Chapter Twelve #2
The man stood upright again, and while a bit unsteady on his feet, he looked pissed. Thankfully, he remained in place, not brave enough to take a step forward. Not when Liam was several inches taller and probably had at least thirty pounds of muscle on him.
“He’s not worth it.” My voice shook. I hated that show of vulnerability, but adrenaline was fading fast, leaving me trembling all over. “Please, Liam, let’s just go. He’s not worth another second of our night.”
The desperation in my voice must have penetrated his anger. He looked at me, seeing that I was barely holding it together, then glanced back at the other man. “You got lucky this time, asshole,” Liam snarled at him, then turned away, taking me gently by the arm and leading me off the dance floor.
People parted to let us through, and while I was grateful that Liam had shown up when he had, embarrassment seeped into me. I was definitely rattled by the other man’s grabby behavior and I just wanted to go home.
But when we got back to the table, it was empty.
“They’re at the bar,” Liam said, answering my unvoiced question.
He grabbed my jacket off the back of my chair and held it open for me to put my arms through, his gaze searching my face as his fingers grazed the side of my neck as he adjusted the collar.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice low and gruff, even as his thumbs gently skimmed along my jawline.
I nodded, swallowing hard. “Yeah. Thanks for…that.” My words came out steadier than I felt, but I didn’t step away, the proximity making it hard to ignore how his presence grounded me, even as it stirred up everything I’d been trying to push away.
His expression softened just a fraction. “I didn’t like seeing him touch you like that.” His tone was possessive and rough around the edges, and the way his eyes held mine made me shiver.
“I can handle myself,” I assured him. “But, I’m glad you were there.”
“Me, too,” he replied, giving me a small nod, his anger mostly dissipated. “Come on, I’m getting you out of here.”
Leaving was exactly what I wanted, but I couldn’t just go. “I can’t take off without letting Whitney know.” Though, by the looks of things, she was once again flirting with Henry, oblivious to what just happened to me.
Liam took my hand and led me in their direction. When we reached them, he caught Henry’s attention. “There was an incident on the dance floor. Some asshole got handsy with Morgan. I’m taking her home.”
Whitney turned immediately, her eyes widening with concern as she looked me over. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly, squeezing her arm to reassure her. “Just an asshole who wouldn’t take no for an answer. Liam handled it. But I’m ready to call it a night. I’m a little shaken up.”
She frowned, glancing between me and Liam, her worry clear. “I can come with you. We don’t have to stay.”
I shook my head. “No, really,” I insisted, managing a small smile. “You should enjoy the rest of the night. You deserve to unwind.”
Whitney hesitated, biting her lip, but then nodded. “Okay, but if you need anything, call me. And be safe.” She pulled me into a quick hug, whispering, “Text me details later.”
When we pulled apart I rolled my eyes at her. There would be no details to share. Not the kind she was insinuating, anyway.
Henry clapped Liam on the shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on Whitney.”
I smirked at my friend. “I’m sure he will,” I said, leaning close to say the words in her ear. “Text me later.”
She just grinned.
Then Liam was guiding me toward the exit. We didn’t speak as we walked across the parking lot toward his vehicle. His hand stayed on my lower back, steady and reassuring. I told myself he was just making sure I was okay. That it didn’t mean anything other than offering me comfort.
But the warmth of his palm through my dress, the way he stayed close, felt like more than just concern. His touch was both protective and unmistakably intimate. His attentive focus on me felt like something we were both still trying to pretend wasn’t real.
I slid into the passenger seat of Liam’s sports car. I didn’t know much about makes and models, but I was aware this vehicle was high end from the leather seats and woodgrain trim. The interior smelled like coffee and Liam, his cologne making the interior space feel more intimate.
I gave him my address, and he put it into the GPS built into the dash.
We made the drive to my building in a comfortable silence, and as he wound his way through the city, I stared out the window, trying not to replay the scene on the dance floor.
But it kept looping in my head, the way Liam stepped in without hesitation, the command in his voice, and the way he’d positioned his body between mine and imminent danger like his automatic instinct was to protect me.
I shouldn’t have liked the feeling as much as I did. I shouldn’t have felt that little jolt of heat at the possessiveness in his eyes. We’d made a pact. A truce to remain friends and keep things professional. But nothing about tonight felt even remotely simple or casual.
He was making it very, very difficult to keep those promises, and the worst part was…
I didn’t know what to do about it. My head knew the rules we had agreed to and why we’d drawn those lines in the first place.
But my heart? Well, my heart was ready to ignore those boundaries, wanting things I shouldn’t desire.
And I had no idea how I was going to handle the dichotomy of feelings.
When he pulled up in front of my apartment building and parked at the curb, he switched off the engine and turned to me before I could get out of the car. He hadn’t parked near a streetlight, but I could still see the intensity in his eyes.
“Are you sure you’re okay after what happened at the club?” he asked, his voice roughened with residual worry.
There was that concern again, and I gave him a reassuring smile. “Yes. I’m good. Thank you again for protecting me even when you didn’t have to.”
“Of course. He needed to be taught a lesson,” he said, his tone hardening for a second. “A real man doesn’t touch a woman unless she wants him to. And I most definitely did have to step in.”
His eyes dropped to my lips and the air in the car felt thicker, charged with everything we’d been dancing around since the restaurant. And the realization hit me hard—I wanted this man to touch me. Badly.
Liam reached out slowly, his fingers skimming along my jawline, light but deliberate.
A shiver ran through me, making my skin tingle.
That simple caress shifted everything. The awareness between us spiked, the attraction we’d both tried to deny pulling us in like it had its own magnetic force field.
His gaze met mine again, and I didn’t pull away.
I was so tired of denying what I wanted, and before I changed my mind, I leaned across the console, closing the gap between us.
He didn’t pull back when our lips met, soft at first, but igniting fast. His mouth was warm and insistent, tasting faintly of beer from the club.
I pressed closer, one hand finding his shoulder, the other sliding to the back of his neck, pulling him in.
He responded immediately, his lips parting mine, the kiss deepening with a hunger that made my head spin and my pulse race.
The desire between us built quickly, tongues tangling, breaths mingling in the tight, dark space of the car.
I nipped at his bottom lip, and he groaned low, the arousing sound vibrating through me.
My body arched toward his, desperate for more contact, the console digging into my side but not enough to stop me.
His hand cupped my face, thumb tracing my cheek, while the other gripped my waist, urging me closer.
From there, things seemed to spiral out of control. He broke the kiss just long enough to mutter, “Come here,” in a rough and commanding tone.
Strong hands guided me over the console, dragging me onto his lap.
I straddled him, my dress riding up my thighs as my knees settled on either side of his hips.
The steering wheel at my back forced me closer to Liam, until our bodies were flush.
My breasts crushed against his chest, and the hard length of his cock pressing between my legs sent a jolt of need straight to my core.
We crashed back into the kiss, heated and urgent now.
With a deep groan, his mouth claimed mine, teeth clashing as one hand tangled in my hair, tilting my head for better access.
The other skimmed up my thigh, slow and teasing, pushing beneath the hem of my dress.
His warm fingers traced the edge of my panties before slipping beneath.
I gasped into his mouth as he stroked my slick pussy, his thumb rubbing my clit with just the right pressure. I tilted my hips, allowing him to slide two fingers inside me, curving them to hit that spot that made my toes curl.
I was grateful we were in this dark spot, hidden from prying eyes and probably fogging up the windows.
We shouldn’t be doing this considering all the reasons why this was a bad idea, but everything about Liam felt so good, so right.
His touch was confident, stroking me in that perfect rhythm as I rocked against his hand.
I could feel his erection straining against me, hard and thick, and I ground down on it instinctively, the friction making him growl against my lips.
The pleasure built fast, coiling tight in my belly.
His fingers pumped deeper, his thumb working my clit in firm circles, and I broke the kiss to bury my face in his neck, moaning softly.
My hips moved with his own upward thrusts, chasing the edge, every stroke of his hand sending sparks through me.
My internal muscles clenched against his fingers and I came hard, shuddering against him. Waves of bliss rolled through me, my thighs trembling, breath hitching as I rode out the pleasure, shamelessly grinding down on his lap for more.
He tensed beneath me, his free hand gripping my hip hard, and a raw groan rumbled in his chest as his hips jerked erratically.
His stiff cock was aligned with my pussy and I felt him pulse against me, growling deep in his throat as he came too, right there in his pants, while I was still coming down from my orgasm.
We both sat there afterward, breathing hard, chests heaving in the dark car. I was shocked, my mind reeling from how fast things had escalated, and how intense it had been.
“Fuck,” he rasped, his head dropping back against his seat.
I pulled back slightly, still straddling him, my hands on his shoulders. His hooded gaze looked up at me, and a slow smile curved my lips.
“Did you just…come?” I asked, because, well, that was hot as fuck.
A rueful grin tugged at his lips despite the heat still in his gaze. “Yeah,” he admitted, his hands sliding down to rest on my thighs. “Haven’t done that since I was a fucking teenager.”
I laughed softly, but his expression grew more serious. The warmth in his eyes shifted, giving way to something more conflicted and my stomach dropped.
He exhaled slowly. “What are we doing, Morgan?”
The question made something in my chest tighten. The high of what we’d just done was still pulsing through my body, but reality pressed in just as fast.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. It was the truth. My heart was racing for a hundred different reasons, and not one of them made sense.
Liam closed his eyes for a moment, like he needed to collect himself. When he opened them, the heat lingered, but it was softer now, layered with something more cautious.
“Jesus, Morgan,” he said, his voice threaded with frustration and uncertainty. “I’m trying to do the right thing here.”
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words. “Are you putting me back in the friend zone?” I tried to keep my tone light, but there was a hint of vulnerability beneath that I couldn’t hide.
He huffed out a strained laugh. “That’s what I should do,” he said reluctantly. “This could get complicated. We work together. We have a business relationship. If something goes wrong…I don’t want to screw that up for either of us.”
His words weren’t dismissive. They were real, thoughtful, and laced with the same frustration and desire I felt.
I could see the internal tug-of-war in his eyes, and I understood where he was coming from.
This wasn’t just about us. He was a business man who’d invested millions into my father’s company, and I was adult enough to acknowledge that neither of us could predict what could potentially happen between us in the future.
I nodded, even though a small ache bloomed in my chest. “I get it. I do. It’s confusing.” My voice softened. “I’m confused. As much as I want you, the work stuff makes it tricky.”
I saw the relief on his face that I wasn’t angry or hurt. He cupped my cheek gently, just his fingertips, like he was afraid that too much contact would pull us right back into the spiral. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said quietly. “And I don’t want to mess up whatever is happening between us.”
He didn’t elaborate on that, but we both knew that our attraction, connection, and chemistry was off the charts and clearly not something we could ignore, no matter how hard we’d already tried to do so.
“I don’t want that either,” I replied, my hands resting on his chest, not ready to break the connection just yet.
“Let’s just…slow this down,” he suggested. “Figure it out without rushing.”
“Okay,” I agreed, knowing it was for the best.
I started to move off him, and he helped me back into the passenger seat.
His hands stayed on me a moment longer than needed, sliding from my waist to my hips in a way that felt reluctant, like he was fighting the urge to pull me back onto his lap.
I didn’t take it as rejection. I recognized his restraint, the kind that told me he wanted more but was trying not to rush whatever this was between us. Because other things were at stake.
“Are we good?” he asked, and the concern I heard in his voice made it impossible to doubt his good intentions.
“Yeah, we are,” I murmured, giving him a smile.
His eyes dropped to my lips for a beat, like the idea of another kiss was still too tempting. “Yeah, we will be,” he said quietly. “We’ll figure this out.”
His words were meant to reassure, but I didn’t think either of us really believed getting through this and figuring things out would be that simple.