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Liam
Two weeks passed without incident and somewhere along the way Amelia and I began to fall into a pretty regular routine. Things had relaxed around the cabin. I let Amelia walk freely around the house during the day as long as I was with her. Both doors were locked with a deadbolt, and I could stop her before she could escape out a window, though I still locked her up in her room at night.
We had started spending some time in the living room and I even took her to the back porch for some fresh air a couple of times. I hated having to keep her bound, but I still couldn’t risk her running away.
After locking Amelia in the master bedroom, I went into my office and unfolded the futon as I did every night. I laid on my side and closed my eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. I couldn’t seem to shut off my mind. Turning onto my back, I stared up at the ceiling before reaching blindly in the dark for my phone. I punched in the speed dial to Chase’s cell and waited for him to answer.
“Hey man, is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Were you asleep?”
“Nah, what’s up?”
“I need to come up with something to make things here more enjoyable for Amelia.”
“Under the circumstances I’m not sure that’s going to be possible.”
“I’ve seen a change in her already. She looks at me with more... tenderness. She actually smiles again. After seeing her smile return, I’d do almost anything to get to see that again.”
“I bet you’d get a big smile out of her if you let her go,” Chase teased.
“You know as well as I do that, I can’t do that. Not yet.”
“Yeah, I know but, if you sent her to the agency to be held, at least you wouldn’t be the bad guy.”
“I’ll always be the bad guy. I need to think of something I can do that would make her happy, without putting the mission or us at risk.” I closed my eyes and thought back to the first time I saw her from my balcony as she unpacked. She seemed so carefree back then. Now, because of me, she was miserable. I had to make that right.
“I wish I knew what to tell you.”
“I think I might have an idea. You’re planning to do some shopping for us tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, and I gotta say, I’m not loving being your errand boy.”
“You think you could come sit with Amelia tomorrow instead so I can run out? I have something I need to pick up.”
Amelia and I sat together on the couch. She watched some silly television show, and I watched her. She laughed at the people on the screen. She was so beautiful when she smiled, and I wanted to be the reason for that sparkle in her eyes. There was a knock on the door and Amelia looked at me.
“Chase is coming by to sit with you today.”
“Sit with me? Why?”
“I have some errands to run.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I’ll be back a little after lunch.” I walked to the door and opened it for him but kept my attention on Amelia. “You can make yourself a sandwich for lunch. Don’t trust Chase’s cooking.” He punched my arm and I laughed.
“Hey, my cooking isn’t that bad.” Chase pushed past me into the room. “But I’ll let Amelia fix us lunch, today.”
The light mood was so much better than when Amelia had first arrived.
“Be good and don’t give Chase any trouble.” I gave her a warning look. Even though things had been better, I was still dealing with some resistance from her.
“I’ll be good.” She smiled.
“Good. Otherwise, you might not get your surprise.”
“My surprise?” Her eyes widened with excitement.
I nodded and grinned.
“Oh, what is it?” Amelia jumped up and hurried to me.
“You’ll have to wait and find out.”
“Aww.” She pushed her lower lip out in a playful pout that was sexy as hell.
I lifted her chin with a crooked finger so that her eyes met mine. “It will be worth the wait. I promise.”
That made her grin, and I couldn’t help myself. I leaned forward and softly pressed a small kiss on the corner of her lips. Her eyes widened but she didn’t step away. Maybe there was hope for us after all.
Amelia
Liam had kissed me. And I let him. I sat on the couch after lunch, pretending to watch T.V. with Chase while my mind reeled at the feelings stirring inside me after that simple, little kiss. Liam kissed me.
We kissed plenty the night we had sex but that was before I knew who he was and what he’d done. He was the one who’d killed a man in front of me and yet I let him kiss me. I enjoyed it. I wanted him to do it again. What did that say about me that I could let a murderer kiss me and crave more?
There was something so tender and caring about the way he treated me. But he has killed—who knows how many times. In the short time I knew him before I found out who he really was, I’d fallen for him. But could I really be falling for the monster who dragged that long blade across that man’s throat?
“Amelia, did you see that?” Chase laughed and pointed at the T.V.
“Yeah.” I forced a smile.
Chase stopped laughing and turned to study me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You can’t fool me. What’s wrong?” He insisted.
“I was just thinking.”
“About?”
“Liam.” Chase raised his brow and waited for me to continue. I let out a sigh. Chase had no reason to tell me the truth, but I had to hope I’d be able to tell if he was lying. “He keeps telling me that he’s not as bad as I think but I saw him kill a man. How can he not be as bad as I think?”
Chase’s face lit up with realization. “You care about him.”
“I do not.” I sat straighter and pulled back from him.
“You care about him,” He accused.
“I don’t. I can’t. He kidnapped me.”
“Listen, I can’t tell you the details of who Liam is. He’ll tell you when he can. But I can tell you that he is a good guy whether you want to believe it or not.”
“Of course, you’re going to say that. You’re his friend.”
“Do me a favor. You have plenty of time sitting around this place for now. Think about everything you’ve seen from Liam minus that one night. See if there is more good or more bad.”
I sat silently. I had no response to that.
“I’m going to go find a snack.” Chase stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen.
I pretended to watch T.V. but I couldn’t get Chase’s words out of my head. He was right.
The sound of the front door unlocking jolted me from my thoughts. He was home. I went back to watching the screen, not wanting to appear overly excited to see him. But the new realization, that maybe Liam wasn’t the evil man I’d made him out to be, gave me new hope. It allowed me to admit the feelings I still carried for him.
“Honey, I’m home,” Liam joked and grinned at me when our eyes met.
“Get all your errands done?”
“I did.” Liam carried in a couple of bags of groceries but nothing that stood out as my surprise. The curiosity was going to drive me crazy if I had to wait much longer. Not that I cared so much about getting something. It was more about the fact that Liam had made a special trip himself to pick up whatever that surprise was.
He raised his brow at me and smirked. “You didn’t let Chase cook for you, did you?”
“No, she didn’t.” Chase interrupted as he walked in from the kitchen eating straight from a bag of chips. “She cooked me a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Just like my mom used to make—but better. She put some leafy things in the soup, and it was awesome.”
“Basil. It was basil,” I expanded on his description of the leafy thing.
“That sounds good.” Liam grinned at me.
“I could make you some if you’re hungry. It was just canned tomato soup, but I added the herbs.”
“Maybe another time. I thought you might want to see your surprise before it gets too late.”
“Oh yes, please.” I smiled up at him and he beamed down at me. He looked as excited as I felt.
“Okay, run upstairs and put on some shoes.”
“Shoes?” I raised my brow.
“Yeah, I can't have you walking outside barefoot. Oh, and you’ll need a jacket too. It’s pretty cold out today.”
“Okay.” I ran up the stairs to find my jacket and shoes. Liam was letting me go outside. Or was he letting me go? For some reason, a sick feeling wretched my stomach at the thought of leaving the cabin and Liam.
My excitement turned to nervousness as I put on my shoes and slipped on my jacket. I walked down the stairs much slower than I had gone up them. Liam was still waiting at the door, but Chase was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Chase?”
“He had to run. You ready?”
“Yeah. Where are we going?”
“Just for a little walk.”
A walk. Okay, so we weren’t leaving. He wasn’t letting me go. I was crazy for being relieved at that.
Other than a couple trips to the back porch, I hadn’t seen the outside world in over two weeks. It was a surreal feeling to step out the door with Liam holding firm to my hand. I knew he was holding me to keep me from trying to escape but I could almost forget I was being held captive when we strolled along the scenic trail lined with green pines and bare oaks.
We rounded the first bend and Liam pulled my hand back to stop me. “Okay, your surprise is just around the corner, but I need you to close your eyes.”
“I thought my surprise was getting to go outside for a walk.” I was puzzled. What other surprises could be out there?
“There’s more. But you have to close your eyes.”
I raised my brow, looking at him skeptically but then closed my eyes. I sensed Liam moving around me and jumped when he put his hands over my eyes from behind.
“Just making sure you don’t peek. Now, walk forward three steps then turn to your left.”
I followed his directions, and he followed me, never letting his hands move from my eyes.
“Now, walk straight until I tell you to stop.” His raspy voice tickled my ear and sent chills down my spine.
I took the steps and he followed. It reminded me of our date to the museum when he’d had me wear that blindfold. He knew how much I loved art and taking me to that exhibit was unbelievably thoughtful for a second date.
Chase was right. Liam had always been sweet, thoughtful, and even gentle with me even under strange circumstances.
“Stop here. I’m going to move my hands but don’t open your eyes until I say so. Okay?”
“Okay.”
I squinted my eyes closed tight, fighting the urge to peek as Liam’s warmth left me. His voice came from off to the side when he finally spoke. “Open.”
I opened my eyes and gazed out at the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen. A serene nook in the woods that I couldn’t have imagined any better. A babbling stream wound its way through a rocky bank, lined with moss. The sun peered down in rays through the tree branches overhead. And, over to the side sat an easel and canvas with a caddy of paints and brushes hanging from a small hook on the side.
My jaw gaped and my vision blurred with happy tears. It was the best surprise I’d ever got. I turned to look at Liam who was smiling at me with the most genuine, heartfelt smile I’d ever seen.
I wasn’t sure what came over me in that moment. Maybe it was what Chase said earlier, combined with this unbelievably thoughtful gesture, or maybe it was Stockholm syndrome, but at that moment, I needed to be near Liam. I needed to feel his touch.
I rushed over to him and wrapped my arms behind his head, tangling my fingers in his hair as his arms wrapped around my waist and our lips crashed into one another’s. I parted my lips to grant him access and he took the invitation, letting his tongue delve into my mouth.
He broke the kiss just long enough to speak against my lips. “So, you like it?”
“I love it.”
He smiled and cupped my jaw with a tender touch as he kissed me. I was suddenly lifted off the ground by his strong arms around me and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me closer to the stream. He lowered my feet back to the ground and quickly removed his jacket, laying it out on the soft moss before guiding me to lay back.
Liam’s lips trailed hot kisses down my jaw and neck. He nipped softly at the tender flesh at my shoulder, sending a jolt of pleasure all the way to my core. I moaned and lifted my hips to press against him. He quickly stripped my clothes away until I was in nothing but my silky black bra. I shivered partly from the cold, and partly from the anticipation.
He knelt between my legs and pulled off his shirt, leaning down to kiss me quickly again before unzipping his jeans and sheathing himself with a condom from his wallet. When he gazed down at me again, his eyes ignited. They seemed different somehow, practically glowing in the golden light of the woods. He looked at me like a wild animal as he locked on to his prey, and whatever control he had maintained finally snapped. He plunged into me with a force that pushed me up farther and farther with each fierce thrust. Before long I’d already slid most of the way off his jacket, but we couldn’t stop.
He was like a wild animal as he pounded into me, and I quivered and clenched around him, beckoning him further inside until he filled me fully. My inner walls stretched to the limit, but my greedy body wanted more.
I dug my nails into his shoulders, pulling him closer to me so that my breasts crushed against his hard, muscled chest. As my pleasure built, it consumed my whole being like a wildfire caught in the wind, spreading and scorching everything in its path.
I clung to him, crying out as pleasure rippled through me and exploded between my thighs. White light flashed behind my eyelids. I was spinning and falling all at once. Another thrust and Liam tensed, letting out a violent roar as he riveted his hips harder. We moved together in waves until neither of us had anything more to give.
He collapsed onto his elbow, barely keeping himself from crushing me as his torso pressed me into the soft earth. His body glistened with sweat even in the cold and he rested his forehead against mine, panting and breathing in each other’s air as we struggled to catch our breath.
Liam kissed me again but that time it was gentle and sweet. He brushed a strand of hair from my dampened face and rolled over onto his back.
He pulled me against him, my head resting on his chest as his fingertips lazily rubbed over my hypersensitive skin.
After several minutes, he pulled his jacket around my shoulders.
“You’re freezing. We need to get you warmed up or you’re going to catch a cold.”
“I think you’ve done quite well at heating me up,” I smirked at him and nuzzled in closer to soak in his body heat.
“As much as I’d love to stay like this, we both need to get dressed. It’s freezing out here. Besides, if we don’t, you’ll miss all your light to paint.”
We got dressed and Liam made a small fire to chase away the chill while I painted. He sat watching, enthralled in me as I worked.
Once I’d run out of good lighting, I packed up my paints. “It’s getting too dark to completely finish, but I’ve gotten enough done, I can do the rest later from memory.”
“I have one more surprise for you.”
“Another surprise?”
“Dinner.” He held up a grocery bag and I could vaguely make out hot dogs inside. “I thought we could roast them on the fire.”
“That sounds great. I haven’t done that in years.” I grinned and joined him closer to the fire.
“And, of course, I got dessert.” He held up another bag with everything we needed to make s’mores.
I squealed and he patted the spot on the ground between his legs. I sat down and he wrapped me in his warmth before we started on our dinner.
Once we had stuffed ourselves like two kids at camp, we packed our things and hiked back down the path to the cabin. Liam led me to the bedroom where we peeled each other’s clothes off, leaving a trail to the bed. That time was different. We took our time, worshiping each other’s bodies as we made love.