Page 15 of Liam

“Maybe so,” JoJo mutters, stomping towards the bedroom door, “Doesn’t mean I want to see yours.”

“Why not?” Evie demands. “They look just like yours. I mean, we’re twins.”

“Who look nothing alike,” JoJo points out. Then realising Evie’s teasing her, she throws a glare her way and two middle fingers, shouting as she leaves the room, “Gah, you all piss me off. Fuck you all.”

Laughing out loud at the pair of them, I walk to the bathroom to have a quick shower. Switching it on, I shout out, “Can one of you strip the bed?”

Silently laughing when they shout out, “Eww, no,” and “I don’t want your sex juices on my hands,” as they start running for the door.

Fifteen minutes later, I’m showered, dressed, and out the bedroom door with the bedding in my arms. Following the scent of coffee, I walk into the kitchen with a wide smile on my face to find the man who rocked my world last night standing opposite my girls, filling their coffee mugs, dressed only in a pair of jeans, no shirt, tattoos on display, hair down, and looking sexy as fuck. My girls are all looking at him with slightly tilted heads, and Billie’s lips are moving, but she’s not saying anything.

Dumping the bedding on the floor, a possessiveness I didn’t know I’d feel flooded through me. Walking towards them, I slide my body between Liam’s and the girls, ignoring the way Billie scowls at me.

“What are you doing?” I demand, arms folded across my chest as I stare at one of my best friends. Liam’s arms slip around my waist, and his entire body is shaking like he’s laughing. I nearly melt when he presses a kiss just below my ear.

“Morning,mo bhanríon.”

“My queen! Nice,” Billie says randomly before glaring at me. “Well, I WAS counting the knife wounds and bullet holes until you interrupted me,” Billie grumbles. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’d been in a war.”

Liam leans his chin on my shoulder, replying, “I kind of was. As Rhett’s second, I went into every situation first. Sometimes they weren’t great situations,” he shrugs casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“And who looked after you?” Evie demands.

Tilting my head back so I could see his face, all I found was puzzlement when Liam replies, “Nobody. I mean, Rhett always had my back, and Adam was called in if we needed heavy work done, but it was my job to ensure Rhett made it home. He was head of our family.”

“And now? Who has your back now?” Evie asks.

Liam shrugs, “Don’t really need anyone now that we’re no longer dealing in guns. I don’t think anyone is going to come at me with a knife or a gun at the nightclub if they don’t get the drink or music they want.”

My lips are pressed tight, as he didn’t seem to understand what he’d just told us. He’d put himself in danger because he felt his brother had more value than him. Logically, I understood that was no longer the case; it didn’t mean that I liked that he hadn’t valued himself, and I could see my thoughts echoed on the faces of my girls.

“Coffee,mo bhanríon?”

“Please,” I nod, “and can you point me in the direction of the washing machine?”

“Through that door,mo chroí. Your coffee will be ready when you get back.”

Picking up our bedding, I walk through the door and into a laundry room that would make most women happy; in fact, this whole house would. It is massive compared to most houses in the UK, and the added bonus of a laundry room is always a plus. Finding everything I need, I stuff it all in the machine and switch it on. I’m nearly at the door when I hear Billie say something that has me stopping to listen: “You call her your queen and your heart.”

Holding my breath, I wait for Liam’s reply.

“Because she is.”

My heart beats a little faster at his words, and I wonder if you could fall in love in the space of a day because it certainly felt like that was what was happening to me. Everything about him called to me; I’ve never felt so comfortable with someone from the start. It’s like we’d known each other in a different time.

And what he called me—well, be still my heart. I didn’t know if I should girlishly squeal or not. I wasn’t a girlish squeal type of woman, but it seems he had me doing and feeling all sorts of things I’d ordinarily not be.

Deciding to just be me, I sauntered into the kitchen, right up to him, and laid a kiss on his lips. “Well, if I’m your queen and you’re my king, then I guess the peanut gallery are our subjects,” I wave a hand over his shoulder as I grin at him, kissing him quickly one more time, then push him towards the bedroom. “Go put a shirt on; I’m not sure if I like the subjects looking at all that sexiness,” I sass him, giving his arse a little slap for good measure as he walks away laughing and shaking his head. Picking up my coffee, I take a big sip and sigh happily.

“Somebody slap her. I can’t take all the happiness oozing out of her,” JoJo laughs. “It’s just not normal for our Sera to be quite so perky.”

“Bitches,” I gripe happily and take a bite out of the piece of buttered toast with marmalade that Ange hands me. Their easy laughter and teasing ground me; my cheeks are hurting from all the smiling I’ve been doing since yesterday. The girls weren’t wrong; it wasn’t like me at all, but I found I didn’t really care what anyone thought. I was happy, and Liam was happy; that was enough for me.

CHAPTER 8

LIAM

Not wanting to keep them waiting, I hurried through my shower and got dressed, thinking of Sera and her girls squad and the interesting dynamic they had going on.

---