He chuckled, a smile coming to his lips. “Let’s go.”
She rose from her seat as he gathered their coats at the door. Olivia turned and let him help her with hers and he then navigated her outside to the brisk evening.
Once outside, Liam turned to her, his breath coming in little puffs of air. “I’ve had a wonderful night, but I suppose it’s too late to do much else. Seems I’ll be escorting you home.”
“I’m not ready for tonight to end.” A smile formed on Olivia’s face, the full moon’s light casting over her features.
Liam sucked in a breath, knowing she wasn’t implying what he thought she was. “I don’t want it to end, either. I’ve had an incredible time, but the only places open at this point would be bars and clubs. If you want, we can try to find one that isn’t too wild and maybe we can have a chat or a dance.”
Olivia stared at him for a moment in silence.
“I’ve never seen your place.”
His place? Was she serious? Fire bloomed in his gut and began to spread through his body as the implications of what she was suggesting raged in his mind. He was more than ready but also knew he had to handle her carefully. He didn’t want the walls that were crumbling around her to go back up. His fists clenched as he controlled the need to touch her, caress her face, and draw her into his embrace. “Are you sure that’s where you want to go?”
“Yes, I think so.” Her smile faltered for a second as she seemed to reconsider her bold charge, but it came back quickly. “No, I know so.”
Liam’s mind reeled for a moment. He’d had no plans in pushing her further tonight, even though his body was already straining to be with her. He’d considered the fact she could be a virgin and that alone had made him reel himself in, but now, with her tempting him, he wasn’t quite sure. Perhaps there was a saucy vixen hiding under the disguise of a wallflower. Perhaps not. He was walking a tightrope at the moment and he wasn’t sure he’d win either way he stepped.
They had plenty of time to get to know one another and after his earlier break of control, he’d already decided to slow down the pace. Yet, if she wanted to take control, why shouldn’t he let her? He smiled and drew her close, his lips pressing down on hers. “I would love to show you my place, but there’s no rush.”
“You only live once. What’re we waiting for?”
Chapter 12
Olivia followed Liam into his condo, fear settling low in her belly. What had she thought, asking him to take her home with him? The implications of what she’d suggested were coming crashing over her. It was one thing to step into the part of social butterfly and attempt to flirt with her long-time crush, and a whole other thing to actually fulfill the promise of her actions. He would now expect her to play the wanton, just as she’d done in the car, but he’d drawn that out of her. She didn’t know what to do next; her experience was too limited.
Her only sexual encounter had been a bungled, nearly forced act that had left her feeling embarrassed and ashamed. She’d felt those emotions her entire life, and she was sick of them.
Liam had made her forget all that when his hands had been on her in the car. She’d reacted in ways she hadn’t expected herself to and she wanted him to erase the bad memories with his hands and his kisses.
Liam flipped on a light and took her coat. She shivered as he hung it up in the hall. She wasn’t cold. Her nerves were getting the better of her.
“Can I get you a nightcap?”
“S-sure.” Olivia had once snuck a sip of her father’s brandy when she was younger and hated the taste. She’d never had another drop, but it seemed the social thing to do. There were so many rules she’d avoided learning over the years and now she was at a loss. She had a few years of experience to catch up on.
Liam handed her a short tumbler of amber liquid and she eyed it. Olivia watched as he drained his own glass and smiled at her. She hesitantly brought hers to her lips and downed the liquor, sighing at the warm burn that slid through her. And then she burst into a round of coughing that brought Liam closer. He rubbed her back and took the glass from her hand.
“Not a drinker, hmm?”
“That’s my first real glass of the hard stuff.”
“Your first?” His deep rumble flowed over her much like the liquor had, all rich and full of fire. She jumped as his hand caressed her cheek, but she calmed immediately, loving the feel of his hands on her. “Is there another first I need to know about?”
Olivia looked up into his face, unsure of exactly what he meant before the realization hit her. Embarrassment heated her face as she looked away while answering him. “No, I’m not a virgin.”
“You aren’t?” A note of surprise made the last word rise in tone.
“I’m not completely naïve. I’ve had sex.”
“Once? Twice?”
Was she that transparent? “Once.”
“And did you like it?”
She considered his question and what her response would be. If she told him the truth, would he think her a cold fish and give up? She wasn’t the type to lie. There was no point in it. “To be honest, no.”
He looked deeply into her eyes and continued to stroke her face and neck, his finger occasionally drifting over her bottom lip, making her want to bite him. Was she insane?
“After seeing the kind of passion you have, I can’t imagine it was your fault you didn’t enjoy it, but his.”
“His? Why do you assume that?”
“You responded in the car with me earlier, so I assume it only gets better from there. He must not have been man enough to make you fly over the edge.”
His soft, seductive words were weaving a web around her to the point she could barely think. All she could do was feel, entranced by his gentle touches and his piercing stare. His ice-blue eyes pinned her to the spot, seeming so much deeper blue this close, framed by his dark lashes and brows. He had ensorcelled her, driving her to do things she’d not normally do or say. It was the only explanation for what came out of her mouth next.
“Are you man enough?”
His smile spread across his face, his gleaming-white teeth reminding her of the Cheshire cat. “I’m more than man enough and I plan to prove it.”
Liam captured her lips in a marauding kiss, plundering her mouth, delving his tongue deep. She lifted her arms around his head, pulling him in closer to drink from her, tasting it all, leaving no room to even breathe. He slid his hands to her bottom, drawing her close. Olivia could feel the outline of his hard cock pressing against her abdomen and she felt tremors roil through her pussy in response to the touch.
She’d never wanted a man with this kind of ferocity before. It was frightening, the amount of lust that speared through her, but it was equally exciting. She felt alive, in a way she’d never felt before. Her whole body shook with need.
Liam spread his fingers across her waist and pulled her closer as he broke the kiss. After he sighed, he watched her intently for a moment before lowering his head, pressing his brow to hers and closed his eyes. “Olivia, I can’t explain how much I want you right now … I don’t want to rush you into anything you aren’t ready to handle.”
“I’m ready. You can’t back down now.”
He looked at her longingly for a moment. “I just want you to be sure. I don’t want to back down.”
Liam was giving her an out, allowing her to choose. Her last time hadn’t been much of a choice. She’d been pressured to say yes. Giving her the reins was proof Liam was the right man for the job.
“Then don’t back down.”
He took her hand in his and led her down a darkened hallway to his room, pushing the door open slightly. Light pooled from an en suite bathroom and illuminated the space. He paused at the door, letting her glance at his big bed and be reminded of why they were there.
“Last chance.”
“Show me what it’s supposed to be.”
Liam lowered his head, kissing her softly in response. She squealed as he lifted her off the floor and into his arms, carrying her to his bed before lowering her onto the soft mattress. His hands moved quickly, removing his sports coat and tie, along with his downy-white shirt as she watched and kicked off her heels.
His chest was etched steel, ripples of muscles under the softest skin she’d ever touched. She drew circles around his belly button, loving the feel of him tensing below her. He stood beside the bed, her on her knees at the edge, allowing her fingers to slowly roam over him, learning him as she went.
She loved that he was in no hurry, giving her the time to grow comfortable with his bare chest. When she lowered her head to press a kiss to his collarbone, she felt his finger begin to gather the material at the edge of her dress and pull it up over her hips. She stiffened, unsure he would like what he saw under it.
It wasn’t her excessive curves she worried about him seeing. The dress wasn’t the only thing the fussy store clerk had talked her into. Underneath, she wore frilly, black lace bra and panties, along with matching thigh-high stockings. When she’d first put them on, she’d felt foolish, but the clerk had been right. It had made her feel sexier, even if there had been no one else to see what was there. Now she was glad she’d donned them and Liam wouldn’t see her normal cotton panties. The lingerie added to her mystique.
Tonight she barely felt like herself and she liked it.
Liam deliberately pulled the dress up and over her head, making her move to the tempo he created. Once it was clear, she heard his soft intake of breath. She held hers, wondering what was going through his mind. Was she too much woman, would her curves push him away?
“You’re breathtaking.”
She released the breath she’d held as his words rolled over her. “Breathtaking?”
“Utterly.” He lowered his head to kiss her hungrily. “Completely. Unquestionably. Breathtaking.” Liam ended each word with a peck as well, ending in a full invasion of her mouth.
Liam crowded her until his body was all she saw and he pressed her back to the bed. He lowered atop her, covering her completely as one hand stroked her, his lips never leaving hers. Starting at her calves, his fingers leisurely roamed north, sliding along her silk-encased legs, as the other speared through her hair, holding her close for his kisses. He nestled his hips inside the cradle of her thighs, and she felt the bulk of his erection against her mound. Her hips moved of their own accord, unconsciously wanting the friction her body needed.
Liam lowered his roaming hand to her panties, rubbing along the edge where silk met skin. He swallowed her gasp as he rolled back slightly, giving his hand room to caress her. He stroked the front, through the material, his fingers never touching her skin. She ached to have him touch her there and arched into his hand, silently prodding him to continue.
Olivia watched as he slid down her body, unsure of what he was doing until he came to rest between her splayed thighs, his gaze intent on her core. “Liam?”
“Shh. Trust me.” He wrenched the fabric aside and slid his tongue through her creamy pussy. She jerked at the caress. Olivia closed her eyes to the sensation of his mouth on her; his fingers touching her in spots she hadn’t fathomed would feel so good.
“These are in my way.” He plucked her panties from her, sliding them down her thighs, his fingers trailing a heated path down her legs before he dropped the black silk to the floor. He laid kisses along her legs as he moved back into position and returned to lave her, capturing her clit between his teeth before licking it further.
The more he stroked her, the more heightened and aware she became. Olivia was catapulted toward something unknown, reaching for something unfamiliar. She’d masturbated before, but this was so far above anything she’d ever experienced at her own hands. All sensation seemed to center on his mouth and fingers on her body. She held her breath, the emotions spiraling through her too intense.
She watched his head moving over her, felt the licks and teases of his mouth, shocked at the intimate kisses he gave her. Seeing him working over her, pushing her to her limits was the sexiest thing she’d ever envisioned. He apparently felt her stare, his gaze rising to meet hers as he feasted on her flesh. Liam’s heated stare was almost enough to undo her, the desire she saw twinkling up to her matched her own need, her own yearning.
His mouth was on fire, burning her with each lick and tease. He circled her clit with his lips, suckling it, then biting it gently. Once he pressed a finger into her pussy and rubbed a spot just under where her clit was, she was nearly undone. Each stroke pushed her to the edge of spiraling pleasure, her body reaching out for something higher. Liam added a second finger and she sucked in a deep breath, the decadence too much.
“Fly, baby, fly.”
Bright lights burst behind her eyelids as she crested, the orgasm overtaking her. She screamed out as it thundered through her, her body snapped tight. Liam continued to stroke her, with his lips and fingers, drawing the passion out. Her body thrummed with the satisfaction he was imprinting on her flesh, drowning out the world around her until it was only him, her only tether to earth.
Moments later, as the world came back into view, Liam slid up her body, kissing her as he leveled beside her. Olivia could taste her musk on his tongue along with the liquor they’d imbibed. He snuggled against her, drawing her into his arms, his hardened cock along her backside.
She pulled from him slightly, turning to look at his smug face. “I’ll give you that you know what you’re doing.”
Liam smiled and pulled her back into his arms, smelling her hair before planting a kiss on her head. They lay there quietly a moment before Olivia had the nerve to speak again. “What about you? You didn’t … you know.”
He snickered against her ear. “Tonight was for you, to show you that you could enjoy the experience. Next time, it will be about us both.”
Olivia let that sink in a moment before she spoke again. “I go into the hospital in two days. This may be our last chance for a while.”
“I can wait. There’s no rush, Olivia. I just want to hold you tonight.”
Liam’s breathing slowly grew less labored, and she was fairly certain he was drifting off behind her. Her mind wouldn’t allow her to relax. Was he afraid to go further because of her spine? Or was it more?