Filthy Virgin

Chapter 17: Liam

"No, I can't let you do that. This is my responsibility; I'll take care of it." She struggled out of my arms, and I managed to grasp her elbow before she could get away from me.

"I want to help. And whether or not you want to admit it, you need my help. So I'm not going anywhere."

I felt a tremble go through her, and I moved to come around to her front. I put my hand under her chin and tilted it up so I could see her.

"Hey," I said calmly, "We'll get this figured out. Okay?"

She bit her lip and I could see she wanted to argue out of pride, but after a moment she whispered, "Okay."

"Good." I placed a kiss on her forehead and then wrapped her hand in mine as I went back up the stairs, making sure she stayed with me. Thankfully I'd left my phone in my car, or it would've been ruined by the accidental underground pool in Celeste's basement.

The next two hours were filled with phone calls and people coming in and out of her house, trying to do as much damage control as possible. Celeste had gotten a hold of her insurance, and they were going to be out tomorrow to take a look at everything. We'd managed to get the water pumped out of her basement, and her tub upstairs had begun to drain the moment we turned the water off. I'm pretty sure it all ran back down into her basement, but it wouldn't have made much of a difference down there.

Now, everything was just soaking wet. And not in a sexy way. I looked around Celeste's now-empty house, letting out a big sigh. I went in search of Celeste, following the sound of her voice.

"I can't do that Madison. Yes, I know. Do you know how awkward that would be? For all of us?" Celeste was speaking quietly but firmly, talking to Madison on the phone.

I leaned against the doorway, waiting for her to finish so I wouldn't interrupt her. I felt a little bad for eavesdropping, but with her next words I was glad I had.

"No, I'll just get a hotel room for a little and go from there. I'm not sure, but I'll figure it out."

"Stay with me." The words left my mouth and made Celeste jump a foot in the air. She whipped around, pressing her hand against her chest and she panted.

"Fuck, you scared me Liam!" Madison asked her something, and she said into the phone while staring at me, "He's been helping me out here." She paused to listen to Madison again, and I would've given anything to hear what she'd said since Celeste's face went beet red. "Shut it. I'm still not coming over there."

"Stay with me," I repeated. "I have plenty of space, and I swear I'm not the worst roommate."

She cracked a smile at that, and I was relieved to see it. My strong girl was back, and I was glad for it.

"I think I've figured something out Mads. Thanks for the offer though. Yes, of course I'll keep you updated. Love you too." Celeste hung up the phone and then crossed her arms under her breasts, plumping them up and tempting me to take a glance- a temptation that I valiantly fought.

"Well, how 'bout it?" She seemed to be thinking over the offer, and I knew I had to press my advantage. I couldn't say why I wanted her to stay with me so bad, but once the idea had popped into my head, I'd known that was exactly what needed to happen.

"Look," I continued, "you can't stay here. You can't afford to stay at a hotel for the unforeseeable future. I have plenty of space, and I'll let you stay for free. What's there to think about?"

Just the idea of having her under the same roof as me made my blood heat. The more time I spent with her, the harder it was getting- no pun intended- to stay away. I was getting more and more obsessed, thinking about her all the time and replaying what she looked and sounded like when she came, how she tasted. How she laughed, how she cared for others, how stubborn and independent she was.