Page 24 of Liv Parrish

“Cool, she seems nice. She tutors kids for work.” He seems genuinely impressed by this, rather than just making an offhand remark.

“That's right, she does.”

“I'm failing math. Dad said he would find someone to help me, but he hasn't yet.”

“He's been extremely busy lately, but he'll get to it.” Jacob sighs, like he’s heard this before.

“Yeah, I know.”

“Well, if your dad says it's okay and Liv's available maybe we can hook you up, see how it goes.” This seems to perk him up a bit, or maybe I’ve just been played.

“Cool.”

It’s close to midnight by the time we get back to Liv’s apartment. The drive, for the most part, was quiet, but not uncomfortable even though I couldn’t get my mind to stop racing with everything Wyatt told me. How do you even start a conversation with the woman you’re sure you’ve fallen in love with, in order to get the words from her mouth, the reassurance that she really is okay? I have no idea, but the uncertainty is eating me up inside.

“I had a good time tonight,” she murmurs before she steps up on her toes to wrap her arms around my neck and plant a soft kiss on my cheek. “Everything okay? You’ve been quiet since we left Mike’s.” Another kiss, this time on the other cheek. Fuck, she’s killing me with her tenderness and concern, everything I should be showing her, but I also feel dangerously close to losing my shit with all the things I need to ask her. I need to get myself under control, for both our sakes.

“Yeah, all good. I was just itching to get you alone so I can have my wicked way with you.” I bounce my brows a few times and she gives me one of her gorgeous smiles that soothes the rage in my chest.

“Well now, I think I could be accommodating.” This time I kiss her, but it’s no chaste kiss on the cheek. I take her mouth with all the hunger and emotion that’s been building throughout the evening. I lift her in my arms and her legs automatically wrap around my hips. Then we’re next to her bed, stripping off our clothes before I pull her down on top of me on the covers. She looks down at me, her eyes soft and her smile like a secret she’s been dying to share. It settles in my chest, expanding until there is nothing else but her and me on this bed, in this apartment. Nothing else but us.

She starts to move then, rocking her hips slowly, rubbing her pussy over my shaft, teasing me with her soft, wet heat and tantalizing moans, never breaking eye contact, until my restraint is obliterated, and I grab onto her hips while I drive myself up into her beautiful body with all the ferocity of a thunderstorm. She cries out while simultaneously gripping me tighter, the stranglehold on my cock pushing me closer to that place where nothing else matters. But it’s too soon. I can feel Liv is just as close to that edge and while I would happily fling her over, I’m not ready to follow her yet. I slide my hands to her back and pull her to me so that her breasts are right in front of my mouth. So pretty, the alabaster soft skin stretched over firm flesh that bounces as I move inside her, dusky nipples peaked hard and ready for my mouth. I lock my lips around one, suck hard and then nip with my teeth causing her pussy to drench me in her lube while gripping me even tighter. The sounds of our bodies moving together and my mauling her breast seems to spur her on and soon I can feel her body quaking with the impending orgasm about to tear through her. I flip us over so that I’m on top of her, our eyes still locked, and breaths rushed and ragged.

“Fuck baby, I'll never grow tired of having you like this, under me and helpless with desire, staring up at me like I hung the fucking moon. Like I’m your god and all you can do is devote your body and soul to me. Worship me, baby. Give me everything.” And with that, she comes, in shuddering waves that pass from her body into mine in the most primal of exchanges. And this time I do follow her over that edge, jerking my hips and pumping wildly into her until all I can see is stars and all I can feel is my own soul melding with hers, giving to her as she gave to me.

It takes us a few minutes to come back to ourselves. We don’t speak, I’m not sure I’m capable of stringing any useful words together and Liv only holds onto me tightly, stroking one hand through my hair and the other down my back as if she’s worried this was all a dream and I might disappear if she takes her hands off me. We stay like that until biology demands that I untangle myself from her to go to the bathroom and fetch a warm damp cloth to clean her up with, but once that’s done, I lie down next to her again, pulling her close to me and inhaling our combined scent into my lungs. She still smells as delicious as ever but combined with our sex she’s as intoxicating as any drug, and I know I’ll never get enough.

The apartment is dark, dawn still a few hours away, but something has woken me from a dead sleep. I consider getting up to investigate, but before I can make up my mind, Liv stirs next to me. She’s mumbling in her sleep, and it doesn’t take me long to figure out that these are not sighs of contentment but sounds of distress. I reach over and gently touch her shoulder, making sure not to get too close and scare her, but whatever torment has her in its grasp is not letting go and soon she’s crying out while tears creep down her face.

“Liv, baby, you have to wake up. Come on, sweetheart, open those pretty eyes of yours. Let me see you.” I croon softly into her ear, no longer worried about the space between us, only wanting to wake her from this nightmare, and eventually it works. Her body jack-knifes off the bed, her hands up in a defensive gesture, until her eyes lock with mine and she throws herself into my arms. Her body shudders and shakes while tears collect on the skin of my neck and shoulder, and it’s tearing me apart that I can’t do anything other than to hold her like this. So, I hold on tighter, offering my strength and comfort while accepting her trust in return. I lay us down again with her curled up tightly against me, while I run the fingers of one hand through her hair and my other hand strokes up and down her back. I don’t sleep for the rest of the night.

Dawn finally breaks, cold and overcast, so I decide to make us breakfast rather than going out to buy something. Liv is still sleeping, and while I suspect she’s going to need some space today, I’m not ready to leave her yet. So, I move around her kitchen as quietly as possible while trying to keep a handle on my thoughts that keep straying to the conversation with Wyatt last night. First, I need to apologize to him. I know he would never willingly put anyone in danger, least of all someone he cares about. And I get the impression he cares more for Liv than he’s willing to admit, even to himself. Not in a way that worries me but makes me relieved to have him on our side. He’s a good man, as well trained as my brothers and I, and, despite the people he associates with, he has a moral compass that doesn’t waiver, which makes him an invaluable undercover agent. So yeah, I need to apologize. I also need to hear the full story of what happened that day in the warehouse, because I can’t shake the feeling that there is pertinent information we are not looking at, that could end up costing us.

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Liv’s phone beeping from an incoming text on the coffee table where she left it last night. I consider for a moment leaving it, letting her sleep, but I still don’t know enough about her to know what she would do, what she would think is important enough to respond to right away. In the short time that we’ve been together I’ve explored every inch of her gorgeous body, but the rest of her, the truly important parts require me to be just as thorough. So, I collect the phone, noting the message prompt says it’s a text from Luke. Her brother. I let my breath out in a long exhale and make my way to the bed, because it doesn’t matter what kind of relationship she has with him, family comes first.

Liv glares at her phone once she’s read the text, which shouldn’t look so damn cute, because if I had to guess she’s pretty pissed right now. Her eyes go a little squinty, her nose wrinkles, and her lips are moving as if she’s swearing under her breath. I almost feel sorry for the guy, but then I remember Riley’s warning and decide to hold back on the sympathies.

“Everything okay over there?” I call out from the kitchen, wanting to give her a little privacy to deal with the text, but not be too far away in case she needs me. She doesn’t look up at me right away, but when she does, it’s as if she forgot I was here and she’s surprised to find me in her home.

“He’s spying on me! I can’t believe he’s still pulling this crap.” What the hell? She starts jabbing at her phone as if trying to inflict pain and then puts it to her ear. “Seriously? You bugged my place? What else? My phone? My car? You promised you’d stop after the last time, Luke.” The last time? She’s pacing now, running her free hand through her hair while her brother responds to her accusations. “I don’t care. If you had asked, I would have told you everything, but this is too far. And I told you I wasn’t going anywhere.” The pacing stops and an expression I can’t place crosses over her face. “Wyatt knows?” Huh, what the hell does he have to do with this? And how do they even know each other? “Of course, you would, but you still had no right! There’s no need for you to come here. I’ve told you I’m fine, but I have to go now. I’ll talk to you later.” And with that, she ends the call and sinks down on her sofa. I give her moment before joining her.

“That sounded … interesting. Are you okay?” She doesn’t look at me, just continues to stare at the phone still in her hands.

“That was Luke, my brother, but I guess you already knew that.” Something about her tone puts me on edge and I can see where this is going, but there’s no way I’m allowing her to compare what I did to what her brother has done.

“Yes, I knew, and I’ve explained to you why I had to do it. I can see you’re upset about all this, but I’m also willing to bet Luke did what he did because he’s worried about you.”

“Please don’t defend him! Do you know why he sent me that text? Because of you. Because you’ve been spending nights here and he wanted to know what’s going on. Like he has the right to question me. Oh, by the way, he’s looked into you, and Fortress. He even approves, like I needed to know that.” I bite into my cheek to keep from smiling, because that’s cool, but I doubt Liv’s going to agree.

“How does he know Wyatt?” I try to hide the depth of my curiosity by keeping my tone light, but Liv still looks like a volcano about to erupt.

“Who knows. I thought it might be shared military connections or something, but I have no idea.” She pauses for a moment, before blurting out, “I want to hire Fortress.”

“Excuse me?”

“To debug my apartment. You guys do that, right? Knowing my brother, the bugs he used will be pretty techie, so I need professionals to remove them.”

“Techie?” There’s no hiding the amusement in my voice, even though I should probably try, but she’s so damn cute all fired up like this and for once her anger isn’t aimed at me.

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