Sin With Cuffs (7 page)

He wanted to talk to Holly about his marriage. It wasn’t what people thought. He should have told her the truth, yet maybe he wasn’t ready to tell her that he hadn’t married Tiffany out of spite, or even love. He’d married her because she’d gotten pregnant by another man who’d run off when she told him the news. Fearing what people would think of her, she asked Liam to marry her.

Tiffany had been there for him while he grieved over Holly. Tiffany had listened while he vented, and he’d done the same for her. He’d wanted to help her in some way. At the time she’d suggested getting hitched, he hadn’t cared much about anything.

Liam unwillingly looked at the staircase that led to satisfaction. “Hell, no!” He closed his eyes and forced the deep needful urges to disappear.

Rolling again, the couch seemed to get lumpier. His adrenaline raised the roof and his hard on made it difficult to find a comfortable position.

Oh well, he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. He may as well face it.

CHAPTER FIVE

HOLLY FELT A sliver of guilt as she stood next to the couch watching Liam. His breathing was heavy and his mouth hung open. His arms were high over his head and his legs stretched out, hanging over the arm. The blanket had fallen onto the floor.

The view was nice, definitely a morning pick-me-up.

She should feel shame staring at his tented boxers, yet she didn’t stop looking. She appreciated his morning hard on, but it meant something completely different when it looked this good. If he grew anymore, he was bound to rip a hole in the cotton material. He had a nice cock, no doubt about it. He’d matured in many ways.

The vixen creature within her listed ways she could wake a sleeping man. After all, he was primed and ready to use the gift of nature. It’d been a while since she’d slept with a man and standing here now, he made her miss naughty play. In fact, she was beginning to feel sensation in places on her body that she’d forgotten existed.

He stretched and moaned and she saw skin—silky, tight, tan skin. He’d finally broken through the flap of his underwear like she knew would happen, maybe even hoped. She gulped air and turned away, regretfully. Wickedness wasn’t a bad thing, but if he caught her staring at his cock she’d never get over the mortification, or the fact she’d look like a dick stalker.

Tightening her grip on the coffee mug, she forced her vocal chords to work, “Liam?”

He moaned.

“Liam?” she said louder. She wasn’t looking, so she wasn’t sure if his eyes were open yet and couldn’t check because it wouldn’t be his eyes she’d be looking at.

“Oh fuck,” he grumbled. She bit her lower lip to keep from laughing as she heard the crackle of cushions.

“Is it safe to turn around?” she asked.

“You’re asking now?”

How did he know her so well? She turned. “I have no clue what you mean.” Her gaze involuntarily dropped to his lap. The thick blanket did its job in hiding his package, but she had a lucid memory and she wouldn’t forget any time soon. It took all of the control she could muster not to lick her lips. “I came with an offering.” Handing him one of the mugs of coffee, she could think of another way to make peace…

“Thanks.” He took it. “This doesn’t relieve you of any guilt. I see it in your eyes.” He held her gaze for a long moment before he took a sip.

“Guilt? What for?” She drank from her own cup and it did wonders in covering her grin.

He shrugged. “A long time has passed since I’ve had a woman bring me coffee to bed.”

“Since the complimentary wife, I assume.” The words slipped out before Holly could put a lock on them. By his irritated expression, he didn’t like it either.

“I’d answer that but I’d rather not fuel jealousy,” he said.

Her stomach cringed. He was right. “I’m sorry. I didn’t intend for it to sound so catty. I’m saying that I’m sure Tiffany was a good wife. The marriage was a bit abrupt, but sometimes surprise packages are the best.” She should stop there. Her filter was dysfunctional this morning. “I’m glad you had someone there for you after I left.”

“We
will
talk about my marriage, but not this early in the morning…and not today.” He reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head.

Bye-bye sexy abs
. She clung to the mug like it was a lifeline, rather than following her urge and touch his six-pack. “I guess not. I’ve got to get ready anyway.”

Sincerity flooded his face. “Today’s your grandma’s funeral. How are you holding up?”

She shrugged and forced a smile on her lips. Making people think things were okay had become  habit. “I’ll be fine.”

He stood up and the blanket dropped from his lap. His cock pointed to the ceiling.
My God the man was an Adonis.
Holly’s temperature became excruciating. She couldn’t look another moment or she’d rub male flesh, and probably lick and suck too.

Flustered, she busied herself with straightening magazines on the table while he slipped on his jeans. When she heard the zipper, she turned back. “I see you’re still a confident man.”

“You’ve seen it a hundred or more times,” he said. “Not to mention you got your eyes full this morning while I slept.”

”Yes, I did and I have no shame.” She’d looked and liked the eye candy. “Thank you for staying. I do appreciate it.”

 “Next time you’ll get the couch and I’ll take the bed.” He winked.

“If there is a next time, I’ll be sure we share the bed,” she whispered.

“What’s that?” he asked.

 Clearing her throat, she pushed her thoughts away from how sexily irresistible he was in the morning and how she craved to run her fingers along every masculine contour of his body. “Oh, I only said there are plenty of beds upstairs.”

“I’ll keep that in mind . I’ll see you at the funeral. If you need anything, let me know.”

“I will.” With the concerned expression Liam gave her, she wanted to cry. He was making depending on him way too easy. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Not when a mountain of baggage existed between them.

* * * *

Her grandma had requested a closed casket. Holly didn’t blame her, but Vicki, on the other hand, made a big deal out of it. She thought it was ridiculous that anyone would be so rude to have people come to a funeral and not see the person one last time. Holly sat quietly, listening.

Vicki nudged her as the pastor stepped up to say a few words. “How could anyone send such awful flower arrangements? Wildflowers? They should be ashamed.” Vicki clicked her tongue, managing to turn a couple of heads.

Holly wanted to say that her grandma would never know the difference. Instead, she conjured up pleasurable images—brawny chest, lean hips, hard tool. The subject sat three rows back on the opposite side of the room. If she turned, she could see Liam’s profile without anyone knowing she was visually stalking him.

When he’d arrived, he’d stopped and said hello, offering his respects. Holly had wanted to ask him to sit with her, but the risk of Vicki saying the wrong thing was too great. Holly felt a sense of guilt that her grandma lay dead ten feet away in a casket and the image of Liam’s cock remained in Holly’s mind. Knowing her grandma, Holly wouldn’t doubt the woman smiled down from above. Doris had always liked Liam and had joked if she were young again she’d have snagged him up.

One of the last conversations Holly had with her grandma had been about Liam. Truth be told, many of their conversations had been about him. Doris had believed one day Holly would come back to Raven. Sadly, Holly had waited too long.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a private service?” Vicki asked.

Holly followed her mother’s stare. Mr. Meyers greeted Dante Hartman. “Everyone wants an opportunity to pay their condolences,” Holly said as Dante’s gaze met hers from across the room. A smile eased over his expression and she responded with a curt nod.

“I should go speak to Scott Meyers about the lack of respect in failing to keep out the riff-raff,” Vick snapped.

Holly laid a hand on her mother’s arm. “Let it go. Causing a scene would be disrespectful.”

Vicki’s eyes widened as if she’d been slapped. Holly half expected her mother to respond with a verbal thrashing, but instead, she lifted her chin in a conceited fashion and brought a tissue to her eyes, dabbing dry lids. Her mother could perform. She’d missed her calling as a Hollywood superstar. At least Holly had gotten what she’d wanted, and that was to keep her mother from drumming up drama.

Holly brought her head back around and met Liam’s stare. He smiled and it made her heart speed up. She smiled and turned her attention to Pastor Dickerson who ended his eulogy.

Once the service was over, everyone filed out of the church, paying Holly and Vicki their last respects. Mr. Meyers asked if Holly would be riding in the complimentary limousine to the cemetery and when she started to duck out , Vicki chimed in, “Yes, she will be.” Once seated in the vehicle with her mother and James, Holly realized why she’d wanted to ride separately. The second the car engine started, Vicki began crying and whimpering. “I just can’t believe mother is gone. Poor mother. All of those people sitting around, pretending to be a friend.”

Holly swallowed bitterness. She knew Vicki’s dramatic tactics. Too bad it’d been used  too much. Even James appeared annoyed by Vicki’s sudden outburst of emotion. However, he didn’t sacrifice comforting her. James placed a hand on her knee and patted once. “She’s in a better place, dear,” he said. There was no sign of sincerity in his expression or voice.

“Of course she is,” Vicki sniffled. “Yet it seems like she passed way too soon.”

“She was seventy-two,” Holly said.

Vicki glared at Holly over her wrinkled tissue. “Is there a number placed on death? Do we reach a certain age and then we’ve worn out our welcome?”

“Of course not, but she lived a good life.” Holly hoped to ease her mother’s stress, although, she didn’t know why she bothered.

Vicki sniffed. “I guess, but I’m not sure.”

Holly winced. Did Vicki know something that Holly didn’t? Whenever Holly spoke to her grandma she’d always seemed in fine spirit, but her mother’s comment gave her pause. “Do you think she wasn’t happy?”

Vicki dropped her hand into her lap. “Well, if you must know, I think she was senile.”

Holly couldn’t believe what she heard. “She was the most lucid person I know.”

“If you say so, Holly.” Vicki huffed. “Just as always, you think you know more than I do.”

The oxygen seemed to evaporate from the small space. “This isn’t a competition to see who knew Grandma better. I’m only saying that I spoke to her days before she passed and she was laughing and coherent.”

“I guess you would have also taken her side against mine.” Vicki pursed her lips, causing deep wrinkles to appear around her eyes and mouth.

“What are you talking about?” Holly asked.

“She didn’t tell you?” Vicki looked surprised.

“Tell me what?”

Hesitating, Vicki finally said, “I told Mother I thought she should consider going into a nursing home. It wasn’t safe her being alone in that big house at her age. Of course, she blew me off.”

“Damn right I would have been on her side. What did you do? Did you try to force her into a home against her will?” Holly knew her mother and her dark actions all too well.

Vicki’s bottom lip quivered. “I felt she was incapable of taking care of herself.”