Chapter Twelve You Can Run
Belle
Yes, I ran. I really felt like I had no choice. The way he looked at me. That warm kiss on my palm. I shivered but it had actually been from the heat climbing up along my body. I panicked. I gave it my best ‘cold lady’ act. I had lots of practice from working with attorneys and watching them in court cases. I hoped I hid it well as I got myself and him off the hook. I say off the hook because I know if we fell into a relationship, it would be a freaking disaster.
I realized that I actually cared about this guy. I did feel attracted to him and I liked him. But if I acted on all that…This whole thing would become an even bigger mess.
I couldn”t fall for Liberty. I mean I hated the man, right? Or I did, yesterday. And right this minute, I was desperately clinging to the dislike I had for him just 24 hours ago. He had already gotten on my nerves and under my skin in a bad way. Now he had been busy creeping under it in a whole other way. I couldn’t allow it to happen. Today, I felt concerned for him. I felt warmth for him, I felt need. NEED! No, no. I didn’t need anyone, not in my life and not a man. Especially a man like Liberty.
Even though I ran away, I did have a place to be and a purpose to serve. The girls were supposed to have a wedding planning session today. I hoped I could still get in on it as I hurried to the main room and looked around.
I spotted Scarlet sitting at a table with a few other women. Cinnamon, Jewel and Glory. Scarlet looked so happy as she talked to the girls. Spotting me, she waved me over.
I wasn’t sure I would be any kind of help while feeling the way I did right now. But being that I was the Matron of Honor for this whole thing, I’d better get it together. I let out a breath and went over to where they were all sitting.
“Hey Sis, have a seat,” Scarlet said as she motioned to an extra chair.
I pulled out the chair and did so.
Beaming at me, she announced, “Cinnamon has sketches of my dress. Take a look,” Scarlet urged as she pushed a sketch pad over to me.
Looking down, I saw a colored sketch of one of the most beautiful gowns I think I’d ever seen. “Wow.” It was simple but so elegant too. With different layers and a modest train. The front had a heart shaped cameo-like bustier.
“Right?” Scarlet exclaimed. “It is perfect. I told her that it doesn’t need any changes.”’
“We have already started on it,” Cinnamon said. “So it will be done in the two days we have left.”
Nodding my head, I smiled. “You are going to look like a fairytale princess,” I told Scarlet.
“Who woulda thunk it?” Scarlet nodded. “After the two Prince Not-So-Charmings I dated.”
I smiled at her. It was true. The two men in her past had really hurt her badly. I paused to wonder why she had trusted Justice after what her first two loves had done to her. One had been abusive and jealous. The other had lied to her and fooled her. He wasn’t mean, just pathetic really. But how did she get past the fear of being hurt and fooled again? Wasn’t she scared that she might end up with another broken heart?
“Is everything okay?” Scarlet asked me.
Oops, I had just sat here staring at her while wondering how she could trust another man. I needed to get my act together. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“Is Liberty alright?” Glory asked.
“He looked okay when I left him.” I nodded. “I mean his lip was bleeding and he had a few cuts.”
“I just think it is so romantic,” Cinnamon said with a dreamy sigh in her voice.
I looked over at her to ask, “What is?”
“It’s not any of my business, but the fact that Liberty wanted to fight Talon over your honor…” Cinnamon nodded as she placed her hand on her chest. “Wow. Just wow.”
“Over my…” I blinked my eyes. “No, I mean it wasn”t like…” I shook my head. Ok, maybe it was, but I didn’t want to look at it too closely. I was too busy running away.
“I heard Talon had been an ass to you,” Cinnamon explained. “Then you went to slap him. He caught your hand then Liberty came in and got mad that he was gripping your wrist.”
These women saw it like that? I paused. Liberty did say that defending me was not a dumb thing to do. So he saw it that way too.
“So were you able to save him from that stunner move Talon has?” Jewel asked me.
All of them stared at me.
I felt my cheeks heating up and I knew my face was flat out pink. I wasn’t comfortable with being the center of attention like this and certainly not agreeable with talking about Liberty. “Jarret stopped the fight with a fire hose.”
Looking a bit stunned, they all stared at me. Then they all broke into laughter.
“I bet that was a sight to see,” Scarlet said. “I wanted to go, but Jewel talked me out of it.”
Jewel shrugged. “It’s violent and they are really out to hurt each other. It’s not some fake thing on TV, ya know?”
“Don’t tell me that the hose was Ma’s idea?” Scarlet asked. “Right?”
I nodded at her. “How did you know?”
“Because it is sooo Ma,” Glory said and laughed.
They all nodded as they chuckled.
I chuckled too. “Well, it worked and Legend took care of him. He really didn’t get hurt badly. But I admit the blood on his face scared me at first.”
“So, he’s okay?” Scarlet asked in concern.
Glory tisked. “You all have never seen him fight, have you?”
They shook their heads.
“That’s what I thought.” Glory gave us a nod. “Cuz, if you had, you wouldn’t have been so concerned about him getting hurt. I mean, he is a champion. Like for real. The whole time I was in high school, guys my age were in awe of him as he won all these trophies and was raking in the money. It made me mega popular being his little sis.” She shrugged as she giggled. “And I admit I rode on his shirt tails of success, like any immature sixteen year old girl would. And why not? I never had to pay for anything in malls or anywhere else. I was Tiger-Tail’s lil sister.”
Laughter rose up from the girls.
“Tiger-Tail?” I asked.
Nodding, Glory took out her cell and tapped the screen. Scrolling, she then raised it up so I could see it better. “That was his ring name. This is all his stuff on FB. With some dumbass motto like…Don’t grab a tiger by the tail. He had his own merch and everything! These muscled tigers on Tshirts and caps.”
Leaning in, I saw what she meant. Then I saw all the pictures of him with blondes hanging on his arms. “He liked a lot of tail himself though, didn”t he?” I just blurted it out with a hard tone to my voice.
The group all paused to stare at me.
Glory laughed as she seemed to miss the hard edge in my voice. “Oh, yeah. Women flocked to him. They would call our house day and night if they couldn’t get through on his cell.
I felt embarrassed now. My tone had been edged with jealousy. “Well, I guess it goes with the territory,” I said with a shrug to try to cover it up. What I had said about his blonde bimbos was in fact, true. Yeah, it was a good thing I wasn’t going to get involved with all of that.
The women moved on to talk about the wedding and designing the veil.
Finally, they all got up from the table and smiled as they each went their own way.
“So, what is bothering you?” Scarlet asked me after they left.
I raised my head to stare at her. “What do you mean?”
“Sis, I know you well.”
I shook my head.
“Is it Liberty?” she asked quietly.
“Why do you ask?”
She laughed a little. “So, it is.”
I looked away.
“Belle, why don’t you give this guy a chance?”
I raised my head to stare at her. “A chance to do what? Break my heart? Walk all over me. Or walk away from me for some blonde when he gets his old fighting life back? No thanks.”
“Wow.” She leaned forward and patted my hand. “If you don’t take chances, you aren’t really living, Belle.”
“I’d rather not rely on anyone, Scar. I mean I still cannot understand why you are trusting another guy.”
“Justice is the one for me. The other two were mistakes. Live and learn, ya know?” She shook her head.
“I’d rather not have to learn those kinds of lessons.”
“Happiness,” she said as she reached over to caress my hair. “It’s worth it. And I want it for you.” She patted my shoulder and then got up to walk away.
I slowly shook my head. Life didn’t always work the way people hoped for. Not everyone would get a happy ever after.
I made my way outside, went to the stairs and sat on the top step. I let out a long, shaky breath and then leaned my head back to gaze up at the night sky.
“They are really bright tonight.”
At the sound of his voice, I jumped a bit.
“I’m down a few steps,” Liberty spoke again.
As my eyes adjusted, I could see his shadow. “What are you doing here?”
“Same thing as you. Stargazing and trying to get my thoughts together.”
“What’s the matter with your thoughts?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“I’m confused by a woman. I thought she cared about me, even liked me maybe. Then she told me she did not care at all.”
I bit at my lip and said, “She sounds like a cold bitch, maybe you should just forget about her.”
He chuckled then asked, “What if I can’t?”
I folded my hands and replied, “For a man like you, it should be easy. I mean did you ever think that it’s because there are no blondes here? Like you are used to having. That you’re just bored and this woman just happens to be around? Believe me, this will pass as soon as you get back to your fighting career where all the bubbly, booby blondes are. All the women that want you so badly that they cannot wait for you to be naked. And you will forget all about this uptight plain looking, crabby ass witch.”
He was laughing now. “Booby blondes…”
His warm laugh made me smile. Then I halted. I am sitting here flirting with Liberty? The fuck is the matter with me? I again wanted to run, so I stood and turned to go up the steps.
He was next to me in a half second as he gently grabbed my arm. “Belle, I don’t want a bubbly booby blonde, ok? I want a woman who stands up to me. One who doesn’t back down. Who doesn’t want me for my fame or even my body. Smart, challenging and yes, call me crazy, but I seem to like the crabby ass witch part too.”
The man was telling me that I was his kind of girl? And that these blondes were just there because of his fighting fame? Well, who knew? I laughed then leaning forward, I kissed him. I wasn’t sure why, but it was the same as when we had been in the pantry. I pushed my tongue inside his yummy hot mouth. He did not pause this time, wrapping his large arms around me, he tucked me close to all that warmth.
Our kiss went from hot to a smoldering blaze in just a few seconds.
We couldn’t seem to get close enough to each other as we desperately clung together, our hands roaming all over each other. We were honestly breathless and yet, we couldn’t seem to stop.
Silent, he broke the kiss and took my hand. Pulling me up the stairs, he took me inside and we made our way down the hallway to his room. I forgot that his room was this close and I felt glad it was.
We slipped in through his door while still holding hands.
As soon as the door shut, we came together wildly, just like in the pantry. We both were desperate to be close while we nearly tore each other’s clothes off, then we came together skin to skin. Backing me up to his bed, we both fell on it together.
I instantly loved the feel of him. Yes, his skin felt as smooth as it looked. And all those ripped muscles were just as hard as I envisioned.
He captured my mouth in another wild, fiery kiss. It went on and on as I got more and more breathless. Finally, he pulled back and we were both panting for air. He lowered his body down along mine as his hot mouth roamed over my skin. His hands did as well.
Heat, all I knew was desperate heat, everywhere on my skin.
Finally, lowering himself even more, he grasped my hips, titling them upward then his head dove in between my thighs. Licking me while sliding his tongue up and down along my slit.
I was now gasping with a pulsing pleasure. No man had ever gone down on me like this. They would just do it quickly to get me revved up I guess then enter me. Not Liberty, he was thorough and his tongue was driving me crazy. I grasped his head as my fingers dug into his hair. He licked and sucked on me, seeming to love devouring me like this. Wow, was it sexy.
Releasing a growl, his lips rumbled against my skin.
With this rumbling, my body arched up as I came into his mouth. I shuddered as I breathlessly whispered his name.
He took his time worshipping me and licking me clean then he slid up along my body. Tucking his arms under me, he held me close as he kissed me deeply again. Finally, he removed his mouth from mine to give me a slow, sensual smile.
“T-that was sooo…” I had no words really to describe it.
He chuckled. “Delicious, sooo delicious.”
“I don’t think a man has ever made me come with his mouth like that,” I told him.
“Shame on them then. I love the way you taste and I could do it all day.” He rubbed a lock of my hair between his fingers as he kept gazing into my eyes.
I admit, he did look captivated by me. I don’t think I recognized it right off as no man had ever looked at me like this before. I again felt this urge to get up out of his bed and run like the naked chicken I was. But now I couldn’t hide, could I? He knew I was attracted to him. I’d been caught out so to speak and the ‘cold lady’ act wouldn’t work again.
As the minutes ticked by, I wondered why he just laid here holding me. Not that I minded, but usually a guy would want to…get his own pleasure after giving the room pleasure. “Liberty?”
“Yes, Belle?”
“Um, are you… like done?”
He chuckled. “With you? Ahh hell no.”
“Ok, so usually a guy...”
“...would want to jump right on you and get himself some?”
“Yeah, that.” I felt my cheeks heating up.
“I’m just happy to be here with you in my bed. I want to hold you and maybe have you sleep with me.”
“Like go to sleep with you?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes, like up close, warm, tucked together, all night type sleep.” Snuggling his face against my neck, he got comfortable.
How sweet was this? He just wants to sleep with me. I smiled as I took in his scent and reveled the feel of his silk-like skin on mine. My body relaxed while I listened to his breathing even out as he indeed was falling to sleep. His heartbeat soothed me. His warm embrace surrounded me and I suddenly knew one thing…Liberty felt like home. The home I never really had. Peace. How crazy was that? The man I fought with like crazy, now gave me peace?
With a sudden clarity, I knew two things… First of all, I belonged with him like Glory and Ma had said. Then secondly, I was in some serious fucking trouble.