5. Chapter 5 - Liam
Diego said to be at the private airfield at 7:00 PM. I stare at the dashboard clock: 6:30 PM. I couldn’t risk being late. Madison needs to get to her father. That’s the only reason she’s here. Although, part of me is curious if she would have come back tonight had this not happened. For the engagement celebration that is…
Conor and Lexi arrived at the 5th Ave penthouse an hour before I left. I didn’t have long to catch up with him. Between the designers and staff prepping for the gala and traffic all over New York City tonight, I didn’t have time to chat. Which leaves me wondering where Madison will be staying tonight.
Shit. What a fucking turn of events.
I realized when Conor asked me to be his Best Man this morning that meant Madison would be Lexi’s Maid of Honor. Hope fluttered in my chest at the idea of seeing her again. But then I remembered my promise to her and the situation I put myself in.
Lainey and I remained friendly as we always have right after Madison left. That all changed these last couple of months leading up to Christmas…when she and I got drunk together.
It was after the Halloween party Selena hosted at the penthouse. Lainey had been cooking all day and I had been mingling with some of our friends and a few suppliers Killian had invited. By the end of the night, I was in bits. Lainey approached me with a bottle of tequila and a mischievous smile.
Entertaining the idea of swimming drunk with her could lead to crossing the line, but I did it anyway. I hadn’t slept with anyone the entire time leading up to this night with hopes I’d have heard from Madison. After not even a whisper, I knew it was time to get back into the dating world.
But saying and doing are two very different things.
Lainey always showed interest, increasingly so since Madison left. It was refreshing and something I had seriously started to consider.
But I never caved.
Stupidly, I held on to that sliver of hope that Madison would reach out.
From what Conor had told me, it seemed she was doing okay out west. Of course, I knew where she was. I knew the day Conor went to visit Lexi for the first time after Madison left. Yet, I refused to check up on her. She asked me not to. Which meant I had to respect it. Conor did share information here and there, but I never questioned him further. I took what he was willing to offer, knowing his friendship with Maddy was just as important.
So… back to Halloween…
After a few too many tequila shots turned into body shots, we both jumped into the pool on the upper level. Steam swirled around us on that crisp autumn night. Lainey was feeling bold and frisky and removed her bikini top, flinging it in my face.
So. Fucking. Cheeky. “You’re fucking plastered,” I laugh, tossing her top onto the pavers and spreading my arms along the edge of the pool to hold myself afloat.
She swims around me for a while, tits out on display to the starry sky above before diving under the water and breaching the surface right in front of me. Her hands grip my forearms, using them as leverage to pull herself flush against me and my growing erection.
“I want you, Liam. Not want you for just a heated, drunken moment… but want you want you. I always have since we were young. I was just too afraid to tell you. You were always so closed off to everyone around you. So… soo…grumpy,” she whispers as her lips brush against mine.
My arm slinks around her, craving physical touch more than anything in this moment. Her lips part invitingly as my tongue darts out to taste her. Her breasts press firmly against my chest, rubbing against my nipple rings. Lainey wraps her legs around mine, gyrating her hips over my now very hard and throbbing cock. Meanwhile, my other fucking head keeps shouting at me to get out of this fucking pool. The memories of having Madison in here are starting to tarnish this moment.
If I am to commit to this idea of me and Lainey, I need to take her out of this pool.
So, I do.
I break our kiss and swim us over to the shallow end. Do you know how fucking hard it is to swim with a hard on and a lass around your waist?
Not fun.
I help her out, slapping her ass and tossing her over my shoulder before dropping her back down onto the sun bed lounger. She giggles excitedly as she arches her back, stretching out on the cushion. Her nipples have hardened to peaks from a combination of lust and the cool air. They are beautiful and pink against her ivory skin. Those gorgeous breasts of hers are perky and round and looking fucking edible all wet like that. I drop my swim trunks and step out of them before removing her turquoise bikini bottom. She bites her lip while watching me in all my naked glory.
It’s wild that the woman before me has been in my life since I was a lad, and here she is, all grown up and spread out naked before me. I lower a knee to the cushion between her legs and press my palms on either side of her. My tongue darts out to lick the salty water off her neck, trailing lower to circle around each goosebumped breast, then even lower to circle her belly button. I place kisses on her stomach and then back up to the space between her breasts until I latch onto her neck.
She lets out a breathy moan of approval, wrapping her legs around my hips and inching her warm pussy closer to my cock. My lips find hers as I enter her slowly. She adjusts to my size, remaining still before lifting her hips and encouraging me on.
“Show me you’re with me,” Lainey purrs.
I kiss her again, letting that hesitant part of me fade away— at least for tonight.
My hand finds her hip and the other grips the hair at the nape of her neck as I pick up my pace, thrusting into her. The sounds of our wet bodies slapping against each other fill the patio space. Her nails scrape my back as I deepen my angle and find that sweet spot inside of her.
“Fuck, Liam….fuck, fuuuck,” she moans her satisfaction.
I’m grunting like an animal, ready to explode and holding off as long as I can for her. It’s been too damn long.
“I’m close… so close,” she mewls.
“Touch yourself, come all over my cock, lovely.”
Her hand slides between us as she circles her clit and her cries of pleasure become staccato. I savagely slam into her two more times before her pussy grips me, making me see stars. Luckily, I still have half a mind after all that tequila to pull out. A second later, I’m gripping my cock and showering my cum all over her stomach.
Since that day we have spent plenty of time getting to know each other— more intimately . Growing up together meant we already knew plenty about each other. Still, there are nights we have laid in bed talking about the things we never knew or would still like to know. She rarely asks about Madison, usually avoiding the topic altogether. But I know how women are, always so curious about the exes… which leads me to believe she ha sn’t asked out of fear of the new information we all received this morning.
Con is engaged to Madison’s best friend.
So what does that mean for our future? Because, fuck … if I am being honest, I was just starting to fall a little harder for Lainey…
Even if my heart refuses to let go of Madison completely.
Kieran breaks me out of my reverie, indicating with his index finger that Diego’s flashy jet just landed. “They are taxiing in now. Ya gonna be alright, brother?”
I clear my throat. “Yeah, Kier. I’ll have to get used to seeing her. She’s Lexi’s Maid of Honor. Matron of Honor if we are getting fucking technical. ” That detail tastes sour in my mouth as the words pass my lips. Madison married Diego . Legally, although all fuck sorts of complicated, she is still his wife.
This past year, Diego has stayed with us more in New York than he has at his home in Miami. I guess when you’re ‘dead’, you can do business for the underworld from anywhere. He’s been spending time with his sister and our nephew Kian—who is freaking adorable, by the way. Tomorrow is his first birthday and Sel has been going crazy planning his celebration. The party planners have blocked hotel rooms a few doors down so that they can be ready to retransform the space in the morning.
I can’t say The Bone Breaker and I have much beef between us any longer. After saving his arse on that yacht, we sort of… bonded in a way. With Madison gone, and neither of us really belonging to her, we’ve grown closer.
What started out as constant jabs at one another turned into a sort of brotherhood. He and I go out for drinks from time to time at the shitty bars the Feds have no place snooping around. We’ll even workout together if my schedule allows for it and I’m not staying at my home in Connecticut. I guess being around him has softened me up.
Misery seeks company , if you will .
He’s a damn good uncle, too. Kian loves spending time with him. Even Killian has warmed up to his brother-in-law. The two have found ways to form a tighter alliance between the syndicates than ever before. Our gun and drug trade has even benefited quite a bit.
“Are ya gonna tell her?” Kieran asks cautiously.
I know what he means. “No. Not now. She needs to focus on her father. Knowing won’t change a damn thing anyway. If anything, it may make her want to stay away even more. I can’t do that to Con. Lexi needs her best friend at the wedding.”
“Alright, mate.” He claps my back and puts the Cadillac into drive, slowly approaching the jet just as the passenger door opens up.
The airstairs descend and my gaze darts straight to her as she comes into view at the top. Nervous hands find my scalp as I tug my hair at the base of my skull. Fuck. She looks good. Tan as fuck too. That Arizona sun is treating her nicely I see. She’s wearing a cute pink sweatshirt, black workout leggings with mesh cutouts, and a pair of black sneakers. Her Vera Bradley overnight bag is slung over her shoulder.
If that is all she brought, she must not be planning to stay long.
Being the arsehole I know him to be, Diego pulls the strap of her bag, tugging her backward into him. She scrunches her face in disapproval as he pries the bag off her shoulder and swings it over his. Grabbing her hand, he shuffles around her and heads down the steps first, guiding her down like a child. I let out a chuckle, knowing I’d have done the same damn thing.
She can be clumsy at times. It’s safer that way.
I open my door and step out, jogging my way over to them. The cold air nips at my skin, causing my eyes to water. Diego greets me, pulling me into a handshake and then slapping my back. As my palm claps the arsehole’s back twice, my eyes raise to meet Madison’s.
Damn .
You couldn’t tell before, but her hair isn’t black. It’s the deepest shade of purple—like the iridescence of raven feathers.
Stunning . Any color is gorgeous on her, but this one may just be my favorite.
“I told you my jet is superior,” Diego goads sarcastically, making me cluck my tongue.
He is right —but his ego is inflated enough. No need to add more to the collection.
I take a step forward, about to tell her that I am sorry to hear about her dad, when Diego shoves her overnight bag into my chest.
“Be a good lad and take my wife’s luggage. We are in a hurry,” he says in his best Irish accent. The prick should be fluent in it with the amount of time he spends around us.
My heart skips a beat at the mention of ‘wife’ but I shake it off, taking my frustrations out on The Bone Breaker. He can certainly take a few jabs.
“Fuck you. Next time you get shot twice and are bleeding out on a yacht that is about to blow up, I won’t be there to help.”
“I don’t plan on having history repeat itself, asshole,” Diego says derisively.
Over this bullshit game already, I turn my back on them and head off to the Cadillac.
I am placing her bag in the back of the trunk when I hear aggravated whispering coming from the back right passenger door. Straining my neck to get a look over the back of the seat, I see Diego has Maddy caged in.
Seems they haven’t gotten off to a great start either. Looks like the two of them are bickering or perhaps having a lovers quarrel.
Who the fuck knows right now?
Diego never clued me in on whether or not he had heard from her all these months. I mean, I suppose I never did either. Not to mention, he’s seen Lainey and me together, which might have ended that mystery for him. I wonder if he told her? She didn’t seem to direct her anger at me… more so, she seemed shocked to see me.
Diego picks Madison up and places her stubborn arse in the middle seat, leaning over to buckle her in like a toddler. I stifle a laugh, knowing it’ll only make matters worse. Whatever the hell is going on—should stay between them.
I make my way to the front passenger seat and strap in. Diego has slid in next to her, legs spread open wide, taking up as much of her space as possible. Out of my peripheral, I spot Kieran looking like a puppy waiting to see its owner again after a long holiday. You can practically see his damn tail wagging, tongue flopping out of his goofy mouth.
“Hey there, love. Long time no see.” He releases a hearty chuckle before turning his attention back to navigating us out of the airfield.
“Hey ya big bastard. I see you haven’t changed a bit.” Her sweet voice fills the small space, breathing life back into all of us. It embraces me like a familiar hug and shimmies its way through the cracks in the wards I have up around my heart.
Damn, the power this woman has over us all… and without even trying .
Silence settles in around us, prompting Kieran to turn some music on. The rest of the ride is awkward at best.
It surprisingly doesn’t take us very long to get to the hospital—considering it’s New Year’s Eve and everyone is trying to get to their events.
Madison’s phone vibrates against her clasped thighs and she releases a heavy sigh. We just pulled into the main entrance… and there, smoking a cigarette in the designated smoking section, is her sister Mikayla.
Seeing her smoke has me itching for one now. Lainey has me weaning off them…but today is not a day I can refrain. Certainly not with Madison’s sultry jasmine and amber scent flirting with my senses. I’m on fucking edge, okay ?
“Nobody get out of the car,” she demands. “I don’t need my sister asking questions.”
I let out an approving laugh. Been there. Done that. Mikayla doesn’t fuck around. As if Madison’s graduation dinner didn’t prove that enough…The lass caught onto me and Maddy almost immediately. Chewing my ear off until I confessed that her sister and I had a secret relationship.
Christ . Awful memories of that night and regret for not being with Madison when she was taken try to force their way to the forefront of my mind. None of this would have happened had I just been with her and Selena outside. Definitely not with her sister doing those disgusting green tea shots. Old anger towards Diego threatens to resurface, but I take a few calming breaths and put them back where they had been buried.
Can’t change the past now.
I finally find my voice. “She is quite the investigator. She’ll without a doubt know something is up if I get out of the car. I planned on coming in with you, is that not alright?”
“No, that’s okay. I appreciate that, really, but I think it’ll be best if I go spend some alone time with my family.” Ouch . I guess that means coming back here is strictly for her father. Even Diego seems pissed. Perhaps some of that anger is directed at me for offering to go with her.
“I’m your husband . I can be there with you,” he grits through clenched teeth, clearly bothered by her lack of needing our support.
“Please, can we drop the husband act for now? I need to get to my dad, and I need to digest the fact that not only am I back in New York, but I am back here with all of you,” Madison huffs out while unbuckling her seat belt.
She’s anxious . It’s written all over her face. We are only prolonging her from seeing her family.
Diego purses his lips, looking ready to demand he go in with her. When he notices her frantic face, he eases off, keeping whatever he meant to say to himself. Good . We respected her wishes this time last year and we need to do the same now.
Nothing has changed.
Maddy slides across the leather seats. She tries to open the door, then tries again, looking to the front of the SUV when she is unsuccessful a second time.
“Oh shite, we had little Kian in the car the other day and put the child lock on. I can get out and get ya,” Kieran offers, reaching for his own door handle.
“No!” she all but shouts. It occurs to me that her sister will notice Kieran and put two and two together. The lass is a clever one. “Just pop the trunk, I’ll grab my bag.”
Without wasting another second, she glides back down the opposite side of the bench and awkwardly straddles Diego, attempting to climb over him and exit through the other door. Her head is bent towards his so that their noses practically touch. He takes full advantage of her position, gripping her hips before opening the door for her.
“Your father will pull through, Mariposita ,” he soothes as she climbs out. She’s about to close the door when he adds, “Tell the surgeon I said hi,” while shooting her a wink.
As sassy as ever, she slams the door in his face, flipping him the bird through the tinted windows. Diego chuckles deeply, clearly amused– and knowing him—probably aroused.
I roll my window down, needing to make sure Maddy will be alright tonight.
“Hey, do ya have a place to stay after? I’m sure your family got a hotel room. But if they don’t, call me, I’ll come grab ya. You can stay with us if you want… no pressure or anything. I know you weren’t planning on coming back.” The somber tone of my voice probably gave me away.
It’s not like I actually expected she would come home and suddenly end up staying with us. I just thought… Fuck . I don’t know. Perhaps she would want to reconnect with everyone—even just platonically—while she’s here.
“Thank you. I’m sure that won’t be necessary… I’ve got to go. Thanks again!” She waves at me before collecting her bag from the trunk.
Her sister meets her halfway, embracing her in a loving hug. The two of them sway back and forth, relishing in the emotions of their reunion. Apparently, Madison hasn’t been home at all since she left.
Not even to see her family.
Not even for Christmas.
Which is strange.
The love she has for her family runs deep. Staying away from them couldn’t possibly have been because of us…
Could it?