Текст книги "Collateral Damage"

Автор книги: Kaylea Cross

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

Her lips curved into a sad smile that he saw reflected in her eyes. Nodding to him once in acknowledgement, she turned and disappeared into the crowd. Liam stared at the spot where she’d just stood, and knew he had to see her one last time before she left.

Alone.

Chapter Eleven

Honor shifted her stance to ease the ache in her upper back as she bent over the counter in her commander’s office, reviewing the inventory paperwork she’d been working on for the past fifteen minutes. Five days after the attack her muscles were still sore and bruised feeling. The wounds in her shoulder were healing up well and the headaches were less frequent. But then Erin had left this morning. It was already harder without her here.

With her service obligation done and Wade waiting for her back home, Honor knew her bestie would never return to Bagram. She’d probably stay in either Montana or Wyoming, get married and start a family with Wade. Honor was happy for her even though she was going to miss her. Thankfully she only had a few days left here herself, but still, it sucked to have Erin gone.

“Ms. Girard. Can I talk to you a second?” Specialist Andrews said as he came up beside her.

Annnd, cue another headache.

The formal address from him was a good sign, and he was being very respectful in his approach. Honor laid her pen aside, glad he wasn’t singling her out in private this time. Three other people could see them right now. Their last conversation about a job she’d given him hadn’t gone well; at least this time there’d be witnesses around.

“Sure.” Leaning her hip against the counter, she gave him her full attention. “What can I do for you?”

His dark blue stare was direct, brimming with resentment. “I think you know.”

Honor bit back a sigh. “If you mean what I think you do, we’ve been through this already. There’s nothing more I can do for you on that matter.”

A muscle jumped in his jaw and the anger simmering in his eyes set off her internal radar. Something about him had always seemed…off. “Do you know what I’m going home to when we get back?”

“No.”

“Nothing. My wife says she’s leaving me.”

Not surprising. In addition to him hating his job and hating being deployed to a combat zone, from what she’d heard from his NCOs, his marriage wasn’t in much better shape than Ipman’s. “I’m sorry.”

He gave a tight shrug. “I’ll be better off, once the legal stuff’s all over with.”

Okaaay then. Honor kept her expression carefully blank, waiting for him to continue.

“I want to make sergeant.”

She barely withheld another sigh. “Then you have to bring up your marksmanship and PT scores if you want a chance at getting into the Warrior Leader Course.” And getting one hell of an attitude adjustment while you’re at it wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

He’d been better over the past couple months, less outwardly hostile whenever he had a conflict with someone, but his personality still left a lot to be desired when it came to working with others. He and Ipman had that in common, although Ipman had the shorter fuse but was less erratic. It was no secret that Andrews resented being passed over time and time again by his superiors. Though he knew exactly why he hadn’t received a promotion because his sergeants had counseled him on what was holding him back. She’d read their reports personally.

“Our unit only gets a few seats in the class you need, and the number of promotion points you’d need to make the next cutoff are—”

“Almost impossible to get. I know,” he muttered, and glanced away, frustration etched into his face. “I need this one,” he said in a less forceful tone. “Need it bad.”

She could all but smell the desperation coming off him. Maybe he’d finally realized that being a sullen asshole with his coworkers wasn’t the best way to go about getting what he wanted. Maybe a promotion would increase his self-esteem and make him a happier person. She didn’t know. “You’ve already spoken to Sergeant Smithers about this again?”

He nodded, meeting her eyes once more, his stare direct and unflinching. Something about it chilled her.

“You realize that even if you get into the school you need, you still might not earn enough points to get the promotion?”

Back during the height of this war, the Army had changed the regulations so that attending school wasn’t mandatory for promotion. All in an effort to keep NCOs, the backbone of the Army, where they were needed most: overseas with their soldiers instead of back home attending courses. Now that the drawdown was in full swing, the latest version of the Enlisted Promotions regulation stated that E-4s who hadn’t yet made enough points probably wouldn’t get a slot in WLC unless all of the E-5s that need the school have already gone through.

“All I want is a shot,” he insisted. “A fair shot.”

At the emphasis on the word fair, Honor gave him a cool stare. He wasn’t being overtly hostile—he wasn’t stupid—but she knew he resented the hell out of her for passing him by and that he thought she’d earned her WO insignia simply because she had breasts and a vagina. A totally archaic mindset, but unfortunately, still all too common in the military. So she didn’t bother sugar coating her response. “You want a real shot, you know what you have to do.”

Those deep blue eyes flashed with something she couldn’t quite identify. Something that seemed a lot like hatred. “I’m going to make corporal.”

Maybe. If not this time, then probably in the near future. Go, Army.

“Talk to Sergeant Smithers again when we get stateside and we’ll set something up. He’s the best advocate you have for the lateral promotion, but I’m willing to be at the meeting if you want. Then you’ll still have to earn your promo points to get your E-5.” If Andrews made corporal he’d still be the same pay grade as he was now as a specialist, but he’d have more authority and bragging rights to use back home. Who knew, maybe it would be good for him. Or it might make him a bigger asshole.

She picked her pen back up, signaling an end to the conversation. “Anything else?”

“No. Thanks for your time, ma’am,” he added.

The show of respect didn’t ring true. “Good luck.”

With a final, tight nod, he turned and left the office.

Well that had certainly gone better than she’d anticipated when he’d first approached her. Honor heaved a sigh of relief and went back to her paperwork. When she was done she headed over to Tillman to see if Ace was there yet. They’d agreed to meet for a bite to eat before Ace had to be at a briefing. Probably about target locations the intelligence folks had flagged for further investigation on the suspects behind the base attack. Or so Honor hoped.

She found the Tillman Center busy as ever. People were playing video games and cards while snacking on the offerings from the food area. Chicken and waffles, pizza and salads and fruit. She grabbed a plate and sat down to wait for Ace, who showed up a few minutes later. The pretty pilot was tall, blonde and confident, so Honor wasn’t surprised to see several pairs of male eyes follow her as she made her way to the table.

Ace’s brown eyes warmed with affection as she reached Honor. “Hey. How’re you doing?” Ace sat in the chair across from her.

Honor shrugged. “Okay. Just weird that she’s gone.” She missed Erin like crazy already.

“Yeah. It was weird before, when she was on leave to recover from the bombing. Hard to believe she won’t be coming back at all this time.”

“I know.” The thought was depressing as hell, actually.

“You’ll be outta here in a couple days anyhow.”

She nodded. “For a while, at least. You’ve got what, another three months left?”

“Thirteen weeks, two days and seven hours left on this tour. Not that I’m counting or anything.”

Honor chuckled. “And Ryan?”

“He’s got leave scheduled a month or so after I go stateside, but he may not get it. With the OPTEMPO picking up here again, I’m betting it’s not too long before I’m back at work here.”

Honor swallowed a bite of chicken. “You planning to stay in for a while, then?” She knew Ace loved her job, loved the hunt.

“A couple more years at least, yeah. We’ll probably get married in the next year or so if we can swing it, and as long as command’s okay with that, I’ll likely do another year or two before I put my request in to get out and do something else. We want to have a family.”

That made her grin. “I just had an awesome image of Ryan holding twin daughters with a terrified look on his face.”

Ace laughed. “Payback, baby. He deserves it.” She helped herself to a strawberry from Honor’s plate. “Hey, I heard about the wounded Night Stalker today.”

From what she’d heard, only one had survived the crash. Honor set down her fork. “And?”

“Pilot named Blinski. There’s a good chance he’ll make it. But he’s burned pretty badly. He’s got a lot of surgeries to get through.”

Her appetite gone all of a sudden, Honor pushed her plate aside. “Any word on Liam?”

“No, but I can ask around.” She opened her mouth to say something else then broke into a smile as her gaze settled on something over Honor’s shoulder. “Or we could just ask them.”

Honor turned in her seat to find Cam Munro and Jackson Thatcher heading their way. Cam smiled and raised a hand, his dirty blond hair still wet from a recent shower. Dark-haired and slightly taller than Cam, Jackson followed a step behind him.

“I see you two are taking advantage of tonight’s fine dining menu,” Cam said with an easy smile as he straddled a chair beside Honor, Jackson taking the one beside Ace.

“It’s a nutritionist’s dream buffet,” she said, pushing her plate over so he and Jackson could help themselves to what she had. “Haven’t seen you guys around in a long time.”

“They’re keeping us busy,” Jackson replied, opting for one of the carrot sticks Honor had put on her plate to make herself feel less guilty about the rest of her meal.

“I talked to your lovely fiancée yesterday,” she said to Cam, who was engaged to Devon, an Army helicopter pilot who used to room with her, Ace and Maya, before being wounded in a crash a year and a half ago.

“Yeah, she said you’re heading back to JBLM in a couple days. She’s super excited to see you. Hope you like talking about wedding stuff,” he added in a dry voice.

“I love to talk weddings,” Honor answered. “Although I have to admit I’m dying to see her decked out in a wedding gown. When I first heard you guys were getting married, I was worried she’d walk down the aisle in a pair of jeans and a Seahawks jersey.”

Cam gave her a warm smile. “Whatever she wants. All she needs to do is tell me the time and place, and I’ll be there waiting.”

Ace blinked at him. “Okay, you seriously need to talk to Ryan for me.”

Cam arched a brow at her. “You guys getting hitched too?”

A light flush stained Ace’s cheeks. “Not yet, but when it happens, I want to plan everything myself.”

“Because you’re a total control freak,” Honor muttered.

She shrugged. “Well, can you imagine what would happen if Ryan was planning it? God only knows what he’d come up with for the reception. Some cheesy theme, I’ll bet.” She looked at Jackson. “Were you as chill about your wedding as this guy?” she asked, nodding at Cam.

“We eloped,” the dark-haired PJ responded, his deep brown eyes glinting with amusement as he bit into a chicken strip. “No planning required. I popped the question, she said yes. We got married barefoot on the beach in Kauai at sunset the next night, with only a JoP presiding and a couple celebrating their fiftieth anniversary to act as witnesses. It was perfect.” He whipped out his phone and pulled up some pictures, showing them to her and Ace.

In the photos Jackson wore khakis and a white button down shirt, while Maya had on a white and blue Hawaiian print dress that showed off her beautiful golden skin, and a bunch of white orchids nestled in her pinned-up dark hair. They were standing in profile to the camera, hands clasped at waist level as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Maya might be tough as nails and the last woman on earth to ever be accused of being mushy, but the love and adoration she felt for Jackson was captured beautifully in those pictures. It warmed Honor’s heart to see it.

“That’s so romantic,” she said with a sigh. “How is Maya these days? I haven’t heard from her in about a month.”

“She’s doing good. Getting all her stuff ready to submit to the FBI.”

Hard core, considering what she’d gone through during her captivity. “And I heard she’s getting one hell of a letter of recommendation to go along with her application,” Honor added with a satisfied grin.

Jackson smiled as he swallowed a bite of chicken. “The Secretary of Defense has been true to his word about backing her application, yes.”

“Good,” Ace said with a nod. “Least he can do after you guys saved his life.”

Jackson shrugged, as though his harrowing escape from a terrorist prison with Maya and the SecDef wasn’t a big deal. “Just did my job.”

And that’s why PJs were so freaking heroic, Honor thought with a fond grin.

“Either of you guys seen Liam in the last day or two?” Ace asked suddenly.

Both men looked at Ace and got real quiet, which told Honor everything she needed to know. From their reaction she knew for certain they’d been on that mission with Liam. It was possible that Liam had even flown them to and from the crash site.

“I saw him as he got out of his bird the night of the CSAR mission,” Honor said. “I was standing on the tarmac. Just…do you know if he’s okay?” She felt awkward even asking, but she needed to know. It made her heart ache to think he was hurting from the loss of his SOAR brothers. He’d never tell anyone, just suffer in silence.

“He wasn’t injured,” Cam said, probably to put her mind at ease.

“I know, but I heard about the KIAs he knew and Ace just told me about the wounded pilot.”

Cam exchanged an unreadable look with Ace before looking back at her, his blue eyes full of empathy. “Maybe you should talk to him yourself before you leave.”

“Yeah.” Not gonna happen.

Honor looked down at her plate, knowing there was no point in even trying to track him down and talk now. Best to just leave well enough alone and see if time and distance would help her move on this time. Even when they’d been at their closest Liam wasn’t one to talk about friends he’d lost in combat. There was no way he’d open up to her about it now.

“No, seriously, you should try and talk to him,” Ace said. “Tonight.” She had a tendency to be bossy, but in this case Honor sensed she was just trying to be helpful. Because she didn’t know what a mess Honor had made of things with Liam.

“Maybe, but I gotta go get some work finished up first,” she lied, pushing her chair out and standing. “I’ll see you guys later. And hopefully I’ll see you at the end of the aisle waiting for your gorgeous bride in a few months,” she said to Cam.

Breathing in deeply as she stepped outside, she walked back to her hut. Seeing Erin’s bunk stripped and all her stuff missing was freaking depressing. She grabbed her toiletries and headed across to the showers to get cleaned up.

Freshly showered and changed into her nightwear, she settled on her bunk to read a while. Footsteps outside alerted her that her solitude was about to be interrupted so she set down her e-reader and looked at the plywood door, expecting to see either Ace or their new roomie, Barb, come in.

The door slid open and she stared in shock as Liam walked in instead.

He shut it tight behind him, his green eyes locked on her. Honor stood slowly, aware of her heart pounding in the sudden silence. He looked tired but too sexy for words standing there in his desert camo pants and light tan T-shirt that hugged his muscular chest and upper arms. A slight shadow of stubble covered his jaw.

He raked that intense green gaze over her, taking in the Night Stalkers T-shirt he’d given her when they’d been together. Maybe she’d been stupid to keep it but when she wore it she felt less alone and it helped her remember all the good times when they’d been together.

Liam’s eyes stopped at her breasts, where the font read Death Waits in the Dark above the Night Stalker logo. Her nipples tightened instantly against the soft cotton as heat punched through her.

Crossing her arms over her breasts, she found her voice. “What are you doing here?”

His gaze shifted to hers. “Heard you’re going back stateside soon.”

“Yeah.” And? She felt vulnerable as hell standing there in nothing but his shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. Then realization dawned and she narrowed her eyes. “Did you set this up with Ace?”

Looking totally unapologetic, he nodded.

Honor didn’t understand. “Why?”

“Wanted to see you.”

Arms still clamped across her chest, she cocked her head, refusing to allow herself to feel hopeful. Didn’t matter how much she felt or how much she still wanted him, because she couldn’t have him. “Why’s that?”

He didn’t answer, only stared at her with those hungry green eyes.

Her belly flipped as she imagined them on her bunk, his hard body on top of hers as he pinned her to the bed. Irritated, she scowled at him and raised her chin. She didn’t have time for games. “Seriously, what do you want, Liam?” Why show up here, now, when there was nothing left to say and she was leaving in two days?

Rather than answer, he reached out one hand to snag a chair set against the wall and slid the top of its back beneath the door handle, barricading the door. She tore her gaze from the powerful muscles shifting in his arms and chest to find him watching her with that hot, piercing stare.

His expression was hungry. Predatory.

“Closure,” he rasped out.

Chapter Twelve

Liam had no fucking idea what he was doing here.

He’d been lying in his bunk, trying to get some rest before the upcoming mission brief when he’d received the text from Ace saying Honor was heading to her hut. Alone, already feeling raw from the one-two punch of his fellow Night Stalkers’ deaths and Honor’s impending departure, he’d made a snap decision and headed over without stopping to think it through.

Now that he was standing twelve feet away from her, he still didn’t know exactly what he wanted. She’d hurt him too badly and he couldn’t trust her not to do it again, so for him there was no going back to the way things had been. All he knew was, he couldn’t go on this way. He couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t stop thinking about Honor, or the fact that she was leaving and he might never see her again. He’d already lost her once without the finality of a real goodbye. This time he needed one.

She stared back at him with those wide aqua eyes, arms crossed over the front of his old shirt, wearing a pair of shorts that hit her at upper thigh and left the length of her toned legs bare. Strong, sexy legs she’d wrapped around his back and shoulders as he buried himself inside her and made her come. “What kind of closure?” she murmured.

Fuck if he knew. “The definitive kind.” It was the only thing he could think of that would end his torment. A clean cut this time instead of the jagged, messy wound he’d endured before. He wanted to walk out of here knowing once and for all that they were done, so he could move forward again.

When she stood there stiffly he wondered how sore her shoulder still was. “So what do you want me to say?” she asked.

Liam resisted the urge to drag a hand through his hair. Christ, he was losing his mind being torn about her. Even now, part of him wanted to strip her naked and claim her in the most basic way possible. But the other wanted to hear her verbally acknowledge that they were over, so the decision would be made for him and he could finally put her behind him. He’d told himself on the way over that all he needed was to see her one last time. That once he did he’d be able to let go, on his terms.

Now he realized that was bullshit.

The connection between them was too strong, the pull too hard to resist, and there’d never be anyone else like Honor. The hell of it was, he still cared about her, still wanted her, even if he goddamn knew there was no future for them. At least he wasn’t the only one affected. Going by the way her eyes turned molten as she watched him, she still wanted him too.

At the moment that was more than enough.

His heart beat faster as he stared at her. He remembered exactly what her naked body felt like against his, what drove her crazy in bed and the sounds she made as she came undone for him. He wanted all of it again now.

The air grew heavy with anticipation as they continued to stare at each other across the small space between them. Liam was fighting a losing battle and he knew it. They were alone, no one but Ace knew he was here, and they had more than an hour until he had to be at the briefing. His heart thudded hard against his sternum, his body primed and ready to take.

Honor continued to watch him with a conflicting mix of wariness and heat that tied him in knots. Her gaze roamed over his face like a physical touch before settling on his mouth. Then her tongue darted out to slide across her lower lip. As if she wanted to taste him.

Liam’s control snapped.

He stalked toward her, his entire body strung taut with desire as he halted a foot away from her, close enough to catch her sharply indrawn breath and smell the scent of soap and shampoo on her hair and skin. The pulse point in her throat beat hard and fast. He was already hard and throbbing for her. His hands flexed with the need to touch, to claim.

“You kept my shirt,” he said, his voice low and raspy. Seeing it on her fired something primitive inside him. An instinct that insisted she was still his and always would be, no matter what. Had she had other lovers after him? Had she let another man kiss her, put his hands on her naked body? The thought made a growl of denial rise in his throat.

Honor held his gaze and didn’t say anything because the response was obvious.

He wanted her to admit the reason she wore it. “Why?”

“Because I like it.”

No. “Why?” he demanded, an edge of steel to his voice.

“It reminds me of you,” she said with a slight shrug.

He suppressed a triumphant sound. “You sleep in it.”

Her chin lifted, almost in defiance. “So? I like the feel of it against my skin.”

Because it reminded her of him. His touch. The feel of his body on hers. Him moving inside her, making her feel so good she cried out his name over and over.

The confirmation broke the last thread of caution holding him in check.

Reaching up to take her face between his hands, he brought his mouth down on hers. Hard.

Honor gasped as he pushed his tongue between her lips, needing to be inside her. The familiar taste of her flooded him with memories. Flashes of slow, heated make-out sessions, and lazy weekend mornings in bed exploring each other’s bodies.

She uncrossed her arms and grabbed hold of his shoulders, her fingers sinking into him as she surged up on tiptoe to deepen the kiss. Heat exploded in his gut. He groaned in approval and backed her up against the rough plywood wall, one hand sliding between it and her shoulder to protect her stitches, his other arm snaking around her waist to pull her flush to his body. She moaned at the contact and opened for the urgent stroke of his tongue, the softness of her breasts pressed against his chest and one leg hooking around the back of his.

He gripped the back of her head with one hand and cupped one of her ass cheeks with the other, lifting her into him. The moment his erection rubbed against the apex of her thighs she gasped and he felt a tremor rip through her. Raw, explosive need slammed into him.

More. Deeper.

Mine.

The kiss was wild and hungry, frantic. He took her mouth as he wanted to take her body, tangling his tongue with hers, nipping and licking at her lips and she was right there with him. Using his strength to hold her in place and recalling every secret he knew about her body, Liam mounted a full-out assault on her senses.

Honor whimpered into his mouth and rubbed herself against him, wrapping her legs around his hips in an attempt to get closer. He turned them and lowered her to her back on the bunk, then immediately covered her with his weight. The feel of her beneath him obliterated the ability to think. She gripped the back of his neck and arched upward, the needy little sounds coming from her throat making him even hotter.

Impatient, he reached one hand down, grasped the hem of the T-shirt and yanked it upward. He broke the kiss long enough to look down and take in the sight of her round breasts, heaving with each excited breath she took and topped with tight, candy pink nipples.

The sight of her naked and spread out beneath him for the first time in more than a year and a half made his hand shake as he brushed the hair back from her face. He’d missed her. Missed her so goddamn much it had been like walking around with a giant hole in the center of his chest for the past nineteen months.

He’d told himself it couldn’t possibly have been as good between them as he remembered, but it was. It was better. Their chemistry was as intense as ever, unlike anything he’d felt with anyone else. He’d imagined this moment so many times, he could hardly believe it was happening.

On a wordless groan he cupped her breasts, stroking his thumbs across the rigid peaks. Honor gasped and dug her fingers into his scalp, urging him closer. Lowering his head, he took a nipple into his mouth and sucked.

“Ah, God,” she cried, twisting in his grip.

Liam looked up into her face. A dark part of him thrilled at her expression of sensual ecstasy as he laved and sucked at her sensitive flesh. His cock was swollen to bursting against the front of his pants, pressing on her inner thigh. With her legs still wrapped around him she undulated, rubbing over his rigid flesh.

He hissed in a breath and tended to her other nipple, half-crazy with the need to come. Right then he wanted to strip those shorts off and pound into her so badly, remind her what they’d been missing out on all this time, but he knew he needed something else even more.

He wanted her total surrender. Wanted to pin her beneath him and reduce her to her most vulnerable state, make her want him until she was begging for release before he satisfied her and listened to her call out his name.

Desire swirled through him, fueling his need. He wanted her to fucking crave him, remind her of how good it was between them so this moment would be burned into her mind forever, then drive her over the peak while he watched.

When he released her nipple and raised his head, the sheer desire in her heavy-lidded eyes took his breath away. “More,” she urged. “Hurry.” Her hands reached for his shirt and dragged it over his head.

Liam pulled hers off and tugged her shorts over her hips as she grabbed his waistband and undid his pants. He rolled to the side and shucked them along with his underwear while she slid her shorts off.

The sweet scent of her arousal hit him, the sight of those coppery curls between her thighs making it impossible to think. With a low groan he gripped her upper thighs and pushed them up and outward, exposing the tender pink flesh of her sex. Her hands flew to his shoulders and squeezed, the muscles in her thighs and belly tensing as he stared at her with unabashed hunger. She was breathing fast and shallow, burning for him.

One slender hand slid to the back of his head and pulled as she raised her hips in a silent plea. “Taste me,” she whispered unevenly.

God, he needed to. Liam eased down between her open thighs, captivated by the sight of her so aroused and needy for him. Holding her legs captive, he settled his mouth against her core. At the first touch of his lips Honor cried out and twisted in his grip, her fingers clenching in his hair.

So fucking sweet, he thought as he circled her clit with his tongue, slow and soft, just the way she loved it. He knew every single one of her sweet spots and planned to hit all of them before he was done. Making Honor writhe and beg, then scream in release, was something he’d once lived for and he wanted to do it again now. Maybe this time more than ever.

Liam held her thighs in place, enjoying every second of this. Licking and nibbling at her most sensitive flesh, he continued to tease her over and over until she was mewling and panting for breath. Only when she was gasping for breath did he dip down and plunge his tongue inside her.

Her fractured cry echoed through the room. He couldn’t control the guttural sound that rumbled up from his chest, a sense of deep satisfaction flowing through him as he finally tasted her the way he’d been longing to. Burying his tongue inside her warmth was primal, deeply intimate. It’d been so long.

He hadn’t been with anyone since her. He’d had the opportunity and just hadn’t been interested. She’d ruined him for any other woman and her sweet, familiar taste was so damn good, making her incoherent with pleasure the ultimate high.

Her body arched. Honor writhed against his mouth, making little pleading noises but he didn’t stop tormenting her, using every trick he knew to take her right to the edge before moving up and closing his lips around her swollen clit. Her long, throaty moan stroked over his heated skin like a caress. He flicked his tongue gently as he sucked at the tender bud, pulling more of those beautiful, helpless sounds from her.

She had both hands in his hair now, her grip urgent, hips rocking against his tongue, utterly lost in her need. Fucking gorgeous. “Please, now,” she panted, gazing down at him with pleasure-drugged eyes.

Triumph roared through him, along with that familiar rush of territorial protectiveness she always brought out in him. He’d put that sensual look on her face. He’d made her so hot and desperate she was begging for release, and only he would satisfy her now.

Moving fast, Liam pulled back and reached for his discarded pants, grabbing the condom he’d brought with him from his pocket. Before he could rip it open, her hands wrapped around the length of his aching cock.

The breath halted in his throat. Liam shuddered at her knowing, confident grip, his head falling back as she began to stroke him, wrenching a groan from his lips. He looked down to watch those slender hands slide over him, the pleasure streaking through his body so intense it made him tremble. Before he could move, she got to her knees and bent to take him in her mouth.