A Borrowed Life (Carly and Liam #1) (33 page)

His hand slides over my shoulder to reach my right bared breast. Immediately, an intense shock electrifies my body. The caress of his hand is soft and almost more enjoyable because of the adrenaline that the sword causes in me. I feel like my body belongs to him. I know that I want him and that I need him to touch me, but the situation makes me believe he might be doing it against my will. Why is it so exciting?

He slides the tip of the blade on my ribs that tighten on its path, releasing a new thrill every inch of the way, and then reaches my lower abdomen. I let out a breath of fear as my breathing stops. He’s so delicate that I can only feel a slight pressure on my clothes, and I know he wouldn't hurt me in any way. He kisses my neck.

“You're mine,” he whispers in my ear.

There's a little something more in his tone of voice. A command, a threat, a passion stronger than anything. This stuff excites him a lot.

He drops the sword on the ground and sits behind me. His left hand holds me against him while his right hand slides under my skirt. His fingers part my labia and the cool breeze of the room tears a groan out of me. I realize now I’m already wet. My mind thought I was scared while my body was more turned on than ever.

“Mmm,” breathes Liam discovering my wetness.

I melt into the man's arms and feel more secure than ever.

“You want me to make you come?”

I nod.

“Ask for it.”

“Make me come.”

I give in so easily that I'm surprised at myself. Suddenly, a slap stings my sex and takes me by surprise, resulting in an unexpected spurt that flows from me. Yes, it pinched, but it felt so good and it's totally puzzling. I frown, watching his hand resume gentle caresses between my legs, and try to find a logical explanation.

“Don't try to understand,” he whispers in my ear. “It's unexplainable. The faster you let go, the easier you'll be able to enjoy it.”

I turn to him for a kiss. His tongue tangles with mine and the warmth of his mouth and tenderness of his lips is all I want right now. There's a certain pleasure in pain, he was right about that. But how? Do I really want to get into all of this? What if I can’t get out? What if, like him, I'd need it to enjoy sex? Is this what I want to become? He spoke of submission and punishment; I’ve seen the good side, but could I accept the dark one?

“Fear is an illusion of your mind,” he says. “If you liberate yourself from it, you'll discover the pleasures that will lead you to cloud nine.”

“I'll try,” I promise him.

“Are you serious?”

I nod. “But don't hurt me, okay?”

“Not a chance,” he swears with a smile, placing a soft kiss on my cheek. “I love you so much!”

“I love you, too!”

He puts me on the bench, climbing over me and kissing me lovingly. Suddenly, my cell phone rings in my purse right next to me. I stretch to get it, but Liam grabs my hand to press it on the couch.

“Don't answer,” he orders.

“It's Sean.”

“So?”

“So, it must be important if he’s calling at this time.”

Liam steps back half-heartedly and lets me answer.

“Sean, are you okay?”

“Carly, I'm really sorry to call you so late. I forgot my keys.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I don't know. I thought I had them, but apparently not. Can you come and open the door? It's rather cold outside.”

“Yes, fine. I'll be there in twenty minutes.”

Liam sighs. I hang up and turn to him with an apologetic expression. He leans in to kiss me again.

“He forgot his keys.”

“Be careful on your way back,” he says.

“You're not mad at me?”

“No, it's okay.”

He claims not to be, but his expression tells me otherwise.

“Are you still coming to my parent’s tomorrow?”

“Yes. Can you pick me up at the restaurant?”

“Sure. Good night!”

“Good night! I love you!”

“I love you, too!”

Javen takes me home. It's not a bad thing because it will give me time to think about all of this with a clear mind.

I climb the stairs to reach the front door of my apartment and freeze. It's open. Where is Sean? How did he get in without his key and why hasn't he called to let me know? I should have known that something wasn't right when I didn't see him outside of the door, but I just figured someone had let him in while he was waiting for me.

“Sean?” I call pushing open the door.

The condition of the place strikes me immediately. Everything has been turned upside down! A table has been broken, our drawers have been emptied, and our walls have been smashed.

“Sean!”

He doesn’t answer, so I run to the living room, but I don't see him anywhere.

“Sean!” I scream with my voice choking with distress.

A groan of pain replies weakly. I quickly skirt the counter of the kitchen counter to find him lying on the floor in front of the refrigerator.

“SEAN! What happened?”

His face is covered in blood and bruises, and his leg rests in an abnormal position. I want to cry when I see him, but I try to stay strong because his gaze is looking for reassurance.

“It’s going to be okay! I'll call for help!”

I immediately call the ambulance and the police, and then I send a text message to Liam while I wait for them. I don't let go of Sean's hand. He has trouble breathing and is unable to pronounce a single word.

I accompany him to the hospital where he's placed on a priority list. I speak with the police while Sean is with the doctor. I’m finally let into his room and find him lying in bed with bandages on his shattered hand, a cast on his broken leg, and gauze over the wounds on his face.

“Sean?”

He turns to me and sighs.

“I look great, huh?”

“You're still very attractive,” I say smiling, walking toward him.

The last thing he needs to hear right now is that he looks like a mess.

“What happened?” I ask.

“I was able to get the concierge to let me in. But when I entered, two men were waiting in the living room. I only remember opening the refrigerator to make a sandwich, and a punch propelling me to the floor.”

“Do you know who it was?”

He shakes his head weakly.

“I've never seen them.”

“Shit! You could have been killed!”

“Yes, I was lucky. Well, if you want to call it lucky.”

I twist my mouth in a compassionate smile and push a strand of hair behind his ear.

“You really scared me!” I confess.

“You know what I was thinking before you found me?”

I shake my head. He takes me by surprise and presses his lips against mine. I step back abruptly, rising to my feet and taking three steps backwards.

“What are you doing?” I say, stunned.

I'm horrified as I hear Liam's voice behind me.

“That's a very good question!”

I turn to see him there, in the doorway. He has seen it all and he's furious!

“Liam!”

“I guess you weren’t expecting to see me, huh?”

“No! It's not…”

But he's already on the way to the elevator. I run to join him, grabbing his arm before he presses the button.

“Liam, wait!”

“Why? I saw everything, you don’t need to say anything.”

“Really? You saw it all? In that case you would know that I didn’t kiss him! He kissed me, and I stepped back immediately.”

“I saw you stroke his face.”

“What? No, there was hair in his face. Come on, it meant nothing! Sean is my best friend!”

“I see that!”

“Stop it! I have no feelings for him! Don’t you know that?”

He sighs and looks down.

“Of course I know.”

He looks at me again with a broken gaze that’s tortured by images that are hurting him.

“I didn't like to see you so close to him.”

“I swear I didn’t know he had feelings for me. I will talk with him, but let me do it. I'll handle the situation.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I'll see you tomorrow night, okay?”

He hesitates a moment.

“You trust me, don't you?”

“Yes.”

He sighs and then presses the button. I see it in his face that he's furious.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No.”

“That’s not very convincing.”

“Think about it, Carly.”

“Liam!”

He enters the elevator. “It's okay Carly, do what you have to do with him and we'll talk tomorrow. But if you have feelings for him, don't keep me waiting around for nothing.”

“I love you, Liam. I promise! Don't you think after all these years I’ve lived with Sean, something would have happened between us already if I had feelings for him?”

He leans to press a kiss on my cheek and I grab his collar to kiss him lovingly on the lips.

“I love you,” I say, looking at him straight in the eyes.

“I love you, too.”

I see the hint of a smile on his face.

“See you tomorrow,” he says while letting the doors close in front of him.

I go back to Sean's room. I do my best to contain my rage because he's injured. How could he kiss me? He knows I'm with Liam. I thought the situation was clear between us!

“I'm sorry, Carly,” he tells me when I enter.

“You should be! Where did that come from?”

He shrugs.

“I never dared telling you because I knew you didn’t feel the same way for me.”

I sigh as I sit down on the chair.

“It's been like this for a long time?”

“Quite some time, yes,” he admits.

I look down.

“It's pretty serious with Liam, huh?” he asks.

“Yes, it is.”

“So I'm pretty screwed, right?”

“You'll always be my best friend, Sean.”

“But never more. You see, being a friend is not enough for me anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I've been thinking a lot the last few hours. If I can't be with you, then I'd rather leave. I don't stand a chance moving on if I keep seeing you every day. And seeing you in the arms of another man is too hard. Seeing you happy with him and knowing what he does to you at night is downright unbearable.”

I nod. I also think it's the best solution, actually. Besides, the situation would be too complicated if I had to explain to Liam that Sean was going to still be my roommate.

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”

He shakes his head.

“I called Ethan and he’s coming over after work.”

I acknowledge with a brief nod, then press a platonic kiss against his forehead.

“Bye, Sean.”

“Goodbye Carly.”

I leave. I won't go home tonight, not alone anyway. I think the only person I want to see right now is my brother. I can't see myself going back at Liam's, either, so I ask the taxi driver to take me to Ethan's apartment.

I hardly slept last night. When I arrived at Ethan's place, he had already prepared a bed in the living room with some blankets and a pillow, but I stayed awake for hours watching television. First, Jay behaving strangely with me, then all this S&M stuff I’m almost tempted to try, and finally Sean, who was beaten up in our apartment, and declared his love to me and in front of my boyfriend who is now furious; it’s a lot to handle in one night.

I think about all of this as I walk to the restaurant, which I hope won't be too busy tonight. I constantly remember Richard's text message telling me he was on his way and will be at my apartment in minutes. I thought he would leave if he saw there was nobody there, but apparently he decided to wait for me and it was Sean who took the fall. It's the only explanation, since Sean has no enemies.

The guilt eats away at me, thinking that I’m responsible for all of this. If I told the police, what would they say? A text message time stamped from several hours before the incident proves nothing.

I arrive in the parking lot of the Wever where a line has already formed outside the entrance door. I sigh, slipping my hand into my hair. It won't be an easy evening, and certainly not short!

I go through my shift on autopilot mode until the familiar voice of Desiree Lauren sounds on TV in the bar.

“Yes of course!” she replies to the host. “But you know, I don't think they will stay together very long. Carly is too shy, and too delicate for Liam.”

“That doesn't seem to bother him, maybe he likes that about her?”

“Oh yes! For now, but he will get over her.”

I sigh, dropping empty beer bottles in the tray behind the bar. I know what she means by too shy and too delicate; she means that I will never do the same things as him. That at the moment what I offer is enough for him, but it will only be temporar
y
his true impulses will come back. I know I said I'd try, but I can't help it. It scares me and I fear that Desiree is right after all, and that Liam isn't for me.

“Bad night?”

I’m brought out of my thoughts by an unpleasantly familiar man who's standing behind me. I sigh. He hasn’t changed; his black hair is spiked on his head, and his brown eyes emphasize the fine line of dark hair skirting his jaw. The last person I want to see today is my ex!

“What are you doing here?”

“Aren't you glad to see me?”

“No! I really don’t have time, Joey. The restaurant is packed. Can’t you see?”

“I know, I almost had to make a reservation to be seated in your section.”

“What? You're sitting in my section?”

“The table right there,” he answers, pointing at a table for two.

I sigh and grab my notebook.

“What do you want?”

“You.”

I take a deep breath, looking up at him.

“It will be a while. How about a hamburger?”

“You misunderstood me.”

“No, I heard you. Only I don't have time for this and I'm not available.”

“Yes, I know. Liam Walker, huh? Seriously, you couldn't do better?”

He chuckles and I find nothing funny about his remark, so he pulls himself together.

“I was being sarcastic, Carly. What chance do I stand against him?”

“None, actually! Joey, you're the one who broke up with me.”

“I made a mistake.”

“You told me I was boring and depressing.”

“I was stupid, I know.”

“Well, it's too late!”

He sighs.

“How is it that you're glowing now more than ever? I've barely recognized you in the newspaper.”

Oh great! He had to bring that up!

“Thanks to Liam,” I answer. “He makes me happy.”

He stares at me for a moment, searching for a flaw in my determination, but he can’t find any and his silly grin disappears from his face.

“In that case, I will have a hamburger.”

I leave to punch his order on the computer without adding anything more. Joey sits at the same table all evening. I ignore him for a while, and Liv takes over and brings him his meal, along with his bill.

“I told you he would regret it!” she says, returning to the kitchen.

“You did.”

“Men are all the same,” she says with a shrug.

I smile.

“No. Not all of them.”

Liv smiles in return.

“Liam is that great?”

I nod.

“I'm happy for you, Carly. Really! But I miss my best friend! When do you think you'll have time for me?”

“We should plan something as soon as you get a day off.”

“I have all days off,” she announces proudly. “I only work in the evenings now.”

“Really? Since when?”

She shrugs, looking away.

“A few days. I asked Cayden and he agreed.”

“Cayden? Cayden Boyle? You're sure he wasn’t on drugs?”

She laughs and leaves without adding another word. I’m still shocked as I head down to the basement. Since when is Cayden so understanding? She must have had a rock-solid argument for…I stop and frown as a thought comes to mind. I turn to look at Liv coming out of the kitchen, walking by Cayden that watches her lustfully from head to toe.

I am so disappointed in her. That is the same look he has for Josie Sierra. The same he has for each of his girlfriends who work for him for just a few weeks before being fired. I'm appalled. Liv? She's a very beautiful woman, so I'm not surprised that Cayden set his sights on her, but that she accepted? No! She's stronger than that. I don't believe it. I will make sure to have a word with her and make sure she didn't get into trouble.

I go back upstairs after counting my cash and dropping the money in Cayden's office, and I stop to take in a feeling that suddenly rushes over me. It's Liam! He's here! I don’t need to see him to know; I feel him. As soon as he's around, there's an electricity in the air, and he makes my whole body relax. He smiles broadly, and I throw myself into his arms.

His hands hold me against him in an embrace that could almost bring a few tears to my eyes, and his breath against my neck is revealing.

“I thought about you all day,” I confess.

“Me too! I never want us to fight again.”

His fingers slide into my hair and he presses a kiss against my temple.

“Me neither.”

Joey gets up and walks by us.

“Have a nice evening, Carly,” he says as he leaves.

I don't even answer. A few months ago I wasn't good enough for him. He wanted to have fun with a younger, sexier woman, and now he is hoping I’ll forget everything? Not a chance!

“Who was that?” Liam inquires.

“My ex.”

“Oh!”

He takes one last glance at Joey who walks out the door, as if gauging an opponent.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Let's go!”

We get to his car to go to his parents' house, and I'm already anticipating a painful evening as his phone rings.

“Yes,” he answers. “He still hasn't vanished…Find them! Tonight, you hear me! Put all the men you have on the case. I want you to call me before nightfall to tell me that you found them!”

He's furious and I wonder who is he talking about? What must he find that is so serious to put him in this state? Have they lost important documents?

“Are you okay?” I question.

“A little problem occurred in the office. Everything will be fine.”

A shiver runs through my spine as he utters these last words. Why do I have the feeling that there is more to it than he is telling me? I have the impression he was trying to reassure me that I wasn't in danger, but it’s still in the back of my head.

“How was your day?” I change the subject.

He turns to me and hesitates. “Busy. I admit that I struggled to stay focused. And you?”

“Yes, me too. And I really didn't sleep good.”

He snuggles me against him for the rest of the way, as if he was afraid of losing me and never finding me again. I'm not complaining; I enjoy the warmth of his body and arms. Forty minutes later that we arrive at his parent’s house. It’s a beautiful red and beige brick mansion with long windows and a grand stone fence that protects the area it surrounds.

“Good evening, darling!” Aubelia exclaims as she sees Liam coming in. “Carly,” she greets me, in a stone cold tone.

“Good evening, mother.”

“Good evening, Mrs. Walker.”

We go straight into the living room where Liam's brother, his wife, Ava, and her boyfriend are already waiting. Mrs. Walker apologizes as she goes to check how things are going in the kitchen while I sit with the others.

Liam leans over my ear. “I have to see my father for a moment, I'll be back soon.”

“Okay,” I nod.

His fingers brush over my shoulder as he leaves. I'm catching up with Ava and Phelicia when Aubelia returns, all smiles and with such elegance in her steps!

“Dinner is served, please come,” she announces.

“I'll go get Liam,” I suggest as everyone rises.

“Do you know where to find him?”

I stop in my tracks, realizing I've never been here and it's a rather big house. I have no idea where he is, only that he went down the hallway to my right.

“He went to see Mr. Walker,” I respond, pointing into the direction he took.

“Third door on the left, just down the hall.”

“Thank you.”

Mrs. Walker leaves without another word and not even a smile. I take a deep breath. Well, this won't be a cakewalk! Liam had to come with a fault because he's so perfect, and now I know this fault is called Aubelia Walker.

I walk down the hall when I hear Stephen's voice.

“They found important information?”

“Bank accounts, information on a major investment, and projects that we were trying to get started.”

“Fuck!” exclaims his father, punching something.

I slow down, trying to hear as much as possible, but I'm not sure I understand exactly the meaning of their conversation. Obviously, they're talking business, but about what?

“Do you know who did this?” asks Mr. Walker.

“Of course I know!”

Liam sighs furiously. I discreetly peak through the door to see Liam staring at his father straight in the eyes while pointing at the corner of a sheet on his father's desk. Anger invades Stephen's face and he takes a deep breath.

“What are you gonna do?”

“He stole enough information to bring down the entire company.”

“This has nothing to do with the information. What does he want in return?”

“It doesn't matter, I won't give it to him!” he exclaims before turning back to the door, pushing a hand through his hair.

I walk in and his beautiful blue eyes fall on me. His expression freezes, and is mixed with sadness and worry.

“Your mother asked me to tell you that dinner is served,” I announce to them.

“Very well, thank you, Carly!”

Stephen approaches me smiling, pretending he didn't say anything important and guides me toward the hallway.

Liam grabs my arm as if to steal me away from his father.

“Is everything okay?” I ask while Stephen walks in front of us.

“You heard?”

“Only that your company is at risk. Is it serious?”

“Somewhat, yes. But don't worry, it will be fine. Richard has no idea who he is messing with!”

“Richard!” I exclaim. I lower my voice as I pull myself together. “Richard Lexington?”

Liam purses his lips, realizing he said too much and nods.

“It's because of me he's after you?”

He frowns.

“What for? What reason does he have to be mad at you?”

“Nothing,” I deny immediately.

He nods skeptically and we join the others in the dining room. The atmosphere of the dinner is very calm; not a fork clanks against the plates, no glass lands noisily on the table and the guests talk with a peaceful tone.

“Carly,” Aubelia begins as she turns toward me, smiling hypocritically. “I know so little about you. Where were you raised?”

“In many places, in fact. I learned recently that my mother died when I was born and my father was married to another woman, so he preferred to give me up for adoption to avoid problems.”

“I see.”

Judgement is strongly evident in her voice. I'm the perfect image of a bastard with no education and no future.

“And you work in a bar,” she confirms, sighing.

“Not everyone has the same chance in life, but I'm not complaining. I like my life as it is, with my brother, my friends, and my routine. I'm fine, really.”

“Surprising.”

“Mom!” Liam tries to quiet her.

“So, you have a brother?” she asks.