Liam: Branded Brothers (14 page)

“Liam,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry…”

“It’s okay,” he said, leaning down so he was looking into
her eyes. “It’s a part of me. I want you to know who I am, just like I want to
know you. I want to know all of you.” He pressed his lips softly against hers.
“This isn’t a one-time shot. I’m not that kind of guy.”

“Well, I’m not that kind of girl,” she said, kissing him
back. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Neither have I,” he said, running a finger along her lips.

“I find that hard to believe with all those women throwing
themselves at you.” She cocked her head.

“It’s true,” he said, holding up his arms. “I’m the guy who
marries his high school sweetheart at eighteen even though everyone told me I
was crazy. I’ve been single for only two years of my adult life and since then,
there have been very few women that have even interested me.”

“So you’re interested?” she asked.

“More than interested,” he replied, putting his hand on her
lower back again. “Call me intrigued.”

“Ah, I’m glad I could be bumped up to intrigue,” she teased.

“I have to warn you though,” he said softly, sticking his
hand into her back pocket. “When I fall for someone, I fall hard and fast.”

“Noted,” she whispered. “Since we’re putting out warnings
already, I should tell you that it might take me awhile.”

“I have nowhere to be but here.” He kissed her lightly. “And
all I have is time to convince you that I’m not like any of the other guys.”

“Oh yeah?” she said. “How are you going to do that?”

“I’ll show you that I’m a gentleman and not take advantage
of you,” he said as he ran his hands along her back again. “I’ll let you have
my bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Really?” She furrowed her eyebrows at him, not convinced.

“Sure, why not. I’m in it for the long game, Ms. Taylor.”
His fingers stopped at the back of her bra as he held the clasp.

“So, you’re not going to unhook my bra?” she breathed,
wanting nothing else than to feel her bra unfasten.

“I’ll do whatever you want me to do. You know, the whole
gentleman thing,” he replied, still holding the clasp in his hands.

“Take it off,” she whispered, planting a kiss on his lips as
she felt the bra release between his fingers. “I want this, Liam. I want you.
There’s no way I’m sleeping in this bed alone tonight.”

“Are you -”

“Shhh.” She held her finger to his lips. “I want this.”

Then she pulled her finger from his lips and sat up, letting
Liam take the bra off her shoulders. He brushed his fingers along her breasts,
cupping them lightly in his hands. He grazed her nipples, rubbing them lightly
as a sound of pleasure escaped her lips. He massaged and caressed her, running
his hands down to her navel. He circled it once before popping the button of
her shorts and pulling the zipper down. Lace peeked through her shorts, teasing
him as she worked on his jeans.

She pulled his jeans down slowly exposing just the top of
his black boxer briefs at first. She tucked her finger inside the waistband,
running her finger along his warm skin. Then she tugged his jeans down and
threw them onto the floor. She wiggled out of her shorts and dropped them on
the floor next to his.

“God, you’re sexy,” he said, admiring her standing next to
the bed. He held out his arms. “Come here. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

She climbed on the bed and crawled on top of him, grinding
her hips lightly as she sat on him. He played with her breasts, making her
nipples harder. Warmth flooded through her body as they rocked against each
other.

“I want to know you, Charla,” he said as he squeezed her ass
lightly. He slipped his hand inside her underwear and pulled her tighter
against him. “I want to know every single inch of this body. I want to know
what’s in your head. I want to know what you’re feeling. I want to know what
you want.”

“I want to feel you inside me,” she whispered as she raised
her hips off him. He slid her underwear to the side and slipped inside with his
fingers. She moaned as she rocked against his hand and slid her hand into his
boxer briefs. They pulsed against each other until she whispered, “I need all
of you.”

He groaned as he slid open a drawer in his nightstand and
pulled out a condom. He ripped it open and slid it on as she pulled down his
underwear. She guided him in, feeling the warmth of his body fill her up. She
rocked her hips against him slowly at first, feeling every inch of his thrust.
He held her hips, pressing her down against him.

“You feel amazing,” he groaned as she moved faster, his body
moving with hers. Waves of ecstasy rolled over her as she felt him stiffen
inside her. He moaned again and thrust one last time, their bodies shuddering
against each other. She collapsed onto his chest and pressed her face against
his slick skin. They panted against each other, Charla feeling the fall and
rise of his chest beneath her cheek. Liam rested his hand against her head and
ran his fingers through her hair.

She bit her lip, her body still reeling. Telling Liam he was
the best she’d ever had seemed cliché and depressing at the same time. How had
she managed to almost get married and never experience
this
?

“Can I tell you something?” he asked, twisting the strands
between his fingers.

“Sure.” She held her breath, wondering what he could
possibly say next.

“That was amazing,” he said, resting his hand on her head.

“Here I thought I was pathetic thinking that.” She let out a
small laugh as she leaned up to look into his eyes. “I guess that means we’re
compatible.”

“I don’t care what it means as long as we get to do it again
sometime.” His lips curled into a smile as he put his hands behind his head.

***

Charla settled into Liam’s pillow,
feeling her body melt into his bed. She hadn’t slept in any other bed than her
own for the last three years. She had never wanted to leave Jack, even in the
early days when he was still relatively coherent. Rex had pleaded with her
several times, but she always ended up back in her own bed with Jack sleeping
soundly in the room next to her. Going back to the cottage every night felt
right. But tonight, things were different. Lying in Liam’s bed felt right. It
was relaxing and freeing, something she hadn’t felt in as long as she could
remember.

“You really thinking about taking up Jerry’s offer?” she
asked, curling her hand beneath her head.

“Does it matter to you?” he responded, trailing his finger
along her hip.

She paused, thinking of the response about to come out of
her mouth. She didn’t want to seem like the overbearing type of woman who would
nag every time he went on a bounty run, but the thought of him getting
entangled with the mafia was terrifying.
Mafia
. The word seemed like it
belonged in a world other than her own. The mafia wasn’t real. The mafia only
existed in movies and television. They were the guys scheming with pencil-thin
mustaches and toting machine guns and cigars. They weren’t in Blackwell,
Illinois. She closed her eyes as she thought of Jack.
A mafia errandboy
.
Maybe it was time to tell Liam. If Jack had told the truth, it was the reason
that tore their family apart. It was the reason Jack lived in seclusion in the
middle of nowhere. It was the reason why he didn’t enter himself into a care
facility and why he paid her in cash. If the mafia destroyed his life, it could
destroy Liam’s, too.

“It does,” she said carefully, biting her lip. “I just don’t
want to see you get hurt, that’s all. It sounds really dangerous. And it’s not
like you’re that hard up for cash. At least, not that I can tell anyway. Your
bar is packed with people downstairs, and you don’t exactly drive a beat-up
Corolla…”

“It’s not about the money.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s about the thrill of it. It’s about this feeling that I
get when I take someone down. I know I’m doing something good to clean up the
city. I’m making it a better place for people like you,” he replied, his hand
grazing up her arm. The soft murmur of his voice was lulling her to sleep. She
felt her eyes get heavy and her body sink deeper into his mattress. “I don’t
want criminals even remotely close to you. If I can do my part and get rid of
them one-by-one, then that’s what I’ll do.”

“Wouldn’t it be safer to be a police officer or something?”
she whispered, her voice trailing off.

He let out a low chuckle. “Probably. But it wouldn’t be half
as fun.”

“So, you’re an adrenaline junkie…” She could barely finish
her last words.

“Maybe,” he whispered and then lightly kissed the back of
her head, “Or maybe I just love feeling alive.”

Chapter8

Charla’s eyes slowly opened, taking
in the unfamiliar sight of a black case with a heavy duty lock on it. It was
tucked against the wall and stood about four feet high. The material was thick
like a safe. Jack didn’t have a safe and neither did she. Her eyebrows furrowed
down as she tried to place herself.

She shifted her legs, feeling her naked skin against the
sheets. She panicked momentarily before she inhaled and smelled the scent of a
man. It wasn’t any man, it was
him.
Liam. The thought of last night
brought a wide smile to her face. His sweet kisses. The soft touch of his
hands. The words he whispered to her. Everything about it was exactly what she
needed. She hadn’t felt that safe in years, maybe ever. She closed her eyes and
realized her step-father hadn’t plagued her nightmares like he had every night
in the past week. Then she inhaled again, this time smelling something sweet
teasing her nostrils. The smell was followed by the sound of a soft clatter in
the kitchen.

She hesitated for a moment, taking in the softness of his
pillow and the blanket covering her. She typically slept with the blanket
tucked around her stomach. He must have covered her when he got out of bed.
Perfect
,
she sighed.
Too perfect.
She knew men like Liam didn’t exist, and she
wondered what was going to break his perfect streak. She wondered when it would
happen and what it would be. There had to be
something
. There always
was. Her eyes drew back to the safe.
His guns.
She finally flipped onto
her back and glanced at the doorway to see Liam standing in it.

“Sleeping beauty is awake,” he said, leaning against the
door frame. He was fully dressed in jeans and a fitted white t-shirt and looked
as though he had already showered. He took a sip from a mug and then smiled.

Now that’s the way to start a day
, Charla thought.
She was used to seeing Jack’s wrinkled ass when he’d forget to put on his
bathrobe some mornings.

“What time is it?” She sat up, holding the blanket over her
chest. She ran her other hand through her hair, suddenly aware of how awful she
must look compared to him. She was unshowered with a mass of snarly bed head
and dragon breath. She wasn’t even remotely close to being a sleeping beauty.

“I thought maybe you’d forget to hold that blanket up.” He
smiled, holding the mug just under his lips. “It’s eight.”

“EIGHT?”

“Yeah,” he laughed. “Is that a problem?”

“No.” She shook her head and smiled, holding the blanket
tighter against her chest. “I just can’t remember that last time I slept past
seven.”

“Well, it’s definitely just past eight. I have coffee, eggs,
and cinnamon rolls ready if you’re interested,” he replied. “I could use some
company.”

“Yeah, sure,” she replied, swinging her legs out of the bed
while still holding the blanket around herself. She scanned the floor, looking
for her clothes. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks as she realized she had no
idea where they were.

Liam let out a small laugh and pointed to the end of the
dresser where her clothes were neatly folded in a stack. Her purse sat on top. “If
you don’t want to put on your clothes from yesterday, t-shirts are in the top
drawer.”

“Thanks,” she muttered, looking down at the blanket tucked
beneath her armpits.

“You sure are shy this morning, Ms. Taylor.” He lightly
tapped the door frame before turning toward the kitchen. He called over his
shoulder. “Something you definitely weren’t last night.”

Charla’s cheeks flushed a brighter red. He was right; she
hadn’t been shy. Coincidentally, it also happened to be the best sex she’d ever
had, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. It’d only be more fodder for his
ego, which didn’t seem to need any more stroking. She peeked out the door to make
sure he was gone and dropped the blanket back on the bed. She slipped on her
clothes from yesterday, trying to smooth out the wrinkles on her tank top. Both
the armpits and front of the tank top sagged to expose her bra, so she pulled
it back over her head and pulled open to the drawer to reveal neatly stacked
black and white t-shirts. She took out a black one and slipped it on. It wasn’t
great, but it was an improvement.

Satisfied, she turned back to the dresser to grab her purse.
Next to it was a card for Marian just as he promised. She slipped it into her
purse, wondering if she was the last shot Dotti needed. If she was as good as
Liam said she was, it was worth a try.

“Do you like creamer in your coffee?” Liam yelled from the
kitchen.

“Sure,” she called, looking down at her purse. “I’ll be out
in a sex. I mean sec.”

Shit.

She cringed when she heard him break out in laughter. She
shook her head and opened her purse, fishing through it for her phone. She
grabbed it and slid through the screens to see several texts from Jill.

WHERE R U?

U SAFE?

ANSWER ME DAMNIT.

TELL ME YOU WORE THE LACE.

Charla smiled and typed back a response.
Wore the lace. Call
u later. Rex who?
Jill was going to love this. There was nothing more her
best friend wanted than to see Charla date again.