Chapter Twelve
Liam had just finished doing a perimeter sweep and was heading upstairs when he saw Cora’s bedroom light on and the door open. Normally she kept it closed to keep him away. Was she alright? He had dumped a lot on her tonight with introducing her to his sister. He still didn’t know what made him invite her, but he was glad he had. She finally knew his deepest secret. He was the reason his sister would never walk. Cora had taken it far better than he had thought. He shouldn’t be surprised. Cora was a unique woman and didn’t let much faze her. He had been stunned when she said she wanted to spend more time with June. Not because he thought it was a bad idea but because of June’s hostility towards anyone these days. Most of the time she couldn’t stand to be around him. He had always assumed it was because she had been injured because of him. He blamed himself for it too. June should have her whole life ahead of her and instead was stuck in a wheelchair and hospital bed. There were times he couldn’t look at her knowing she was there because of him. She’d never do what normal twenty-four-year-olds did. And for what? So, he could get laid by a woman he couldn’t even recall now. He was elated Cora wanted to spend more time with her. It was just what June needed to get out of her funk. He wasn’t kidding though when he said if June started getting sick again he would cut off the outdoor visits. June wasn’t a delicate flower, but she was more susceptible to things now. What if Cora was right though? What if June just needed more interaction with people and be given more freedom to come and go? Could it really be that simple to help his sister? He supposed only time could tell.
Liam walked quietly down the hall, the carpet softening his footsteps and he peered into her room. He didn’t see anything at first. Perhaps she was in her closet and had just left the door open on accident. He was about to walk away when he saw movement in her bathroom. She was in her bathroom packing her toiletries in a small bag. He could see that she was talking to herself through the mirror reflection but couldn’t hear what she was saying. Most likely she was going through everything she needed to bring. Cora had never taken a trip away since she moved into her home, so she didn’t know everything that she would need to bring with her. She threw her bag down and dropped her head. He longed to comfort her, but she didn’t like people to see her vulnerable. It would make her lash out instead of seeking comfort. He waited in her doorway and watched her. Her head suddenly snapped up and their eyes connected in the mirror. Cora didn’t look surprised to see him. Her face remained stoic as she turned and faced him.
“I just finished checking everything over. The house is secure.” He should leave. He needed to leave. The longer he stood there, the more tempted he was to take her in his arms and kiss her again. He could still taste her on his lips. He could still remember the feel of her pressed against him. His body screamed at him to go to her. His instincts told him to retreat. This slight woman owned him body and soul, and he was at war with himself about what to do. Go to her or retreat. But watching her standing there staring at him made him immobile. Her eyes roamed over his body as he’d seen her do many times over the past few days. She wanted him, but she didn’t want to want him. She was trying to ignore it. Pretend there wasn’t still something between them. He had hurt her before with his secrets and now she knew them all. Would she still reject him? Had he risked telling her his secret to no avail? He supposed he was about to find out.
Cora walked towards him slowly. His body went on alert. Was she going to kiss him? Hit him? Yell at him? When it came to Cora, he learned to expect the unexpected.
She stood in front of him and stared into his eyes looking for something. She must have found it because she reached up and pulled his head down and captured his lips. Liam was stunned that she kissed him. It only took a moment for him to pull her close. As much as he wanted to take over, he allowed her to control the kiss. He didn’t want to force Cora to do something she wasn’t ready for.
Cora broke the kiss and Liam all but whimpered. To finally have her kiss him instead of him kissing her, was pure joy and torture. Her kiss was hesitant. He wasn’t going anywhere. Alejandro could barge into the house right now, and he wouldn’t be able to pull himself away from Cora’s lips. She was kissing him even if only this once and he didn’t want to miss a second. She pulled away and looked up at him. “Don’t you want me, Liam?”
What kind of question was that? He always wanted her. Every moment of every fucking day. He didn’t even look at other women because he knew they weren’t Cora. She was it for him. If he believed in soulmates, she was his. “I always want you, Amazon. Feel how much I want you.” He told her as he pulled her into his erection and prodded her stomach.
“Then why are you holding back?”
She wanted him to take over? He wasn’t about to disappoint her and leave his Amazon warrior wanting. Liam didn’t give her any warning as he swooped down and reclaimed her lips. She tasted like cinnamon. His favorite flavor. Cora groaned and dug her nails into his back. Liam’s hands roamed down her back and gripped her cheeks. He lifted her up and she wound her legs around his waist.
Heaven. He had died and gone to heaven, and he was never coming back to earth again. God, he was such a fucking idiot for thinking he could walk away from this. What had he been thinking?
Liam spun them around and pressed Cora against the wall. He used his hips to keep her up, so his hands were free to rove her body. He tilted the head to the side, so he could kiss down her neck, while his other hand pulled her shirt sleeve out of his way.
“Oh, Liam. I’m missed this. I’ve missed you.” Cora admitted throwing her head back.
“I’ve missed you too, Cora. Every day.” He slid a hand down to her waist and reached under her shirt to caress her bare skin. Cora hummed in approval and caressed his biceps. She always loved gripping his arms when he pleasured her. He put on a show and flexed them under her hands.
Cora reached down and grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled up, exposing his abs. She lifted the shirt to his chest but was stopped because his hand was still under her shirt. “Liam, take it off.” He didn’t have to be told twice. Liam retracted his hand and leaned back and grabbed his shirt from the collar and pulled it off in one fell swoop, exposing his bronzed skin for her needy eyes. Cora’s hands reached out and dipped into each crevice and around his pecs. He leaned down and kissed her neck while her hands glided over his chest and abs.
“Can I at least return the favor?” Liam asked as he lifted her shirt.
Cora grabbed her shirt with both hands and lifted the material away and threw it on the floor without a care. She reached back and unclasped her bra and slowly let the straps fall to her elbows. Liam’s eyes glowed and he watched her hungrily. She pulled her arms out of the straps and held her bra to the side and let it drop. Liam’s eyes remained glued to her breast and he licked his lips in anticipation for the feast. Cora gripped them and pushed them towards him in offering. His head dropped and buried his head in between them for a moment, before taking a nipple into his mouth and suckling her. Cora’s hands reached up and gripped the back of his head as if afraid he would pull away from her. There wasn’t a chance in hell. There wasn’t a force on earth that could pull him out of this woman’s arms right now.
“Please, Liam. I need you.”
“You have me.” He murmured against her skin. He couldn’t get enough of her.
“I need more.”
Liam lifted his head and gave her a wolfish grin before spinning back around and taking her to the bed where he threw her in the middle. Cora sat up on her elbows and opened her mouth, but no words came out as he unbuttoned his pants and lowered the zipper as he kicked off his boots. He was commando. Cora watched in anticipation as Liam hooked his thumbs in the side of his pants and slowly lowered them. He bent forward, blocking her view of him. Not that she needed to see him to remember every inch of it. The memory was seared into her brain. He stood up and allowed her to view him in all his naked glory. Cora crooked a finger at him and bade him come. Liam stayed at the foot of the bed but grabbed her legs and dragged her to the edge. He leaned down and undid her pants and pulled her pants and panties off at the same time. He threw them over his shoulder without a care as his eyes locked onto the apex of her thighs. Cora felt herself getting wetter and he hadn’t even done anything yet. Cora laid flat on her back and spread her legs wide for him. Liam’s fingers flexed around her ankles. The air crackled between them. Five months without each other was too long. Neither could hold out much longer. The chemistry between them had always been dynamite. Liam looked into her eyes as he dropped to his knees. Cora’s breath hitched. She knew what was coming and she couldn’t wait. She was suddenly thankful her neighbors didn’t live too close to her. Liam had a way of making her scream like a banshee. Liam leaned forward and gave her a quick lick. Her Kegels flexed, and Cora’s head dropped back. He did it again as if savoring his favorite treat.
“Liam, stop teasing.” She complained even though she loved it. The slow build up until she exploded.
“I’m tasting. There’s a difference.” He said before he gave her another quick lick and groaned as her flavors hit his tongue. He pulled her closer to the edge of the bed before opening her lips and buried his face in between her legs and gorged himself.
“Yes,” Cora screamed. She tried to close her legs around his head, but Liam’s broad shoulders prevented her. He lapped at her and gently probed inside. Cora grabbed a fistful of his hair. She tried twisting this way and that to get him deeper and make herself come. She needed to come. She hadn’t come in five months because she knew her vibrator couldn’t give her the release Liam always could. Liam sensed her distress and lifted her legs just above his head and held her legs up as he feasted on her.
It was just what she needed. Within a few minutes, Cora exploded. Lights flashed behind her eyes and her body tensed before turning boneless. It was her first real orgasm in five months and she almost passed out from the pleasure of it. Liam continued to lick her through the aftershocks. When she was done, he released her legs and slowly climbed up over her body.
“I almost forgot how good you taste.” He said kissing up her stomach then between her breasts before looking down at her. He stared down burning this moment in the back of his mind forever. He had Cora back in his arms and she had accepted his secrets. How did he get so lucky?
Cora smiled up at him lazily before leaning up and kissing him. She could taste herself on his lips, but it didn’t deter her. Soon the kiss turned heated and Cora ran her legs up and down the backs of his. She reached down between them and felt how hard he still was. Her Liam could go forever pleasing her before finally taking his own pleasure. She gave him a few firm thrusts before Liam reached down and captured her hand.
“Easy sweetheart. You keep that up I’ll come in a heartbeat.”
“But I want to pleasure you,” Cora whined and tried to reach for him again.
“Being in your arms again is pleasure enough for me.” Cora felt tears fill her eyes but she wouldn’t shed them. She felt her heart melting towards him again but there was something she had to know first before they did anything else.
“Have you been with anyone since we broke up, Liam?” Cora waited with bated breath for his answer. It was an answer that could change the course of the evening. She didn’t expect him to remain faithful to her since they were broken up, but she had to know if he had been running around the past few months.
“No, I knew I would never find anyone like you, so there wasn’t a point in looking. Cheap meaningless sex lost its flare a long time ago.” Since his sister’s accident. It was all the answer Cora needed to make her decision. She pulled him down and kissed him. Their tongues dueled, and Liam held Cora closely. She poured everything into the kiss. All her love, anger, fear. Everything. She feared him leaving tomorrow, and if something should happen to him, or Alejandro came after her while he was gone. He told her Bulldog and a few of his teammates would be there, but they weren’t Liam. She only wanted Liam to guard her. Her own personal guard dog that she knew would kill for her.
Cora reached down and took his length in hand and guided him to her entrance. Liam paused at her opening. “Are you sure? Because once I’m inside you, you belong to me Cora St. James. And I’m never letting you go again.” It was as close to a declaration of love as he had ever given her.
Cora didn’t know if it was supposed to be a promise or a threat. Either way, she liked it. Liam Macintosh was it for her. He had shared his deepest secret with her today and she felt closer to him now more than ever before. Now, she was ready to be claimed and claim him in return. “Promises, promises. For a man of action, I’m not seeing a lot right now.”
Liam glared down at her and he pushed up from her. “You want to see action. I’ll give you action.” Liam slammed inside of her until he was balls deep and took her hard. Her walls were tight from not being used but she loved the burn. She was being reclaimed by her man.
“You good?” Liam asked her not slowing down.
“Never better.” Cora lifted her legs higher up his waist.
Liam caught one of her legs and raised it to his shoulder. He gripped the back of her neck and pulled her closer as he slammed into her. Cora screamed his name as she came a few minutes later. Liam groaned as her walls tightened around him. He wasn’t ready to come yet, but it had been too long since he had been inside her. He buried his head in her neck as he poured everything he had inside of her.
Liam collapsed to his side, so Cora didn’t take the brunt of his weight. She snuggled up to him and laid her head on his chest. All was right and perfect in the world at that moment. Liam held Cora close and never wanted her to leave him again. He hated that he had to leave on a mission tomorrow, but now he had something to come home to. With Cora giving him another chance he knew he had something to look forward to again. All felt right in the world again, besides Alejandro still on the loose. But for now, a piece of his heart and soul that had been missing for the past five months, was back and he felt whole again. It was all because of Cora, and he would do anything and everything to keep her with him. Liam kissed Cora on the top of her head and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and he wasn’t ready to be separated from her now that he just got her back.