When I yawn again, Liam switches off the TV, and getting up, he slips his arms under me, lifting me bridal style.
“You really like carrying me around,” I tease and wrap my arms around his neck.
“Safest place for you is in my arms,” he murmurs as he climbs the stairs.
Today was so much better. Even though everything’s changed. I lost Dad, but I gained Liam.
Oh, and I’ve moved in with him.
“At some point, I need to go back to my apartment,” I mention right before he sets me down on his bed.
“Only to get the rest of your belongings,” he mutters, a not-negotiable tone to his voice.
“Yes, sir.” I smile when the desire sparks to life in his eyes. I’ve caught on the word ‘sir’ is a turn-on for him.
Liam tugs the covers back, then removes his gun and tucks it beneath the pillow. “Move over. I sleep closest to the door.”
I scoot to the other side, crawling beneath the covers. Liam lies down beside me, then turns his head to look at me. The corner of his mouth lifts. “Right where you belong.”
Snuggling into his side, I ask, “Are you serious about us?”
“Which part of you are mine, didn’t you understand?”
Glancing up at him, I explain, “It just happened really quick.”
“Your point?”
“What if a week from now you realize you made a mistake?”
He lets out a burst of silent laughter. “In my world, a mistake is the difference between life and death.” He shakes his head. “I don’t make mistakes, Kiara.”
“I just don’t…” I wet my lips. “I don’t want to give my heart to you only to have it thrown back at me.”
His eyes hold mine with a serious intensity. “That will never happen. Your heart will be the most important thing I own.”
“So that’s it? You’ve decided I’m the one for you?”
“As simple as that.”
I rest my head against his shoulder and take a deep breath.
‘Jesus, I get to love you.’
Even though I think he said it in the heat of the moment, the words settle inside me.
Suddenly Liam asks, “What did Jimmy tell you about the mafia? You mentioned he warned you that I’d claim you.”
Right. I’m going to have to sit up for this conversation.
Pushing myself up, I turn to face Liam, folding my legs beneath me. He pulls himself up, and placing a pillow behind his back, he locks eyes with me.
“So Dad didn’t actually tell me anything. He just wanted me to resign from Byrne Enterprises. He only said the second you find out who I am, you’d claim me.”
Worry tightens Liam’s features. “You know nothing?”
I shrug. “I Googled the mafia. Does that count?” Letting out a nervous chuckle, I admit, “Honestly, I didn’t even know the mafia was still a thing until I spoke with Dad.”
Liam lets out a heavy breath. “Fuck.”
Fuck?
Why fuck?
His teeth scrape over his bottom lip, then he pins me with a serious look. “Before I continue, you need to know there’s no way I’m letting you go.”
Hearing the warning in his tone, it makes apprehension slither into my chest.
“The mafia is an illegal crime organization,” he gives me the definition I read online.
“I gathered as much,” I whisper.
“Crime, Kiara. I’m a criminal.”
Hesitantly, I ask, “So you can be arrested any day?”
He lets out an amused chuckle. “No. I have half the police force and politicians in my pocket.”
Oh-kay. I guess money does buy you power.
His eyes are intense on mine. “I’ve killed, and I’ll kill again.”
His words don’t hit as hard as I expected them to. “Innocent people?”
He shakes his head. “Enemies.”
“Like Finn?”
When he nods, I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Okay.” My eyebrows furrow together. “What else?”
“Money laundering mostly. Illegal gambling. Arms.”
“Arms? Like weapons?”
He nods. “I belong to a group called the Priesthood. Mostly I clean their money and help out with the transporting of weapons.”
I should be upset about this, right?
But that would mean being against the person Dad was, being against Liam, who’s been nothing but good to me.
The realization hits me right in the heart. I can never be against them. Dad… God, he was my father. And Liam, he’s my future. I’ll stay loyal to them until I die.
Liam lifts his hand, brushing his fingers over my cheek. “You’re not trying to run.”
The corner of my mouth lifts. “How far would I get?”
He shakes his head. “You won’t make it off this bed.”
Heat pours into my veins, my abdomen clenching.
Damn, that’s a turn-on. I want to be owned by this man, and I don’t care that it’s crazy.
Moving, I crawl onto his lap, straddling him. My hands frame his jaw, my eyes drifting over his attractive features. “That was really hot.”
A sinful smirk forms on his face, then he comments, “You like it when I’m dominant.”
I nod as I slowly lean forward. “I do.”
“Like I said, you were made for me.”
I brush my lips against his. “If any other man tried to dominate me, I’d slap him into next week.”
“Good,” he growls as his hands find my butt, his fingers squeezing me hard. He thrusts up, his hard length rubbing where I need it most.
“You told me to tell you when I can’t feel you inside me anymore.”
“Yeah,” he murmurs, then his mouth nips at mine.
“I can’t feel you any longer,” I lie because I’m still sensitive from our earlier lovemaking.
Liam pushes my t-shirt up and over my head, tossing it to the side. “Get naked, baby. I need to feel you stretched around my cock.”
Holy shit.
I quickly shove my leggings down while Liam takes off his sweatpants, then I’m pulled onto his lap again to straddle him, his hands grabbing hold of my ass once more.
“You’re going to ride me until I come,” he orders, the fierce desire he feels for me clear in his voice.
“Yes, sir.”
Liam positions his erection at my entrance, and with one hard thrust up, he buries himself deep inside me. My body curves forward, my lips parting from the ache of him stretching me.
“God,” I gasp, my palm slapping against his rock-hard chest to keep myself from slumping forward.
“That’s it, baby. Feel every inch of me inside you,” he groans.
Liam brings his hands to my hips, then lifts me as he pulls out before slamming back inside me. This time I fall forward, my breasts hitting his chest. “So good,” I moan. “So, so good.”
There’s a slap to my butt, making my abdomen clench hard. “Jesus. Ride me, Kiara.”
I place my hands on his shoulders and swivel my hips, slowly moving up and down. It’s delicious torture, feeling every inch of his hard length stroke inside me.
Liam’s fingers dig into my skin, and with a tight grip, he starts to move me faster until the pace suits him. His thrusts are relentless, and I wrap my arms around his neck, my breasts rubbing against his chest.
“Liam,” I whimper, my body totally under his control.
“Come, baby,” he orders, his tone hoarse.
On command, my body seizes up, and the only thing keeping me from splintering apart is Liam. The pleasure steals my ability to breathe, to think, and all I can do is feel.
He jerks inside me, and with a hot as hell groan, he comes, his arms engulfing me in an almost painful hug.
“Eyes on me,” he demands, and when I open them, I see everything he feels for me laid bare in his eyes.
We ride our pleasure out with our gazes locked, our breaths mingling, the moment the most intense of my life.
With Liam buried deep inside me, I realize he meant every word he said. He’s obsessed with me. He loves me.
This man fell instantly for me.
When I’m able to catch my breath, I whisper, “Was it love at first sight?”
He kisses me softly. “I loved you long before you came into my life. When you bumped into me, my body recognized yours. When you looked for safety in my arms, my heart knew you were the one.”
My heart.
There’s so much emotion building between us, his eyes a color of blue I’ve never seen before. “Mine. Always have been. Always will be.”
His.
