Why can’t I just have the guy I want? I see what you and Liam have, and I want that. I want what you have.”
“What I have is a mess. I’m madly in love with Liam and I’m just waiting for him to realize being in a relationship isn’t what he wants.”
Hailey squeals, “You love him? When did this happen, you’ve so been holding out on me.”
“Shh!” Allison tries to get her to lower her voice. “A while now, I’m so afraid to tell him. I’m afraid it’ll push him away. God, Hales, he has the power to crush me.”
“Allison, you’re so blind. Liam loves you, crazy girl. Trust me, he’s just as scared as you are.”
I hear Allie sniffle, and I can’t take it anymore, I need to wrap her in my arms. I go to move around Aiden and he stops me. Holding up his finger for me to wait.
“So, you still crushing on—” Allison tries to speak, but Hailey interrupts her.
“Stop, don’t say it,” Hailey warns her. “Yes, I want him, but it can never happen, so let’s just leave it at that.”
“But—” Allison is again interrupted.
“Allison, leave it alone,” Hailey warns her.
I’m not waiting any longer. We’ve heard way too much as it is, and I need to hug my girl. How can she possibly not know I’m madly in love with her? I tell her every day how amazing she is. I’m ready to forget about my plans for tomorrow and tell her right now, but I still want it to be special. Allison deserves special, she’s my heart.
I take off down the hall, ahead of Aiden, who’s chuckling behind me. He knows it’s killing me not to be near her. Bastard. I walk into the living room and head straight for Allison. She looks up at me and smiles, and I feel my heart squeeze at the sight of her. She’s sitting on the love seat. I lift her up and pull her into my tight embrace. She wraps her arms around my neck. God, this girl is my life, I’ll never be able to get enough. I bring her lips to mine and kiss her slow and sweet, savoring her.
I hear Aiden behind us. “Take it to the bedroom, Mac. I don’t need to see you sucking face with my sister.” He laughs. The doorbell rings, so he goes to pay for the pizza.
I sit down on the love seat with Allison curled up in my lap. We stay this way the rest of the night, only moving long enough to fill our plates or to grab something else to drink. I need her as close to me as possible.
After a couple of hours of laughing, and talking about the game, I notice Allison keeps yawning. I’m beat, myself, from the game. I’d like to say that is my motivation for calling it a night, but really, I just want to be alone with my girl.
Chapter 25
Allison
When Liam asks me if I’m ready for bed, I’m quick to agree. This has been a long ass day, and I’m ready to curl up with him and kiss it goodbye. He picks me up, we both say goodnight to Hales and Aiden, and then he carries me to his room. I smile at the thought, Liam refers to it as our room and gets offended anytime I call it his.
“What are you smiling at, beautiful girl?” he whispers in my ear.
“Just thinking about how much I love being with you.” Oh, shit. I said love. It’s true I love him, everything about him and our relationship, but I don’t want to scare him off. Maybe he didn’t notice.
Liam gently sets me on his bed and drops to his knees in front of me. He gently holds my face in his hands. “Baby, every single second I spend with you is precious to me.” He pauses, like he wants to say more, but doesn’t, instead he kisses me.
I open my mouth, inviting him in. I’ll take any and every part of him he offers until he no longer gives me the option. Our makeout sessions are becoming hotter and hotter, and I want him. I want to feel him inside me. I’ve told Liam this on several occasions, and he keeps putting me off, telling me he wants me to be sure. I argue it’s my virtue and I can do as I please. Currently, I’m begging Liam to take me, and still he turns me down. “Please, Liam, I want you,” I whisper into his lips.
“Baby, I don’t want you to have regrets. Your virginity isn’t something you can ever take back,” he says as he continues his assault on my body with his lips.
I tug at the hem of his shirt, wanting it off of him. I need to feel his skin against mine. He raises his arms, allowing me to pull off his t-shirt. I lift my arms over my head, lett
ing him know what I want. He slowly pulls my shirt off and rids me of my bra. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him as close as I can. I bury my head in his neck and melt into him. There’s nothing in this world that compares to being skin on skin with Liam, wrapped tight in one of his hugs.
“We really should sleep. I want to get started early tomorrow,” he whispers.
I whine my protest, but move away from him, so we can get ready for bed. I know he’s right, but I want him. Tomorrow night there’s no way in hell I’m letting him turn me down. Hailey went with me the week after we started dating to get on birth control. I haven’t even told Liam yet. He always shuts me down. Well, not tomorrow. I want him to be my first. I finish undressing with the help of Liam, and he slips his t-shirt he had on over my head. We brush our teeth and crawl into bed.
I snuggle into his side as he brings the covers up over us. I feel Liam kiss the top of my head. “Goodnight, beautiful.” I fall asleep in his arms, feeling safe, loved, and happier than I can ever remember.
The next morning, I wake up to Liam kissing my belly. My hands instantly find his hair and I begin to run my fingers through it. Liam lifts his head and smiles at me. “Good morning, beautiful,” he says in his husky not quite awake voice. He kisses his way back up until his lips find mine. He kisses me slow and sweet in the way only Liam can. He moves to my neck and whispers in my ear, “I need to taste you.” I can’t help the moan that escapes me at his words. Liam smirks at me as he finds his way back down my body. Instead of removing my panties, he simply moves them to the side as his tongue touches me in the most intimate of ways. This is not new to us. Liam has performed this, shall we say ‘act’, several times since we became official. I still struggle with the intimacy of his face and his mouth being there. Liam reassured me after the first time I’m the most beautiful girl he has ever seen and he’ll never be able to get his fill of my taste. Yeah, so when those sweet words are whispered intimately, what do I do? I melted, that’s what I did. I caved and haven’t said a word about it since.
I can feel my release building as I lift my hips. Liam knows I’m close and increases his efforts by inserting one finger, then a second. That’s all it takes for me to explode with my passion for him. Liam rides the wave with me, then kisses his way back up to my neck. I push him on his back and start kissing his bare chest. He tries to pull my mouth to his, but I have other plans. I know he won’t make love to me, no matter how much I beg him. Not here anyway, with Aiden and Hales just down the hall. I, however, want to give him release, just as he did for me.
I make my way down his rock-hard abs, kissing and licking until I reach the ‘V’ of his hips. Courtesy of hours in the gym and being on the football field. He’s so damn sexy, and I want him, all of him. I carefully slide his boxes down over his erection, which stands proud. At least I know he wants me too. I’m still a little unsure of my abilities of what I am about to do, I’ve only done it a couple of times. I gently kiss the tip of his erection before licking the full length of him. He moans his appreciation.
“Allie, baby, you don’t have to do this,” he pants. This is what he says to me every single time. Liam’s always more concerned about me.
Of course, I ignore him and take as much of him as I can in my mouth. I start out slow and easy, gradually increasing my speed. Liam places his hand on the back of my head, but he never forces me. He simply rests it there, as if he needs another connection between us. I never imagined I would enjoy this, but with Liam, I not only enjoy it, I ache for it. I love him with everything I am, and to be this intimate with him, to bring him to release with my mouth, is indescribable.
“I’m close, baby,” Liam murmurs.
I moan and take him as deep as I can, knowing the vibrations in my throat will send him over the edge. I feel his release warm and salty in my throat, and I swallow. I don’t release him from my mouth until I feel him relax against the bed. He hauls me up to him and kisses me hard.
“You. Are. The. Most. Amazing. Girlfriend. Ever,” he proclaims between kisses.
I pull away from him and smile. “You’re not so bad yourself, MacCoy,” I say with a wink.
Liam’s in a hurry to get to the beach house, so we shower quickly and are on the road before six a.m. We leave Hales and Aiden a note, explaining we want to get a head start and we will see them late tomorrow night. The drive to Wilmington only takes a little over three hours. We stop along the way to eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We don’t talk a lot during the drive, but the silence is pleasant. I think we’re both just trying to grasp that we’re about to be alone, completely alone, for more than just an hour or two. For me, I’m thinking of how I’m going to seduce him. I want to know what it feels like for him to be a part of me. He owns me heart and soul, and I want to be connected to him physically in every way possible.
We make it to the beach house just after ten in the morning. The house is breathtaking. There’s really nothing outlandish that stands out, except for the view. I stand at the double glass doors and stare out at the ocean. I feel Liam as he drapes his arms around me, his front to my back. He kisses my temple.
“This view is spectacular,” I tell him.
I feel him nod. “It really is. This place belonged to my grandparents. They gave it to my parents for their tenth wedding anniversary. We’ve spent so much time here it really is our second home.”
I lean back against his chest, just enjoying being here with him. He’s all mine for the next twenty-four hours, and I’m ecstatic. “So, the water is too cold to really swim, what did you have planned for us?” I ask him.
Liam turns me, so I’m facing him, still locked tight in his arms. “Honestly, I just want to spend time with you, no interruptions. Anything else you decide you want to do is just a bonus,” he says as he leans in for a kiss.
I smile against his lips. “I don’t want to leave this house until we have to.”
Liam smiles in return. “Well, then, I’m glad we stopped at the store on our way in.” He hugs me tight. I love Liam’s hugs.
We agree to unpack our supplies, and then prepare lunch. We decide on spaghetti and meatballs, that way there’ll be plenty of leftovers for dinner tonight as well. Liam turns on the radio, and we begin cooking together. We don’t talk a lot, we don’t need to. Just being with one another, sharing the simple task of preparing a meal, we’re both smiling from ear to ear. Liam continues to find little ways to touch me. His hand on my back while he reaches above me in the cabinet. A kiss on the temple while offering vegetables from the salad he’s making. He even swats me on the ass when I’m bent over, looking in the refrigerator. I can’t help but think about how it would be if we lived together. Sharing duties, making dinner, beginning and ending our days together indefinitely. In my mind, I can see the life we’d build together, and I want that, I want him. I just wish I had the nerve to tell him, my fears of pushing him away prevent me from pouring my heart out to him.
We eat lunch on the deck, enjoying the view of the ocean. Liam suggests we take a walk on the beach. As soon as we have our mess in the kitchen cleaned up and the leftovers packed away, Liam grabs me by the hand and leads me down to the water’s edge. The sun’s starting to set by the time we start our journey back to the beach house. We walk hand in hand, talking about anything and everything for hours. Liam expresses his fear of the NFL, and I open up to him about my fear of being truly and utterly alone in the world.
Liam stops and pulls me close to him, gently cupping my face in his strong hands. “Allie, you aren’t alone. There are so many people in this world who love you.” He pauses, gauging my reaction. “I love you,” he whispers right before he merges his lips with mine in the most passionate kiss of my life. I can feel his emotions in every touch of his lips, every swipe of his tongue. Holy Shit! He loves me! I throw my arms around his neck and deepen our kiss. I need to taste his lips. This amazing man loves me and has told me for the first time when he knows I need to hear it the most. The moment is perfect,
and I want to embed every single detail to my memory. I never want to forget this feeling.
Liam slowly ends our kiss as he rests his forehead to mine. We’re both breathing heavy. After taking a minute to catch my breath, I place one hand over his heart while the other gently caresses his cheek. “I love you too, Liam. So much.” I’m looking into his beautiful blue eyes and watch as they soften at my words.
A huge smile breaks out on his face as he picks me up and spins me in circles. We’re both smiling and laughing when he finally places me back on my feet. I shiver from the cold night air that’s setting in. Liam rubs his hands up and down my arms. “Let’s get you back to the house, beautiful girl.”
Back at the house, I heat up the leftovers while Liam builds us a fire. We settle on the floor at the coffee table to eat our dinner. I watch Liam eat and, hell, even that’s sexy. I know I want to be with him, and now that I know he loves me, the want has increased tenfold. Liam has one hand on my thigh while he eats with the other, and the sensations of him rubbing circles there is driving me insane. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s only increasing my need to seduce him.
After dinner we sit by the fire. I’m sitting in between Liam’s legs, my back to his front. We’re enjoying a glass of wine and just being in the moment. Liam hugs me tight in his arms. “I meant what I said, Allison.” I turn my head to look at him. He runs his finger down the side of my face. “I love you with everything in me. I never thought I could feel this way. You make life better, you make me better. I can’t imagine my life without you in it now.” He kisses my temple.
Oh, my. I can’t form words. There’s a huge lump in my throat, and I’m fighting back tears, tears of joy. I wish there was a way I could show him how much he means to me. How much happiness he brings to my life. I was lost before Liam, and now I know exactly where I am. Anywhere he is, my heart and soul are there as well. I get up on my knees, still between his legs, and brace my hands on his cheeks. “Liam, you are my heart. I’ve been so afraid to tell you, because I thought it would push you away.” I lean in close to his lips, never breaking eye contact. “I love you.” Then I kiss him. I try to show him how much he means to me through touch, with the caress of our tongues.
