Liam's List (5 page)

The silent air of the room was broken only by
our heavy breathing and muffled pants.

Perspiration beaded upon her face, glistened
on her skin, and her eyes blazed with a hunger that matched my
own.

Her hips began writhing on the seat as she
sank her middle finger into her core.

I watched every nuance of her arousal,
watched the expression on her face as she moaned low and deep,
watched her body quiver as she savored the wet, suctioning heat of
her finger rubbing and swirling deep inside her.

All the while, her free hand kneaded her
breast, pinching and plucking on her engorged nipple as she lost
herself in the inexorable sensations.

As her pelvis rocked hard against her finger,
a soft whimper escaped her parted lips, sending a throb straight to
my groin.

God, I loved that sound.

If it was one thing I loved about sex with
Vivian, it was watching her enjoy herself, hearing her breathless
moans, her soft whimpers, seeing her enthralled by her orgasm.
Viv,” I groaned. “I want to see you come.”

Her glazed eyes shifted and refocused,
watching me pump my shaft, watching the tendons in my neck stretch
out like rope as I clenched my jaw, fighting to rein in my
control.

I kept my eyes trained on her long, slender
finger, watching it sink deeper into her folds as she pressed
harder into the chair, gasping as the intensity claimed her.

I uttered a low curse, wishing I were there
to seize her hips and hold her steady as I tasted her. I wanted to
lick her clit and feel the tight little nub quiver under my tongue.
I wanted to suck her pink labia into my mouth and cleave my tongue
into her heated folds, savoring the sweet cream that flowed from
her.

Vivian’s moaning rose to a fevered pitch. Her
back arched as she thrust her hips forward, grinding against the
increased pressure of her finger.

“
Prop your leg up,” I
rasped, gripping my erection and pumping my shaft.

Panting, she raised one leg, propping a small
foot on the edge of the desk, giving me an excellent view of her
extruded clit and the creamy release seeping out of the moist folds
of her sex.

The sight of her long finger becoming wet,
glistening with her juices as she stroked herself, spurred me into
even greater efforts. My own desire was barely held in check as I
worked my shaft with increasing speed.

She slid another finger inside her slit and
began pumping with short, hard strokes, her hand nothing but a
colorful blur, the wet and suctioning sounds faintly audible over
the speakerphone.

“
Liam…” She choked on a
sob. “I’m coming…”

“
Do it,” I scraped out.
Her voice seared my senses and I was torturously hard, gripping the
base of my cock to hold back the imminent release I felt pounding
in my skull.

A wild, agonizing sound of arousal fell from
her lips as her hips bucked and jerked against her hand.

My cock was on fire. I kept my eyes trained
on her, watching her entire body convulse with the violent force of
her release.

Fuck, I was going to blow. I felt it pulsing
in my balls, throbbing at the head as I pumped my shaft, watching
her tight pussy clenching around her fingers.

Now her gaze fell and her eyes narrowed. Her
rapt attention was focused on my cock, on my pumping strokes. And
it fuckin’ excited me.

My shaft throbbed in my hand and I exploded.
The climax roared up from the base of my spine and semen shot into
my hand in furious eruptions.

I closed my eyes. Sighed. Opened them
again.

Only to find Vivian wearing a sheepish smile.
“Um…” She hesitated. “Did you just jiz in your hand?”

I shot her a quick sideways grin as I reached
down to grab a towel. “This here is some homemade love.”

“
That there is some
jerkin’ juice.” She laughed softly. “Some Elmer’s glue, perhaps? Or
maybe even some ball sac bolognaise?”

Cleaning myself with the towel, I shook my
head. When Vivian got started, there was no stopping her. “All
right, are you done now? Are you done talking about my Greek
army?”

“
I’m done,” she said, her
eyes still laughing.

Afterward, we Skyped some more. I insisted
Vivian remain completely nude, and she insisted I do the same.

Lying in bed with my laptop beside me, I let
her voice and laugher fill all the dark places inside my soul.

It was a sweet and glorious time, but I knew
it would be over far too soon.

Eventually, I had to leave the base and go
out on patrol, and we said our good-byes, though we were reluctant
to do so.

That night, as our convoy rolled out into the
empty desert, I opened the hatch of my tank and stuck out my
head.

The air felt alive, and I took a deep breath,
feeling incredibly calm and clearheaded.

A cloud skittered over the
moon, and shadows danced across the night. But Vivian…
sweet Viv
had brought so
much light and laughter into my life that it was as if the sun had
already begun its ascent over the horizon.

Chapter Six

Vivian

Have you ever just sat there and realized how
weird you were?

Well, that was exactly how I felt right after
I’d tried my hand at sexting—using math jargon.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I’m sine and you’re cosine. Let’s make a
tangent.

What—the WHAT? What on God’s green earth was
I thinking?

Ugh. Even now I cringed at my very own
words.

If something sounded half as stupid coming
out of my mouth as it did in my head, I should probably never say
it. And I should definitely never text it.

Right. I took a deep, calming breath and
reminded myself all was not lost.

Our Skype session after that, though…

Hot damn! I settled back against my pillow
and fanned my face.

Who would’ve
thunk?

I sighed contentedly and turned on my side,
hugging Liam’s shirt to my chest.

That was when my eyes alighted on my
clock.

Oh shit! I straightened too fast and several
books toppled off my bed.

If I didn’t hurry, I’d be late for class.

There was no time to shower. I splashed water
on my face, changed into some fresh clothes, and was out the door
in a flash.

These days I kept my daily
schedule so jam-packed that I barely had time to think. Classes
took up almost half the day. When I got home, I took Atticus for a
long walk around the neighborhood. Or rather, Atticus took
me
for a long walk
around the neighborhood.

Then I showered, fixed myself a sandwich, and
plunked myself down in front of the laptop to catch up on all my
homework and assignments.

And when that was done, I headed off to the
local rescue shelter where I volunteered for the summer.

By the time I got home, it was already past
seven. I spent some quality time with Atticus, cooked us both some
dinner, and before I knew it, I was getting ready for my girls’
night out at Luxx nightclub.

On the agenda tonight: Operation Cheer Up
Chelsea.

Just today, Chels had ended things with Tommy
because she caught him sexting another woman. On a scale of one to
Adele, I’d say her breakup warranted an Adele.

And both Katie and I knew if we didn’t get
her out of the house, she’d be weeping on the floor with a bottle
of vodka in her hand, screaming those Adele lyrics at her cat.

Chels was there for me when I’d ended things
with my ex, Brody, and I intended to be there for her one hundred
and thirty percent.

So tonight… it was all about Chelsea.

“
You’re late!” Chelsea
glared at me as I slapped my clutch across the table and slid into
the booth.

“
I’m not late,” I politely
informed her. “You’re early.”

“
Well,” Chelsea countered.
“I’m early ’cause I’m trying to get my shit together. You know,
turn over a new leaf, so to speak.”

Katie rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.
“Chels, you’ve been trying to get your shit together for six years
now. Turn over a new leaf? Fuck, you need to turn over the whole
tree.”

“
Turn over the whole
forest,” I said with a teasing note in my voice. “And by the way,
we’re at a nightclub. What’s up with the workout clothes,
Chels?”

“
Hey assbutts! Give me an
effin’ break, okay? I just broke up with Tommy.” Chelsea drained
her glass of vodka. “And just so you know…” She ran her hands down
her bedazzled tank top, smoothing her palms over the flashy
rhinestones. “This right here is couture on top and comfort on the
bottom. Besides, I always feel better wearing yoga pants ’cause
that just means I’m one step closer to possibly,
maybe
working
out.”

Since I often did the same, I didn’t argue
with her on that point.

“
You don’t need to work
out,” Katie stated. “You’re in shape, Chels!”

“
Unfortunately,” Chelsea
said ruefully, “that shape happens to be a potato. A big, fat Idaho
Russet potato.”

“
Who says you’re fat?” I
tsked. “You’re not fat. You’re Rubenesque. And you’re
beautiful.”

Katie drew a blank. “You mean she looks like
a Rueben sandwich?”

“
No!” I made a dismissive
gesture. “Never mind.”

“
Who knows?” Chelsea gave
my shoulder a playful smack. “Maybe I’ll hit a Cross Fit gym after
drinks. Or maybe not.”

“
Oh, by the way,” Katie
piped in. “I used the treadmill like a freakin’ guinea pig today.
Shredded that belt to pieces.”

“
Oh, shut up, Katie!”
Chelsea said sourly. “Unless you fell off the treadmill and smacked
your face, no one wants to hear about your damn workout. And hello!
Aren’t you two supposed to be making me feel better? I’m the one
with the shredded heart. Right now, you’re making me feel like
absolute shit.”

“
Sorry,” I said
meaningfully. “If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t hit the
treadmill today.”

“
Just go shopping,” Katie
proffered. “Shopping is also my cardio.”

Chelsea crossed her arms and huffed. “Still
not making me feel any better.”

“
So tell us, Chels,” I
said earnestly. “What can we do to cheer you up?”

Annoyance crossed her face and she scanned
the club as if searching for a distraction. “Get Tommy back for
me.”

“
Aw, Chels,” I said
soothingly. “An ex is an ex for a reason.”

“
Uh-huh.” Katie nodded
fiercely. “Listen to what Oprah said.”

“
Oprah?” Chelsea said more
clearly, turning toward Katie and blinking. “What did Oprah
say?”

“
Oprah said if a man wants
you, there’s nothing that can keep him away, but if he doesn’t want
you, then there’s nothing that can make him stay.”

“
You know what?” Chelsea
shook her head, obviously discouraged. “Oprah’s not even on TV
anymore. And you bitches and Oprah are still not making me feel any
better.” With a grim sigh, she reached for her phone and pointedly
ignored us for a full two minutes. “Check this out!” she said
suddenly. “On Tommy’s Facebook, his relationship status
says:
It’s complicated
.” After a pause, she asked, “What does that even
mean?”

I gave a short shrug. “It probably just means
he’s lame and he’s afraid to come out and say he’s single.”

“
Um-hmmm.” Katie agreed.
“How sad is that? Sensationally sad, I tell you. You, on the other
hand, are single and proud of it.”

Chelsea choked on a laugh. “Who says I’m
proud of it? I’m not proud of being alone.”

“
Well, being alone isn’t
the same thing as being lonely,” I offered.

“
Although neither gets you
laid,” Katie added.

“
Thanks, Katie.” Chelsea’s
voice dripped with sarcasm. “I sure needed that.” Then she grew
quiet for a moment and considerably more melancholy. “Now I know
how Elin Nordegren felt. You won’t believe this sorry ass text I
found on Tommy’s phone. Some girl named Mandy asked him:
Which is bigger? Your hands or your
feet
. And Tommy’s response was:
My penis
.”

“
See!” I clapped a hand
over my laughter. “That’s all the more reason you should just
forget all about Tommy Galleass. His name literally has the
word
ass
in
it.”

“
Um-hmm.” Katie agreed.
“Tommy is a straight-up a-hole d-bag. And he doesn’t even have
balls. Like literally.”

I stared at her, askance.
“How do you even
know
this?”

“
Ugh.” Katie shuddered in
complete and utter revulsion. “Because every single time he sends
Chelsea a picture of his penis, she forwards it to me.”

“
For your information,
Tommy
does
have
testicles,” Chelsea patiently explained, as though Katie had the
mental acuity of a two-year-old. “They’re just…
undescended.”

“
All right,” I said,
slapping a hand on my thigh to get their full attention. “Enough
about Tommy and his undescended testicles. Let’s hit the floor!”
With a renewed sense of purpose, I scooted out of the booth,
snapping my fingers to DJ Nemo’s electronic house music.

This was one of my favorite tracks. It had a
catchy and groovy beat, and the loud bass bounced all through my
bones.