Secret Weapon (23 page)

“Sloan left,” she said.

Liam stood up and approached her. “What’s going on with him?”

“He was … upset about something.” She gazed at Liam, then Derek and Jonas. “I’m sorry, but I’d like to go home.”

“Of course. No problem,” Derek said. “You go ahead and pack up your stuff. We’ll handle everything else.”

An hour later, they piled the last of the suitcases into the two cars. Sloan must have hitched a ride to the nearby town, since they’d driven up in Liam’s and Derek’s cars and both were still there.

“You want to ride with me?” Liam asked.

Janine nodded. Derek and Jonas each gave her a warm hug and a kiss.

She gazed at Jonas. “Sorry I’m cutting our weekend short.”

He stroked her cheek and smiled. “Don’t worry. There’s always next time.”

She nodded, and Liam opened the passenger door of his car for her and she climbed in. She waved at the other two men as Liam pulled away.

Not really wanting to talk, she reclined her seat and closed her eyes. It was only an hour and a half back to town, and Liam respected her obvious desire to ride home in silence. As they reached the city limits, however, she tilted her seat up again and glanced around. She really didn’t want to go home to her empty apartment, where she’d think about Sloan all night long.

She glanced at Liam’s profile. Liam was a really special guy, but she wasn’t in love with him. It was better that way. She didn’t understand love at all. The only thing it ever seemed to do was mess things up and break her heart.

Liam turned onto her street, then into her apartment building entrance. He stopped in front of the main door.

“I’ll help you carry your stuff up,” he said.

“Actually…” She turned and gazed at him. “Do you want to spend the night?”

He smiled warmly. “I’d love to spend the night.”

*   *   *

Sloan closed his front door and kicked off his shoes, then tossed his keys in the bowl by the front door. Usually, he’d toss his cell phone there, too, but he’d left it behind when he’d rushed out. Hopefully, Liam would notice it and bring it back.

He slung his jacket across the back of his big leather armchair on his way to the bedroom. Exhaustion ached through him, more from emotional turmoil than from physical exertion, though it had been about a five-mile walk from the dungeon cottage to the nearest town, where he’d caught the bus back.

Damn, he’d really blown it. He tugged off his clothes and uncharacteristically tossed them in a heap on the floor, then climbed into bed. Everything had been going so well. He’d coped well with—in fact, enjoyed—most of the evening. Watching Janine with Derrick and Jonas had set his hormones aflame. His cock twitched at the memory. But when he’d seen the look in Liam’s eyes as he’d made love to Janine …

God damn, but how was he to cope with another man emotionally connecting with his woman?

But Janine wasn’t his woman. In fact, if she were here, she’d tell him in no uncertain terms that she’d never agree to be anyone’s woman.

He turned off the bedside lamp. Moonlight glowed in the window, casting his room in a cool, blue light. The room felt desolate and lonely. He stared at the ceiling.

Could it be that he had overreacted tonight?

Maybe Janine wasn’t really in love with Liam. She hadn’t actually answered Sloan when he’d asked her. He’d simply jumped to that conclusion because of her hesitation. Because of his insecurity, he’d read that as a guilty admission, but maybe she’d simply been taken aback by his suggestion.

Hope rose in him as he realized that maybe the suggestion had simply taken her by surprise.

Damn it. Jealousy had gotten the better of him and now she’d be totally convinced he could never handle her lifestyle.

And for good reason.

He’d begun to wonder if he could ever get to the point where he could handle it. It was one thing for her to have a little fun, and he found it amazingly hot to watch her with the other men, but he had never actually thought about the fact that she might form a real connection with one of them. If that weren’t a possibility, maybe he could get to the point where he and Janine could be a couple, with other men joining them in the bedroom. They could even get married. It was somewhat unconventional, but he could learn to live with that. Could he, however, learn to accept that she might form an emotional attachment to one of those men?

*   *   *

Liam drove past the door to visitors’ parking. Moments later, he and Janine got off the elevator and walked down the hall to her apartment door.

Once inside, Liam carried her bags into the bedroom, then returned to the living room.

“Want something to drink?” she asked.

“Yeah. Just water will be fine.”

Janine walked into the kitchen, then returned with two tall glasses of ice water. Liam had settled on the couch and she sat beside him, setting his water on the table.

“So what happened with you and Sloan?” he asked as he picked up his glass.

She sipped and set hers down. How could she explain that Sloan was mad because he believed she was in love with Liam?

“Well, umm…” She gazed at Liam. “It seems that…” She shrugged and stared at her glass. “Well, Sloan seems to have got it into his head that there’s something special between us. He even asked me if I’m in love with you.” She picked up her glass again and stared at the ice cubes floating in the water. “Crazy, right?”

*   *   *

Liam watched Janine as she stared at her glass, purposely not gazing in his direction.

He took the glass from her hand and set it on the table. “Actually, it’s not so crazy. Sloan has great instincts.”

Janine turned her head and met Liam’s gaze. In her bright blue eyes shone a question.

He tucked his fingers under her chin and tipped up her head, then met her lips with his own. The feel of her soft mouth under his sent his heart thundering. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close as his tongue dipped into her mouth, tasting her sweetness. Her tongue stroked his and the two danced in unison, setting a fire ablaze within him.

He stroked her hair from her face and drew back, locking gazes with her.

“I think there
is
something special between us.”

In fact, he wondered if he
was
falling for her. He captured her mouth again, reveling in the feel of her soft lips under his.

“Maybe Sloan can’t handle your lifestyle, but I can. Sloan is a good friend of mine—don’t get me wrong. But if you two aren’t right for each other, and we are, then why should the two of us deny ourselves happiness?”

“Liam, I—”

He placed a finger over her lips. “Shh. Let’s not think about Sloan tonight. You and I are here alone. Let’s just enjoy being with each other, and think about the rest of the world tomorrow.”

*   *   *

Janine gazed into Liam’s deep olive green eyes. Surely he didn’t think he was falling in love with her. Should she say something? Straighten things out right now?

But, then, maybe she was reading too much into his words. He’d simply said there was something special between them.

As he leaned in to kiss her, she realized that she wanted to do exactly as he’d suggested, to put aside her worries and just be with him. Cared for and cherished. With no expectations.

As his lips met hers, she wrapped her arms around him. His tongue stroked inside her and she melted against him. She drew his tongue deeper into her mouth and sucked lightly. He groaned, then drove his tongue deeper still.

She leaned back and tugged at the hem of her camisole, then pulled it over her head. Liam’s gaze on her black-lace-clad breasts sent heat shimmering through her. She reached behind her and unhooked the bra, then pulled down the straps and glided her arms free, leaving the garment covering her breasts.

He smiled and kissed her neck, then downward, over the swell of her breasts. He tucked a finger under the loose cup, then drew it down slowly, until her nipple peeked over the fabric. He ran his fingertip over the sensitive bud and it swelled. He drew the other cup downward until both nipples peered at him. He took one between his fingertips and rolled it around, then leaned down and licked it. He sucked, and the intense sensation lanced through her. She wrapped her hands around his head, her fingers forking through his short, sandy hair, pulling him tight to her. He sucked again, harder this time. She gasped. Her vagina contracted, aching with need.

He drew the bra away and stroked her breasts lovingly. Then he cupped one and kissed and licked the other until she squirmed beneath him. He switched to the other breast, enveloping the abandoned one with his warm hand. Then he glided down her stomach and kissed her navel, and with a half smile on his lips, he unbuttoned her jeans and glided the zipper down slowly.

She lifted her hips as he tugged her jeans down and pulled them off her legs, leaving her in only her skimpy black lace panties. He dropped her jeans to the floor, then smiled as his gaze lingered on the black lace covering her. He lowered his head and fluttered his lips against the skin above the lace in delicate kisses, then grasped the lace between his teeth and tugged downward, slowly revealing the trimmed curls. He nibbled sideways along the top of the panties, then tugged them down one hip, leaving her panties skewed across her body, low on one side and clinging to her hip on the other. He released them, kissed back to her navel, then ran his tongue through the star-shaped curls.

She tucked her fingers under the high side of her panties and rolled them downward, wanting him to move lower. He chuckled and grasped the front of her panties with his fingers, then slowly drew them down, revealing more of her. Finally, he pulled the crotch all the way down, exposing all of her, then he tugged them down her legs and tossed them aside.

He stroked through the star, then downward, stopping above her slit.

“You have a cute little pussy.”

She opened her legs, propping her feet on the edge of the couch, opening wide for him.

“Show me how much you like it.”

He laughed and knelt on the floor, positioning himself between her thighs.

“My pleasure.” He tucked his thumbs against her fleshy folds and drew them apart. Then he leaned forward and licked the length of her slit.

“Oh, yes.” Her head dropped against the back of the couch as pleasure quivered through her.

He licked, and licked again. Then his tongue found her clit and he pressed the tip of his tongue against it lightly. At the same time, his fingertip stroked her slit. As her insides melted, her slit filled with moisture. His finger glided to her opening and slid inside. Then another finger. He stroked her inside passage as his tongue pressed harder on her clit, then rolled it around and around. She sucked in a breath at the incredible sensation.

“Oh, Liam. Yes.”

He stroked inside her as he sucked on her clit. Joy swelled inside her and she trembled with need. His fingers found that magic spot inside that sent her gasping in pleasure. Her body ached with rising need. She was close.

He slid his mouth downward, then pressed his tongue inside her, too, thrusting in and out. Then he returned to her clit and sucked in a pulsing rhythm. She gasped, then clung to him as she rode the wave of ecstasy, moaning her release. He stroked and sucked, stroked and sucked, until she gasped one last time, then slumped on the couch.

“Oh, my God. That was incredible.” She sighed happily.

He smiled. “Honey, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

He tucked his arms under her legs and shoulders and lifted her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her into the bedroom.

He set her on the bed gently, then leaned in and kissed her—a sweet, cherishing kiss. His mouth lingered. Then he stood up and unfastened the buttons of his shirt. She licked her lips as she watched the shirt part, revealing solid muscle beneath. As he drew the shirt open and glided it down his arms, his ridged abs rippled. She covered her breasts with her hands and stroked, then tweaked the nipples. His green eyes burned into her as he released the zipper on his jeans and dropped them to the floor. His big cock swelled out the top of his boxers. He tucked his thumbs in the waistband and pushed them to the floor, then stepped out of them, revealing his big, naked erection. She wriggled on the bed, wanting that huge shaft inside her. She stroked between her legs, totally soaked from the slickness of her intense arousal.

“Don’t get too far ahead of me, sweetheart.”

He sat on the bed and ran his hand over her fingers as she stroked her hot flesh. He guided her hand toward him and drew her fingers into his mouth.

“Mmm. Delicious.”

She sat up and wrapped her fingers around his huge erection, longing to taste it.

“Here, let me catch you up.” She leaned forward and licked the tip of him, then wrapped her lips around the mushroom-shaped head and took it in her mouth.

She lapped at him, then sucked. He groaned as she glided downward, taking him deeper. She tucked her hands under his testicles and stroked them as she bobbed up and down on his hard cock.

“Oh, yeah. That feels—” He groaned again, then grasped her head and stilled her movement. He drew his cock from her mouth.

“That feels incredible, but right now I want to do this.” He leaned down and suckled on her nipple, sending swirls of pleasure spiraling through her.

Her hand stroked down his tight stomach until she brushed against his hot, hard shaft, still damp from her mouth, and she wrapped her fingers around it. “Fuck me, Liam.”

He smiled but shook his head. “No. I’m not going to fuck you. I’m going to make slow, passionate love to you until I set your whole world on end.”

He grasped her wrists and drew them above her head, then held them there with one hand. With the other, he stroked her wet slit, then teased her clit with his fingers. She sucked in a breath at the intense sensations. He pressed his cockhead to her opening and glided it up and down, stroking her. She arched her pelvis forward and he chuckled, then leaned down and kissed her.