“Oh, god. Liam.”
I tug down the material, exposing her fully to me and suck her nipple into my mouth. “Say it again.”
She shakes her head, not willing to concede to my demand but desperate for the release only I can give her. I unhook the button of my pants and let them drop to the floor.
“Say my name!” I sharply command, gripping her ass to lift her up and slamming my cock deep inside of her.
“Liam!” she screams, climaxing almost violently.
For the next few hours, I give her what she needs, and we fuck like mindless animals as she tries to exorcise the demons that are haunting her. When she finally passes out on the bed in a boneless, sated sleep, I lie next to her for a while and just stare at her.
“One day soon,bella,” I whisper in her hair, breathing her in one last time.
Getting up to locate my pants that are lying on the floor near the door, I pad over to grab my phone from the back pocket.
Me: Got what you need. Heading home.
Reluctant to leave her, but knowing I have no choice, I quietly dress and walk out the door.
Prologue 2
Two Days Before the Attack on the Rossi Estate
I’m heading to the garage, taking the back hallway to avoid the foyer and the men stationed there. I’m about to pass the living room, and I stop dead in my tracks when I hear Keane and Jax talking. As discreetly as possible, I peer around the corner and notice their backs are to me, so they never notice I’m blatantly eavesdropping.
The two of them have been having a lot of these hushed, private conversations; ones that I’m not included in. Secrets never stay secret for long. I should know. Mine will soon blow up in my face.
“I think you need this more than I do,” Jax states, an unlit joint dangling from his lips.
Keane walks over to him and takes the whiskey glass that Jax is holding, tipping it back in one go. Then he grabs the joint from Jax’s mouth and takes a drag. They know not to smoke shit in front of me because of what happened to my mom. I know it’s stupid and irrational, but they never had to watch their own mothers waste away year after year and then overdose right before their eyes.
Blowing out a ring of smoke, Keane says, “You know Max would shit a brick if he saw us smoking inside the house.”
“Fuck him,” Jax replies.
“Rafe, too.”
“Fuck him more,” Jax mumbles.
My fists curl at my sides. Jax and I haven’t been on the best of terms lately, and the cause of our discord is the violet-eyed woman upstairs.
Taking one last hit, Keane passes the joint back to Jax. “I’m assuming you came to find me for a reason.”
“You know she has a death wish, right?” Jax says from around toking his joint.
Keane releases a humorless huff of exasperation. “Don’t we all.”
My girl has always been a fighter. Defiant, headstrong. An absolute force to be reckoned with. I love every single angry, stubborn part of her. But those qualities that I admire are also the ones that will bury her if I don’t do something about it. Kellan fucking lied to all of us. I know his biggest secret now and damn him for forcing my hand. There is no way I’m going to allow my father or my brother to ever lay a hand on Andie. I’ll make deals with the devil first before I let that happen.
Keane and Jax pass the joint back and forth to one another.
“I meant it literally,” Jax tells him, referring to Andie. He pinches off the end of his blunt and pockets the remainder. “We have a snitch,” he says, suddenly changing the subject.
Every part of me becomes alert at Jax’s observation.
“Who?”
“Working on it,” Jax replies. “But that’s not all.”
