Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
They spend the last day of their trip getting to know each other better. Hanging out on the back deck, Tori has on her bikini while Liam wears swim trunks as they talk. He tells her about some of the cases he's had in the past, and she's fascinated.
"Are you glad you left Violent Crime and moved to White-Collar?" She eats an apple slice drizzled with honey and cinnamon.
He nods. "I needed the change, and it's a better fit for me. There's been more undercover work too."
"I can't imagine doing that. Do you ever get scared when you're undercover?"
"No." He reaches for a piece of apple. "Sometimes I'm on edge before a big arrest, especially if we know the suspect is armed, but my squad works hard to try and anticipate every scenario."
She listens with interest as he describes more of his life with the FBI. Unfortunately, all this talk about arresting people has her worrying about her mom and Wayne again.
When they're not hanging out on the back deck talking, they're up in the loft having the best sex of her life. She’s never been so honest with a guy or given so much of her real self.
Liam doesn't mind at all when she goes down to the bathroom. He waits for her patiently, stroking his hard-on, so when she comes upstairs, he's ready for her.
They do it with her on top. Him on top. Back, front, and sideways. Tori wants to try every position like she’s tasting a box of naughty chocolates.
"Damn, you're on fire," he says after another round of wild lovemaking. He turns toward her with a purely male grin. "I think they may need to carry me out of here on a stretcher—not that I'm complaining."
She laughs and arches her back, loose-limbed. "I've never felt so free in my entire life."
He doubles the pillow under his head and studies her. "Is this really the first time you've had sex without faking orgasms?"
"Basically."
"I can't believe you've been doing it all these years. That must have been frustrating as hell."
Her throat tightens. She hadn't realized how much she hated giving a performance until now. "It was."
"Why didn't you stop?"
She shrugs. "I know it sounds weird, but I felt like that's what guys expected. I didn't want to disappoint anyone."
"It sounds like they're the ones disappointing you ."
"It was my problem, not theirs."
"And nobody was ever suspicious until me? "
"No." She smiles at him. "But then you're my first lawman."
He chuckles. "I guess it helps that I'm a trained expert at spotting a liar."
"You are?" She rolls toward him, curious. "Really? Trained how?"
"At Quantico, but I've taken classes since then. It was part of my job when I was a catcher too, analyzing body language."
"No, I mean, like how can you tell if someone's lying?"
"A number of ways." He shifts position, propping his head up on his hand. "It's easiest if you can get a baseline on the person so you know when they're telling the truth. Then you slip in something that not's true and watch them."
"What will they do?"
"It depends, but once you understand what's normal, it's easier to spot a change. Another technique is to ask them the same question in different ways."
She nods. "Looking for inconsistencies."
"Actually, you’re looking for similarities. Often liars will use the same words and phrases in a rehearsed way."
"That's interesting." She thinks back to all the orgasms she's been faking over the years. There was a rehearsed quality to it, since she basically did it the same every time. "So is it like in the movies where you sit someone in a chair with a bright light overhead and interrogate them?"
"No." He chuckles. "Typically, we get better results by chatting with a suspect in a more relaxed way."
She tries to imagine Liam doing that and then thinks of her mom and Wayne, especially Wayne. "What other ways do people give themselves away if they're lying?"
He slides his hand down to her hip. "Are you planning to interrogate someone soon? For the record, I think you've already dug up all of my secrets."
She tucks her arm under the pillow. "I just find it interesting. I once read that people look up to the left or right when they're lying. Is that true? "
"No." He shakes head. "That's been debunked."
"It has?"
"Trust me, I've questioned plenty of people, and their eyes go all over the place. They will sometimes touch their face. Cover their mouth or eyes. They'll use their hands too, but usually after they lie."
"Wow, you really do know a lot about this."
He shrugs. "It's my job."
Her eyes stay on him, and a thrill rushes through her. It's sexy how he catches bad guys. "Gosh, there's nothing boring about you in the least bit, Agent Castillo."
He grins. "Thanks. I'm glad you think that."
The bedsheets and covers tangle around them. She can see a hickey on his neck from earlier. There are scratch marks on his back. She's in similar shape. Her thighs ache, and the last time she checked the bathroom mirror, her cheeks and neck have beard burn.
She sighs to herself with happiness.
Tori scoots closer and puts her leg over his hip, then trails her fingers lightly across his muscular chest, plucking at one of his nipples. "Maybe you could read my body language right now. What am I thinking?"
His eyes turn a darker shade of brown. "You're thinking it's time for the next inning."
Liam wakes up with Tori's warm body pressed into his, her head on the pillow beside him. His phone buzzes, and he reaches for it quietly.
"What time is it?" she murmurs.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
"That's okay." She yawns and stretches. "How long have we been napping?"
"A few hours. It's almost seven in the evening."
"Wow, really? I guess that explains why I'm starving. "
"Me too." He thumbs through his messages. A couple from Elena telling him her weekend with Fancy is going fine. The boys have been playing with her in the backyard. One from Matt telling him about another case they're working on together.
"Let's order from those menus we saw downstairs." She rolls toward him. "What do you say?"
"Great idea."
Tori grabs his T-shirt and shimmies into some panties while he puts his swim trunks back on.
They head downstairs. He digs out the menus and leans against the counter looking them over.
She slides up beside him and wraps her arms around his waist. "What should we get? Pizza or diner food?"
"I don’t care." He sticks his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent, enjoying how easy they've become with each other. "I could eat the ass end of a bear right now."
She wrinkles her nose. "That is the weirdest expression."
They decide on pizza, but when he calls the pizza place, it turns out they're not delivering.
"I suppose we could drive over and get it," he says.
"No, I don't want to leave our cabin again. Let's try the diner and see if they'll deliver."
He calls them next, and it turns out they're happy to deliver, so he gives them both of their orders. "Is there anything else?" he asks Tori. "Should we get dessert?"
"Barbecue sauce. I love french fries with barbecue sauce."
He tells the woman on the phone and also asks her to bring two slices of apple pie after being assured they’re vegan.
They go onto the back deck together, waiting for their food to arrive. Treasure Lake gleams only a stone's throw away while the sky swirls in shades of orange and blue. The whole effect reminds him of a watercolor painting. Instead of sitting in her own lounger, Tori comes over and joins him on his.
"Hmm, this is nice." He rests his chin on her head .
"It's so pretty here, isn't it?" She gazes out at the view. "I wish we didn't have to go back tomorrow."
"Same here."
"I'm so glad I invited you. This weekend has been a big deal for me."
He considers her words. "I'm curious. What made you invite me in the first place? When I didn't hear back from you, I figured you didn't want to see me."
She looks up at him, and her smile turns naughty. "I guess I had a tingly feeling about you."
He laughs. "A tingly feeling?"
"Yes. Very tingly."
He tightens his arms around her and lowers his voice. "I have some tingly feelings about you too."
When the food arrives, they put it on the table between the loungers and Tori moves to sit across from him.
"I've been thinking about something," she says, dipping a french fry into barbecue sauce. "A couple Saturdays from now, I'm having a party at my house. My brother and Blair will be there, along with some other friends. Do you want to come?"
He swallows a bite of food and reaches for his iced tea. "Of course I do. Are you sure you're ready for that?"
She nods. "I think you're right about telling everyone. Let's rip the bandage off. I'll tell them in advance that you're going to be there so it can be our first outing as a couple."
"Okay. I’ll tell Elena and my parents too. They'll probably want to meet you sometime."
She puts ketchup on her veggie burger. "I wonder how your sister's going to react."
He already knows how his sister's going to react, but he doesn't care. Tori is too important for him to worry about his sister's grudge. "She'll either come around or she won't."
"Did she like Rachel?"
"For the most part, until everything blew up. "
Tori goes quiet at this, then looks out at the lake.
"What is it?"
She hesitates. "Elena was really mean in high school. She spread a lot of ugly rumors about me that weren't true."
He puts his burger down with concern. "I've never heard this before."
"I wasn't sure if I should tell you. I didn't think you knew about it."
"You're damn right I didn't know. I would never have allowed something like that. What kind of rumors?"
"That I was a slut and that I'd been with a lot of guys at school—which I hadn't."
"How do you know it was Elena making up stories about you?"
She picks up a french fry but then puts it down. "Because I was friends with one of the cheerleaders, and she told me. Other people confirmed it too."
He shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I had no idea." He leans back in his chair. "How did one accident with a milkshake grow so large? It's crazy."
"I know. It snowballed."
They study each other.
"It happened a long time ago," he says. "If we can move on, then surely everyone else can too."
"I hope so."
They continue to eat. "So, why are you having a party?" he asks. "Is there a special occasion?"
Tori swallows a bite of her burger. "Yes, sort of. My friend Lindsay will be on TV for the World Series of Poker. We're going to watch it and cheer her on."
"That's interesting. So you have a friend who plays poker?"
"I do. She's flying to Las Vegas next week and is scheduled for a tournament that Saturday. We're hoping we'll catch a glimpse of her on TV."
He wipes his mouth with a paper napkin. "Sounds exciting. "
"It should be."
After they finish their meal, they go for a walk by the water. Tori seems subdued.
"Everything okay?" He picks out a flat stone from the sand and throws it sidearm across the surface of the lake, skipping it a few times.
"I'm fine."
He glances over at her. She's sitting on a log, leaning back, staring out at the view.
"Come on, talk to me. Obviously you're not fine."
"I guess I'm just sad our long weekend is over. The only good thing about going home is I miss my animals."
"When's the last time you got away like this?"
She shrugs. "I don't know. I can't remember. How pathetic is that?"
"I agree that it's not good." He finds another flat stone.
"It's what I'm used to though. I never go anywhere." She looks around. "Being here has made me realize what I'm missing."
He throws the stone, and it skips three times.
Her eyes follow it with interest. "How did you do that?"
"It's easy. Come here, I'll show you." She gets up and comes over to him. When he finds a good flat rock, he hands it to her. "Now keep your hand low. Then snap your wrist when you throw it."
She tries, but her stone sinks right into the lake. "That's hard."
"Try it again. You'll get the hang of it."
She attempts it a few more times, but every one of her stones sinks. She groans. "This is ridiculous."
They search around for more rocks. He takes one and skips it four times. "I'm going to make sure we have plenty of long weekends, rubia."
She turns toward him. "You are?" Her blonde hair is pulled back and appears golden in the evening light.
"You're always taking care of everyone else, except no one's taking care of you." He reaches for her hand. "But I'm going to. "
Her eyes widen. "Can I bring my dogs on these long weekends?"
He grins. "Whatever you want." Then he hands her another stone. "Put a good spin on it this time. That's the trick."
"Okay." She sighs. "I'll give it another try."
He watches as Tori positions herself closer to the water and concentrates. She keeps it low and throws the rock with a good wrist flick. It bounces twice before sinking.
"I did it!" She turns to him. "Did you see that?"
"Yeah, I did. You totally got it."
She walks back over to him, a spring in her step that makes his chest ache with happiness. He wants to give her everything. The whole world. And when she hugs him, that electric feeling is back.
She puts her face up to his, and he kisses her smile, running his fingers along her hairline. "I want you to know, that this weekend has been a big deal for me too."
"I missed you, my babies!" Tori reaches for her dogs when she gets home. Blair is there, and she gives her a quick hug too. "Thank you so much for taking care of them."
"Nathan and I were happy to watch them. How was your weekend getaway?"
"Wonderful." The dogs are all swarming around her, tails wagging. She laughs as she tries to hug three squirming, excited dogs at the same time.
After a good ten minutes of hugs, kisses, and praising them, Tori gets up from the floor.
Blair comes out from the bedroom with an overnight bag.
"Did you guys sleep here?" Tori asks, looking at the bag.
"Yeah, we stayed the weekend. It was kind of fun being back here together." She laughs. "Sort of like old times."
Tori remembers all the trials and tribulations Blair and her brother went through when they were dating. She's so glad it worked out and Blair became her sister-in-law. "Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about."
"Oh, that reminds me. I have to take the Honda today. You can still borrow it, but Nathan wants to give it an oil change."
"Sure." Tori nods.
Blair studies her phone. "Sorry, I have a meeting with a bride in a little while. I don't usually do them on my day off, but this woman begged and pleaded."
"Oh, if you have to go, that's fine. We can talk later."
"Are you sure?" Blair's eyes roam over her. She tilts her head. "You look really pretty. It’s like you're glowing from the inside."
"Thanks." Tori can't help her grin.
"Getting away agreed with you. You should do it more often."
She takes a deep breath. "Hopefully I will."
"Nathan and I were talking about how we could help, like give you some of our travel points. There's something else too." Blair quiets for a second but then seems to reconsider. "But let's meet up soon, okay?"
They hug goodbye, and Tori thanks her again for everything. When the door closes behind her, she sighs with relief.
Obviously, she has to tell Blair and her brother about Liam, and she will , but she's glad it wasn't right now. She's still reveling in her happiness.
Her dogs stay close to her as she unpacks her stuff, putting her new cozy sweater away in a drawer. "I missed you guys," she says, petting them and telling them all about her weekend while she putters around the house. "Though I can't tell you everything. Some things are too personal even for dog ears."
She starts a load of laundry and tries not to check her phone.
"We said we'd cool it a little," she explains to them. "We discussed it on the way home. I mean, we were together every single second for three days, so I figured it was best to give ourselves some breathing room."
Eddie, her golden retriever, studies her with his dark eyes as he sits outside the door of the laundry room. Tommy Lee, her Chihuahua, tilts his head. Duff, her pug mix, watches with his tongue lolling.
"What?" She looks at the three of them. "You don't agree?"
Tommy Lee's ears quiver. He's a little high-strung, and the ear quiver usually means he's excited, probably because she's home.
"You think I should call him? Am I being dumb?"
She goes out in the backyard and plays with them for a while. Her cats, Lita and Joan, finally emerge and come over when she takes a break on the back patio. She made herself a glass of iced tea and is sipping it as she looks through her schedule for the coming week.
"So I guess you two aren't mad at me anymore, huh?" She pets them. "I was only gone a few days."
Joan jumps up on her lap while Lita lays her body across the table, covering most of Tori's planner pages.
Surprisingly, her mom hasn't called yet, though Tori knows she needs to call her soon. She figured there'd be a lot of messages, but maybe Wayne took care of things.
By the time she gets ready to go to sleep, she still can't stop thinking about Liam. Lying in bed, surrounded by her dogs, she picks up her phone from the nightstand.
Her pulse jumps when she sees there's a text from him.
I know we're supposed to take a breather, but I can't stop thinking about you. I miss you.
There's a big smile on her face as she reads the message four times.
"Oh, this is dumb," she mutters.
Her dogs all look up at the sound of her voice.
Instead of texting him back, she calls Liam's number. He answers on the first ring.
"Hey, rubia."
She smiles, hearing her nickname. "I just saw your text."
"I couldn't help myself. I miss you already."
"Me too. "
"So how was everything when you got home today?"
Her dogs are still watching her. "It was great to see everyone. How is Miss Fancy Pants?"
"She's fine. Sitting right here in bed with me."
"I'm sure she missed you."
"I told Elena about us, that I went away with you for the weekend."
"You did?" Tori sits up. "What did she say?"
He snorts. "Nothing I want to repeat."
"That sucks. I'm sorry."
She hears him take a deep breath. "Don't worry about it. I knew she'd overreact."
"I haven't told anyone yet, but I will soon."
"Okay."
They both grow silent.
"I've gotten so used to sleeping with you next to me," he says. "It's going to be tough tonight."
"I know." She considers her options. "I'd invite you over, but my dogs would never tolerate that. Miss Fancy Pants would probably feel threatened too since she hasn't seen you for a few days and wants you to herself."
He chuckles. "I never thought my life would be run by dogs."
"Do you want to meet tomorrow after work?"
"Yes." His voice softens. "I can't wait."
The next morning, Tori takes an Uber to her job at the animal hospital. She knows she needs to get a new van soon and texts her cousin Brody to see how the search is going.
When she gets to work, Peyton is wearing a huge grin.
"I want to hear all about your weekend." They're both in the back office. "Lamont said you and that special agent had satisfied smiles on your faces when you came by to pick up your car yesterday."
Tori laughs at the description. Apparently Peyton's husband is very observant. "What can I say? It was the best weekend ever."
"Oooh!" She claps her hands. "I knew it. "
"Life changing even."
Her friend grins. "So you and the G-man are a thing now, huh? I can't wait to tell Tara. She's going to be thrilled."
"You guys are so nice. In fact, I got her a thank-you card and a small gift. Do you think you could give it to her for me?" She knows Tara lives up near Bellingham, but Peyton sees her regularly.
"Of course I will." She sighs. "I'm so happy for you. My instincts were right about that man from the first moment I saw him."
Later that day, Tori’s with Dr. Adrian in the lunchroom. She wonders if she should feel bad she's gotten over him so quickly. It was the idea of him that attracted her more than anything else.
"That's great," he says after she tells him about her long weekend. "Truth Harbor is a beautiful area."
"It really is. I hope everything is going well with you too."
He stirs his coconut yogurt. "Actually, things are going very well." He pauses and grins at her. "René and I have been talking."
Tori's brows go up. "You're kidding. That's a good thing, right?"
He nods. "We're having dinner on Friday. He says he misses me."
"Well, he should. You're a catch. And I should know!"
Dr. Adrian laughs. "Thanks, I appreciate that."
That evening she meets Liam and Miss Fancy Pants at a dog park near her house. Her boys are with her. She decided it would be best to introduce them in neutral territory for now.
"I've never seen so much butt sniffing in my entire life," Liam says, watching the dogs. "Is this normal?"
Tori laughs at the disturbed expression on his face. "Very normal. Dogs have a natural hierarchy. All the butt sniffing is how they get acquainted with each other."
Happily, the dogs seem to get along fine. She worried a little about Tommy Lee, since despite his small size, he's quite an alpha. There are a few growls, but for the most part he seems okay. In fact, Miss Fancy Pants seems to be the new leader. Tori's not surprised, since she's very assertive .
After a short while, the dogs are all running around playing. She and Liam have been holding hands and sneaking kisses.
"It was torture without you last night," he whispers, squeezing her hand. "How much longer will I be tortured?"
She strokes his clean-shaven face. "I miss the beard. Though I like you like this too."
"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be growing another one for undercover work soon."
"Tonight is probably too soon for everyone, but do you and Miss Fancy Pants want to come over tomorrow?"
He agrees, and they stay at the park a while longer. Later that night, he calls her while she's in bed. They talk so long she has to plug her phone into its charger. Her dogs are all asleep and snoring. Joan and Lita are curled up near her pillow.
When he comes over with Miss Fancy Pants the next evening, it all goes fairly smoothly, though Liam is amazed when he comes to bed and discovers how crowded it is.
"You let all these dogs sleep with you every night?"
"They have their doggie beds, but I let them sleep here too."
He laughs. "I didn't realize I would have so much competition for your affections."
Even though the plan was to give them each breathing space after their passionate weekend, that plan has gone out the window. It's like they can't resist each other. During the day they're texting constantly, and during the night they're in each other's arms—though at Liam's insistence, her boys and Miss Fancy Pants have been relegated to their dog beds.
They spend all their free time together. He's over almost every night. They watch movies or hang out and talk. They take their dogs to the park. She's even been letting him play country music in her house. And when they have sex, he never seems the least bit bothered about her alone time in the bathroom.
Tori feels like she's walking on a cloud. Like she's finally having the kind of relationship she's been yearning for.
"I called my parents yesterday," he says. They're lounging on the couch having breakfast. It's been over a week since their cabin trip. "They've invited us to come visit when we have a chance."
"Really?" She pours almond milk over her cereal, then puts the carton back on the coffee table. "Do they remember who I am?"
"Yeah, they do. And they're fine. They both understand it was a long time ago."
She stirs her cereal, then stretches her legs out, resting them on his. "Road and Blair are coming over today to talk about something, and I'm going to tell them about us."
"Good. I'm glad to hear that."
"I'll finally see my mom tonight too. I didn't want to tell her anything over the phone." She already knows her mother is going to have a conniption. It's bad enough she hasn't seen her since she got back from her trip.
"Do you want me to come with you? I can be very charming when I need to be."
"That's okay."
He looks around her living room. "I should go home and pick up some more clean clothes, but I was thinking, what do you say we spend the night at my house for a change? You can bring your dogs."
She takes a bite of cereal. "I'd rather not."
"Do you think your dogs would mind that much?"
"I'm sure they'd be fine. It's not that."
He studies her. "Is it because of that whole thing with Rachel? Trust me, she's not coming back. And I lived there long before I met her."
"No, it's not that either. It has nothing to do with Rachel."
"Then what?"
"I don't like your neighborhood."
His brows go up. "You don't?"
"It's spooky."
"Spooky?" He laughs out loud. "My neighborhood isn't spooky."
She nods. "It is. "
"What are you talking about?" He puts his mug down. "I live in a great neighborhood. Do you know how much the houses there cost?"
"Who cares? It's too quiet. And all the houses look the same."
"Quiet is good. Sameness is good too."
"No, it's not. Have you ever seen a single neighbor? It's like a ghost town. Nobody wants to be there." She motions at him. "Even you're not there."
"That's because I'm here with you. My neighbors are all at work. They're professionals."
"Do you ever talk to any of them? How come there are no kids playing outside or old people? Where is everybody?"
He stares at her.
"It's unnatural." She eats a spoonful of cereal. "Like I said, spooky."
"All right, fine." He rolls his eyes and seems bemused. "You won't have to go to my spooky neighborhood."