— VENICE —
When I lifted my head, I found myself standing at the foot of a driveway. I traced the curve of the black cement up to a squat, single-story brick house.
I didn't know how I ended up back at my house. Or old house, I guess.
As I approached the small home, I failed to see any indication the house was currently occupied. No vehicles, decorations, or furniture.
My heart sank. Isaiah must have moved. Was he still working and living in Mount Berry?
My chest felt so heavy under the weight of its confusion and grief. I always tried to keep Macay at a distance to prevent myself from getting too attached—in case he wasn't my mate.
Even still, I felt like I'd just been stabbed in the back by my best friend. I wasn't from anti ally interested in Macay, but I still cared about him.
To him, I was essentially property. He got paid to take me home. That was so messed up.
I hoped I never saw Eleanor again. Not only had she caused all of these issues with her lies and bribery, but she also tried to kill me! The bitch was relentless.
Who had the time, money, and energy for all of that?
I guess I should have suspected that Alasdair was biased in his ultimatum. I never believed he was acting out of the goodness of his heart for me, but I didn't expect him to help coordinate something of this magnitude.
Maybe Liam told him about Maisie and this was his way of retaliating at us. I didn't know and I didn't care to find out. I hoped I never saw any of those people again.
Except for one.
My gaze drifted toward the house next door. A shadowy figure stood on the porch.
Is that—? No. Couldn't be him. He wouldn't risk being here.
Yet, the shadow's face turned to me and I found myself staring into caramel eyes. He stepped off the porch and moved toward me. I drank him in with disbelief.
"Liam?"
He looked like a gargoyle come to life. His complexion was gray, dark circles around his eyes. He had become very lean, almost wiry in consideration of his long legs and broad shoulders.
His golden eyes were bright and wild, mahogany hair long and curling in the autumn breeze. His skin, light as marble, stretched over his lithe, aristocratic features.
For a fleeting moment, I felt the race of my pulse like I had a hundred times since we met. Adrenaline coursed through me at the awe of his graceful beauty and strength.
Then I blinked and he was there, surrounding me. All around me, embracing my body. The combination of his spicy taste, bergamot and pinewood smell, and rugged feel overwhelmed me.
He consumed me completely, reducing me to a fleshy heap of smoldering desire. I snuggled into his arms, feeling safer and more content than ever.
I never wanted to leave. This felt like home.
"I can't believe you're here," I murmured. "I thought this would be the last place you'd go."
He pulled away to brush his eyes over me. "I'll explain everything. Let's get inside."
My gaze fell to the movement of his hand, where he offered me his palm. I accepted it and followed him into his house.
The empty walls I entered struck me with sadness. The house was devoid of all furniture and decoration.
Of course, he's moving. He certainly can't stay. My heart fluttered with anxiety. Is he leaving me behind?
"Where are all your things?" I asked.
"Shipped off," he said.
The pit of dread in my chest expanded. I bit my lip and used the pain to concentrate on the present moment instead of speculation. I would get my answers soon.
Liam led me to his bedroom where a mattress remained with sheets tossed about. I licked my blundered lips at memories of us twisted up in the bed at Rob's mansion flooded my mind.
After fixing the rumpled bedding, Liam sat down and motioned for me to join him.
"Oh, but my clothes . . ." I said, plucking at my soaked shirt. "I don't want to get your bed all wet."
"Of course. You must be freezing," he said, frowning at himself. "Let's go to the laundry room and see if we can find something dry for you."
While we walked through the house, he asked, "What were you doing out in the rain anyway? You could catch a cold."
I opened my mouth but no sound came out. Liam strode into the laundry room and stole a glance back at me while he checked a few articles of clothes hanging to dry.
"It's a long story," I muttered.
He pivoted toward me, holding out a large white t-shirt. "Here. This is the only comfortable thing I have. It'll be big but I don't have any fresh pants—"
"These are fine, thanks," I said, snatching the shirt. My cheeks were hot so I ducked my head before he could see.
Liam smiled slightly before stepping out of the laundry. I stripped out of my wet clothes down to nakedness.
The cool air nipped at my damp skin and I shivered, hastily tugging the t-shirt over my head. His shirt covered all the important bits and brushed against the middle of my thighs.
I tossed my wet clothes in the dryer and started the load. As I turned to leave, Liam was already in the doorway with a pair of boxers in hand.
His gaze was fixed on my legs. He rolled those gorgeous eyes up to mine, taking several detours along the way. My nipples hardened against the dry cotton fabric. Tantalizing heat burned in my core.
"Liam," I whispered, voice husky and a little breathless.
He dropped the boxers and blurred over to me. Our mouths were drawn together like magnets and electricity buzzed through me as they collided.
His hands wandered my curves, squeezing at my ass and hips. I ran my hands through his hair and his arms, marveling at the hard, solid feel of his muscles.
"Fuck," he groaned into my lips. "I'm so hard for you right now."
"I need you," I cried. "Please, Liam."
"Oh, sweetheart. You have no idea how much I've missed you."
He lifted me and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He backed me up and rested me on the edge of the dryer. The heat and vibrations from below me only intensified the throbbing in my center.
I gasped as Liam spread my thighs and stroked the insides of them. My hands grabbed onto his shoulders while I watched him bend down to inspect my pussy.
Lifting the hem of the shirt, he peered between my thighs. His tongue swiped his lower lip and left the pink skin gleaming. I bit down on mine, wishing it was his.
He pulled my shirt back to my hips and looked up at me. I leaned back onto my elbows, panting shallowly.
"May I?" he said.
"Please," I whimpered.
Liam's lips landed directly over my petals. The shock of his direct move and the steady quiver of the dryer made me cry out.
I was so high-strung from the stress and tension lately, as well as not being touched in weeks. It wouldn't take much to make me unravel.
After stroking his tongue through my folds, he lowered his shoulders to shimmy them underneath my legs. He then lifted my hips and buried his tongue into my pussy. I screamed at the rush of ecstasy that flooded me.
My legs clamped around Liam's head and he continued to lick and stick his tongue inside me. I rode out my orgasm with a loud moan.
"You taste so sweet," he murmured. "Like candy."
He rested me on top of the dryer, his glazed eyes bouncing between my mouth and eyes. His lips crushed over mine before he licked at my mouth. I groaned at the musky taste of my essence.
The unexpected feel of his blunt fingers at my entrance made me jolt with a gasp. Liam kissed down my cheek to my jaw, sucking and nipping at the bone. Meanwhile, two fingers pushed through my folds and into my slippery core.
I arched my back as my sensitive nerves exploded under his invasion. He dragged his kisses down the left side of my throat. Waves of heat washed over me, coaxing an erotic moan from my tongue.
"Fuck, baby," he cursed. "I'm so ready to fill you up. You're so right."
I grabbed his shoulders as he attacked one of my breasts over my shirt. The cotton fabric grated against my nipple under the lash of his hot, wet tongue. Liam worked his fingers feverishly inside me, the squelching sounds of our lewd acts filling the laundry.
Pleasure coursed through my bones and slammed into me. I welcomed the rush as inhuman cries of ecstasy and agony streamed out. In the midst of my high, Liam removed his fingers and pulled me off the dryer and directly onto his cock.
I threw my arms around his neck and legs around his hips. He sank into me down to the tilt and, gripping my ass, drilled into me. I yelped and moaned as I bobbed helplessly on his throbbing length.
Liam groaned and slowed his pace. The sound of footsteps rose over my labored breathing. Lifting my damp, flushed face from his shoulder, I looked. We were back in his bedroom now and striding toward the bed.
His arms tightened around me as he leaned down to place me on the bed. Still buried inside me, he pulled me to the edge of the mattress and sank onto his knees. I sat up on my elbows and watched him methodically roll deep inside me. He retracted, popped out, and then pushed roughly back inside.
My fingers curled into the sheet, teeth gritted. The discomfort and pleasure dominated me until I was a weeping, boneless mess.
Liam pulled out, flipped me onto my stomach, and drew me onto my knees. Swatting my backside, he entered me in one long push. I responded on instinct and rolled my pelvis back to meet his. I felt him slide deeper until he slammed into my cervix.
My whimper was met with a deafening, possessive, toe-curling growl. His fingers dug into my hips while he rutted wildly in and out of me. His thrusts turned sloppy and rough and I felt myself get lost in the lines between rapture and misery.
When we finished, Liam curled himself around me and nuzzled his face into my hair. His warm breath tickled my neck. I shivered and snuggled back into him.
He ran his fingers down my side. My shirt was gone now, probably in a shredded heap on the floor.
"Are you moving away?" I asked into the quiet.
I was calm despite the dread I felt for this conversation. I'd rather get it out of the way. My heart didn't have the strength to drag things out anymore.
"Yes." He chuckled softly. "Staying here would not be wise. And how did you get here? I thought you were in Utah . . . with Macay."
Sighing, I sat up and drew the sheets up to my chin. "I was. Wait—how did you know we were in Utah?"
"I was able to ask around and find out where his pack was. I stayed with my sister for a while after the King Alpha released me. Her ex had connections."
"You have a sister?" I gaped. "You never told me that! Is she a vampire, too?"
He smiled. "Yes. We see each other about once every twenty years. You're met her already, actually."
I frowned. There was no way. I would have known, wouldn't I?
"She was hired as a park ranger in the park where Macay's pack is."
A face came instantly to mind. I gasped. "Mildred? Oh, my god!"
He laughed. "Yes, she was going to help me get you out of there. We didn't know you'd end up back here, ironically."
"What an elaborate rescue plan," I said, a smile on my lips.
"I was going to get you back one way or another." He smirked. "Speaking of which, how did you end up back in Mount Berry?"
"Macay's mom is in the hospital here," I said. "She had a stroke."
He sat up beside me but didn't bother to hide his bare, rippling body from my greedy gaze. Then he drew me into his lap, hugging my back to his front. His arms wound around mine and clasped our hands together in my lap. He was quiet for a long moment.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said at last.
My gaze lifted to his bold, flaming butterscotch orbs. "I'm sorry I left you there, Liam," I whispered. My eyes watered. "I didn't want to, but Alasdair didn't give me a choice."
"Venice, it's okay," he said. "It's alright. You don't have to explain yourself. Eleanor told me."
Her name sent a shard of ice down my spine. My face lowered to hide the furious glower from Liam's view. I never hated hearing a name so much as hers.
"Did she mark you?" I muttered, glaring at the beige carpet behind the mattress. "Macay mentioned that you technically marked her, so if she bit you—"
"Absolutely not." His arms tightened around me. "I would never let that happen. Biting her was a terrible, horrible mistake that I will never forgive myself for."
I relaxed at his words until he snarled, "Did that fucker try anything?"
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I gazed down at our tangled fingers in my lap. My silence lingered and Liam's body was soon vibrating with anger. My eyelids fell shut as I took a labored breath.
"He kissed me once," I murmured. "I didn't kiss him back and it was unexpected. I didn't want to kiss him. I've been riddled with guilt. I'm so sorry, Liam."
His forceful exhale tousled my loose hair. He rested his chin on my shoulder. I waited for his furious hiss or explosive curse and death threats. Despite my reservations, Liam remained eerily calm.
"Not gonna lie," he said in a low tight voice. "I want to kill that bastard. He's going to get what's coming to him."
"Liam," I huffed, rolling my eyes.
"Listen, baby. I have something to tell you, too."
I waited for further explanation but he was silent. A compounding feeling of terror crept over me.
Did he sleep with her?
My stomach turned and I bit my lip with bruising force to keep the nausea at bay.
"I don't want this to change anything between us," he added a bit reluctantly, "but I understand if this changes how you . . . think of me."
Oh, god. I wanted to melt into the ground. Tell me they aren't fucking.
What if he's moving to live with her? Was this breakup sex?
Liam turned my face to the side, brushing the corner of my mouth with his calloused thumb pad. His thick brows furrowed over his eyes were shaded with concern and worry. With his poreless complexion, cutting jaw, and plump pink lips, he was so gorgeous it hurt.
His next words could shatter me, yet I just sat there and awaited his confession.
"I had to kill Eleanor."
I blinked. "Kill? As in . . . she's dead? Gone forever?"
He seemed perplexed by my reaction. "Yes."
"How? When? Are you . . . okay?"
"I think I should be asking you that, love. You're a bit too calm."
My body expanded with a huge gulp of air. "I'm processing things, yes. I just can't believe she's gone—and that you were the one who did it. Did she try to hurt you? What happened?"
His body sank around me. He kissed my cheek and released his hold on my face.
"Her wolf tried to forcibly mark me," he said. "I had to kill her or she would have done it."
"Jesus, that's terrifying." I turned around in his lip to face him, grabbing his shoulders and peering up into his eyes. "I'm sorry that happened to you."
"I couldn't let that happen. I don't want to be with anyone but you. It's all or nothing for me."
I leaned in and kissed him. As I pulled back, he yanked me back and kissed me again, more fervently and sweetly.
When we parted again, Liam rubbed my cheeks and held my gaze. My heart exploded looking at him, feeling his soul inside and all around me. I felt like I was flying, like I was a million miles from Earth on a planet where only good things could happen.
"You don't despise me then? You're not afraid?" he asked.
"The only thing that scares me," I told him, wetting my lips, "is the thought of losing you."
He brought our faces close again and his mouth brushed over mine with each word. "Then you've got nothing to be afraid of. I'm not going anywhere. This is everything I could ever want. You are better than anything I could have hoped for." An elated grin stretched across his face. "I'm head over fucking heels for you, Venice."
"Then I must be in free fall!" I laughed giddily. "I nose-dived over the edge the day we met."
"Promise me," he groaned, sliding his hand under my ass and pulling me into his lap again. His rod twitched against me.
I gasped. "Promise you what?"
"That you're mine. All mine, only mine. Mine to touch, fuck, please. Mine to save . . ."
His mouth was on my neck, drowning me in noisy, wet kisses. He devoted himself to worshipping one sensitive spot under my ear. I latched onto him, throwing my head back.
"Always," I moaned. "I'm all yours . . . forever."
"This is where I'm going to mark you," he growled.
The pulse between my thighs jumped. He chuckled darkly.
"Someday, not now. Don't get ahead of yourself, naughty girl."
I squirmed against him as the ache in my core intensified. He bit the spot with his blunt teeth and palmed my chest.
"Promise me something," I groaned, fighting to stay in control of my body.
He pinched and played with my nipple. I hissed through clenched teeth.
"What is it?" he asked, voice low and husky. "Tell me what my little mate desires."
"Promise me you'll always take me with you," I whispered. "That you'll never me."
He wore a pleased smile. "Easiest promise ever."
"So I'm moving with you?" I verified, my stomach in knots. It was slmsot too good to be true.
I'd miss my family and Isaiah. I even missed Marvin, the little shithead. But for the sake of my safety and theirs, staying away was for the best. At least for now.
He tossed his shoulders in a casual, minimal effort shrug. "I picked this adorable cottage on a lake in Maine, where we can swim, fish, grow a garden, get a dog or something." His squinted at me. "I chose the whole damn place with you in mind, woman. You better be coming."
My beaming cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. Our desperate, reckless hands grabbed at each other like our lives depended on it. Mouths clashing again, our bodies communicated in a language too intimate for mere words.
Soon, we were drowning in the sweat that gathered along our fevered flesh, all traces of reality consumed by the spellbinding sounds of our ragged breathing and pounding blood.