8. Chapter 8
~LIAM~
“ I haven’t seen you since you moved home, and it’s been a year,” Sam says.
“Time flies fucking fast.” I rub my hand over the back of my neck. “At least I text.”
Despite not living here full time, Sam was always one of my closest friends growing up. We kept in touch when I was back in Washington, and we were practically inseparable when I was in town for the summer.
There are few men that I trust more than Sam Waters.
“She looks like a handful. A beautiful one, I might add.”
I glance Ellie’s way and smile. She’s talking with Lauren, her hands as expressive as her gorgeous face.
“She’s both,” I agree. “I heard you’re doing firefighter work now. Good for you, man.”
“I liked being an EMT. But I enjoy this more. Speaking of, you should come out with some of us tomorrow night. We’re just going to shoot pool for a bit, but you’d enjoy it. Have a beer or two and shoot the shit with the guys.”
As good as the idea of spending time with my best friend sounds, I start to shake my head.
“Unless you’ve lost your touch when it comes to pool.” He rocks back on his heels. “We wouldn’t want to embarrass you or anything.”
“I’d kick your ugly ass.” It’s a good-natured snarl that makes Sam laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Ellie asks when she joins us. She stands closer to Sam than to me, as if she’s putting space between us on purpose. I narrow my eyes at her.
“I was just ribbing Liam and criticizing his pool-shooting skills,” Sam says. “Or lack thereof.”
“I haven’t lost my pool-playing abilities,” I reply calmly. “I just don’t have to prove it to you to be confident in myself.”
“So, come out with us tomorrow night and prove me wrong.”
“I can’t?—”
Ellie cuts me off. “Going out would be wonderful. He could use a night away from work. Count him in.”
I lift a brow. Sam’s smile deepens.
“Awesome. I’ll text you tomorrow.” He nods at Ellie. “Nice to meet you.”
Sam walks out of Drips & Sips, and I turn to Ellie.
“Last time I checked, you didn’t make my schedule.”
She doesn’t reply. She simply walks out of the shop with her head held high and her shoulders back, stopping by the car and waiting for me to open the door for her—which I do.
The ride to the house is full of silence. She’s clearly pissed off about something, but I’ll be damned if I know what. So, I let her brood with her arms crossed and her nose pointed at the passenger window.
I walk her down to the boathouse and reach for her hand when we’re inside her apartment, but she jerks away and scowls up at me.
Here we go. I’m about to get it. I’m not sure exactly why I’m about to be in trouble, but I brace myself for Ellie’s temper.
“Oh, so now you want to touch me?”
I frown. “What does that even mean?”
She shakes her head and moves to stomp away, but I catch her elbow and turn her back to me.
She looks down at my hand and then back up at my face and says with ice in her voice, “Take your hand off me.”
“You won’t run from me,” I reply, but drop my hand as she asked. “If there’s a problem, you’ll tell me right here and now what it is. I don’t have time for childish games.”
“ Childish games ?” She rounds on me, boosting up to her full height as she jabs her finger in my chest. “I’m not the one playing childish games , Liam Cunningham. That would be you. And I don’t have time for that either. So, you can go about your business, and I’ll do the same. I’ll ring for you if I need you.”
“No.”
She levels me with that regal princess look she has. “Excuse me?”
“I know you’re not used to being told no, but no. What’s got you so damn pissed off?”
“You recoiled from my touch not thirty minutes ago.”
“When?”
She stares at me as if I’m stupid and crosses her arms over her chest. “At the café,” she replies. “I went to touch your arm, and you backed away as if being touched by me was repulsive.”
I sigh and run my hand down my face. “Your touch is not repulsive.”
“You made me feel as if it is.” She sniffs, her nose in the air as if she can’t be bothered with me anymore. But her blue eyes hold the hurt she won’t admit to aloud.
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. It would take a lot more than that to hurt me.”
She turns away, but I reach for her again. She doesn’t pull away this time.
“I was on duty,” I remind her and drag my fingertip down her smooth, pale cheek. “And not only that, but we were also in public.”
She blinks rapidly as if she’d forgotten. I have to remember that she’s young and inexperienced.
“Someone could have snapped a picture and posted it all over social media, then your cover would have been blown,” I continue. I press a light kiss to her forehead. “You know that better than anyone.”
“I’m daft,” she whispers.
“No, you’re not. You’re a woman in an intimate relationship with a man. Casually touching me isn’t inappropriate most of the time, but we have to remember that this isn’t a normal situation. It’s my job to protect you, and that includes making sure you’re never in a position that puts you at risk.”
“I know you’re excellent at your job,” she says. “And I understand that what we do behind closed doors is ours alone. I’ll be more mindful when it’s not just the two of us.”
“If this is blurring too many lines for you, making it difficult, we can end it.”
Say you don’t want to end it. The thought of not touching her anymore makes me crazy. I haven’t even been inside her yet, and I’m already addicted to her. I’ve never felt this way before. If a woman decided it wasn’t working for her, I didn’t care if she moved on.
I’m not ready to say goodbye to this relationship with Ellie.
“No.” She sighs. “I lost my mind there for a moment, but I’m fine now, thank you.”
I kiss her forehead again, and when she tips her face up, I brush my lips across hers. I can’t get enough of her taste. Taking things slow is a torturous, painful mini-death but I’m also enjoying the task of introducing Ellie to her sensuality.
Losing one’s virginity doesn’t have to be a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. She should be seduced, slowly.
I might be a dead man when all is said and done, but it’ll be worth it.
I slip my hands up her arms and cradle her face as I sink into her, kissing her long and slow. She always moans softly, surrenders herself completely to me.
It’s a damn sight to behold.
But rather than letting me take things further, she plants her hands on my chest and backs away a few inches, far enough that my lips can’t reach her.
I want to growl and yank her against me, but I wait to see what her next move is instead.
“I don’t have time for this.” She’s breathless. “I have work to do today.”
“Later, then.” I brush my nose against hers. “We’ll make up for our argument later.”
“Epic mail day,” Baxter says the next morning as he sets a plastic tote brimming with boxes and letters on the table. Each day, I meticulously go through the mail before delivering it to the royals.
It’s protocol.
“I’m headed out to check the perimeter,” the other man says before walking out and shutting the door behind him.
There are several boxes in different sizes, all addressed to Ellie, that I open first. The first is addressed to her formal title. When I open it, I discover fabric swatches, glasses wrapped in paper, invitations, and other party things. I set it aside for her.
The next is a larger package addressed to Ellie Wakefield. Informal. I open that one and smile. It’s full of summer clothing that Ellie must have purchased online. Nothing out of the ordinary here.
I reach for the smallest of the boxes and see that it’s again addressed to Ellie Wakefield. Expecting it to be more online shopping goods, I open the box.
Black, lacy lingerie spills out into my hands, and my cock twitches.
Well, this is a nice surprise. She bought some hot-as-fuck underwear. The thought of seeing her wearing it makes my cock more than twitch.
But then an envelope falls out, as well. Ellie’s name is written in bold handwriting. Clearly male.
I tear it open and begin to read. With each word, my body tenses in anger. What in the actual fuck is going on?
Dearest Ellie:
Since you wouldn’t reply to my texts, I thought this was a good way to prove that I know where you are. And to apologize. I’m sorry we quarreled. You know I care about you more than anything in the world. Seeing you angry destroyed me. How long are you going to punish me by being away? Please, darling. Please come home to me. I want nothing more than to feel you pressed against me once again, your sweet lips under my own, and my hands holding the firm globes of your ? —”
“What are you doing?”
My head whips up at the sound of Ellie’s voice.
“I’m going through your mail, of course. What are you doing?”
“I took a break from work and came to find you.”
“I’d rather you just call for me. I don’t like you walking around the property alone.”
“I saw Baxter,” she says with a shrug. “I was perfectly safe. Oh! My clothes came.”
She happily dives into the box and starts pulling out flowy dresses and colorful tops.
“I needed some new things. I didn’t bring much with me from London.” She glances up and then notices the lingerie on the table and frowns. “What’s that?”
I pick it up and pass it to her. “See for yourself.”
“It’s from Paris. Sabia Rosa is an exclusive shop there. Very expensive. Where did it come from?”
I don’t say a word as I pass her the letter and watch as she reads it. Her cheeks flush, and then she scowls, rolls her eyes, and crumples the letter to toss away.
“He’s such a moron.”
“You said he doesn’t love you.”
“He doesn’t.”
I raise a brow and point at the wadded-up letter. “Sounds like he does.”
“He’s clearly an odd man. He might be crazy for all I know. And he’s trying to manipulate me. He thinks he can charm me with pretty knickers and words, as if that will send me running back into his arms.” She shakes her head adamantly. “I never was in his arms, which only made him angry. He thinks I’m daft. I’m not. But, hey, I got some pretty knickers out of it. I’ll wear them for you sometime.”
“Fuck that.” The words are harsh, even to my own ears, but I don’t care. “You won’t wear any of that. You’ll burn it.”
“Do you have any idea how much this likely cost?”
“I don’t give a flying fuck how much it cost. You won’t be wearing lingerie that another man bought for you when you’re with me. Sell it on eBay. Regift it. I don’t care. But you won’t ever touch it again.”
She blinks slowly, watching me. “You’re jealous.”
“Fuck that.”
“You’re completely jealous.”
We could be caught at any moment. I have staff on-site, and any of them could walk in. But I stalk closer to her, cup her chin firmly, and move one inch from her face when I say, “You’re damn right, I’m jealous, Princess. As long as my hands are on you, no other man will even try to get close to you. You told him no. That means no. So, no, I don’t give a shit how much this cost. You’ll get rid of it. And if this guy won’t leave you alone, I’ll be calling the London office to have him dealt with.”
“Possessive,” she murmurs, watching my lips. Her eyes are dilated.
“Damn right.”
I back away before I do something stupid like throw her over my shoulder, carry her up to my bedroom, and have my way with her naked body.
“Oh, this is the box I’ve been waiting for,” she says, rooting around in the parcel with the fabric samples and glasses. “Brilliant. I’ll just take these things back to my flat. I have plenty of work to do this afternoon. By the way, are you going out with Sam this evening?”
“No.”
“You should go.”
“I said no.”
“Liam, you’ve been stuck to me like glue for more than a week now. I’m safe here with the staff. Take a couple of hours to enjoy your friends. That’s not a request, it’s an order, as I’m still the boss here while Sebastian’s gone.”
She winks and turns to walk back to her apartment. I watch her head down the path, her ass swaying seductively. She disappears inside the boathouse, and I turn back to the mail.
I’d actually like to go and spend some time with Sam. But I don’t like the idea of leaving her. The men on my staff are all trustworthy. She’ll be safe.
But no one can keep her as safe as I can.
I’m a fucking control freak.
I’m going. Against my better judgement, I’m going out with the guys for a couple of hours. I’ve given my men strict orders, and they know there will be hell to pay if even one hair on Ellie’s head is out of place when I get back.
She didn’t hear me walk into the boathouse and up the stairs. She’s sitting at the table with her back to me, her laptop open, and the contents from the large box spread out over the surface.
“No, I want silk ,” she says, and I realize she’s talking to someone on speakerphone.
“Miss, there weren’t any silk options in that color,” a woman says. “That was as close as we could get.”
“Well, that’s simply unacceptable,” Ellie replies cooly. “We have one month until the event, and I’m quite sure you can find silk linens somewhere on this Earth before then. In oatmeal, not cream.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Keep me posted.”
She taps her phone and then sits back with a sigh, rubbing her temples. I see her hair is disheveled.
She’s wearing barely-there yoga shorts and a tank. It drives me fucking crazy when she wears that outfit. She might as well be naked for all the good it does covering her tight little body.
“Tired?” I ask as I approach. Her head whips around, and a smile spreads over her drawn features.
“I thought you would have left by now.”
“I wanted to check in before I go.” I kiss the top of her head and knead her shoulders. She sighs and melts into my touch. “Rough day?”
“All of this is wrong,” she murmurs. “I gave specific instructions, and they ignored me. So, they can start over.”
“What’s it all for? A party?”
“A gala fundraiser for the children’s hospital,” she murmurs and groans when my thumbs dig up her neck to the ridge on the back of her head. “And I want it to be perfect. When guests feel particularly pampered, they’re more likely to donate additional money. And those kids can use every pence they can get.”
“I thought everything in that box was fancy.”
She smiles up at me. “Thank you. I hope you have a lovely evening with your mates.”
“I’ll only be gone for a couple of hours.”
“Take all the time you want. I’m certainly not going anywhere, and I’m quite sure you gave your staff precise instructions for my safety.”
“Maybe.”
Her smile spreads wider. “See? I’m perfectly safe. Go, enjoy.”
“Why are you trying so hard to get rid of me?”
“So I can invite my secret lover over and have my way with him.”
When my eyes narrow and my jaw clenches, Ellie laughs and stands to give me a proper hug.
“You deserve a night off. Relax. Enjoy yourself. I’m just going to have a hot shower and watch the telly for a while.”
“Be good,” I whisper with my lips in her hair. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
She nods and blows me a kiss when I walk down the stairs and lock the door of the boathouse behind me.
“Have fun,” Baxter says. He’s guarding the door of the boathouse. He opted to work an extra shift, earning more money for that trip he wants to take with his wife. “Have a beer for me. It’s been so long since I drank, I don’t remember what it tastes like.”
“You have plenty of free evenings,” I remind him.
“I’m married,” he says, but he’s smiling. “I want to stay home with her. So, you go have fun. And if you drink too much, one of us will come and pick you up.”
“I won’t need a designated driver,” I assure him. “See you in a few hours.”
I hurry up to my car and head into town.