Liam smiled. “That sounds like a really nice goal.”
“Goal.” She huffed out a breath and looked away. “More like a fantasy at this point.”
“Hey.” He cupped one side of her face, gently guiding her eyes back to his. “You would never tell Maddie to give up on her dreams, right?”
“That’s different.”
“Except it’s not.” He gave a firm shake of his head. “Not going after something you want is just another way of letting Tommy win. Or, you can use that same strength and tenacity you’ve shown in your efforts to give Maddie a better life to do the same for yourself.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
Liam’s lips curved into a sideways grin. “Nothing worth fighting for is ever easy. And Maddie isn’t the only one who deserves to be happy.”
“She’s what matters,” Allison whispered shakily. “She’s all that matters.”
She blinked and set her welling tears free.
Emotion filled Liam’s gaze as brought his other hand up and brushed her tears away. “You matter, too, sweetheart.” He leaned in close, letting his lips feather their way across hers. “You matter, Allison Gallo.” He kissed her between words. “You.”Kiss.“Matter.”Kiss.
“Liam—”
“Tell me what you want.”
The rumbled command left her knees weak and her sex aching with desire. “You,” she finally admitted. “I want you.”
One minute, she was confessing the primal need she felt for this man. The next, he was effortlessly scooping her into his arms.
With her arms around Liam’s neck, and her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, Allison was carried from the kitchen, past the table, and down the hall.
His lips never left hers until they’d reached the spare room door. Keeping her steady with one of his arms, he used the other hand to turn the knob.
Liam turned his body slightly, using his hip to push his way into the room. When they crossed the threshold, he started to push the door shut but stopped himself mid-reach.
“Maddie?” he whispered.
“She sleeps like a log.”
Allison chuckled softly at Liam’s muttered, “Thank God”. He shut the door quietly before turning the lock. Then he slammed his mouth to hers.
Liam carried her across the room and laid her gently onto the bed. He followed her down, and all the while the two of them feasted like they were starved. And in truth, she was.
For years, Allison had been starved of a sense of peace and comfort. Of safety and security. Passion and love.
Looking back, Tommy had never truly given her any of those things. Yet in the span of a few days, Liam had shown her a glimpse of the kind of life she deserved.
You matter.
His words were like a mantra in her head. The more she heard them, the stronger, more powerful she felt.
He was right to call her out when he did. To remind her that she was more than the pathetic woman Tommy claimed her to be. And now that Allison could feel her inner strength building strong, she realized…
I’m no longer afraid.
“Liam,” she whispered his name as his mouth moved away from her lips to her chin.
A deep growl filled her ear, his hot breath hitting her skin, as he left a trail of soft, wet kisses running down the side of her neck.
Time vanished and she closed her eyes, letting herself go. Allison lifted her head from the mattress, taking the kiss deeper still. Their tongues swirled in a way that somehow felt familiar.
