I break down and bury my face against his chest, clinging to him. I don’t know if it’s stress or the fact I’m mentally and physically exhausted, but all I want to do is crawl inside of him and let him take care of me.
“Baby, take a breath for me and calm down,” he says quietly, and I try, really try, to do just that, but another sob climbs up my throat. Then he’s lifting me up into his strong arms and walking with me tucked against him. I hear my dad behind us ask where we are going, and then he growls something at someone about letting him by. I should stop acting like an idiot and tell my dad I’m okay, but the stupid tears just won’t stop long enough for me to even take a breath.
“Is she going to be okay?” I hear a woman ask, and I try to lift my head, when his hand wraps around my neck, keeping me in place.
“She’ll be fine. Go deal with her dad for me.”
“His name is Phil and my mother is Louise,” I tell them both
“You don’t pay me enough for this crap,” the woman grumbles, making me even more curious before we start moving again, and then I hear a door close as I’m laid down on a soft bed, the softest bed in the whole world, as Liam looks down at me. I missed him. I knew I missed him, but having him, his scent, his body pressing into mine, I know I really missed him and was lying to myself about being able to stay away from him.
His hands hold my face gently as his eyes roam over me. “Calm, Em. You’re safe.” Pulling in one shaky breath after another, I eventually relax enough to take a normal breath. “Why didn’t you tell me what happened to you?” he asks, and I turn my head away from him.
“Maybe for the same reason you kept me in the dark about who you really are,” I reply with a shrug.
“You should have told me.”
“Why, what good would it have done?” I twist around to glare at him.
“I would have been more careful, baby. I would—”
“Would you have told me who you are?” I ask snidely, and his face dips toward mine.
“I would have taken better care of you.”
“But would you have told me who you are?” I repeat, becoming angry.
“Probably not.”
Bucking my body, I try to get him to move, only to have his hands grab hold of my wrists and pin them to the bed above me.
“Stop. You’re going to hurt yourself,” he barks, and I lean up, hissing in his face.
“Get off of me.”
“Not fucking happening.”
“Get off me now.”
“No,” he snarls, leaning in and nipping my neck hard enough to sting, and my body stills as my clit pulses.
“I’m not sharing you with the world. You’re mine and only mine. I’ve given them me. They can’t fucking have you.”
“Too late! Because of you, everyone thinks they know about me!” I scream in his face.
His mouth crashes down on mine, stealing my breath. His teeth nip my lip, and my mouth opens on a gasp. Then he really kisses me, taking every last bit of willpower I have from inside me.
Pulling his mouth away, I whimper as he rests his forehead to mine. “You’re mine, Emma, all of you. Every piece of you is mine, and they are not fucking getting any more than they’ve already gotten. I don’t care if I have to lock you away. They don’t get another piece of you from here on out.”
“Liam.” I close my eyes, wishing it were that simple, wishing he had that kind of power, but I know he doesn’t. I know that once rumors start, they live on forever.
“Now tell me what happened to you.”
“No.”
“You’re safe with me. Please tell me.”
“I’m sure you heard.”
“I saw an article. I didn’t read it. I wanted you to be the one to tell me.”
“Fine, get off me and I’ll tell you.”
“I’m not moving, baby. I want you to know I’m right here when you tell me and that I’m not going anywhere, no matter what you say.”
“You believe them?” My eyes slide closed.
“You were a virgin, Em, so I know whatever they have is bullshit. I still want to know what happened.”
“Fine.” I grit my teeth, knowing he’s not going to give up. “I was sixteen when my dad moved us to Idaho. When we got there, my parents thought a good way for me to make friends would be by me joining the youth group. I did, and I really loved it. One of the youth pastors was the mayor’s son. He was cool and funny and easy to talk to,” I say, and he nods.
“He was stalking me,” I confess softly, feeling my chest compress. “I didn’t know it. I had no idea, but my dad started to feel funny about how much attention he was paying me. When my dad confronted him, he denied everything and then made up lies. He told everyone I seduced him and that I was obsessed with him. Everyone believed him. He was married, the youth pastor, the mayor’s son, and everyone liked him. Why would they believe me over him? Especially when his wife confirmed his story and a tape came out showing him and me together. Only I know it wasn’t me on the tape with him.”
“I’m gonna kill him.”
“My dad couldn’t leave his job. They wouldn’t let him transfer, so I was forced to stay in that town for two more years until I graduated and moved to London. I thought I left it all behind me. No one knew me. No one knew what happened. I was just Emma, the girl from the US. Until you.”
“You did nothing wrong, and the world will know it after I deal with this bullshit,” he states firmly, and I start to panic, pushing at him and trying to get him off of me.
“No!”
“What if he’s done the same thing to other girls?” he asks, and I press my lips together. I’ve thought about that a lot, probably too much, wondering if he did it to anyone else, destroyed anyone else.
“He has kids now. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just want it to go away.”
“What am I going to do with you?” His eyes move over my head and his head shakes. “How did I end up falling in love with the most stubborn woman in the world?” he asks the wall, and my heart pounds wildly.