Page 75 of Lost in You (The Monroes 3)

“I want to feel you, Liam. I’m okay.”

Resting his weight on his forearms on either side of her head, Liam nipped at her lips as he quickened the pace. Macy opened her mouth, claiming his as her entire body took over. No longer was she in control, but the most glorious feeling of euphoria overcame her. Liam’s delicate touch, yet passionate lovemaking was everything she’d ever needed, and everything she didn’t know she needed.

When her body climbed, when she trembled with release, Liam tore his mouth from hers and whispered something in her ear. She couldn’t make out what he said, all she knew was she’d never felt this way before.

Liam tensed, his jaw clenched as he arched back when his own release hit. Macy had never seen such a beautiful sight as Liam above her, his muscles tight, the way he opened those gorgeous, expressive eyes and held her in place. Something passed between them, something Macy couldn’t identify. She knew exactly, without a doubt, how she felt. But if she wasn’t mistaken, love stared right back at her.

Did she dare hope that he was falling for her? Did she even want to place her heart fully on the line?

As Liam relaxed, he rolled to the side and pulled her into the crook of his arm. Macy eased her leg over his, wanting to keep the contact, needing to keep the contact.

Words were useless at this point. Liam had done what she’d always thought impossible. Not only had she fallen in love, she’d overcome her greatest fear.

* * *

Liam held on to Macy. Too much flooded his mind right now. The damn nerves he’d had moments ago had now exacerbated. He’d wanted everything to be perfect for her, every touch, every moment to be exactly what she needed. But he’d quickly discovered this wasn’t all about her, like he’d promised.

The phone call from Sophie had him a jumbled mess. When he’d already been confused over his move back to Savannah, now he had another wrench in the plans he’d so carefully made. Those plans had started crumbling the moment he’d taken the chef position at Bella Vous. They’d been obliterated this evening.

Macy may not have expected this, but he sure as hell hadn’t known what he was getting into, either. He wouldn’t change a thing . . . except maybe to acquire some insight to tell him what the hell to do next.

“I was asleep in my dorm when they came in.”

Macy’s soft tone broke the silence. Her fingertips drew a lazy pattern over his chest as she lay tucked against him. She was about to reveal what he’d both wondered and feared.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he replied, curling his arm around her a bit tighter.

“My roommate had gone home for the weekend.”

She went on as if he hadn’t given her the out. Liam prepared himself for the worst, but reminded himself not to get angry. She didn’t need that right now.

“My team had just won a huge game against our biggest rival. We went out after for pizza with our friends. A group of guys I’d seen with my other friends were there. I’d never had a problem with any of them before. I mean, they flirted and joked, but they were eighteen years old, so it was just part of college life.”

Her lashes tickled his side each time she blinked. She continued that random pattern on his skin and Liam waited for he

r to go on. Whatever she had to do to push forward, he’d support. And if that meant saying nothing, then that’s what he’d do—though he wanted to find the bastards and show them what fear was. Liam figured if they did this to Macy, then they’d gone after other women.

“I jerked awake when one of them fell on top of me,” she went on. “Or maybe he meant to land across my bed. I instantly smelled beer. It was so overpowering it was almost sickening, so I knew they were drunk. I pushed the one off my bed and he fell onto the floor. I still thought they were just being stupid, but I didn’t know why they’d broken in to my room, or how they ever got beyond the dorm mom in the lobby.”

None of this should’ve ever happened. Ever. And she’d carried this night around with her for years, not telling a soul. How did she intend to recover if she never leaned on anyone?

Not that he was one to judge, but damn it, he wanted better for her. He wasn’t about to get into all the hell in his own life, or the reasons he kept everything to himself. This was all about Macy, about making her realize she’d overcome that night and there was no reason to ever be afraid again.

“Before I could even get up, another guy ripped off my covers and started jerking on my pajama bottoms. That’s when I knew if I didn’t make some commotion and fight back, that I’d be their victim.”

Macy pulled in a shaking breath and kept going like the fierce woman he knew her to be. “I screamed, banged on the wall next to my bed. With it being the weekend, I knew several of the girls had gone home, but I was hoping I’d wake someone. One guy put his hand over my mouth, but I managed to bite him. Then he just held me down while another taunted me about how they’d been deciding who was going to bang the star athlete. When they couldn’t decide, they thought I’d want to do them all.”

Moisture gathered on his side. The tears she shed pissed him off. Shifting, Liam rolled her onto her back as he lay beside her, his elbow propped by her head as he looked into her misty eyes.

“I’ve heard enough.”

“Actually, that’s almost the end,” she informed him with a tight smile. “They didn’t follow through. After I bit the one guy, he fell backward into the other two. I managed to get out the door. I ran down the hall in my panties and T-shirt. I hid in the basement of the building until morning. I was so afraid to come back out for fear they’d be there waiting for me.”

Liam stroked her hair from her face. He wasn’t sure if he was consoling her or himself by the constant touching, but he couldn’t stop.

“I was a virgin then,” she admitted. “I was shaking so hard while I was hiding. All I could think was that I would not let any man take away my rights, let alone my innocence.”

Liam’s heart clenched. The image of a young Macy terrified gripped at him.

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