“He did.” Noah nodded slowly. “It took some time and things were a little awkward between us, but eventually we got back to the way we were once he realized that I still loved all themanlythings we did together. It seemed like it was no time at all when he started echoing my mom’s sentiments and asking when I was going to settle down with a nice young man. They want grandkids,” Noah told me.
“No Mr. McKinney then?” I don’t know why I asked such a personal question and I wished I could take it back.
“Not yet,” he sighed, wistfully. “I’m still hoping though and it’s not like I have a ticking biological clock.” The last part was said with a raised brow and crooked grin.
Maybe my parents wouldn’t be as accepting as his or maybe they would. It was entirely possible that I wasn’t giving them enough credit and the thought really gave me pause. The only way I would find out was to tell them the truth and let the chips fall where they may. I wouldn’t give them up without a fight. I could give them time to accept me, but I wouldn’t give up on them.
“Thank you, Noah. You’ve helped me out more than you know.” I saw the clock behind his desk and realized I had been there longer then I had expected. “My time was up ten minutes ago,” I said wryly. “I hope it doesn’t fuck up the rest of your day.”
“Not at all,” he said with certainty. He stood and walked around his desk, offering his hand to me. “You call me if you need anything else or just need to talk,” he said after we shook hands. “My door is always open to you.”
“That means a lot to me. Thank you.”
I drove away from my meeting with Noah feeling a lot better. I still hadn’t made up my mind what I was going to say to my parents or Liam, but I at least was ready to acknowledge that not being honest with either of them wasn’t a viable option.
Maybe it was cowardly, but I stayed in my office for the majority of Liam’s shift. I’m sure the staff and customers wondered what the fuck was going on, because I usually watched him like a fucking pit bull. No one said anything to me, but I could feel their questioning glances when I was briefly behind the bar with my employees. I was aware of how everyone perceived my focus on Liam – everyone except Liam. I couldn’t look at Liam without remembering the way his mouth felt against mine or how he tasted. I had to adjust myself several times beneath my desk when I’d catch sight of him on the monitors I had in my office. I rarely used them, because I liked to be behind the bar, but that night I had to take a break or risk making a fucking fool of myself.
I looked down at my dick and willed it to behave, but Sparky had a mind of his own. My sex drive was pretty much non-existent through my depression and PTSD recovery. Sparky got a hint of the passion that Liam brought to my life and he wanted more, more, more. He was sick and tired of my hand and wanted to be buried in the tight heat of Liam’s lithe body.
I turned the monitors off when the bar closed and the last customer left. I retrieved the tills from the registers and tried not to notice how stiff Liam was, but it was impossible to miss. The air seemed stifling and tense and it made me wonder if there was something else going on, besides Liam being upset about what happened between us. I decided I’d ask Liam about it later, because I wasn’t going to let another day go by without at least trying to explain my behavior; I just hadn’t decided how much I was willing to share.
I took the tills back to my office to put the deposits together. I ran the end of day reports so I could balance the cash and credit card transactions, but throughout my work a nagging suspicion took root and wouldn’t turn loose. There was something going on behind my bar that night and I needed to find out what. I placed the reports and tills in the safe, deciding to tackle them in the morning. I left my office and quietly walked down the hallway, feeling all kinds of stupid for spying on my own staff. I would’ve turned on the monitors, but it was video feed only with no audio. It had never been a problem before and I hoped it wasn’t right then, but my gut said otherwise. I made it to the edge of the hallway and stood just inside the doorway, remaining hidden in the shadows and out of the eyesight of my staff. It didn’t take me long to hear what was going on.
“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” I heard Trevor sneer and instantly knew who he was talking about. “I caught your little weepy act when you left the boss’s office last night. He get tired of your little games, Liam?” How long had this been going on? “Not so golden anymore? What’s the matter, honey? Not man enough to handle all of that?” I’d heard enough and was about to make my presence known, but stopped when Melanie spoke up.
“Leave him alone, jackass. Mind your own fucking business. He doesn’t deserve your petty bullshit just because Jack doesn’t notice you are alive. You hit on the boss and he didn’t take the bait so let it go and leave Liam alone.”
“It’s pretty pathetic, Trevor,” Hayley contributed. I was mighty fucking proud of my girls. “Liam, do you want to come to the movies with me and Mel after our shift? They’re playing that new horror movie with the killer clown in 3D.”
“Uh, no. I don’t do horror movies,” Liam said with a smile in his voice.
“You’re such a Mary Poppins,” Trevor said sarcastically.
“Yeah, maybe so, Trevor, but I learned that a spoonful of sugar helps me swallow down more than just medicine.” There was the feisty guy who wormed his way into my heart and made it beat again.
I suddenly imagined Liam on his knees before me taking my cock in his mouth and swallowing down my release. The image was so vivid that I could feel the pull in my gut as my cock tightened painfully behind my zipper. I wanted to call Trevor back to my office for the ass chewing he deserved, but I knew Liam would be long gone before we finished our come-to-Jesus talk. It was more important that I talk to Liam so I poked my head around the corner.
“Liam can you come to my office before you leave?”
He jumped when he heard my voice and jerked his head in my direction. I saw the uncertainty in his pretty hazel eyes and I hated the way I made him feel. I offered what I hoped was an assuring smile, but was probably more like a grimace. I couldn’t remember the last time I really smiled, most likely before everything went to fucking hell in Iraq. Liam nodded his head and returned to his task. I switched my focus to Trevor and hardened my eyes to let him know I had heard what he said and I wasn’t going to let it slide.
“Trevor you need to report to my office thirty minutes before your shift tomorrow. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.” It was said sarcastically and not with respect; it didn’t sit well with me. I raised my eyebrows at him and he quickly backed down. “I’ll be there.”
I returned to my office and paced while I waited for Liam. It seemed like an eternity before his soft knock came at my door. I called out for him to enter and held my breath until he was standing in front of me. I stalked toward him; the intensity on my face had him backing up, but I didn’t let him get far. I shut the door soundly behind him and locked it; there would be no interruptions. I kept my eyes locked on his as I pressed him against the hard surface of the door.
His gorgeous eyes closed briefly as his body trembled against mine. When he reopened his eyes, I saw so much desire and confusion in their depths. “I missed you out front tonight, Jack. I missed the way you make me feel safe. Did I ruin everything by kissing you?” His tortured voice whispered the words that tore at my heart.
“I’ve thought of nothing else but the way your mouth felt against mine since you walked out of my loft last night, Liam. I’m going to kiss you again unless you tell me not to.” I inched my mouth closer to his, allowing him time to tell me no or push me away. He chose to do neither, so I closed the distance and kissed him, capturing his moan in my mouth through our parted lips.
My heart thundered in my chest and my blood rushed through my veins to my happy dick. I slid my tongue into his mouth and claimed his lips and tongue with my own. This wasn’t a simple kiss, it was a mating of mouths. Liam mewled deep in his throat while I growled with the need for more. I kissed him long, hard, and deep; the same way I wanted to be buried inside him. How in the world would I be able to walk away from Liam Connelly after I experienced this connection? For once, not being able to share this with him scared me more than anyone else’s opinion of how I should live my life.
I HADN’T EXAGGERATEDin my mind just how good Jack’s lips felt against mine. In fact, it was better than I had allowed myself to recall. The press of his body against mine and the heat rippling off of him had my eyes rolling in the back of my head and we were still completely dressed with our hands far away from any of the good parts.
Jack had been giving me mixed signals and I shouldn’t have kissed him back, but I couldn’t resist the feel of his tongue sliding against mine again. I couldn’t think of a single, valid reason why I shouldn’t experience his kiss again. How long had I pined to know what he would feel like, taste like? If I was honest, then I would’ve said it was from the moment our eyes met in his office for my interview. His green eyes held a hint of promise in their depths even back then and I wanted him very badly.
Our kiss escalated from lazy and sensual to scorched-earth really quickly. I shook all over with the need to touch him and be touched by him. I had thought I could just be happy with another kiss, but my body said differently – it craved more. I placed my hands on his broad shoulders and began to run them over his strong body, memorizing every muscle as I went. I resented the shirt he wore, because it kept me from touching his skin. I wondered if he’d let me trace the lines of his sexy tattoo first with my fingers and then my tongue, or run my fingers through his chest hair.
