Page 51 of Torched

“I was.”

“No,” he rebukes with more emphasis this time. “Because I told you yesterday to stay away from her.”

“Yeah, she was just telling me how she’s going to get you back when you’re done with me.”

“Did she now?”

“Mmmhmm, she also told me she was in your lap yesterday.” I fake pout, like I didn’t already know what she was up to.

A chuckle falls from his lips, but it’s menacing, bringing me chills and making my pussy clench at the same time. He snatches out his hand, grabbing her throat while the other one stays hooked around my body. Her black hair bobs with the sudden movement of her head as her eyes widen. She tries to keep an indifferent stance, her hands enclasped around his wrists while he slowly seals off her air supply. My hands rest on his chest, feeling his heartbeat bounce against my palm, and I can’t hold back my grin.

“You were a hot body I enjoyed once upon a time. But you see what the problem is with human nature? We set a benchmark for ourselves with every new experience we get. Two years ago, you were my dream, but now, I know that was nothing more than a mirage. A facade. You know how I know that?” His grin is equal parts evil and breathtaking. The heat of his flesh doesn’t leave mine while he ‘deals’ with this inconvenience, not even the slightest lift of a finger. Not waiting for any response coming from Cristina’s restricted throat, he continues. “Because I got myself a real woman now. You’re nothing more than a little girl, desperately seeking for validation. It’s not attractive, babe. It’spathetic. Now, get out of my face, unless you want to watch.”

He pushes her off his hands, dismissing her as he dives into the other side of my neck. I bite my lip when his mouth connects with the sensitive spot below my ear, his small mewls going right to my pussy. I keep my lazy gaze on Cristina’s, eyes shuttering closed with each possessive kiss.

She blinks a few times, trying to collect herself, her hands rubbing the bruising skin on her neck. I can see the confusion in her brown eyes, the shock that Liam laid his hands on her in anger. She probably brushed his aggression off last night away, thinking it was just a small display of frustration, but it finally hit her that she can’t get under Liam’s skin anymore. He will no longer give her that kind of control.

I’m enjoying every time Liam’s open lips land on my neck; the fact that she’s watching only adding to the sensation. She wants him.I got him.

Her shoulders go rigid and her eyes narrow as she swallows her defeat away with a glare that tells me she will kill me if she ever gets the chance. A year ago, it would scare me. Making me believe I was no match for anyone when it comes to self-defense. But now, after all these months with Liam, I welcome it.

And with a flip of my middle finger and a shit-eating grin, I silently tell her just that.

Bring it on, girlfriend. I’m ready for you.

She huffs, her eyebrows shooting to her hairline before she spins on her heel, and I watch her take off with a loud chuckle.

Liam grabs my chin, turning it to face him with a slight scowl. “Don’t focus on her. Focus on me.’ It comes out as a command, but I can see the small smile hidden in the corner of his mouth, and it spurs me on to show him one of mine.

“Yes, sir.”

15

LIAM

TWO YEARS AGO

“Thisissomereallygood shit.” I glance at the tumbler in my hand that holds two fingers of a twenty-six-year-old Scotch, the appreciation settling inside of me as I swipe the residue off my lips. “Where did you get this?”

“Found it in my pop’s liquor cabinet when he died.” Jeremy smirks as we all sit around the top office of one of our investment companies. The big windows show the rest of the city by night, a few lights dimming the room comfortably enough for us to have been sitting here for a few hours.

“You think he saved it for a special occasion?” Kane inspects his glass with the same appreciation, sitting across from me, next to Jeremy, while I am slumped in my desk chair.

“Probably.” Jeremy shrugs. “But he’s been dead for two years now, so I doubt he’ll be missing it.”

“I like the way you think.” I raise my glass to him, taking another sip.

The unnecessary fireplace crackles in the back of the office, filling the silence in the room as we all stay lost in thoughts.

Kane and I haven’t been in a good place. We’ve been avoiding each other unless business needs to be discussed and even then, we only talk about the necessities. It’s annoying the shit out of me, but I’m also refusing to let him dictate my life. I know he thinks I’m a fool for wanting a family and all that shit, but I do. What does sitting on top of the world even matter if you’re all alone? I love my brother, but we’re not close enough for me to cuddle up against him at night.

I want that.

I want to share my life and find a reason to come home.

Cristina can give me that. But more importantly, Cristinawantsthat. We’ve been spending more time together, and I’ve noticed she has been hinting at areas to live in New Jersey. Enough for me to ignore the voices in my head coming from Kane and Jeremy, even though they still try to creep through every now and then. Especially when Cristina is in a mood, which basically means she’s like a storming tornado, snapping at everything around her.

I’m used to it by now, knowing after just a few months when to leave her alone or try to cheer her up by taking her to her favorite places to eat or book her a day at the spa. She can be sweet and caring, but she’s definitely not the easiest person to navigate.

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