CHAPTER TWO
Nothing was going to make me feel comfortable with the idea of taking these classes. If Jack Kemble wanted me to learn about BDSM, he would have to teach me himself.
Instead of going to the dining room, I headed up to my room to pack my things. Negative emotions attacked me from all sides. Anger at Jack for insisting on sending me here. Disappointment in myself for not really giving it a chance. And depression over the general situation.
I didn't want to go back to New York. There was no way that I could handle facing Jack right now, especially when he believed that the happiness of our marriage depended on me taking these classes. So I did the only thing I knew to do, I called Liam.
“I'm in Napa Valley,” I told him between sobs. “Book me a flight out of here. I want to come home.”
“Alright.”
Just hearing his voice was enough to sooth my nerves, and the thought that I would soon be safe in his arms was grounding.
Before my hour lunch was even up, I was piling into a cab without telling anyone where I was going. It was time to disappear for a while, to get away from this BDSM school and my horrible arranged marriage. I needed some normalcy back in my life, if only for a little while.
The flight back to Texas was somehow comforting. I knew that when I got into the SAT terminal, I wouldn't have to look around for a bodyguard holding my name on a sign. Liam would be there waiting for me with the warm, genuine smile I was so used to seeing.
And there he was, looking as stunning as always. His long blonde hair was trimmed neatly, his normally gruff beard shaven down to stubble. I always found it amusing how Liam's facial hair was about two shades darker than the hair on his head. Most people didn't believe he was a natural blonde, but I knew it was true because we had been best friends since we were children.
“Melita,” Liam sounded relieved to see me, scooping me up into his arms and hugging me like he'd never let me go.
“Oh Liam, I missed you so much.”
He held me at arm's length. “Do your parents know that you're here?”
I shook my head. “No one does. I didn't tell Jack or my mom or anyone. I just . . . needed to get away for a while.”
“Well, I'm glad you came to me. You can stay with me until you're ready to return to New York.”
Would I ever be ready, I wondered. And even if I was ready, how would Jack respond to my running off with Liam? The truth was that he had pushed me away by forcing me to go to the BDSM school. He would have to see that.
By the time we got back to Liam's house, I was absolutely exhausted. All I could think about was sleeping off the misery I felt inside. Hopefully, I'd wake up in a better mood and with a fresh mind that could handle sorting out the mess I had made.
As I walked into Liam's living room, I sighed softly, hugging myself while I looked at the quaint country ambiance. Everything about it reminded me of home, from the western landscape paintings to the smell of leather. It was calmly familiar, and for the first time since I left for New York, I felt truly at peace.
“Can I make you something to drink?” Liam offered, always the gentleman.
“No, thank you. I think I'd like to go to bed. I've had enough excitement for one night.”
“Alright. You know your way around. Just make yourself at home. I'm going to stay up for a while longer. I have a case I need to do some research on.”
“I'm sorry, Liam. I didn't mean to drag you away from work just to come get me.” I avoided his gaze, suddenly feeling guilty.
“You didn't drag me away from work. I got off at five o'clock. Your flight didn't get in until eight. Stop bothering yourself with such nonsense. You know you come before everything in my life anyway.” He smiled warmly at me, and I swooned silently at his words. Why couldn't Jack be more like Liam? Oh, Jack was charming and handsome, but he didn't love me—didn't know me well enough to love me. And he hadn't cared enough to get to know me.
As I stood there and looked at Liam, I realized everything I had taken for granted. I had wanted a man who was into the finer things in life, exotic cars, exquisite fashion, and buying me expensive gifts. Wasn't that what most girls wanted? But when it came down to it, all that I needed was standing right in front of me. Good, simple, sweet Liam.
“Goodnight,” I whispered, glancing shyly into his eyes.
“Good night, love.”
A stupid grin creased the corners of my lips as I turned from him, enjoying the flood of romantic feelings that captivated my heart from being in his presence.
As I passed by Liam's bedroom, a devious thought crossed my mind. Quiet like a church mouse, I scurried to the guest bedroom to change into my pajamas. Then, just as stealthily, I crept into Liam's room, crawling under the covers.
I moaned softly as I inhaled his scent on his pillow. How I had missed that scent. Clean yet masculine at the same time. The familiarity of it was enough to carry me off to sleep faster than I had been able to fall asleep in a long time.
The next morning, I opened my eyes to the sunlight shining through the windows. For a moment, my mind was tricked into thinking that I was late for class at the BDSM school, but when I tried to rise, something was holding me in place, and I looked down to see a strong arm wrapped around me. That's when I remembered that I was in Liam's bed . . . and so was Liam.
My cheeks burned as I flattened myself on the bed, fearful that I might wake him. I wasn't sure what time it was, but it was bright enough to indicate that he was late for work. Briefly, I wondered if I should wake him, but then selfishly settled on staying nestled in the comfort of his arms instead. It felt so good to be there again, like I belonged in his arms—in his bed.
It was a shameful thought, though, and I realized that in my moment of insanity the previous day, I had made a big mistake. Not only had I jeopardized my marriage to Jack by running away, but I was also messing up my relationship with Liam by deciding to sleep in his bed. Knowing Liam, he would think the situation to be more than it actually was. I had just been trying to escape, not to betray Jack.
Was it really a betrayal, though? I was still so confused. For once, a good night's sleep hadn't done much to clear my head.
When Liam finally began to stir, I pretended like I was asleep. With so much going through my mind, I wasn't ready to explain how I ended up in his bed. For a moment, he pushed himself up onto his elbow, and I could feel him leaning over me, watching me. Then he moved a strand of my hair away from my face and kissed me on the cheek. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach from Liam's gentle touch. The way he affected me was so deep that it made me have second thoughts about returning to New York.
Finally, he rose from bed, and I listened to the bathroom door close and then the sound of the shower head turning on. Impure images filled my mind—images I knew I shouldn't be having. Why was my body begging for Liam's touch when I had held him off for so long?
Feeling like it was a good opportunity to make my escape, I crawled out of bed and went back to the guest room to dress. Liam and I met in the hallway when I was coming back out. He was toweling off his hair, and I was on my way to the kitchen to make breakfast.
“I was wondering where you went,” he said.
For a moment, I was dumbstruck, standing there staring at his broad muscular chest. He was so much bigger than Jack, with a thin covering of light blonde hair on his chest and stomach. The lines of Liam's hips pointed down into his boxers, and I felt my face flush as my eyes flitted lower for just a second before coming back up to his face.
“I-I was going to make you breakfast,” I stuttered, pointing behind me like an idiot when the kitchen was in the opposite direction. I had known Liam practically my entire life. Why was I reacting this way to him now? I didn't understand it, but I liked it. “Wait, aren't you late for work?”
“I am.” He smiled, noticing my awkwardness. “As much as I'd like to stay here with you, you'll have to just make breakfast for yourself. I'll catch something on the way to work.”
“Oh, alright.”
“You act like you've never seen me shirtless before,” Liam teased, and I instantly felt playful anger building up inside of me.
“Just, shut up and go get dressed,” I laughed, not knowing what else to say.
The day was long and lonely, but at least it gave me time to contemplate my predicament. I would have to call Jack sooner or later. It was only a matter of time before he found out where I was, and it was best that he heard the news from my mouth. About an hour before Liam was scheduled to get off work, I finally got up the nerve to dial Jack's number.
He answered with more concern than anger, “Where are you? The school told me that you left yesterday, and no one has heard from you since.”
“I'm at a friend's house.” Now it was my turn to be vague. “I'm sorry Jack, but that school was horrible.”
He sighed. “Alright. You gave it a chance. Now come back to New York. We'll figure something else out.”
“I think I'd rather stay here for a few more days,” I told him boldly.
“I'll switch your plane ticket so that you can come back on Sunday,” Jack agreed, returning to the calm demeanor that I was used to. “I miss you.”
This last bit surprised me, and I couldn't tell if it was genuine or not, nor was I sure if I returned the sentiment. We still barely knew each other.
“Text me the time that my flight leaves.”
“I'll call you tomorrow to let you know, and to check up on you.”
“Alright.”
“Have fun, and try to relax. I'm sorry things didn't go well at the school.” He sounded sincere.
“It's alright. I'm fine now.”
“I'll talk to you later, honey bee,” and with that, he hung up. There was that strange pet nickname again. Honey bee. Like Jack actually had some kind of affection for me.
Liam kept his fridge well stocked with fresh cuts of beef, so I made filet minion with baked asparagus and new potatoes for dinner. It was a hearty meal, something I knew he'd enjoy.
“Honey, I'm home,” Liam called out as he walked through the front door.
I came running only to find that he had two big bags from Salsalitos in his hands. My smile sulked a bit but didn't disappear.
“Surprise.” Liam's eyes glimmered with pride.
“Great minds think alike,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed. “I cooked dinner.”
“Well, it looks like we'll have plenty to eat for the rest of your stay,” he joked, brushing past me to set the bags in the kitchen. I could only assume that we'd be eating what he brought the next day.
“How was work?” I followed behind him.
“Long and stressful. If someone had told me in the beginning that being a lawyer was going to be this hard, then I might have chosen a different career.”
“Of course it's not easy.”
I sat Liam down and made him a plate before joining him at the dinner table. The smile on his face made me want to never leave. Everything I did, he appreciated, the same as he always had.
“So, how did it happen that you ended up in my bed last night?” Liam asked the question I had been dreading answering all day long.
“It's been so long since I've been here.” I changed the subject.
“Yes, less than a month is an awfully long time to be away,” he teased.
“Does that mean you wish I would have stayed away longer?” I shot him a playful glare.
“Well, if a few weeks away will make you lose your way and end up in my bed, then I wonder what a few months will do.” Liam glanced up at me as he took a bite of asparagus. “All joking aside, though, what was that all about?”
“Oh, Liam,” I sighed. “It's really been . . . I don't know.”
Even though I knew I shouldn't disclose too much, I ended up pouring my heart out. I told him everything. Not surprisingly, by the time I finished talking, Liam's face was red with anger.
“You stay with me. That's what you do,” he said as if it was the only option.
“You know I can't. Both of our families are depending on this marriage.”
“I don't understand why they can't merge without the marriage. This is 2017 after all, not the old days where arranged marriage was common.”
“I think it's mainly a trust thing. I don't know. Both of our parents are old-fashioned.” I had lost my appetite, but not before I devoured all of my asparagus and most of my steak. It was the first real meal I'd had since before the BDSM school.
“Don't they even care what you want?”
“No. They don't,” I replied plainly.
“So, what are you going to do? As much as I want to force you to stay here, I know I can't.”
“I guess I have to go back.” I shrugged, standing to take both of our plates to the kitchen since neither one of us seemed to be in the mood to eat anymore.
“I don't understand why you'd want to go back to someone like that. It sounds like he wants to corrupt you.”
“Maybe he does. Like I said, I don't know.”
“I mean, do you even like the guy?”
“He's not all bad.” I felt a knot forming in my stomach. Talking about Jack with Liam made me incredibly uncomfortable.
When I was done with the dishes, I went to take a shower and change into my pajamas. Then I curled up next to Liam on the sofa to watch television.
“Over five hundred channels and nothing on any of them,” he commented as he flipped through the channels, looking for something we'd both enjoy.
Liam paused on one of the adult channels that was playing a BDSM special. My stomach turned at the sight of a woman who was bound to a St. Andrew's Cross. A man in a full leather outfit was slapping a riding crop against her nipples.
“So, this is what he wants to do to you, huh?” Liam asked.
“Change it, please.” My voice was small and uneasy.
“Why? If you go back to him, you'll have to learn about it sooner or later.”
“Well, I'm not with him now.”
Liam kept his eyes on the television. The woman whimpered with each slap across her breasts, and I couldn't tell if Liam was enjoying watching it or not. “I could teach you, you know?” he suggested.
“What?” My eyes widened in disbelief, hoping he was joking.
“That's what he sent you away for, wasn't it? So you could learn to be like that girl?”
I hesitated, “Well, yes.”
“I can teach you, if you want. It wouldn't be much different than learning it from a stranger. In fact, it would be a lot safer.”
“What happened to you being worried about Jack perverting me?” I smirked at him.
Liam's expression was serious. “If he's going to send you off to learn such inappropriate things, then I'd rather it be with someone that you know and trust.”
“You know it wouldn't work out.”
“Why? Because you wouldn't want to go back to him.” The look that he gave me was incredibly intense, and I felt weak beneath his dominant gaze. Slowly, he leaned forward, and I was so captivated by him that I couldn't move. Liam's lips touched mine with a softness so sincere that I knew he could never inflict pain upon me. I should have rejected him, but my mouth moved of its own accord, worshiping his lips as he gently placed a hand behind my neck to draw me closer.
It felt like forever before he pulled away, leaving us both breathless. Almost instantly, I regretted my actions. That wasn't a kiss between two best friends. It was so much more, and I knew that it couldn't happen again.
In a second, I was on my feet. I had to get away from him, lest I was drawn in for another heated kiss. My body desired him so much at that moment—and my heart even more. If I stayed with him, it would destroy everything.
“Melita,” he called to me as I rushed into the guest bedroom, grabbed my cell phone, and dialed Jack's number.
“Where were you? I tried to call you earlier.” Jack sounded agitated, but I ignored him.
“I need to come back to New York tonight.”