Page 73 of Lost in You (The Monroes 3)

And to be honest, she wanted him to.

She’d never wanted to face her fears with another man, never gave it a second thought.

Clenching her fists at her side, she tipped her head to give him better access. “What if I can’t do it?” she asked.

Liam lifted his head, looked her dead in the eye. “Then we’ll stop. I meant it when I said you could trust me.”

Could she do this? Now? With Liam?

“Stop thinking of all the things that could go wrong,” he ordered. “Take what you want. Don’t let those bastards control you another second. They have no place coming between us.”

The way he used the word “us” clicked. Her heart turned over in her chest and Macy knew she’d been on this path for some time. Liam was the man she’d been waiting for to break this hold.

Macy looped her arms around Liam’s neck and held on tight. “Take me to bed.”

Chapter Sixteen

Liam lifted Macy in his arms. She hadn’t expected romance.

Resting her head against his shoulder, she kept her arms around his neck as he toed open her bedroom door and let himself inside. She didn’t have a clue if she had clothes everywhere or if her bed was made. Right now, she didn’t care. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, and her nerves swirled around in her stomach.

The glow from the hall light filtered in through the open door. Liam gently laid her on the bed, which had been made. He eased back, keeping his eyes on her as he yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

“You good??

? he asked.

Macy nodded, trying to stay in this moment and not go backward. When he reached down to take her boots off, Macy cringed.

“It’s me, Macy.” He kept his eyes on hers the entire time. “Just you and me. Nothing else comes in this room.”

She nodded, knowing she came across as weak. She wanted to be strong for Liam, for them. The freedom he was offering by breaking her chains was the greatest gift. She needed to overcome all the doubts and fears in her mind because this man was absolutely everything to her.

Liam came around the side of the bed and grabbed her hands, pulling her to her feet.

“Let’s start here,” he told her. “We’ll work our way down.”

Macy nodded. “I’m s—”

“Don’t even apologize,” he scolded. “Do I look angry?”

No. If anything he looked like a man who was determined to make this moment all about her.

“Tell me what you want me to do or not do.”

Macy stilled. “Honestly, I don’t even know. I’ve never attempted this before. I mean, not in a . . . a bed.”

There was no room for humiliation, only honesty.

“Then you say the word if you feel afraid,” he told her. “I mean it.”

Nodding, Macy offered a smile. “I’m sure you’ll know if I start freaking out.”

“You won’t,” he assured her, sounding so confident in his answer. “I won’t let it get that far.”

Macy didn’t want this to simply be one sided. Drawing on the strength Liam exuded, Macy reached for the hem of her dress and pulled it up over her head. Tossing her hair out of her face, she met his gaze as the dress dropped silently by her bare feet. Standing only in her matching pink bra and panty set, she pulled in a deep breath. She could do this. She wanted to do this. All those years she’d commanded herself to remain in control—this was no different. Liam was giving her all of the power here, he was just guiding her with a dominant yet gentle way.

Macy held her arms out, her eyes never wavering from his. The hint of a smile curved the corners of Liam’s lips as he wrapped his arms around her and unfastened her bra. The warmth from his bare chest comforted her at the same time anticipation and arousal shot through her.

---