I could feel his thrusts get harder and faster, could feel his body tense, and I heard his familiar soft cursing as he got close. I knew I was close, knew that I could make it if he just kept pushing there, right there, kept pressing his thick cock hard inside me, filling my every inch.
My hips worked and worked, and he stiffened, spurting his orgasm deep into me, and I felt the glow envelope me as my back arched and I let out a low, loud moan. I lost myself completely to my orgasm, and he continued to thrust into me through his own, kept working me through my powerful climax.
Finally, our hips slowly ended together, slowly rocked to a conclusion. He stayed there inside me for a minute, our bodies entwined, my hair splayed out around me and covered in sweat. I kissed his cheek as he slowly pulled away, rolling over onto his back. I curled up against his side, glowing in the pure bliss.
“Shit that never gets old,” he grunted.
I laughed. “It really doesn’t.”
He looked at me and smiled. “I can’t wait to fuck you somewhere that isn’t this piece-of-shit bed.”
I nodded enthusiastically. “That sounds absolutely perfect.”
“What can I say, I’m a romantic.” He rolled to the side of the bed and got up, stretching.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to shower and get dressed.”
I frowned but didn’t argue as he left the room and started the shower. I laid back on the bed, mind reeling from the sex, and sighed.
What was going to happen? He was going to be on the front lines. Was O’Brian trying to kill him off, or was there something else happening? And even if he did make it through the night, what happened then? My mind was swirling with questions, but I was sick of them. I was sick of the uncertainty.
Resolve forming in my stomach, I climbed out of bed and stomped off into the bathroom, pushing the door open.
“Hey there, ready for more already?” he said teasingly.
“Liam, what happens after tonight?” I blurted out more forcefully than I had intended.
He was quiet for a second, and the water stopped. He stepped out and I blinked, taking in his naked and wet body, beads of water slowly rolling down his ripped and sculpted muscles, the body he earned by working hard on the streets, by fighting for a living. He smirked at my expression as he wrapped a towel around his midsection.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”
I shook my head, embarrassed. “You don’t have to. I’m just being annoying.”
He stepped closer. “Listen to me, Ellie. After tonight, I’m done with the Mob.”
I looked up. “Are you sure?”
“I’m leaving the life. I’m going to walk away from it all.”
“But . . . why?” I was at a complete loss.
“Isn’t it obvious why?”
I gaped at him, confusion running through my mind. I suddenly felt completely naked, even more naked than I already was. Which, as I glanced down at myself, was pretty naked. I wished I had stopped to at least put on underwear.
He sensed my hesitation. “You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t owe me a single fucking thing. But that’s my plan.”
“I can’t ask you to do that, Liam. You can’t give up everything you’ve worked so hard for.”
“After what we’ve been through, I’d rather burn it all to the fucking ground than keep working for them. I won’t ever let myself be in a position where I have to put someone I care about in danger.”
“But what will you do?”
“I’ll still own my restaurant, and it’s still turning a profit. I have a lot of money saved, and some decent investments. I’m going to be fine.”
I shook my head. “Liam . . .”
He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me hard on the mouth. My emotions were in turmoil. I wanted him to quit, wanted to run away with him and forget about all the pain we had gone through together. But I couldn’t let him give up the things he had worked so hard for just for me. He had already sacrificed so much to save my life.
He pulled away gently. “Just thing about it. We can talk more later.”
“Okay,” I said softly.
He kissed me again lightly on the lips and stepped around me, heading toward the bedroom.
I leaned back against the sink, knees suddenly weak.
He had to fucking come back. He had to. I needed to find out what was going to happen next.
Because I was his and always would be.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Liam
I could feel the tension in my shoulders as the black SUV bounced over a pothole. The night’s events skimmed through my mind: men moving fast, guns firing, muzzle flashes, bullets flying, blood and pain and worse. And through it all, only one thought: Ellie, I have to get back to Ellie.