He made no response, but stared at her robe.
“Dammit, Liam. I shared my soul with you! How dare you take that and try to walk away? I know you’re in pain, so let me be here for you. Please.”
His chest rose and fell and he gave it a vigorous rub.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Then talk to me. I’m not going anywhere.”
After what felt like an eternity, he let his hand drop. She swore she saw wild barrens in his cold eyes as they bore into her, could almost feel frostbite nipping at her fingers and toes.
He grabbed one of her hands, turned it over and kissed her palm. “You won’t like what you hear.”
“Maybe not, but I can take it. Now sit down, Doyle, or I’ll smack your sweet ass.”
He cocked a brow at her, the first hint of anything less than quiet fury. He might be ready to talk, but she didn’t trust that he would. Even still, he walked back into the bedroom, sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to him. “You asked for it.”
She stared at him, almost afraid of what he would say next. What had the world done to him? She was terrified to know, as much as she needed to hear it.
Her heart pounded madly as she joined him in the bedroom.
Chapter Ten
As Kate plopped down on the bed next to him, smelling of flowers, sweat and of him, Liam fought the urge to take her once again. She made him forget himself, and at the same time she forced him to remember.
Who abandoned you?She probably had no clue she’d hit the nail on the head with that question. And dammit, she deserved an answer.
But could she handle it? All of it?
He wasn’t quite sure how to explain. After all, he’d never shared the truth with anyone other than the social services worker who’d followed his case so long ago.
He’d been able to bury the pain, to ignore it, at least most of the time. But since meeting Kate, the old demons seemed to want to take another stab at him. Every time his heart galloped unsteadily, he knew suppressing those feelings wasn’t working anymore.
As if to prove the point, a sharp pain stabbed at him. He sucked in a breath and fought the urge to clutch his chest. It’s just stress, nothing more. Stress can be controlled.
Kate touched his face. “Liam? I’m here for you.”
His eyes were burning. Shit, that was a new feeling. He really didn’t want to blubber in front of Kate. He took a deep breath. “Okay. When I was a kid, I lost everything, everyone, who meant anything to me. That’s why I’ve been fighting so hard for Michelle. I didn’t want her to go through the same thing.”
Kate crossed her legs and her robe fell open, exposing her calves. Liam stroked them, wishing he could lose himself in her body again and forget the past for a few minutes longer.
I never wanted you. And now it’s time for me to have my own family. Liam, you’re just not part of it. You never were.
The voice of his stepmother made him want to spit. He must have made a face because Kate leaned in and kissed the side of his mouth, soft yet urgent, as if wanting to take his pain away.
“Tell me.”
“My mom died when I was five. We were at home, having lunch. I remember she made us ham sandwiches. I have trouble picturing her face sometimes, but I can still see those damn sandwiches.” He paused, unable to recall the exact shape of her eyes. “I was sitting with her at the table when she began to make strange noises.” This much he did remember, as if it was yesterday. “My mom started to choke in front of me and I was too young to help her.”
Kate’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, no.”
“I thought everyone would blame me. Of course, no one did. I was just a kid, but even at that age, a part of me felt responsible.”
“You couldn’t have helped her. You must know that.”
“I do know it. My dad explained later that she’d had an aneurism. But for a long time, I told myself I should have been able to save her, only to find out there’s no way I could have.” He closed his eyes for a second, recalling the terror that kept him up for so many nights afterward. “An aneurism. Just the thought of it scares the shit out of me. How do you possibly fight something like that?”
