La Cosa Nostra, This Thing of Ours (11 page)

"Jesus, Petal." Liam is next to me holding me up.  "You are white as a ghost." 

"I'm fine, just give me a second," I tell him, willing myself to stop the spinning of the room.

"Have you eaten
today?" he asks holding on to my waist for dear life.

"
Ummm ... no." Come to think about it, I don't remember the last time I ate.
Oh I had a muffin yesterday morning
. 

"Come on, I'm taking
you to get you something to eat," he orders, and I'm about to object when he sighs heavily. "Please, can I take you to get something to eat?" he asks this time, glaring at me with aggravation. What can I say, he is being really sweet right now.

"Yes,
" I answer, still using him to lean on. 

I have to lean on
him all the way to his car. Once I get seated in his Viper I start to feel better. Liam gets in the driver's side and leans over me to grab my seatbelt. I think I should swat him away, I can do this, but don't. The side of his face right in front of me drives my senses wild.
God how does he smell so good all the time?

"Where are we going?" I ask as he starts the engine and we start speeding around the corners of the parking garage. I hang on to the door handle for dear life because I feel like we are going
to go careening over the edge. He looks over at me lifting one eyebrow in amusement at my fear.

"For the love of
God, keep your eyes on the road!" I squeal when he has looked at me too long. 

"
Calm down, Petal," he smirks, shifting gears with confidence. He does seem to be doing a very good job as he drives with ease around the sharp corners. 

"So where are you taking me?" I ask again when we are out of the death trap parking garage.  

"My place," he pauses then glances at me. "What, no objection?"

"Are you going to cook me something?" 

"Yes."

"Then no objection
." I give him a weak smile. Truthfully, I don't have it in me to object. I think his chest may have given me a concussion. 

"So basically I just need to knock you out and then you do what I want." He laughs
, but stops abruptly realizing what it sounded like. "I mean, I would never do that on purpose of course," backtracking his words immediately.

"I know, but
don't pretend you're not a caveman. I need to stop at the library. I think I left my phone there yesterday." My head is starting to pound so I lean back resting my head on the back of the seat.

I hear Liam's frantic voice, "Petal
!" That is the last thing I remember.  

Chapter 12

I wake up feeling like I am floating on a cloud. It is so comfortable and relaxing. I open my eyes to see that I am in a very large bed. It is dark with a dim light on in the corner. I sit up on my elbows, searching the room. Over toward the light is Liam sitting in an overstuffed chair in gray sweatpants and no shirt. He has his feet on the ottoman staring contently at a laptop propped on his knees. 

I look down at myself.
I am still wearing my work out clothes. I don't feel panicked, but relaxed and hungry. He was bringing me here to get something to eat. I sit up completely, the movement catching his attention.

"Hey you," h
e whispers, placing the laptop on the ottoman and coming over to the bed. "How you feeling?" He sits on the edge next to me, one leg on one leg off. Damn, does he look good. I want to reach out and just touch that amazing chest, and run my fingers over those chiseled abs, but my mind kicks in.

"I have
to use the restroom." All of a sudden I feel like I haven't peed in forever. It's starting to hurt the more I move around. I'm scrambling to get up, Liam points to the direction of the bathroom. 

"You're not feeling nauseous are you?" His voice is filled with concern as I run to shut the door fast before there is an accident. 

"Harper, I need to know if you vomit. The doctor said that vomiting is bad after a head injury," he says at the door.
Doctor
? I swear it takes me five minutes to empty my bladder, the whole time Liam is at the door asking every couple seconds if I'm all right.

"Yes, I just had to pee
," I finally say after the third time he asks. After washing my hands, I look in the mirror. Oh shit, both corners of my eyes at the bridge of my nose are bruised black and blue.
His fucking chest gave me two black eyes
. My hair looks wild, so I comb it out with my fingers.   I stand back looking at myself in the mirror
. Don't think I have to worry about fighting him off looking like this.

I come out of the bathroom and Liam is sitting on the edge of
the bed with his arms crossed. I come over to sit next to him and he turns looking at me with concern. "When did I see a doctor?"

"
After you passed out in my car I carried you up here and called my cousin."

"Tony?" I screech
, horrified at the thought of him looking at me.

"No
," Liam laughs. "My cousin Selina. She's a family practice M.D." He shakes his head in disbelief. "Do you really think I would let Tony near you?" He is still chuckling.

"I'm really glad to hear you say that." I can't help but laugh with him. 

"Anyway, she examined you. She thinks you may have a concussion, so she said to let you rest, but if you started vomiting I needed to get you to the hospital right away." Explaining his need for knowing exactly what I was doing in the bathroom. 

"Tha
nk you for taking care of me." I give him a half smile, then my stomach makes the loudest feed me rumble I have ever heard. 

"Something tells me we should feed that thing before it
comes out." Liam laughs loudly at the sound. He takes my hand gently in his to help me up. "You are cold, here put this on." He hands me an oversized Chicago Cubs sweatshirt to put on over my sports bra. I know I have clothes in my bag, wherever that is, but I can smell Liam's scent on this. I quickly put it on, feeling warm all over.  Not just from the sweatshirt, but from the absolute look of concern he has in his eyes right now.

He takes my hand again, guiding me down the hallway of his apartment into an open living room.  Off to the side is a galley
-type kitchen, and a room that looks like an office on the other side. One whole wall is windows overlooking the Chicago skyline. That's when I notice it is dark out. 

"Shit
, what time is it?" I look around for a clock. 

"Just a little after 9:00. You've been out for a
while." He walks into the kitchen leaving me to look around the massive living room. I hear him clinking away with pots as I walk to the window.  I've never seen Chicago like this. We are high up, it's gorgeous looking out at it all lit up. 

I walk across the living room that would
fit five of my apartment and sit at the bar that separates the kitchen and the front room. I watch Liam's back as he warms something up on the stove. He has broad shoulders that come down to a thin waist. I feel like I'm about to drool watching him. He hasn't even tried making a move on me, not a kiss or anything. Is it because I look hideous or is it because he has decided I am not worth all this trouble? 

"Crap, I still don't have my phone." I
realize all of a sudden. 

"I called the library. They said no one turned one in,
" Liam says, turning around he leans on the counter across from me. "I'm afraid you may have lost it for good." He slides his hands over the counter taking my hands in his.
Duh, you idiot, he hasn't made a move because you just woke up from a coma
. 

"Thank you
," I tell him looking down at my hands in his. He's rubbing his thumbs along my knuckles softly. I smell whatever he is warming up and it smells like heaven.

"You're welcome." He smiles wh
en I look up at his dark eyes. "I like taking care of you, I mean I don't like that you were... " he stumbles with his words. "I mean, I like you being here with me," he says softly, it's like he is so scared to say the wrong thing.

"Relax, Liam," I tease.
"That smells so good, what is it?" I change the subject. He lets my hands loose and stirs the steaming contents in the pot on the stove. 

"
Pasta e fagioli
," he says in a beautiful Italian accent.
The way he says it, I don't care what it is, all I know is I want to eat it, then eat him
.

He sets a bowl of warm soup in front o
f me. I see white beans and pasta and some kind of meat with lots of vegetables in a broth.

"Did you make this?" I take the spoon
, blowing on the bite before I put it in my mouth. "My God, it is delicious." He puts some bread in front of me next then leans his elbows on the counter watching me. "Are you going to eat?" 

"Yes
, I will in a minute, and yes, I made it. Last weekend, it's been in the freezer. It's my aunt's recipe; she is back in Italy now. It's about the only thing I can make though," he says resting his chin on his hand. At this minute, I don't even care if he is not eating or that he is watching me. I am so hungry that I just keep eating. 

"Ok
ay, now I'm getting self-conscious," I blurt after about five bites of him still staring at me. 

"Y
ou are so beautiful, you know. I watched you sleep for a while in my bed, and I can't believe I am telling you this. It was like a dream, something I've wanted since I've met you."

"Me unconscious in your bed?
" I laugh, taking a piece of bread. 

"No
," he laughs, "just you in my bed. Of course, in my dream I am there with you." He gives me his half grin that makes my insides mush. "Do you want some more?" He points to my bowl, now almost empty. 

"Only if you eat with me."

He takes my bowl and fills it up then gets himself some. He comes around sitting next to me and we are silent while we eat. 

"I w
ant you to spend the night here," he blurts out fast like it has been on the tip of his tongue. "Not because of why you think," he says just as fast when I look up at him. "Selina said you should be watched for twenty-four hours. I won't try anything, and I will sleep in the chair." He continues to make his point, like he wants to get it all out before I have time to object. It's all so sweet, how he is so concerned for my well-being and is tiptoeing around the large elephant in the room, the one that is both of us wanting the other one so bad it hurts. 

Just last night he had his hands on another girl, but right now that is the farthest thing from my mind
. He is being a complete gentleman, so nurturing and caring. 

"Ok
ay," I agree, giving him a smile. 

"Really?"
he sighs, "I thought this was going to be a big argument. I didn't want to have to knock you out again... " he stops mid-sentence which makes me start to laugh hysterically. 

"It's ok
ay, Liam, it's funny shit. Your chest gave me black eyes. It was a complete accident." We both are laughing really hard and I lean over putting my hand on his chest. The contact of his bare skin makes us both stop laughing and he looks down at my hand. I can feel his heartbeat, the pace picking up matching mine. I swallow hard, looking into his eyes. 

Our lips cra
sh frantically as all the pent up lust is let loose like a tidal wave, our tongues searching each other's mouths and teeth clashing. He is off the stool, wrapping his arms around my waist, lifting me. My legs wrap around his waist and my hands are in his hair, fisting his soft locks. No words are said, just very heavy breathing as he carries me to the sofa.  

Sitting
down, he has me straddle his lap, his hands going under my shirt. I feel him hard under me through the thin material of his sweats and my yoga pants. 

"Jesus, Petal, tell me to
stop," he moans into my mouth. I don't, I just kiss him harder, my hips gyrating my center against his cock. He lifts up the sweatshirt over my head, breaking our kiss for just a moment. When it is free I have my hands on his face, kissing him again, my tongue not able to get enough of the taste of him. His hands move under my sports bra pulling it up over my head.