8. Chapter 8 - Liam
“You’re being distant, Liam. What’s up, baby?” Lainey caresses my face as we sit at the bar watching the hilarious future Mr. and Mrs. Hayes. They are drunk off their arses, singing along terribly to Marry You by Bruno Mars.
I finish off my whiskey, buying myself some time to explain the events of today. It’s inevitable that Lainey will discover Madison’s return. I’m surprised she didn’t recognize her earlier when Mad was standing there in the entrance.
My gaze darts over to Sel walking towards the bar and I nearly choke on my drink. Madison is with her and they are heading directly our way. She looks beautiful in her black dress. One of my favorites. The one that hugs her curves in all the right places.
Fuck, this is going to be complicated.
Lainey and I have had such an amazing time together these last few months. I was just starting to move on…yet, I’m not certain I ever would have been able to. Madison was always there. Her memory alive and well in my mind.
“Hey, guys,” Sel announces their presence. Her smile is radiant as she glances over at her best friend. The woman is glowing now that Maddy is back in the picture. I’ve seen just how much it affected her not having her friend around to go through the adjustments of motherhood with. Especially with her mother not around. She could have used Maddy’s nurturing touch to keep her calm. Don’t get me wrong, Kil did an amazing job. But there’s nothing quite like witnessing the power of friendship between two women.
Lainey swivels on her stool to greet Sel and almost immediately her posture becomes rigid. She straightens her spine and throws her shoulders back, bracing herself.
“Madison! I didn’t know you were home. Liam didn’t tell me.” Her eyes blaze with hurt and frustration as she slings her head over her shoulder to glare at me.
Maddy shifts on her feet, gripping the edge of the bar for support. This isn’t what she came here for. The goddamn drama.
“It wasn’t exactly planned. My dad needed emergency surgery here in New York.”
The bite of jealousy Lainey was sporting subsides as she releases her shoulders, sagging back to lean into me.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope he makes a speedy recovery.” She plasters on a smile.
“Thank you,” Madison says sweetly, returning the sentiment.
“So, Mad…” Selena breaks the awkward tension hovering between us all. “What are you drinking?”
“I think the question is what are we drinking,” she laughs, draping her arm over Sel.
“Well… I would… but I can’t. Kil and I are expecting again!” she beams.
That’s news to me. But damn . Good for them.
“Oh my goodness, Sel. That’s amazing! Congrats!” Mad pulls her best friend in and rests her cheek against her head.
Selena’s chocolate eyes scan between Lainey and I before saying, “I didn’t mean to spoil it. Kil was going to tell all of you tomorrow. Tonight was for those two love birds.” She wears a warm smile, pointing towards Lexi and Con—who are now cuddling by the stage.
“I’m good at acting surprised,” I laugh, promising her I’ll keep her slip up to myself.
“I can see that,” Lainey grumbles snarkily. “Madison, do you think I can talk to you for a moment after you get your drink?”
Madison raises her eyebrows quickly before recovering her features. “Sure.” Her perturbed eyes briefly dart over to mine before returning to her friend.
Sel shoots me a ‘good luck with that one’ look, knowing this is about to be fun. I sigh out my agreement and subtly nod.
“What’ll it be, sweetheart?” The bartender asks while approaching our area. I’d like to rip out his fucking eyes for lingering too long on her cleavage. Knowing I can’t, I choose option B— which is to inhale a calming breath through my nose. Fuck that . That’s not working either.
Brushing her violet locks behind her shoulder, Madison leans forward to request a blood orange margarita. Lainey hops off her stool and lowers her elbows onto the bar, sticking her arse out for me to admire—or as a reminder of what I could lose if I stray. Noted .
“Make that two, please,” she flirts, winking at the now drooling mess of a bartender. Be fucking professional, mate. That’ll be the last time we hire this clown for an event.
Having Lainey lean over the bar like that while using her bedroom voice should drive me insane—it doesn’t. And that’s saying something. Considering how much of a selfish and protective prick I usually am.
A firm hand grips my shoulder from behind, temporarily distracting me. “Hey, asshole. Have you heard from Madison? Is she okay?” Diego saunters around me, coming into view.
I shake my head and pinch the bridge of my nose at the fact that Lainey definitely heard that. Without a shadow of a doubt, she can now confirm I purposely chose not to disclose that Madison was coming home. So not only am I in the fucking dog house, but I am also lying in my own shit.
There aren’t any words at the moment. My mind is a vortex created by the two women currently occupying it. Don’t get me started on who is occupying my heart. With my index finger, I motion to my favorite bartender, who nods their understanding and starts preparing me another refill.
It’s going to be a long night.
God knows if I don’t pace myself, Lainey will be force feeding me another disgusting smoothie later on.
Diego brushes past me, placing a possessive hand around Madison’s waist. My molars grind together seeing them interact. She doesn’t shy away either. If anything, she leans in closer to him. Madison retrieves her drink and takes a step back from Lainey, grateful for the reprieve.
Lainey retreats towards me instead of instigating things further to take a seat on my lap. Manicured fingers raise her glass to her lips as she joins me in watching their interaction.
“How’s your father?” The concern in The Bone Breaker’s eyes is palpable.
He lowers his head so that they are as close as humanly possible. Madison raises her chin to stare up at him. Her cognac eyes dart back and forth, ensnared in his penetrating gaze.
Once-a-fucking-gain, jealousy works its way into my system. I inhale deeply causing my nipple rings to brush against Lainey’s back through my shirt. Granting myself another sip of my drink helps simmer the fire blazing through me. The one that was once just ash and ember while Madison was gone, is now a full blown, raging inferno. Ya know how it goes… she’s a breath of fresh air.
That’s all my fire needed to reignite.
Oxygen .
She is the oxygen we all were lacking in our lives.
“He’s doing well. Surgery was successful—thank God,” she simpers before taking a healthy sip of her citrus drink. Flecks of sugar dust her lips and I suddenly want a taste of it. Bringing the rock glass to my lips I swallow another healthy portion, but my favorite whiskey dulls in comparison to my current craving.
The 23 year old bottle is sure as shit not tequila and Madison.
Diego’s hand comes up to caress Maddy’s pinkened cheeks and rubs his thumb along the delicate skin below her ear.
Wait a fucking second. Is that a butterfly tattoo? She got that for him?
“That’s amazing news. Stay with me tonight?” he asks enticingly, his thumb still stroking the ink.
She nods her head, her cheeks now a cherry red. “I already had Killian take me to your room when I arrived. That is, if you don’t mind bunking with me tonight. I would have stayed at the hotel, but the girls would have been super crowded and uncomfortable.”
Diego leans his head down further so his forehead touches hers. “Where you sleep, I sleep, Mariposita . Remember that.”
Madison inhales sharply as her pupils dilate. Fuck . I can’t sit here and watch this shit anymore.
I shift Lainey over to get up but the little vixen grinds down on my lap and wraps her arms around my neck, subjecting me to this torture.
“I’m getting tired, Liam. I have a big day of cooking ahead of me for Kian’s birthday. Come to bed?” Her intentions are clear as she continues to shift on my lap.
Her fingers curl under my chin and her lips meet mine. My lips part, inviting her to deepen the kiss—which she takes full advantage of. I need to lose myself in her tonight. I was doing fine. Just fine…Until a certain someone came crashing back into my life like a hurricane.
“Dance with me?” Diego asks at the same time as Selena.
Madison’s sweet laugh has me breaking the kiss and abruptly tugging Lainey back toward the house .
“Goodnight, everyone,” I growl, barely able to get the words out of my mouth.
Lainey complains about her heels and that she can’t walk that fast. My arms come down as fast as possible to scoop her up. I carry her the rest of the way through the house until we reach my bedroom.
On a bounce, she lands on the bed, giggling while stripping her dress off her in record time. I lower myself down onto the mattress, caging her body under my thighs.
Angry hands wrestle my tux off before tossing my black mask onto the carpet.
“Fuck me like you fucked her,” Lainey begs as she presses my head down to her core.
“Lain… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want it to ruin your night.” I attempt to ease the anger rightfully coursing through her.
“Prove to me that it doesn’t bother you. That she no longer means what I mean to you now.”
She’s glaring down at me as I hover over her glistening pussy. French nails tug my hair with unleashed desire. When I don’t make a move to devour her, she releases her grip on my head and scrambles back until she’s able to pull the sheets down and slide beneath them.
“You can’t, can you? She comes back and you go right back to wanting her,” she whimpers while tucking her face into the pillow.
Releasing a frustrated sigh, I run my hands through my hair and lean back against the headboard.
“Lain, we never really discussed what we were. I know we’ve been moving in the direction of a relationship, but I think we haven’t crossed that line because, yeah…Truthfully I’ve not been able to fully let go of Madison. I’m working through all of these emotions. I was so close to embracing this connection between us. Madison coming back today definitely derailed me a bit. It hu rts. Seeing her and seeing her with him is stirring up some ugly shit. Shit I thought I moved past.” My hands come up over my face and drag back down as a frustrated sigh leaves my lips.
Lainey turns back to face me, laying her cheek on her hand pressed to the pillow. Red-rimmed eyes and fresh tears greet me. Those jade eyes of hers shine with so much hurt. I feel like such a dick for ever getting involved with her before I was truly ready.
“Do you want to stop seeing each other, Liam? I know you loved her, I know it takes time to recover from those emotions, and seeing her tonight stirred up old feelings… but I am asking you what you want from me? How do you feel about me ?”
Sliding down the bed, I get under the covers and pull her into me, cradling her head and twining my fingers through her soft curls. My chin rests on her head as I let out a massive breath. The one I feel like I’ve been holding since Madison got off that plane.
“I am starting to fall for you, Lainey. Hard. You are kind and sweet and always know how to brighten up my days. You’re always encouraging me to do better with my health and my anger. Spending these last few months with you has been so healthy and healing. I found solace in your arms and my heart started to mend. But I’d be lying to you if I said I no longer felt anything toward Madison. That’s not fair to you, Lovely. You deserve a man?—”
She stops me by lifting her chin and pressing her soft trembling lips to mine.
“I don’t want other men. I want you . I know what you’re capable of giving in love. I’ve seen it. You would do anything for the woman you love. I can only hope that one day you will feel that way about me too. I thought…maybe…you already did. But, I see that I was wrong. I love you, Liam. I think I always have since we were kids. I’m willing to wait. I’ll give you the space you need to process this. I don’t want to hear about what you’re doing behind closed doors. I don’t want to see it blatantly in my face . Just promise me you’ll try to work through how you’re feeling and let me know when you figure it out.”
Fuck . I couldn’t ask for a better possible outcome. She’s an angel, this one here in my arms. The damn organ in my chest beats harder as my lips crush hers.
“I hope I don’t hurt you through all of this, Lain. You don’t deserve that. I feel like I am already letting you down.”
“You’re not,” she promises between kisses. “This way gives you closure that I am not sure you ever had. I know you’ll be back in my arms when the time is right.”
She finds her confidence again as she slides her hand down my chest. Her fingers glide down further until they wrap around my cock, pumping it until it's throbbing.
I deepen our kiss. Our tongues dance as our hands roam and explore each other’s skin like it was our first time. Lainey moans her approval as my fingers slip through her wet folds.
“Do you want me to stop?” I ask as I nip and suck at the base of her neck. I roll us until I am above her, adding pressure to the hand between us.
“No. Show me what I’ve been missing. Give me what you’ve given her,” she pleads.
Replacing my hand with my cock, I shove my hips forward, entering her in one swift move. Her head leans back against the pillow in bliss. My hips swivel, grinding down my pelvis to rub her clit while fucking her. Her legs widen inviting me to go deeper.
Our lips meet again as I show her what it could be like to be mine. I had been holding out. This kind of intimacy is what I wasn’t giving Lainey.
So, I spend the rest of the night showing her and myself what this could really be like if I just let go of the past. All while trying not to think of what this means for tomorrow.
Single.