CHAPTER TWELVE
I dressed quickly and went to the living room, where Liam was staring off into space on the couch. "Ready?” I asked, making him jump. He nodded, standing up and grabbing his keys. I followed him out the door to the truck. We drove in silence, and when Liam parked in front of the grocery store, I grabbed the door handle to swing open the door.
"Kelsey," Liam said. I turned to him. "Remember. This is a quick visit. No need to put ourselves in the spotlight any more than we've already done." I nodded.
It was a Monday morning, which meant thankfully that there was no one in the grocery store save for us and the cashier. I proceeded to the dairy aisle, but stopped short when I rounded the corner. Liam stopped beside me, looking down at me curiously. I nodded at the display where Daisy was filling her cart with gallons of milk. Liam sighed.
“Fine. Go say hi. I'll go to get some bread for us, and then we'll leave when I get back." I smiled gratefully at Liam as he walked off, then stepped forward to greet Daisy.
“Daisy, hey,” I said. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Ha. Hey, Agnes,” Daisy said, loading two more gallons of milk into her shopping cart. “I’m out of milk at the coffee shop, so I popped over here to restock.”
“Would you hand me a gallon? We’re out too.” Daisy obliged, handing me a gallon of skim milk.
“I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to you guys Saturday night,” Daisy said chidingly.
“Yeah, we were in a bit of a hurry to get home.”
Daisy winked at me. “I can only imagine why. I’m surprised you made it to the front door with all your clothing on, the way that man was looking at you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be dramatic.”
“I mean it. You and your husband are seriously into each other. Why be embarrassed by that?” Why indeed?
“Well, I should go find Amos and get out of here,” I said. “It’s supposed to start snowing pretty hard this afternoon, so we want to be home before that starts.”
“Okay. It was good to see you, Agnes. Go home and enjoy being snowed in with your super hot husband,” Daisy teased, hugging me.
I squeezed her hard. Daisy tensed, and I pulled back to see what was wrong. "Daisy?" Her face had become ashen, all trace of amusement gone. I looked over my shoulder to see what had caused such a dramatic change in her.
An unkempt man who looked to be in his forties was swaying in the aisle, holding a six-pack of cheap beer. He was glaring at Daisy so intensely that I was instantly uncomfortable. “Daisy, who is that?” I whispered.
“Anthony,” she said grimly. “My ex-husband.”
Ah. The abusive, alcoholic husband who used to beat Daisy. Great. I hated men that preyed on vulnerable women, men whose egos were so fragile that they needed to validate themselves by beating their wives.
“Daisy,” Anthony called, his upper lip curling. “Hey bitch, I'm talking to you. Answer me when I fucking address you." Daisy didn't answer. She stood stock still, terror rising in her eyes. Anthony started walking towards us, and Daisy's eyes pled with mine. She started trembling, and I stiffened my resolve.
I squared my shoulders and I placed myself between Daisy and Anthony. “Daisy doesn’t want to talk to you right now. I suggest you kick rocks and go sober up somewhere.”
“Shut up, bitch, I wasn’t talking to you,” Anthony snarled. “I can talk to my wife anytime I damn well please, and a little bitch like you isn’t going to stop me.”
He was advancing far too close now. I flinched as he grabbed me by the shoulders and shoved me roughly to the side so he could get to Daisy. He reeked of body odor and whiskey, and the smell made me gag as I stumbled to catch my balance.
There was a blur of motion, and Liam was there, knocking Anthony to the floor. He pinned him to the ground with a knee to the chest. Anthony struggled to get to his feet, but couldn’t unbalance Liam. Daisy and I looked on in horror and admiration.
Liam leaned down, getting in Anthony’s face. “Apologize to my wife for shoving her,” he growled. “And apologize to your ex-wife for being a piece of shit.”
“Fuck you,” Anthony spat. Liam pushed his knee harder into Anthony’s chest, making him groan. “Fine! I’m sorry for pushing your bitch wife out of the way when she was sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.”
“That didn’t sound very sincere to me,” Liam said as he kneed Anthony in the groin. Anthony grunted loudly. “Try again.”
“I’m sorry,” Anthony wheezed. “To both of you. I’ll leave Daisy alone.”
“See that you do,” Liam said, standing up. He pulled Anthony up roughly and shoved him away. “Now get lost before I call the police on you for assaulting women, being drunk in public, and general vagrancy.”
Anthony picked up his beer and swaggered off, cursing audibly under his breath as he disappeared around the corner in a cloud of odor and foul language.
Liam turned to me, running his hands over my shoulders. He searched my face anxiously. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
I shook my head and looked at Daisy. “I’m fine. How are you, Daisy?”
Daisy’s lower lip trembled, but she quickly pulled it into a taut smile. “I’ll be fine. I should be used to Anthony by now, but it’s always such a shock to see how bad his alcoholism has gotten. This was a good reminder that my divorce was a good thing. What you did was amazing, Amos, though. You came out of nowhere."
Liam shrugged modestly. "I came from the bread aisle. It wasn't anything special. I saw him with his hands on Agnes, and I saw red. I just did what any man would do when he sees women in danger.” I bit my lip and tried to convey my gratitude with my eyes. I took him by the hand and smiled warmly up at him.
“Well, it wasn’t nothing to me,” Daisy said. “You two go home now before the snow starts really falling and you can’t drive home. I’ll be fine here.”
“You sure?" Liam asked. "I can walk you out if you want."
Daisy shoved us away. “Go, go. Anthony has probably already scurried off somewhere else to lick his wounds.”
Liam looked unconvinced but didn't push the subject. "Okay. If you're sure you're okay, then we'll head out." He nodded at Daisy, pulling my hand gently.
“Hell of a husband you’ve got there,” Daisy said with a wink.
I had to agree.
***
The snow was starting to fall massively as we left the grocery store, making me glad we'd gone when we did. When we got back to the cabin, I busied myself with starting a fire in the giant fireplace while Liam brought in cords of firewood.
“This storm is supposed to bring four feet of snow,” Liam said. “We should stock up and conserve supplies in case the power goes out.”
I nodded in agreement, going outside with Liam to bring wood in. The altercation in the grocery store had only heightened my awareness of Liam, and being so close to him made my skin light up with heat despite the cold outside. I got goosebumps every time he brushed by me, and it was all I could do not to tackle him in the snow and rip off his clothes.
We finally got the last of the wood into the cabin and stood by the blazing fire, admiring the massive woodpile we'd brought in together. I looked down at my watch. Half past noon. Time to hunker down and wait out this storm.
“Wine?” I suggested. “It’s after noon, so we’re past that hump of being morning drinkers.”
Liam chortled. "Why not? Not like we have much else to do."
“That’s the spirit!” I said, though I could think of plenty other things we could do, and many different places we could do them in. “I’ll uncork a bottle and be right back.” I went to the kitchen and plucked a bottle of red from the cabinet. I grabbed glasses and a corkscrew on my way back into the living room, where Liam had spread a throw blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace.
He patted the floor next to him, and I sat down, stretching my feet out in front of me so that the fire warmed my toes. The heat was too intense, though, so I folded my feet under my knees. Liam poured the wine and handed me my glass. I accepted it and leaned back onto one palm. I stared into the fire as I sipped my wine, entranced by the crackling and popping of the logs in the fireplace.
“Thank you,” I said, looking over at Liam.
His face was soft as he studied mine. “For what?”
“Earlier, with Anthony. Defending your wife,” I teased.
“Don’t mention it,” Liam grunted. “It wasn’t a big deal. I just got rid of a drunk who was bothering you.”
“It was a big deal to me,” I said. I looked into my wine glass, avoiding looking directly into Liam’s gaze.
“You’re welcome,” he said gruffly, falling silent.
"So, Liam Sullivan. Tell me more about yourself. We're friends, right?" He shot me a sardonic look. "Well, we're at least co-workers. Don't co-workers tell each other about their lives?" "First off, we're not co-workers. I was assigned to protect you. That doesn't mean we're working together."
“Same difference,” I said. “We’ve done some things mere co-workers don’t do.” I winked at Liam, who rolled his eyes. I nudged his arm, urging him to talk.
"All right," Liam sighed. "Well, you already know that I grew up poor in Portsmouth." I nodded. "My dad died when I was six. Killed, actually, in a robbery. Completely pointless death- killed over money. Anyway, after that, my sister and I were raised by my mom, who never remarried. Pretty standard childhood- altar boy, baseball, biking around with my friends. I graduated high school and went straight into the military. After that, I went into the Marshals. Now I live in Norfolk with my dog, Buster. That's all there is to me." Liam shrugged. That positively wasn't all there was to Liam, but I didn’t want to press my luck when things were so fragile between us. “What about you, Kelsey Jones? Tell me more about you, the hotshot lawyer who defends serial killers.”
“One serial killer. And I thought he was innocent." Liam nodded. He'd been kidding. "My parents divorced when I was ten, which was a blessing because my father is a piece of crap. I grew up with one sister, Anna, and she has two gorgeous sons that I'm proud to call my nephews. I went to college in New York and went to law school in Virginia. Now I live in Virginia Beach when I'm not being stalked by serial killers. No pets, but I do have a ficus."
Liam laughed, then noted my empty wine glass and held up the bottle. I nodded, and he poured. My tongue darted out to moisten my lower lip when our fingers brushed, and Liam's jaw clenched.
"You're probably the best co-worker I've ever had," I mused, smiling at Liam.
"We're not co-workers," he said, locking eyes with me as I sipped my wine. I gulped, finishing my glass in one go. Liam's hand brushed against my leg, and instead of pulling it away, he started stroking my calf.
“Liam,” I warned.
“What?” he asked mockingly. “We’re friends, right? Friends don't give each other leg massages? Let me massage you, Kelsey."
I gave in. I had agreed to do whatever he said for a week, after all. I moaned loudly as he squeezed my sore calf muscle, relieving the pressure that remained there from bringing in the wood. I shook my head. "I really don't think they do. None that I've ever had, anyway."
“Well, that’s a shame. I guess that means I can’t do this.” He moved his hands upwards and started working on my quads. I melted under his touch, never wanting him to stop.
“You’re right, we’re definitely friends,” I managed to squeak out.
Liam smirked, continuing to work my aching muscles. “Tell me something else about you, Kelsey. What’s your favorite holiday?”
“Halloween,” I said. “Oh, and Christmas. It’s hard to choose. What about you?”
“Christmas in July.”
“You cheeseball,” I laughed.
“What else?” he asked.
"I hate asparagus, and I love brussels sprouts. You?"
"You want a real truth?" I nodded at his question. "I want to do entirely un-friend-like things to you.”
I shivered as his hands moved further up my thighs to my hips. “Like what?” I whispered.
"This," he said, the corners of his mouth turning up sinfully as he tugged me on top of him. I straddled his hips, squirming. Liam hauled my mouth down to his, which closed over mine in a hot display of possession.
I recovered from the suddenness of the kiss and relaxed into it, ecstatic. Liam grabbed the back of my head, molding my mouth to his as he moved his lips over mine. When his tongue teased at my closed lips, I moaned, and Liam took that opportunity to fully explore me. Our tongues sparred and parried with each other, building my arousal so high I was practically dry humping Liam to relieve the pressure. My panties were soaked through, and I adjusted myself so that I was seated more fully in Liam's lap, our hips fitting together perfectly. I pulled back to look into Liam’s eyes, which were heavy-lidded and glazed over with lust. I held his gaze as I reached down and pulled off my top, leaving me only in a bra and leggings.
Liam's eyes flashed with approval, and he palmed my breasts through the lace of the bra. His hands moved to my back, and in one snap, unclasped my bra and threw it to the side of the couch. He turned his attention back to my breasts, taking one nipple into his mouth and sucking. Pleasure shot through me, as though there were a direct line from my nipple to my G-spot. He alternated breasts, continuing his assault as I rocked up and down on his hips. I threw my head back with closed eyes as I gyrated, lost in the sensations Liam's mouth was creating.
I frowned when I felt cold air hit my nipples, and I looked down. Liam had pulled back from my breasts. He gazed into my face intensely as he reached to the back of his neck to pull his shirt off. I ran my hands over the hard plane of his stomach, coming to a stop at the top of his zipper, and looked straight at him as I slid off his lap to sit at his feet. He lifted his hips up to help me pull down his pants and briefs in one go. My eyes devoured the length of him, and I bit my lip and moaned at the sight of the droplet of moisture at the tip of his penis. It was practically begging for me to taste it.
"Big boy," I said, grasping him by the shaft.
Liam inhaled sharply at my grip. “Too big for you?”
I shook my head. "I think I can work with this."
"Good girl."
I straightened up and leaned forward so that we were face to face and kissed him deeply as I stroked. He bucked his hips, urging me to go faster, but I pulled back and winked, then took his head into my mouth. I licked around the bottom of the head, teasing him, before taking all of him into my mouth until his cock hit the back of my throat.
“Fuck," Liam groaned, grabbing a handful of my hair. My eyes watered as he bucked up again and I gagged slightly. "Fuck, sorry, sorry," he apologized, trying to pull out of my mouth. I grabbed his hips and pulled him deeper into my mouth, reaching between my legs to rub my clit as I sucked him harder. Liam grabbed me by the shoulders and roughly hauled me back into his lap.
"You're so fucking sexy," Liam growled, pulling me back to his mouth. "I don't want to come unless it's inside you." His fingers played with the waistband of my leggings, and I tilted my hips up in encouragement. He pulled off my leggings so that I was spread bare to him. Liam pulled my hands from where they were covering my breasts and placed them on his shoulders. He grabbed me by the hips and lifted me, stopping when he was poised at my entrance. He nudged my chin, searching for an answer to his unspoken question in my eyes. I nodded. He lowered me and I slid down on him, making us both moan with bliss. I squirmed at the fullness of him, and I stilled while I adjusted to how wide he stretched me. I moved experimentally, moaning loudly at how full I was. I pumped up and down, gradually increasing my speed until I was riding Liam with abandon. His hands held on tight to my hips as I rode, keeping me steady so I never lost the rhythm.
“Fuck, baby, I’m so close,” Liam hissed, biting my shoulder. I was approaching that precipice quickly myself as our movements became more frenzied. Liam adjusted my hips, hitting something deeper in me. I screamed as I came, letting my head fall forward as my orgasm completely took over my body. Liam came right after me, lifting me quickly off him as he pumped his cock. Cords of cum splashed onto his stomach and I watched in fascination as he jerked three times and collapsed backward on the couch.
I snuggled into his side, fully sated, and ran my fingers through his damp hair.
“I guess this makes us very good friends,” I said into his shoulder. Liam let out a bark of laughter and shifted me off of him so he could clean himself off.
“Very good friends indeed,” Liam said, pulling his pants back on before coming back to sit next to me on the couch. “We didn’t last very long as platonic friends, though. You should work on your self-control.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, then kissed him as he absentmindedly stroked my breast. “We should probably invest in some condoms.”
“How presumptuous of you,” Liam said, with an exaggerated offended look.
“You’ve already demonstrated that you’re easy, no need to defend your virtue now.” I winked at him as I walked to the bathroom.
Then it hit me like a truck- the magnitude of what we'd just done. My smile faded as I shut the door and sat down, my mind running wild. I hope this hadn't complicated things too much. What if one of us got hurt here? What if Liam expected more from me than I was willing to give? I'm not sure I know what I want out of this. Am I overthinking things? I stood up and turned on the bath faucet, deciding that a hot shower was what I needed to clear my head. The water was finally perfect when Liam knocked. I opened the bathroom door.
“Want company?” Liam asked, standing in front of me, wearing nothing but a grin.
My face broke into a wide smile. “Hell yes.”
I could overthink things later.