26. Elena
Ilie on my back on Liam’s bed, waiting for him. He’s off to get a bowl of warm water and a washcloth to clean my wounds. The emergency room staff wanted to check me out, and they looked over my cuts and abrasions, but I didn’t need stitches, so I refused any other treatment. Still, there are small traces of blood here and there, and Liam is in a doting mood, so I’ll let him do as he pleases. It’s nice to be cared for, especially on a day like this.
His watch lies on the nightstand staring at me. I know the inscription isn’t about a brother now. It’s about him. His real name, the identity he hid from me. It’s something that still bothers me and unnerves me a little. Liam is in the Mafia, and it’s not just a hyped-up drama show on TV. It’s real, and his father runs it. I have no idea who I’ve been sleeping with and dating, and I don’t know if I want to know it all.
Things with Liam are incredible. He’s sensitive and caring. He listens to me and supports my desires. He treats me like a princess, and he’s always there for me. If I don’t think about what he does for a living, he seems like the perfect man. I have no complaints, not even his occasional temper. Everyone has things that aren’t perfect, and Liam is no exception.
However, when I put it into perspective of who he actually is, I want to run away and hide from him. My life may never be free again. I have fears about what may happen if things don’t work out and I really do want to leave him. Will he be patient and let me walk away? Or will he control me or even worse, hurt me?
“Alright, I’m back.” Liam walks into the room carrying a bowl and a washcloth. He has a towel draped over his shoulder, and the furrows on his forehead show his concern.
I turn to look up at him as he sets the dish of water on the nightstand next to his watch and then sits next to me on the bed. He dips the cloth into the water and then squeezes it out and dabs my face as I stare up into his eyes. There are so many questions I’d like to ask him about himself and his life, but I’m not going to press him right now. It’s enough that we’re together.
His hands work to clean my skin, and I lie patiently and watch him. He says nothing, as if he knows how delicate the situation is. I’ve had the scare of my life after months of mental torture and fear. I’ve been to the depths of what I thought was the worst thing that could happen to me and then inadvertently dove deeper. If Liam’s being in the Mafia is the worst thing about him, I think I feel okay with that. Maybe I don’t like some aspects, but it could be worse. He could have been my stalker.
“What’s wrong, baby?” he asks as he dips the cloth back into the bowl to rinse it.
When his hand returns to my busted lip to wipe it clean, I gently grasp his wrist and halt him. “Do you kill people?” I know the question is probably very dumb. He’s in the Mafia. They kill people who get in their way. I don’t know why I asked him. I don’t know if I even want to know the answer. But the question hangs between us as he dabs my lip and scowls.
“I have never once killed someone.” Judging by the way his eyes grow stormy, I know he isn’t pleased with the question, but if he wants me to be with him, there are a lot more questions that will eventually come out.
“I can’t be with you if you kill people.” I let go of his wrist, and he sighs and places the cloth into the bowl and brings his hand back to cup my cheek.
“I don’t kill people, Elena. And I give you my word, you will never, ever hear of me killing someone.” The intensity of his gaze tells me he means what he’s saying, but somehow, I don’t fully believe him. There’s a loophole there, one I won’t ask about outright. He doesn’t have to pull the trigger to be the killer, but I’m afraid of hearing how many hits he’s ordered. I have to be content with this answer for now.
“Promise me you will never lie to me or keep things from me again. We are partners in this, and I need to know I can trust you to be honest even if it hurts, even if it’s scary.” I feel my lip quiver as I talk, and my voice cracks.
Liam leans down and brushes his lips over every single spot where I’ve been injured, then gently kisses my lips. The kiss lingers, slowly deepening until I wince at the pain of the small cut being reopened due to exertion. He pulls away just far enough to look me in the eyes.
“I give you my word, Elena, as a man, on my honor. I will never outright lie to you again. You are my partner in everything.” When his lips return, they are even gentler than before. I’ve never experienced this tender version of Liam. I like it.
I lean into the kiss, showing him a little pain won’t stop me from being with him. I’m not used to any of this, and maybe ten years from now, I might regret this choice to be involved with him, but I wasn’t ready for New York City, either, and I’m here, surviving. I won’t back down and be a child because of a stalker or because my boyfriend is part of something I don’t understand. All I know is he is here, and I feel safe with him.
“God, take me, Liam,” I moan against his lips, and he doesn’t have to be asked twice. He eases off the side of the bed and stands, slowly unbuttoning his shirt as I watch. His eyes are hungry predators eating me up as I slip my T-shirt off over my head then shimmy my jeans over my hips and off my feet. He stares down, his member hard and throbbing, begging for attention as he tugs his slacks and boxers off, then helps me remove my bra and panties.
Liam crawls back onto the bed on top of me, his hardness pressing against my wet core. He kisses my neck and murmurs, “You sure?” His lips kiss the bruising around my neck from that maniac’s attack. A shiver of fear rolls through my body, and I cling to Liam as he continues to kiss the fear away.
“Mmmhmm,” I moan, my permission for him to continue. I can tell he is being reserved, but he doesn’t have to be. I like him when he’s assertive and rough. I like when he takes control and does things only he can do. “Liam, please,” I whimper, arching my back upward, pressing my tits against his chest.
“Oh, Elena,” he groans in my ear before nipping my earlobe. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed this.” His hips press hard against mine, and with one swift push, he fills me completely. I moan as Liam sucks on my neck, his tongue lapping at the wounds as he moves inside me, in and out, in a rhythm that starts slow but quickens. It’s exactly what I want, and I clench around him to encourage it as my hands search his sides and back. His teeth nip at my neck and then my earlobe.
”Oh, fuck,” I moan out loudly as Liam thrusts deeper into me, hitting my G-spot with each stroke. My back arches off the mattress, my hands finding their way to his broad shoulders, gripping tightly as I dig my nails into his skin. The action doesn”t seem to hurt him. Instead, he seems to enjoy the sensation. He growls low in his throat and traces soft circles around my puckered nipples before cupping them tenderly in his large palms and pinching them between his fingers, rolling them gently. I cry out again from the sensation, my head thrown back in bliss as he continues to thrust into me. His free hand wanders down between our bodies, teasing at my clit, pushing me closer to the edge.
”Fuck yes,” I whisper, feeling Liam”s cock sliding in and out of me, hitting just the right spots all along the way. Every thrust sends waves of pleasure coursing through my body, his hands on my breasts and his mouth at my ear. I can feel his warm, moist breath against my skin as he whispers dirty little nothings that make me shiver with delight.
“Fuck, you’re so incredible. I want to feel you come around my cock.” His steady thrusts drive me insane. If he just went faster, I could get off. I claw at his sides, eagerly urging him, but he does the opposite of what he knows I want. He slows his pace, and then he stops and pulls out. The loss I feel when his dick bounces free of my pussy and slaps his lower stomach makes me whimper.
“No, please… I was so close…” I reach for him, but he backs away, kissing a hot, wet trail down my center, across my navel, right to my throbbing mound.
He lazily traces my outer labia with his tongue, flicking his tongue delicately against my clit. His hands are back on my hips, holding me in place, and I whimper as he grins wickedly. I know he knows what he”s doing and how much his teasing me is driving me insane.
“Liam, please,” I beg him, arching my hips toward his face. He chuckles but doesn”t answer back, focusing instead on lapping at my clit, swirling the tip of his tongue around it in maddening circles. I can feel myself getting closer and closer to the edge, but every time I”m about to come, he pulls away or slows down again.
“Please, Liam, I”m begging you,” I pant, desperation lacing my voice. He gives me a mischievous grin before plunging his tongue inside me, curling it in a way that has me seeing stars. My entire body tenses as I come, screaming out his name into the night as he laps every drop of my pleasure up. It”s as if he”s savoring every moment, drawing out my climax until it feels like an eternity of pure bliss. I convulse and twitch, clawing at his scalp, and he doesn’t relent.
Liam slides fingers into my pussy and finds my G-spot, massaging it beneath his fingertips as his lips move to my clit, furthering the wicked sensations and convulsions. Wave after wave of orgasmic pleasure crashes over me as I scream and moan, my back arching off the bed. He”s relentless in his pursuit of my pleasure, and I know there”s nothing I can do but give in to it.
Finally, after what feels like a lifetime, he releases me and sits up, a smug look on his face. “Was that good for you?” He smirks, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. I just pant and gasp for air, my entire body still vibrating from the intensity of my climaxes.
“Good.”
He smirks again before slowly crawling back up toward me. His cock is still rock hard, still ready to devour me.
I think of nothing but him. Not the attack, not the stalker, not how trusting I was to someone so close to me who turned on me. not Trixie, or Nina, or my job at the theater. I think of Liam, the man I am helplessly in love with. The man burying himself inside me and biting my flesh as if I belong to him. His hands claim me. His cock owns me.
He slams into me with force, plowing me deep and hard, consumed by lust. My head swims in pleasure. I grip the sheets, but it”s not enough. My nails dig into the mattress, trying to ground myself in this newfound bliss. It”s as if the world around us has melted away and we”re the only two people left. The way he looks at me, like I”m his entire world…
His thrusts are slow and deliberate, dragging out each delicious inch until we”re both panting and moaning. His lips find my neck, nipping, licking, sucking, marking me as his. He growls out my name through gritted teeth, and I can feel us both teetering on the edge of release. ”Come with me, baby,” he whispers roughly in my ear before he slams into me once more, hitting that perfect spot and sending us both right to the edge.
Before I can even catch my breath, Liam flips us over so that I”m on top, straddling him. He”s still inside me, and I can feel his pulsing cock against my inner walls. His hands grip my hips tightly as he urges me to move. I start to rock my hips back and forth, feeling every inch of him as he fills me up completely. Our eyes lock, and we both know that we”re lost in each other. The need between us is overwhelming, and it only grows as I ride him harder and faster.
Liam”s hands paw at my body, caressing every curve and dip. I lean down to cover his lips with mine, our tongues dancing in a frenzy as our bodies continue to move together. My orgasm builds again, this time even stronger than before. With a loud cry, I come undone around him, clenching tightly onto his cock as I ride out the wild spasms that have me jerking and twitching. He follows soon after, grunting out my name as he spills himself inside me. We collapse onto the bed in a sweaty heap, unable to move or speak for several moments.
Eventually, Liam rolls me off himself and pulls me into his arms. His heart is pounding after that workout, and so is mine. I let him hold me though I’m sweaty and my hair clings to my neck. His dick stays hard for a while, pressing into my ass greedily, and I feel sleep encroaching on me, but I don’t let it take me yet.
“Is it over now?” I ask, speaking of the stalker and the letters, the fear I’ve lived under for several long weeks.
“It’s over and you never have to worry about it again.” He sounds determined, almost sinister. I don’t want to ask how he can give such assurances because I don’t want to know. “I have more than enough security to ensure nothing like that will ever happen to you again.” He kisses the top of my shoulder and cups one of my tits.
“Who will protect me from you?” I ask, and though I allow a playfulness to enter my tone, I’m dead serious. Something tells me my heart isn’t the only thing on the line. His family scares me. His enemies scare me, and I haven’t even learned who they are yet.
“I know you’re afraid, baby, but I won’t let anything happen to you. You’ll see. It’s not as scary as you think it is.” Pressing his lips to my skin again, he breathes out and his hot breath dusts my chest.
“I don’t know how this works. Does your father approve of me?” Our closeness means nothing if I’m not safe, and I don’t even know who to be afraid of now.
“Let me worry about that. You just worry about feeling better. You have a huge show coming up, and I want you to feel good about that.”
Liam pulls the covers over me, and I let a yawn escape. I’m not too na?ve to allow the risk I’m taking to be brushed under the rug, but he’s right. I need my rest, and I need to think about my career now. If Warren was my only problem and he’s gone off to jail now for his crimes, then I should have a clear runway to move forward with my goals. And that’s something I’m looking forward to.
Right after waking up in this man’s arms.