Page 31 of Liv Parrish

“Yeah, but that doesn’t answer my question. After high school, he left you on your own to join the military. It was right after your mom– “

“Yes, I know when it was Heath, but he had to go. He needed to live his life, start thinking about his future. I wasn’t going to stop him from doing that.”

“I get that, baby, but he’s your only family. And what about what you needed?”

“Don’t. This is not the same thing.” I can see where he was going with this.

“No? So, you have no reservations about me or my feelings for you. You trust one hundred percent that I will always be here for you. That I love you and want forever with you.” God yes, how can I not?! My feelings might be a little more complicated, but if I’m honest trusting Heath was never the problem. Just be honest …

“Look, I get it, okay? I’ve been disappointed by people close to me in the past, who hasn’t? I believe you when you say you love me and I lo–” We both freeze in place. “I mean, we should take this– “

“Don’t you dare run from me. I know you’re scared, but don’t you see? You feel it too!” His eyes are alight with emotion, dancing across my face like a featherlight touch and his lips …

“You shouldn’t look so smug right now, mister. It’s not a good look for you.” A total lie, and his smile grows wider. Dammit, how am I supposed to resist that damn cocky smile? Without warning, he jumps up off the couch, pulling me with him.

“You’re right, we’ve done enough talking. It’s naked pillow fight time.” With that he scoops me up into his arms and carries me to his bed, where we stay until the dawn light breaks though his curtains, letting us know that an exciting new chapter in our relationship is about to begin.

Chapter 9

~ Heath ~

She loves me!

The Russian Mafia has been active in the United States since the late eighties, forming ties with our own American Mafia and Colombian drug cartels, extending their reach to Los Angeles while dominating up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Illegal activities include extortion, racketeering, illegal gambling, firearm offenses, narcotics trafficking, wire fraud, with murder-for-hire at the top of the list, all the way down to cigarette trafficking at the bottom. But it’s kidnapping and human trafficking that has grown to unimaginable numbers. The organization I managed to infiltrate was more like a middleman, bringing buyers and sellers together. Real scum of the earth, the whole fucking lot of them. And one of these people laid their hands on Liv, hurt her badly enough that she needed to go to the hospital, and I wasn’t there! These thoughts rip me to pieces. I can’t concentrate on the one for the pure blinding rage that it causes, and I can’t stop thinking of the other because … she loves me! It might have been barely an admission at all, but it was there and I’m taking it. Loving her, protecting her, it’s what I was put on this earth to do and now that I’ve found her and claimed her, nothing will stop me. Definitely not the Russian mob.

But now is the time to focus on work, because precious time is being wasted and more people are getting hurt, not just the one I care about. Since the night I was attacked and Liv found me in that alley, I have not seen or heard a single shred of chatter from the organization. It’s as if they went to ground, dropped off the face of the earth, or just ceased to exist. None of these are good things. What they do out in the open can easily be replicated in the dark, where they will be more difficult to find and expose, and if they ceased to exist, a new organization is sure to take its place which will be just as difficult to infiltrate, if not more so. A case of the devil you know, I suppose. Turns out, I didn’t know nearly enough, but someone certainly thought they knew me. I figured my cover was blown, but if that’s not the case, there’s a chance I might be able to find a way back in. If the attack was just to get me out of the way and not because I’d been found out, I might still be able to salvage some of the hard work done to get to where I was in the organization. I have no problem admitting to myself that going back there is the last thing I want to do. Not only because I was surrounded by truly vile human beings, but it would also take me away from Liv, just when we are starting to make headway in our relationship. God, I still can’t believe it.

Aaron strides into my office, pulling me from my thoughts, and takes a seat in the chair across from me.

“Wyatt thinks he’s got something. He’s on his way here now.”

“Yeah? Fucking finally, we can do with some good news for a change. Feels like all we’re doing is spinning our wheels lately.” Aaron only grunts in response and before I can think of anything else to say, Mike and Riley join us in our little huddle.

“We got something?” Riley looks about ready to come out of his skin. Secretly, I’ve always suspected he had a thing for Melissa, but we were constantly on deployments, and she was too young for him to do anything about it, but Riley became a different person after she disappeared. He was always the outgoing, fun-loving type, but since her disappearance those acts became more a means of escape rather than for enjoyment. Of course, this could all be my imagination, but I don’t think so.

“We’ll know as soon as Wy– “

“Good, you’re all here.” The man of the moment enters the room, and we all go quiet. “I’ve got news. The Feds are planning a raid on the Reznikov compound in two days’ time, and they’ve extended an invitation for you to join in, with the understanding that you are there to support, not take over or follow your own agenda. They don’t know about your connection to Melissa,” is directed at Aaron, who just glares back at him before motioning with a wave of his hand for Wyatt to continue. “So if you guys decide to go off-book, it’s my ass in a sling. There’s a briefing this afternoon which you’ll need to attend. All the details will be provided then.”

As it turns out, it’s all the details, and then some. The Feds did their homework on this one and it’s well after nine o’clock before we’re finally done. I told Liv I wouldn’t be coming over, worried that I might not be able to give her the attention she deserves after sitting through a briefing that would most likely have me worked up and frustrated at the delay in putting the plans into action, but I regret that now. After everything we learned today, I really need to be with her, to soak up her warmth and care. I know she’ll more than likely still be awake, might even be worried about me because I told her we were preparing for an important operation, but couldn’t go into any details. The truth is, I want to tell her everything, I’m so tempted to open my mouth and let it all come pouring out because I know she can handle it and more importantly, she would want to share my burdens as much as I want to share hers. Decision made, I make a U-turn and drive to where my heart longs to be.

She opens the door wearing one of my t-shirts I must have left behind. It hangs slightly off one shoulder and catches her just above mid-thigh, so while I can see no bra straps and legs for days, my body is reacting to what else might or might not be under the shirt. Her hair is up in a ponytail and her face is free of any make-up and she looks so fucking gorgeous smiling up at me that I don’t waste a second before rushing to her, picking her up and carrying her to her bed. She gives a soft laugh before whispering in my ear, “I was hoping you would change your mind.” That’s when my hands register no panties separating me from her and all thoughts of telling her anything other than how much I want her, evaporate from my mind. It’s just her, want, need, possession, protection, repeat. She must sense I’m at the end of reason, just barely hanging on so that I don’t throw her down and rip her apart with my body because she molds her own to mine so perfectly it’s almost agonizing, and when we do eventually make it to the bed, the t-shirt disappears instantly. Under threat of death, I could not tell you how she made it onto the bed, but the next thing I know, my jeans and briefs are pushed down to my thighs and I’m thrusting into her like a man possessed, bewitched by her siren song, flinging my ship against her wild shore. I lose myself in her, letting go of everything else, the messed-up world we live in, this city that has become so dangerous that actual mobsters are as common as Starbucks, the operation in two days’ time that will pit us against the worst of those, all of it. Except her. Liv. She keeps me tethered to the only reality I’m interested in, this bed, this apartment, only her.

Morning brings with it a thunderstorm of epic proportions, waking me from a dead sleep. Liv looks like she’s been awake for a while, and she meets my gaze with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, I was going to get up and make us some breakfast, but these things scare the crap out of me.” She nods her head towards the window where the sky is being lit up by streaks of white light. I circle my arms tightly around her waist and pull her against me. Her body is warm and soft, aligning perfectly with mine despite a serious case of morning wood threatening the peace.

“Hmm, no need to apologize, baby. Waking up like this is way better.” I shove my face in her neck and inhale her sweet scent that is laced with sweat and sex, as intoxicating as the most expensive perfume. God, I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of her. The smallest gesture or sound, like her soft hum of agreement, is everything I need. We spend a few minutes like that in each other’s arms, before I have to get up to prepare for the day and she goes into her kitchen to make coffee. I didn’t give Liv any details of the briefing last night, we hardly talked at all, but I don’t want her to be blindsided by any unexpected news either.

“So, that briefing yesterday was pretty intense,” I start, while dressing in the clothes I wore yesterday. I should bring some stuff to keep here. Considering the number of times I spend the night, it makes sense. We haven’t discussed moving in together, but it’s the next logical step, right? Or would Liv think it’s too soon?

“I figured as much from the look on your face when I opened the door, and what happened after.” Her voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I look over to find her smiling back at me. Fuck, this is so bad. How am I going to keep my head in the game when my heart keeps pulling me here, to her?

“Yeah, I’m not going to apologize for last night. It was incredible.”

“Good, I don’t want you to. As for your work, I understand there are going to be things you can’t tell me, and that’s okay, but just know that I’m here and when you can share, I’ll listen.” I continue to stare at her for a few seconds before going to her and taking her in my arms.

“I don’t know how I got to be so lucky but fuck if I won’t do everything in my power to keep you right here. And when I do have to leave, I’ll do it all again just so that I can come back to you.” I hold her closer, hoping she’ll hear the truth in my words and never feel the need to question them.

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