Chapter 34 #3
“Addy,” Liam said softly. “I can be hit by a bus or get in a car accident right here. We can’t live our lives in fear.
Do you remember when we first met? You stopped living.
The sad thing is, life goes on. We remember them for all the good things.
Leo saved Kassie, and she built all this.
I might’ve never gotten a cochlear implant if it weren’t for this hospital.
I’ve never lied to you about how I am. This place has saved me.
You love me. It’s more than I ever thought possible. It happened because of Leo.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.” She turned and ran from the facility. Liam went after her, but she seemed hell-bent on leaving him.
Bear placed a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know a lot about women.
Addy lashed out because she’s scared. She needs you more than she knows.
Since you left, she’s made friends here.
She smiles more. I see her in town asking about the seniors.
You need to remind her of what your love has done.
It’s freed her. Whether you’re here or there, she’s found her place here. ”
“Thanks, Bear. It seems to me you know more about them than you think,” Liam said, watching Addy leave.
Returning to the hospital, Liam met with the otologist.
“Everything appears fine. Let’s try to avoid exploding things, shall we?” the doctor said. “I’ll give you some ear drops if it appears sensitive for the next few days. If you experience any hearing loss, you must return right away.”
“Thanks,” he said before walking out of the hospital.
Needing to retrieve his weapon from Addy’s, he turned the borrowed car toward her house.
A heaviness filled his chest at the thought of losing her again.
Understanding her fears, nothing he could say would comfort her.
He owed his second chance to the team and Leo.
If his leader hadn’t alerted him in time, he might’ve returned as Addy feared, in a box.
As much as he loved her, this job gave him a purpose, and if she didn’t understand it by now, he didn’t hold out much hope for them.
* * *
Addy pulled into her driveway and hit the steering wheel. “Why did I let you in? You’ll hurt me all over again,” she cried.
Placing her head on the steering wheel, she sobbed. She opened the door and entered the house. She gazed around at how much she changed from the moment she met him. He encouraged her to come out of her shell. For what? Only to sink into despair?
Zeus nuzzled her hand as she climbed the steps to her bathroom.
Bending down, she picked up Liam’s clothes from the floor.
Emptying his pockets, she found a picture of her taped to the inside of his shirt, near his heart.
His pants pocket held a letter she wrote to him.
She scooped up his socks and felt something inside one of them.
Pulling it out, she found another letter.
She already knew which one. On top of the paper, she noticed Liam’s handwriting.
One more step leads you home to Addy.
Her breath hitched. She put herself into his shoes.
He dragged her from prison and made her live.
She thanked him by crushing him before he left to find Leo again.
Thinking of Catherine, she didn’t know how she’d have felt if they didn’t find Sam’s body.
Would she have wanted his brothers to leave him there? No. Never.
A soft knock on her door caught her attention. She opened it to find Liam standing there.
“I know you don’t want to see me now. I left my weapon in the bathroom. Can we come in?”
Addy jumped into his arms. “I’m sorry, Liam. I’m terrified to let you go. But I know you need to do this. What if they never brought Sam home? I’d always stay in limbo. I can’t imagine how much I’d have missed because his brothers didn’t leave him behind.”
Apollo ran inside, and Liam stepped through the doorway and shut the door. He held her head close to his chest as he breathed a sigh of relief.
Pulling her back at arm’s length, he gazed into her eyes. “You can’t run, Addy. Even if something happens to me, I want you to remember I want you to live. Be the badass Addy I’ve come to know. I saw you even when you didn’t.”
“I won’t run. I’ll be here when you return. Every step you take means one less you take to come home to me,” she whispered.
Liam crushed his lips to hers. Addy tugged at his clothes, peeling off his shirt, desperation from months apart and the stress of leaving again bubbling to the surface.
He kissed down her neck, leaving a heated trail in his wake. She moaned as she pushed him toward the sofa. He pulled her T-shirt over her head and ran his hands over the silk bra.
“Did you buy this for me?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“You didn’t know when I planned to come home,” he said, leaning back to see her face.
Heat rushed to her cheeks. “I wear them because I think about you. I imagine you taking them off of me.”
Leaning in, he kissed between her breasts. “Then, let me make your dream come true,” he said as he unhooked her bra and slid it down her arms. The material tickled across her skin, making her shiver.
Liam sucked her nipple into his mouth and moaned as she tugged at his. His hand stroked her side, and his thumb grazed the other nipple as he took turns playing with her breasts.
“You don’t know how I’ve dreamed of you,” he whispered.
“Yes, I do. I think of you from the moment I wake up until I close my eyes at night,” she whispered.
Picking her up by the waist, he set her aside. She grabbed at his jeans, unbuttoning them as he tugged hers down.
“I love you, Addy,” he said, worshiping her with tiny kisses along her stomach.
“Please, Liam,” she begged. “I need you now.”
“We have all night,” he whispered.
“No. You need to rest, and I want to fall asleep in your arms again,” she argued.
“I have a long flight with no one but me and the pilot. I’ll rest then, and when we’re done, I guarantee you’ll fall asleep in my arms,” he said, lying her on the coffee table. He placed her legs on each corner and opened them. Spying the wet spot between her legs, he smiled.
Running his hands down her legs, his thumbs brushed against the damp material of her underwear. “Ah, I see how damp you are. I like this,” he said, letting his fingers slip under the silk and tease her.
She lifted her hips, letting him slide the panties from her legs.
He kissed her knee and spread her legs as he settled in to feast on her.
Running his tongue leisurely between her folds, he tasted her sweet and tangy essence.
“I love how you smell and taste. Do you touch yourself when you think of me, Addy?”
She smiled and stroked his head.
“Show me how you touch yourself,” he gently ordered.
Her hand lay on her stomach, and she slowly reached between her legs. She rubbed the little nub in tiny circles.
“Have you ever tasted yourself? You taste like a dessert I’ve never eaten before.” He pressed her finger against her center, making it slick with her juices. He brought it to her mouth and waited until she opened her mouth to suck her finger. Bending his head down, he lapped her up.
“Liam,” she moaned as her fingers moved faster.
“Oh, I love how you say my name,” he said, removing her hand and taking the nub in his mouth and sucking it. His finger slid inside her moist heat, and he felt her clench around him.
“I want to feel you inside me,” she whispered.
“You will,” he promised. “I want to know every inch of you.”
Her hips lifted to match his strokes as he sucked. Addy played with her nipples, driving him mad.
“I’m searing this image of you in my memory,” he murmured.
“Your tongue feels hot against my skin,” she murmured. “Keep going.”
He chuckled against her, making her jump at the vibration.
Slipping another finger inside of her, he raised and watched her face as he curled them upward.
“Ohhh,” she said, gripping the table.
Pulling her down until her bottom hung over the edge, he lined himself against her center and slid his way home. Both sighed at the sensation.
Liam moved slowly, gripping her hips.
“Yes, Liam,” she whispered desperately.
“Look at me, Addy. I want to see those green eyes when you go over the edge.
“Then watch me. I want to see the pleasure in yours,” she demanded.
Liam thrust deeper as his hands roamed over her soft skin. Tiny goosebumps covered her skin as he rolled her nipples with his fingers.