Wicked Heart (37 page)

Of course, the fans were devastated. Some of the YouTube reactions were extreme. Blame was thrown everywhere, but mostly onto Liam. “If only he hadn’t cheated!” they cried.
Conspiracy theories flourished, with some clever commentators doubting the relationship was ever real. And yet, to this day, some die-hard fans still believe the breakup was a smoke screen to cover
up the fact that they married in secret and are expecting their first baby.

Ah, sweet delusion.

“Hey. Are you asleep?” Liam asks with a low chuckle as he strokes my back.

“No. Just resting my eyes and thinking.”

“About?”

“You. Me. You know, the usual.”

“Hmmm.” He rests his cheek against my forehead. “You and me is my favorite thing to think about, too.”

I open my eyes and smile up at him. He rewards me with the world’s softest, yet most arousing kiss.

“Aw, get a room.” I look over to see Josh and Angel dancing beside us.

“We’ve got one,” I say. “It’s right next to yours. And that leads me to ask if it’s absolutely necessary for you two to make quite so much noise when
you’re expressing your physical love.”

“It’s all Josh,” Angel says with a roll of her eyes. “I’ve tried to get him to be quiet. He sounds like I’m murdering him, for God’s sake.”

I give her a wry smile. “Oh sure. So I know that you call him Mr. Jackhammer because you’re so quiet?”

She giggles and leans over to kiss my cheek. “Shut up. You’re making me horny.”

“So, Lissa,” Josh says, trying to ignore the fact that his girlfriend is now nibbling on his earlobe. “Are you going to put on your big-girl panties and stand beside your man
at his fund-raiser tomorrow night?”

Liam looks down at me. “Good question. Are you?”

One other thing the Tori Bell interview did was enable Liam to tell the world about his dyslexia. Now, he’s the founder and CEO of the James Quinn Foundation for Dyslexia Research, named
for his twin brother, and he’s garnered the support of dozens of other celebrities who’ve followed his example and admitted to their disorder. The foundation’s inaugural
fund-raiser is tomorrow night, and he’s been trying to convince me for months to let him show me off for the first time as his girlfriend. Every time I think about that level of scrutiny,
however, it gives me the heebie-jeebies. I adore Liam with all my heart, but revealing myself as the woman who’s replaced Angel in his affections is going to get me swift and vicious hate
mail. Still, I realize we can’t hide our love forever. And I do want to be there to support him.

“Tell you what,” Josh says. “I’ll bring Angel. Then we can all walk the red carpet together, and everyone will realize Angeliam has well and truly moved on. I even
volunteer to let Angel kiss me with full visible tongue in front of the paparazzi.”

“Do you now?” Angel asks with a raise of her eyebrow.

“Yes. I’m selfless like that.”

“Such a giver.”

“Come here,” he says, and cups her cheek. “We should practice.” He kisses her deeply, and it makes me smile. I was starting to doubt I’d ever see him so in love. He
deserves someone amazing, and Angel is all that and more. I love them both like family.

When I look back at Liam, he’s smiling at them, too. He glances at me before saying, “Hey, Josh. Mind if I steal your girl for a dance? I barely get to see my ex-fiancée these
days. I miss her.”

He kisses me before handing me over to Josh, and I admit, I’m glad I get some alone time with my bestie. I miss him.

I clasp my hands around Josh’s neck and he puts his arms around my waist.

“So, things with Angel are getting serious, huh?”

“I guess. She asked me to go back to L.A. with her next week.”

I look up at him. “To live?”

He frowns. “Yeah.”

A lump forms in my throat. I can’t figure out if I’m happy or sad. “What did you tell her?”

“That I’d have to think about it.” I’m having trouble deciphering his feelings as well. “Leaving New York. Leaving . . . you. It’s . . . I don’t know,
Lissa. Every time I think about it, I get angry and I don’t know why.”

“Change is scary. Fear makes us angry.”

“Yeah. I guess.” He’s quiet for several seconds, then he exhales and says, “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been in love with you. You had to know that,
right?”

I look down at his chest. “You always played it off like a joke, but . . . I suspected. You don’t know how many times I wished I was meant for you.”

“But you weren’t. And for a long time, it didn’t matter—what we had was enough for me. That’s why I dated girls I knew wouldn’t last. Being emotionally
unavailable didn’t matter when no one was in it for the long haul. But then . . .”

“Angel came along.”

“When I first saw pictures of her, it was lust at first sight. But I wasn’t prepared for how she made me feel when we actually met. It was like . . . God, how do I even describe
it?”

“Like there was a stranger standing in front of you who felt like home?”

His expression melts into a soft smile. “Exactly. You felt the same way about Quinn?”

I nod.

He looks down. “I thought no woman would ever measure up to you, but Angel does. In so many ways, she’s just like you, except for the fact that she actually wants to jump my bones on
the regular. I don’t know that I deserve someone as sweet as she is, but I’m sure as hell going to try to make her happy.”

I hug him. “I’ve known spotlights that beam less than your girlfriend. Trust me: You’re knocking this boyfriend thing out of the park.”

We sway to the music for a few minutes, and I know he’s made up his mind about going back to L.A. with her. I’m happy for him, but it doesn’t mean I don’t already miss
him.

“Is there a way for me to go with Angel and still stay here with you?” he asks, his voice low.

“No, but that’s okay. It doesn’t matter if life leads us down different paths. We’ll always come back together. You’re my bestie, Josh. Now and forever. No amount
of miles between us will ever change that.”

We dance in silence for a while, and when the song finishes, Angel and Liam appear next to us. Judging from their expressions, they’ve just had a conversation similar to ours. Liam’s
decided to spend most of his time in New York from now on. I’m thrilled about it, but I have no doubt Angel is going to miss him.

When the next song starts, we share a group hug and sway in unison. It might be the last time we’re all together like this for a while, and we need to make the most of every moment.

The morning after the wedding, I open my eyes to find Liam already awake. He’s sitting up against the headboard in just his underwear, looking ridiculously sexy in his
new glasses as he frowns at the book in front of him. I smile when I see what he’s reading.
The Outsiders.
It was one of my favorite books when I was growing up. When I first read
it, I loved it so much I bought a copy for Ethan. He ended up loving it every bit as much as I did, maybe even more. So when Liam told me he wanted to test out his new dyslexia-busting, high-tech
glasses by reading a book for the first time in his life, I thought it only fitting to buy him a copy. Easy to read and short enough to not give him a headache, it’s the perfect introduction
to the world of classic literature.

“Hey,” I say, my voice husky with sleep.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” He leans down for a soft kiss. “Just so you know, I’ve been sporting the world’s most painful boner for the past half hour and I plan to fuck you
to within an inch of your life very soon, but I need to see what happens in this scene first. The Socs have just cornered Ponyboy and Johnny in the park, and if either of them gets murdered, I
swear to God I’m going to launch this book off the top of the Empire State.”

I glance at the clock. It’s only 7.30 a.m. “How long have you been awake?”

“A couple of hours. Worked out. Showered. Now I’m reading. Shush.”

I smile and watch as his eyes scan the page. It’s hard to believe that this is the same man who used to avoid looking at the printed word as much as possible. His new glasses have dark
rims, and the lenses glow with faint light. The difference they’ve made in his life has been immediate and remarkable. I love watching him read. I mean, any man who reads is sexy, but Liam
reading is off-the-charts hot.

I move over and kiss his shoulder. “You’re enjoying it?”

“Sssh. They’re shoving Ponyboy’s head into the fountain. They’re going to kill him, aren’t they? Goddamn rich, entitled assholes.”

I kiss his shoulder again, and this time I add a flick of tongue.

He sucks in a sharp breath. “Hey. I’m trying to concentrate here. You’re making that impossible.”

“I’ll save you the time. They kill Ponyboy and everyone’s sad. The end.”

He slaps the book down and glares at me. The way the light of the lenses reflects off his incredible eyes makes me warm all over. “You’d better be joking right now, lady. Seriously.
I will take you down.”

I lean over and kiss his neck. “As if I’d ruin it for you. But let me give you a spoiler alert about what’s going to happen in this bed right now—I’m going to lick
you. Everywhere. Brace yourself.” I start with his neck, and God, he tastes good. I kiss and suck my way down to his chest. I don’t miss the way his breathing speeds up, or the way his
boxer briefs now seem a whole lot fuller.

“Uh . . . is this going to happen every time you see me reading?”

“Probably. It’s super-hot.”

“Then I’m never going to get through my reading list.”

“Oh, sweetie. No one ever gets through their TBR list. For every book you finish, you’ll add five more. That’s just the way it works.”

He groans as I graze my fingers over his abs and finger the edge of his underwear. “In that case, maybe I’ll take a break.”

“Awesome idea.”

He places his glasses carefully on his nightstand before pouncing on me. In a matter of seconds, he’s yanked off my nightie and settled between my legs.

“Now, how should I punish you for your heartless Ponyboy joke?” He grinds against me. God, he’s so hard. So arousing.

I swallow. “Well, usually the sentence for false reports of character death is mind-blowing oral sex. Just saying.”

“Is that right?” He circles his hips. I pant and grip his shoulders. “Why is it that every evil thing you do is punishable by oral?”

“Hey, I don’t make the rules.”

“Lucky for you, I’m more than happy to punish you as often as you like.”

He kisses me before moving down my body, setting every piece of skin he touches ablaze with his mouth and hands as he goes. My breasts get special attention. I close my eyes and moan. This man
is a foreplay genius. Within seconds my whole body is aching for him. By the time he starts kissing up the insides of my thighs, I’m already half gone. When he closes his mouth over me, I
bury my fingers in his hair and gasp.
Sweet Jesus.
He growls against me, and I have enough experience to know that when he grips my hips like that and pulls me to the end of the bed,
there’s nothing I can do but try to keep breathing and hold on for the ride.

A few minutes later, I’m arching off the bed and screaming his name.

“God, I love you,” Liam whispers as he yanks down his underwear and climbs on top of me. “I seem to love you more every day. How is that possible? It’s driving me
insane.”

When he pushes inside me, we both let out a sigh of relief. My whole body seems to melt around him.

Being together like this isn’t optional. It’s essential, like breathing. There’s nothing else in the world as miraculous as having Liam Quinn inside me. I knew it the very
first time we made love and I know it now. How we both survived without each other for so many years, I’ll never know.

Liam takes his time as he makes love to me. Neither of us wants it to end.

We end up making love all day. We punctuate it with eating, sleeping, and reading, but barely a moment goes by when we’re not touching each other.

In the late afternoon, we shower and get ready to go to his foundation’s fund-raiser. He’s in his tux and ready to go within five minutes. I take over an hour to bring my hair and
makeup to a red-carpet standard. The pressure is extra high, because it’s our first public appearance together. I just hope I don’t get rotten tomatoes thrown at me.

I finish up, and when I ask Liam to zip up my dress, he presses soft, warm kisses to my neck and shoulder. “I have something I want to give you before we go. When you’re ready, come
out to the living room, okay?”

I turn and give him a gentle kiss. “Okay.”

It takes me only a few minutes to put all the essentials in my clutch and step into my shoes, and by the time I get out to the living room, there are two bright gift boxes sitting on the coffee
table.

Liam leans back on the couch and appraises me as I sit next to him.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“A game.”

“Pick a box?”

“Something like that.”

“How does it work?”

“You pick a box. That’s pretty much it.”

“Huh. Sounds boring.” He gives me a smile that tells me he’s not buying my nonchalance. “Okay, I’ll take the one on the left.”

“Are you sure?”

“I think so.” There’s a smugness to him that’s making me nervous. He was smug the very first time I met him, and he’s even smugger right now. Considering he changed
my life all those years ago, I can’t help but wonder what the heck is going on.

“What if the one on the right contains something amazing?” he asks.

“Then you should have put it on the left ’cause that’s the one I’m choosing.”

“Don’t want to change your mind?”

“Nope.”

God, he’s bought me a car, hasn’t he? Although I have no idea why he would. I’ve lived in New York my whole life. I can’t drive.

“Okay, then.” He passes me the box on the right. “First of all, let’s see what you’re missing out on.”

I open the box. Inside is a joke check for a million dollars and a card written in Liam’s messy handwriting:
Thank God you didn’t choose this box. This box sucks. Really. Out of
all the boxes in the world, this one is the worst. P.S. I love you.