I briefly mention how River helped me find my feet again, how we met when I was at my lowest, and she was the only one who didn’t look at me with pity.
Once his head is between my legs, he pauses, eyes flicking up. “Why did you two not work out, if ye don’t mind me askin’?”
“If you go lower, I’ll tell you,” I challenge, my voice thick with need, my blood slow and thick with desire.
A dastardly smirk twists his mouth. “Your wish is my command, me savior. How about here?”
He sinks his teeth into my inner thigh, and I nearly bolt off the bed. “Ugh, Liam!”
Chuckling, he sweeps his tongue up to my wet lips, finding my clit and turning my vision white.
“Okay, okay.” Flustered, I clench the sheets tight. “We were together for a year. Ungh, Sir!” I writhe, unfamiliar sounds rising from me. “She wanted me to move in with her. And I did love her. But I didn’t love her world. She’s a free spirit, always traveling, always at the next high-class party. But I love my apartment. I love the shop. After Brett, I just wanted something to hold onto. Something that was mine. My mom used to visit that apartment…I couldn’t leave it. So we decided we worked better as friends. Sometimes with benefits.”
“Oh, right there!” I mewl as he slides two fingers inside me, stretching me, while his mouth continues its relentless assault.His other hand fondles my breast, tweaking my nipple until the pleasure becomes too much to bear.
I crash. The orgasm rolls through me in waves of vibrant color and electric heat, leaving me panting and shaking beneath him.
By the time I come down, he’s climbing back up my body, then kissing me hard, fierce, and desperate. His length throbs through his boxers. I rub my body against his, our breaths tangling together.
“Do you want to guess my ultimate trope?” I ask in a sultry tone.
His teeth clench around a groan. “You want me that much, do ye, Luv?”
Shameless, I nod, rubbing against him.
“Hmm…” He lowers his head to kiss my brow. “Broken hearts healing together?”
I smile but follow with a sigh. “I love that one, but it’s not my favorite.”
“I’ll get it someday, Darlin’. Until then…”
“Until then.” I lower my hand to his boxers. “You’re tormenting me. Time for me to repay the favor.”
My hand finds the heavy, soft-wrapped warmth of him. I grip him, pressing his length against my still-wet pussy. I hold him there, then start to move, rubbing him up and down slowly at first, then picking up the pace.
He lets out a low, guttural growl, his head falling back. I keep going, finding a rhythm that makes both of us gasp, until he comes with a deep, soul-shaking roar, his body shuddering against mine.
Eventually, the world slows back down. We tangle ourselves together under the covers, my head on his chest, his arm wrapped tight around me. And for the first time in a long time, the silence isn’t heavy.
It’s peaceful.
CHAPTER 20
Liam
Another week has passed since the manor’s silence felt like peace. Now, it feels like a countdown.
My ribs have graduated from a sharp stab to a dull, throbbing ache. They’ve healed well, thanks to my savior’s steady hands. I’ve spent the last seven days watching her, tracing the curves of her body in the moonlight, memorizing every breath. And guessing her trope wrong every time.
But the rot of the city doesn’t wait for healing.
I’m standing in the shadows of a derelict shipping yard in Red Hook, the scent of salt and diesel thickening in the air. Eamon’s intel was precise. Too precise. He’d given me O’Malley’s location like a gift, a peace offering to prove his loyalty.
“The Manager is hidin’ in the back office of Warehouse 4,”he’d whispered.“Deal with the traitor, Liam. Clean your own house.”
I check the drone feed again. Three guards on the perimeter. Two more at the loading dock. I slip through the darkness like a ghost, moving up the rusted metal gangways. One by one, I take them out. A quick snap of the neck here, a blade to thekidney there. Quiet. Efficient. Just like Eamon taught me. And my father.
I reach the heavy steel doors of Warehouse 4 and kick them open.
