Until Darkness Comes (9 page)

***

It took less than five minutes for Liam to reach the club. Whatever had set Olivia off hadn’t lasted long. Her fear already subsided into an undercurrent of anger and sadness, filling him with a restless need to see her, to make sure she was all right. Even though she may be physically safe, emotionally, she was not well. As he pulled into the parking lot of Waterworks, he saw an ambulance loading a man into the back of the rig.

Liam jumped out of the Camaro and blew past the crowd of people waiting in line to get inside. Maybe it was his size, or maybe it was the fierce scowl on his face, but no one said a word as he stormed into the club.

Despite the low lighting in the bar, he had no difficulty locating Olivia. His vision, day or night, was preternaturally acute. She sat alone at overlooking the dance boredom and disinterest through the crowd, making his way toward her.

As he walked up the stairs, some guy with a drink in his hand and a stumble in his gait approached her. She glanced up at the guy and gave him a polite, nervous smile. She cast a glance back into the crowd of dancing bodies, probably looking for whoever she came here with.

Unable to take a hint, or maybe too drunk to read body language, the guy helped himself to the seat across from Olivia. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and a frown pinched her brows tight as her anxiety spiked, sending a hum of energy simmering through his veins.

He struggled to keep his own emotions in check as he approached the guy. Embers of jealousy burned in the pit of his stomach like acid. He approached the stranger from behind. Olivia looked up, her genuine smile and rush of relief skating over him like a caress.

“Excuse me,” Liam laid his hand on the guy’s shoulder. His grip tightened when the guy ignored him. “I think you sat down at the wrong table.”

“I don’t think so,” the guy slurred, refusing to take his snake eyes off Olivia.
“Look,” Liam growled, “we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. I personally have no preference, but either way, your ass is leaving this seat.” The man finally turned toward him, and the seething glare on his face suddenly faltered.
Out of patience, Liam yanked the guy up, who grabbed for his drink, sloshing it over his hand. “Maybe you should wait to be invited before helping yourself to a lady’s company. This is a good way to get yourself hurt,” he growled, shoving the drunk away.
a table on the second level, floor. Her beautiful face had written all over it. He wove
Liam turned back to Olivia, whose vibrant green eyes watched him with a gratitude and relief. “Thank you,” she said over the loud drum of the music. “I told him I wasn’t interested, but apparently the alcohol made him deaf.”
“No problem. Mind if I sit?” He nodded toward the now vacant seat.
“Sure.” She smiled. “You can be my bodyguard.”
“From the looks of it, you need one. What are you doing here, Olivia? This place doesn’t really seem like your thing.”
"It’s not. I'm here with Ashley. Girls’ night out, remember?"
He glanced around the crowded club. The dance floor was packed full of bodies crushed up against each other, gyrating to the heavy beat of the music. "She out there?" He nodded toward the lower level.
"Yep."
"Want some company while you wait for her to get back? I can run interference for you."
She laughed. He loved the sound of it; the light melody made his heart skip a beat. Lord, she’s beautiful.
"Sure, the company would be nice. Hey, can I ask you a question?"
He nodded.
"What did you say to that guy before he left? For a minute there, I thought you were going to hit him."
"I just gave him a little advice, that's all."
"Um-hmm, I'm sure you did." The mischievous light in her eyes made him smile. He glanced down at her hand resting on the table and found it excruciatingly difficult to resist the urge to reach out and take it. The memory of her petal soft skin made his fingers ache to touch her again.
"You don't believe me?" he teased.
Before Olivia could answer, a waitress walked up to their table. Setting down their glasses of water, she leaned forward, giving him a full cleavage shot. He looked away and met Olivia's eyes, watching him intently. Her light smile was gone, replaced by the tight set of her full lips and a narrowing of those beautiful emerald green eyes. Her emotions shifted quickly, sending a low hum of energy rippling through his veins. The sudden flare of jealousy surprised him.
“Can I get you something to drink?” the woman asked, giving him a flirtatious smile.
“Yes, thank you.” He glanced back at the waitress. “I’ll have a Sprite, and she’ll have a Mountain Dew, please.”
The waitress cast Olivia a competitive glance before turning away to get their drinks.
“How did you know I liked Mountain Dew?”
“It’s what you ordered at The Wrath.”
“You remember that?”
Why did she sound so surprised? “Of course I do.”
The waitress returned with their drinks. This time she brushed her breast against his shoulder as she leaned forward to put their drinks down. He scooted his chair over to the side, edging away from the brazen woman. The only female he had interest in touching was the one sitting across from him with a very pissed-off look on her face. “Is there anything else I can get you?” she purred, leaving the question open-ended.
“No, thank you.” He barely spared the waitress a second glance. Apparently, she didn’t appreciate being blown off, because she stormed away in a huff. Olivia laughed, but it wasn’t the same carefree sound as before.
“What?” he asked, not quite getting the joke.
“Seriously, could she be any more obvious? I’m surprised she didn’t just climb in your lap and get it over with.”
She was jealous…A roguish smile pulled at his lips and he chuckled. “Maybe you could run interference for me.”
Her cheeks flushed bright pink. She was probably embarrassed the waitress had gotten under her skin. “I might have to, geeze.” Olivia gave him one of those dazzling smiles he felt all the way to his toes. “But what if I chased off the girl of your dreams?” Was she flirting with him? Man, he hoped so.
“I’m pretty sure that isn’t going to happen.” He reached across the table and laid his hand over hers, brushing his thumb over the top of her hand. Her slender, delicate fingers jumped beneath his touch as she stared at him. Those deep emerald green eyes held his gaze for the longest time. Her brows pulled tight in concentration as she studied him. Now that he touched her, her emotions flowed into him like a direct current, making it easier to feel exactly what she felt.
She was trying to decide if she could trust him. She wanted to, but there was a part of her that held back. Maybe it was the part of her that belonged to Max. Just the thought of that bastard made his blood boil. “I would never do anything to hurt you, Olivia.”
His confession pulled a gasp from her parted lips. Her almond shaped eyes widened in surprise. She looked a little guilty that he’d guessed what she was thinking. She pulled her hand out from under his and reached for her Mountain Dew.
Out of nowhere, Ashley came bounding up behind Olivia, startling her. Ashley grabbed her by the shoulders and bent down beside her ear. “Miss me?”
Olivia jumped. Ashley laughed and looked up, locking eyes with Liam. A slow, mischievous grin spread across her face. “Guess not…” she answered, bumping her arm into Olivia’s shoulder.
“Quit,” Olivia replied, smiling back. “Where have you been? You’ve been gone nearly an hour.”
Ashley grabbed Olivia’s hand, pulling on her arm. “Dancing—hey, you want to come out there with me?”
Olivia dug her heels in, refusing to budge from the chair. “That’s okay, I’m good here.”
Ashley stopped tugging and looked back at Liam, giving him a head to toe once-over that left him feeling like he should check to make sure he was still wearing clothes. “Oh, I bet you are. Okay, well then, I’ll just leave you two alone. See you in a little bit.” Ashley gave her head a feminine toss, sending her blonde curls airborne and swaggered away. She suddenly stopped and looked back over her shoulder. “Hey, Liv, I met this guy and he could really use a ride home. Do you mind?”
“No, go ahead. I think I’m going to take off early anyway since it looks like you’ve got a dance partner. Call me tonight when you get home.”
“Sure,” Ashley waved farewell and disappeared back into the crowd.
“Can I give you a ride home?”
Olivia didn’t answer right away. For a moment he thought she was going to refuse. “All right, that’d be great.”
Liam stood up and tossed a twenty on the table. He escorted Olivia outside, protectively placing his hand against the small of her back as they weaved in and out of the crowd of people. He walked over to the passenger door and opened it for her. She smiled up at him and cast a nervous glance around the parking lot as she climbed inside. It wasn’t until the driver’s door shut and the engine started, that she began to look more relaxed.
“Is there any place you’d like to go before I take you home? The sun’s going to set soon. If we hurry, I bet we could make it down to the beach in time.”
“Sure, that sounds great. I love watching the sunset.” She smiled over at him, and his heart beat just a little faster.
Does she have any idea how beautiful she is?
“The only thing better than a sunset is a sunrise.”
Liam smiled. “I couldn’t agree more.”

As they drove toward Clearwater, Olivia noticed that Liam kept glancing in his rear view mirror. Maybe she was imagining it, but the color of his eyes seemed a shade lighter than she remembered. His handsome features hardened into a scowl, but it didn’t detract from his stunning looks. It only enhanced them, if that was even possible.

Olivia glanced over her shoulder, following the direction of his rear view mirror. “Liam, is something wrong?”

“What happened between you and Max tonight?” His voice held an edge of tension that sent goose bumps prickling up her arms.

“Why do you ask?” Even she could hear the defensiveness in her voice, but she didn’t want to discuss Max’s betrayal, not that it was any of his business. She didn’t even want to think about Max right now.
Dirty, rotten bast—

“Because he’s following us.”

Liam’s matter-of-fact, no-nonsense answer did nothing to stem the sudden burst of panic rising up inside her. She subconsciously reached up and rubbed the tender spot on her bicep. “How do you know?” she demanded, trying to keep the alarm out of her voice, but failed miserably. Olivia cranked around in her seat until her back cracked in protest. Sure enough, a single headlight followed behind them no more than a mile back.

“I just know.” he growled, giving her no explanation beyond that.
Oh shit! I can’t believe he’s following me!

“You’re afraid of him.” It wasn’t a question. He glanced over at her, and his frown deepened, making him look downright menacing. If she had any common sense, she should be afraid of him. It wasn’t until he placed his hand over hers that she realized she was trembling. There was no use even trying to deny it. The moment he touched her, a delicious rush of heat swept up her arm. How could someone she barely knew make her feel so…safe?

“I never used to be,” she confessed softly.

“How long have you been together?” His hand curled around hers protectively.
“For a couple of months. We had a fight tonight, he’s been drinking…Alcohol seems to act like lighter fluid on his temper.”
She liked the feeling of Liam’s hand on hers, and rotated her wrist to slide her fingers in between his. Her pulse quickened as their palms connected. She glanced down at their hands interlaced together. This felt good… He felt…right.
“Did he hurt you?”
This time, there was no mistaking the amethyst sheen in his eyes. She’d never seen anything like it before. It was almost as if his eyes changed color with his moods.
Impossible.
Olivia shrugged her shoulders. “Not really, he just scared me more than anything.”
Liam growled something under his breath. It sounded like another language.
“If you want to, I’d still like to take you down to the beach. You’d be safe with me, you know that, right? But if Max follows you down there, I can’t promise you that he won’t get hurt.” Liam’s thumb brushed across the top of her hand, sending a shiver up her arm.
Olivia wasn’t sure how she felt about Max anymore. She may not want to be with him, but she certainly didn’t want him to get hurt, nor did she want to chance Liam getting hurt on account of her.
“We’d better skip it. I think I’ve had enough drama from him tonight.”
Liam squeezed her hand gently. “I understand, maybe some other time.”
He took the next exit, crossed the overpass, and turned back toward Evercrest. The rode in silence, Liam frequently glanced at her, and she could feel the heat of his gaze, now dark violet again.
Occasionally, she’d look over her shoulder at the single headlight hanging back in the distance. The slow back and forth caress of his thumb calmed and excited her at the same time. How could he possibly have such a strong effect on her? Not only was there an intense physical attraction to him, but there was something else, something more, something…deeper.
She watched him for a while, looking for some sign that he felt it too. He appeared calm—relaxed. The only changes she saw in him were subtle, and they had nothing to do with holding her hand. Every time he glanced into the rear view mirror, his eyes turned cold and hard.
“Your eyes, they change color.” She watched him intently, waiting for them to change back again.
“Yeah, I know,” he said, glancing over at her. “They change with my mood. Everyone in my family is like that. It’s a pain in the ass, honestly. Everyone always knows exactly how you’re feeling.” Liam laughed. The sound was biting and sarcastic. “Talk about total honesty. There are no secrets in my family.”
“How many are in your family?”
“A lot.”
“Max’s eyes change too, they go from brown to black.” She was thoughtful a moment. “He isn’t related to you, is he? Is that why there’s so much animosity between you two?” That would definitely explain the bad blood between them. Something had been brewing long before last week.
“Not anymore…” he replied gruffly.
Olivia frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Look, Olivia, Max isn’t any good for you. He’s dangerous, and I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Her scowl deepened. Liam knew more than he was telling her. “Why would Max possibly want to hurt me?”
“People do things for many different reasons, and things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes there’s an ulterior motive.”
“What are your motives, Liam?” she countered irritably, wishing for once that she could finally get a straight answer out of him.
Again with the caress—if he kept this up, pretty soon she wouldn’t be able to put two rational thoughts together. When he turned toward her, his eyes were that rich, deep violet again. “I only want what’s best for you—for you to be safe…and happy.” The sincerity in his voice actually made her heart ache.
“Why do you care?” she pressed, desperate for answers.
“I can’t explain it, Olivia. I just do.”
“This is ridiculous. How could you possibly? We only met last week. You don’t even know me.”
Liam pulled into Olivia’s driveway and parked the car. He turned in his seat, taking her other hand in his. “Don’t you feel it?” he whispered. “You can’t seriously tell me that I’m the only one.”
Liam reached up and gently brushed his hand against her cheek, letting his thumb trace along the edge of her bottom lip. Olivia closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring the tingling rush of his scent. She couldn’t resist leaning her cheek into his palm.
Oh yeah, she definitely felt it, but Olivia didn’t understand what
it
was, and
it
scared her—a lot. “You’re not the only one,” she whispered.