Page 14 of Vicious Vines

"Agreed," she says, extending her hand.

I grasp it, feeling the roughness of her palm against mine, the firm pressure of her grip. It's a handshake that seals more than a deal; it's the beginning of an era, one that promises as much risk as it does reward.

Our hands lock, the contact searing and solid, an unspoken vow passing between us. In this clasp lies the future—a future fraught with danger, but ripe with the promise of power and ascendancy. As our fingers slowly disentangle, I know that together, Maria and I have forged something formidable, something that will reshape the very fabric of Kingsdale's criminal underworld.

And as I watch her stride confidently from the room, her silhouette commanding even in retreat, I feel a thrill of expectation for what is to come—a future painted in shades of darkness and desire, as unpredictable as it is unavoidable.

Chapter 9

The city slumbers in the velvet clutches of night as I slip into Liam's apartment, the lock clicking softly behind me—a whisper of my illicit presence. The air is thick with the scent of musk and something indefinably masculine that always seems to cling to his space. My eyes have barely adjusted to the dimness when muscular arms encircle my waist from behind, and his breath ghosts hot against my neck.

"Missed me, Sloane?" His voice is a low rumble that sends shivers cascading down my spine.

"Always," I confess, turning in his embrace to face him. Our lips crash together with a desperation born of too many days apart. All thoughts, all worries, they evaporate like mist under the blazing sun of our touch. Clothes are shed without ceremony, discarded on the floor in crumpled heaps as we move, guided by the magnetic pull between us.

His hands roam over me, mapping the terrain of my skin with a possessiveness that stokes the fire within. The world narrows to the sensations he evokes—the press of his body against mine, the brush of his lips across my collarbone.

Suddenly I’m airborne, weightless, as Liam lifts me into his arms and purposefully strides to his bedroom. Once there, he sits me on the edge, leaning forward against me so I have no choice but to lie back, and he kisses me deeply. I moan and arch my body against his as he slides his hands down my waist to my hips before pushing my legs wide and holding my thighs in place.

I can’t help but whine and twist as he moves down my body with licks and nips, knowing exactly where this is headed. His fingers grip my legs more firmly just before he drags his tongue over my center, forcing a gasp from between my clenched teeth. I glance down at him to have his dark eyes centered on me, snaring my gaze before he flicks my clit with his tongue.

Liam sucks on my clit, hard, and my legs push against where he is holding them in place as I arch off the bed.

“Liam.” The whispered word sounds like a threat and plea all in one, and Liam dives right back in, sucking on my needy nub while thrusting two thick fingers into my pussy.

My hips are moving of their own accord now, finding a rhythm that Liam has no problem matching as my need surges higher. Desire snakes through my limbs, hot and demanding, and I’m panting as everything in me coils tight, ready to spring.

Liam shifts his head to the side and nips my thigh, the pain weaving with pleasure into a symphony that has my legs clamping down around Liam as the waves of the orgasm take over me.

I’m still riding the waves as Liam leans over my body, pulling my legs towards my chest as he notches himself at my core. Still lost in the haze of afterglow, I catch Liam’s feral gaze as he watches where he guides himself ever so slowly into me. Liam places one hand near my head to keep himself from crushing me as the other snakes between us to stroke my clit. The sensation has me arching against him, my nerves alight from my orgasm. He slowly thrusts in and out, shifting his hips in a way that has me moaning and climbing once again, desperate for the release that only he can give me.

“God, Sloane, you feel so good,” Liam gasps as he moves, caught up in his own pleasure as much as I am in mine.

The weight of Liam’s body holds me in place, pinning me to the bed as he pistons in and out of me. I should feel caught, trapped, but instead, I want more. Liam’s fingers circle my clit as he leans down next to my ear, biting it before whispering against my skin, “Are you ready to come all over my cock?”

I arch into Liam, trying to take him deeper, to feel more. He grabs my legs and lifts my hips higher, giving me what I need and pushing me off the cliff straight into my orgasm, with Liam following right behind.

I rest my forehead against his, struggling to catch my breath, unwilling to sever this connection just yet. But reality is an insidious creature, and it creeps in with the awareness of the dawn, coloring the edges of the room with its early light.

I pull back slightly, breathless from the intensity of our kiss, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum. Liam's gaze holds mine, his eyes a tumultuous sea of questions and desires.

"Wrap things up with the Vipers," he murmurs against my lips, his hands finding their way to my waist, gripping me with an urgency that matches the seriousness of his words. "The feds are sniffing around Kingsdale, Sloane. And they're starting to pay closer attention to the O’Neils.”

My stomach tightens at the mention of the feds, a stark reminder of the dangerous line I'm walking. The memory of explosives lighting up the city streets flashes before my eyes—a chaotic dance of fire and destruction that marked the Vipers' last attack. I had been so close, too close, and the scent of smoke and danger still clings to my skin.

"I'm always clean, Liam," I say, holding his gaze fiercely. "You know that."

"Of course," he says, his voice low and reassuring, yet I detect the faintest hint of doubt. It's enough to make me realize that despite our tangled bodies and shared confidences, there remains a gulf between us—one filled with unspoken truths and hidden agendas.

"Good," I breathe out, leaning in to capture his lips once more, sealing away the night's revelations with a kiss that tastes of promise and peril. "Then let's enjoy the time we have left. Before everything changes."

As I surrender to the moment, my mind races with plans and contingencies. There is no room for error, not with the stakes higher than ever. But for now, I allow myself this brief respite in Liam's arms, where danger and desire intertwine in the most intoxicating of ways.

"Liam," I murmur, my voice laced with a gravity that wasn't there moments ago. "There's something I need to tell you."

He pulls back slightly, studying my face with those piercing gray eyes that seem to see straight through to the marrow of my bones. "What is it?"

"An alliance. I'm making one—through marriage." The words feel foreign on my tongue, but they ring with the weight of necessity.

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