Chapter Thirty-Nine
MADDIE
It’s been eighteen days since Liam and I have had sex, and I’m moodier than ever.
Tyler’s ridiculous no-sex rule is making me insane.
I might be going crazy because it’s all I think about. I knew once I lost my virginity and learned what I was missing, I’d be one of those sex-crazed women who’d want it all the time. And I wasn’t wrong.
It wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t look hot as sin all the damn time.
Maybe if he’d pull back his witty comments and snarky charm, and I don’t know, wear a freaking garbage bag over his perfect face, then I’d be immune.
But the asshole likes to torture me—something he’s probably enjoyed for the past four years—and wears cutoff T-shirts that show off his biceps and tattoos.
Then there’s his fuck me smile he flaunts around that makes me squeeze my thighs together. Every time he looks at me that way, I have to stifle a moan that threatens to release.
Good lord, who have I become?
My sisters, that’s who.
Those horny bitches teased me during my teenage years, and I was front and center of their white-hot relationships with their now husbands.
It’s unfair.
“Are you alright?” Sophie asks as I grind my teeth and pout on the couch.
“I’m fine,” I snap, then clear my throat. “Why?”
“Because you look like you’re ready for a fight.”
I growl at the word fight and narrow my eyes at her. “I’m done with finals, and I’m bored as hell. Liam’s training every day, then works in the afternoons and is keeping me at arm’s length. Last night in bed, he wedged a pillow between us so our bodies wouldn’t touch! A FUCKING PILLOW!”
Sophie chuckles as she grabs the remote, sitting next to me. “Sounds like you need some trashy reality TV to get your mind off not getting laid.”
“There’s nothing that powerful,” I retort.
“Not even Love After Lockup?” she taunts, waving the controller in her hand.
I scowl, not giving in to temptation. Though it doesn’t work. Five minutes into the show, and I’m hooked. Dammit.
After two episodes, Liam and Tyler walk in, dripping with sweat.
Lord have mercy. Why?
He always looks sexy after a workout, but since he’s been training, his arms and chest are bulkier.
“Hey, baby.” Liam peeks behind me and smacks a quick kiss to my cheek. “Whatcha girls doin’?”
I inhale sharply, his sweaty smell surrounding me, which I love. Knowing what he’s doing, what he has to do, makes me sick. Feeling this way is selfish, but I miss him.
I miss us.
He has to face this head-on, but I don’t trust JJ or his word. What if this isn’t the last of it and he’ll want something else after? If Liam wins him a lot of money, will he want him to keep fighting and winning? Will I always be what they use against him?
I can barely deal with what’s going on as it is. JJ nearly killed us with that car explosion, and I don’t doubt he would go even further if Liam doesn’t follow his orders.
But I hope this doesn’t kill us or our relationship in the process.
“Watching TV, waiting for our men to come home and entertain us,” Sophie teases.
“Feelin’ like the fifth wheel over here, so off I go to take a shower,” Tyler quips.
“Liam’s not putting out, so trust me, you aren’t wheelin’ nothing.”
“You poor girl…” Liam mocks. “You waited twenty-one years, I think you can wait a couple more weeks.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, then walks to the kitchen.
“Perhaps Tyler can take your place until then?” I shout, knowing both of them are within yelling distance.
Liam stomps back into the living room, his eyes narrowed as he scowls at me.
“God, leave me out of this before Liam breaks my jaw.” I look over my shoulder at Tyler who’s shaking his head. “Trust me, he would.”
Then he walks upstairs, and Liam stares at me.
“What?” I feign innocence. “I was kidding.”
“Mm-hmm.” Liam studies me. “Can you put on some clothes? You wearing that isn’t helping.”
I look down at my tank top and sweat shorts. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
Sophie stands, groaning. “Quit torturing the man.” She takes my hand, then pulls me up. “Go put on a parka, so he’s not tempted to break the rules.”
“He used to love breaking the rules with me!” I shout, walking to my room.
Liam returned from Vegas four days ago with double black eyes, sore ribs, bloody knuckles, and a cut lip. He looked worse than when he came back from the mob boss’s guards kicking his ass. I nearly cried when I saw him, but he reassured me he was fine, though I knew he wasn’t.
He iced his entire body for two days straight before Tyler made him get back into the gym.
Apparently, this Dice guy didn’t take it easy on him and taught him how dirty they fight in the underground world, which meant teaching him how to defend himself if he ended up on the ground and couldn’t get up. He even had a shoe imprint on his back.
Just the thought of what he went through made me want to puke.
If something happens to Liam, and we don’t get one last opportunity to be intimate, I’ll always regret not showing him how much I love him.
I can show him in other ways, but hardly touching each other or being close feels like the opposite. I hate the distance.
Instead of changing like Sophie demanded, I strip off my tank top so I’m left in my sports bra. Then I take off my shorts and replace them with my spandex leggings. After I fix my hair and put it up into a high ponytail, I grab my yoga mat and go back into the living room.
“What’re you doing?” Sophie asks as I roll out my mat.
“My daily yoga routine,” I tell her casually, getting myself into a sitting position.
She snorts. “I haven’t seen you do your routine in days.”
“I need to catch up,” I say, but she’s not buying it.
“This isn’t gonna be good…” she mutters before she walks upstairs.
I move into an upward-facing dog and hold it while my back arches and legs stretch. After a moment, I switch into downward-facing dog and exhale.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Turning my head, I grin when I see a pissed-off Liam.
“You’ve seen me do this a hundred times,” I say innocently. “Should we do another yoga bet? See if I can beat your ass this time?”
“I asked you to put some more clothes on,” he says firmly with a plate in one hand and a sandwich in the other.
“And I asked you to get naked and fuck me last night, so it looks like neither of us are getting what we want.”
Liam nearly chokes on his food and smacks his chest before it goes down his throat. “Jesus, woman.”
I release my hold and go into a warrior position. “Don’t watch me if I’m such a temptation then.”
“You could make this easy and stop trying to get me to break,” he states, keeping his eyes glued to mine. “Wearing that and doing yoga in front of me is cruel.”
I hold back a smirk. “You didn’t seem to mind it when you kept me in the friend-zone all those years.”
“That was different, and you damn well know it.”
“Hmm…agree to disagree.”
“So is this payback for all the years I wouldn’t bang you?”
“No, just the first time.” I adjust my sports bra, lowering it down my chest. “The time you nearly ripped my dress in two and then screamed to…and I quote…get the fuck out.”
“You’re not seriously still pissed I wouldn't have sex with a minor, are you?” He sets his plate down, then walks toward me.
“I was like, five months away from turning eighteen!”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure that’s an acceptable excuse for the judge after they handcuff my ass for touching you,” he retorts.
Instead of allowing his closeness to affect me, I move into dolphin pose so he can get a full view of my ass.
Liam’s palm flattens on my lower back, and I inhale sharply at his touch.
“Baby, if I had fucked you that night, there’s no way I would’ve been able to resist you when we were reunited. I would’ve hurt you because I wasn’t in the right headspace for something serious. We both had some growing up to do.”
Then he slides his hand down my ass crack until it’s between my legs.
“Your sisters would’ve found out what I did and the guys would’ve killed me.”
With his middle finger, he rubs my pussy outside my leggings. My eyes slam shut as I soak in his touch.
“Then you and I would’ve had no chance at a future.” He rubs the pad of his finger against my clit, causing a groan to escape from my mouth. “So, trust me when I say waiting was the smart decision.”
“Mmm…” I stretch out farther, giving him better access to my pussy.
“Which is why waiting now is also a smart decision…” He circles my clit, my thighs burning as I struggle to hold myself up while my body aches for more of Liam’s touches.
The buildup intensifies as he adds more pressure, and my knees shake. Before I can beg for more, Liam removes his hand, then slaps my ass.
“Two more weeks, baby. We got this.”
Is he fucking kidding me right now?
My arms give out, and I drop to the mat, then scowl at him. “Seriously? That was mean!”
“Sorry, but you left me no choice.” He shrugs with a shit-eating smirk as he sits on the arm of the couch. “You wanted to play with fire, sweetheart. Showing off your sexy nipple rings, wearing tight as fuck pants that show off your curves, and eating whipped cream off your fingers last night.”
I stand, roll my mat, and stuff it under my arm. “The whipped cream was a happy accident when it fell off my spoon, but the other two, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Liam’s head falls back as he bellows out laughter. “Mads, please. I’ve been watching this dance of yours for three years, remember? I know all your tells. Your flirty innuendos. And the not-so-subtle way you eye fuck me.”
I growl. Damn him.
“Baby, come here.” He waves me over, but I look at him cautiously.
“Why? You want to almost finish what you started?”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Quit being stubborn and get your ass over here.”
I stand between his legs, dropping the mat. Liam wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer until there’s no space left. Cupping my face, his thumb brushes my bottom lip.