Back to Life (9 page)

“You
might not look at me the same way,” I admitted. I can’t believe I was thinking
of telling something so personal and heartbreaking to a virtual stranger. I had
never been more afraid in my life.

He
lifted my chin with his fingers, forcing me to look at him. “Nothing you could
say to me would make me think any less of you, Rory.”

I
took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “I wasn’t always like this, you know.
This bitchy, frigid woman. I used to be fun,” I said.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.
I used to be happy. Four years ago, I had this boyfriend, and he was a lawyer.
His name was Mason Callahan.”

“You,
with a lawyer? Really?” he smiled.

“Yes,”
I said, nudging him in the ribs. “He was amazing. Cute, funny, and smart as
hell. He could match wits with just about anyone and if you disagreed with him
on something, give him ten minutes and you would totally be on his side,” I
laughed. “Now that I think about it, that’s probably how he got me to go out
with him in the first place.”

“He
sounds pretty great. So, what happened?” he asked.

My
hands started shaking. I have never said any of this out loud. I think it was
going to make it sink in…make it too final. Taking another deep breath, I
continued. “Well, he was up for partner at his firm, and one of the partners he
was trying to impress had him running around like a dog for her. He would get
her coffee, pick up her dry cleaning, and he would even pick her drunken ass up
at bars all the time instead of taking a cab. On the night of our one year
anniversary, we were out celebrating because...” I paused, trying to swallow
the huge lump in my throat, “because he’d just proposed to me.”

Liam
was quiet as the night. “Ah,” he said, and waited for me to continue.

“It
had been a fun night, and I was so happy that he asked me to marry him. He
always said he wanted to be married and have a bunch of kids and get a nice
house and a dog,” I snorted, smiling.

“He
wanted kids so soon?” Liam laughed.

“Oh
yes. Mason absolutely loved children.” I gulped again, and continued. “Well,
anyway, we were out celebrating when he got a call from that fucking bitch boss
of his to come pick her up again. He wanted to stay with me, but he also loved
his job. He was having a tough time deciding, so I made the decision for him
and told him to go. I wish every day I hadn’t…” I stopped, feeling tears
stinging my eyes.

“Hey,”
Liam said, wrapping his arm around me. “Rory, you don’t have to say any more.”

“I
have to get this out,” I whispered. I’d held it in for so long, and I was never
going to get past it by ignoring it. I felt like it was choking me. Marissa was
right. I couldn’t change anything by pretending it never happened. “After he
left, I decided to go home. I got my coat and was headed out the door, when I
heard sirens going down the road and there was a crowd gathered about two
blocks away. I usually wouldn’t get involved, but I was curious. I followed the
sound of the siren and when I got there…I saw him.” I stopped. My bottom lip
was quivering.

“Rory?”
Liam asked, still rubbing my arm.

“It
was Mason. He’d been mugged. Someone mugged him while he was running off to
help that bitch. They shot him, Liam, and left him there to die. He bled to
death on that street in front of my eyes because that woman threatened his job.
I hate her, Liam, I hate her,” and I could hold the tears back no more. Fat,
salty tears began to pour from my eyes.

“Oh,
Rory, I’m so sorry,” he said, and pulled me into a hug. We just sat there, me
in his arms, and he held me while I cried. I cried four years worth of tears,
and he held onto me for each one that fell.

Once
I was all dried up, I pulled away from him, and looked at his shirt. It was completely
wet. “Oh, Liam, look at your shirt. You’re soaked,” I said, sniffing.

“Hey,
don’t even worry about it. It’s okay,” he said, and he took his hand and wiped
one of my wet cheeks with his hand.

Suddenly,
I felt embarrassed. I wiped my other cheek and looked down. “Oh God, I must be
a mess. I’m sorry to break down on you like that.”

“You
aren’t a mess, Rory. If anything, you are even more beautiful.”

“I
am?” I asked, puzzled.

“Of
course you are. You put up this tough front, but you showed that you can be
vulnerable too. That’s a good thing. I just feel so terrible for you. What
you’ve lost…I can’t believe you kept something like this bottled up all this
time,” he said.

“It
was just too hard to face, so I locked it away.”

“Did
they ever catch the guy?”

Sniffing,
I said, “No.”

“I’m
sorry, Rory.” We sat in silence for a moment. “So, that’s what you were afraid
to tell me?”

I
tensed up inside. Actually, it wasn’t. Mason’s death was only half of what I
wanted to tell him, but he was being so sweet and caring that I couldn’t bring
myself to say anymore. I was afraid the rest of the story would make him run
from me and never look back, and I was beginning to like him. I nodded and
lied, “Yes.”

“Oh
Rory, you shouldn’t be afraid to talk to me like this. I want you to tell me things
because I like you. A lot.”

I
sniffed again. “You do?”

He
nodded. “Forgive me, and please don’t be mad, but there is something I have to
do,” he said, and before I could speak or even think, he moved his mouth to mine
and kissed my lips softly. It was just a quick, closed mouth kiss, but the feel
of Liam’s lips on mine was like an electric volt and the kiss was like a
current that ran straight through me. I felt like someone just turned on a
switch inside me, shining a light in the darkness that had consumed me for so
long. It was the sweetest and most terrifying kiss I’d ever had. At that point,
I hadn’t kissed anyone in four years, and the thing that scared me the most was
that it didn’t scare me. Liam’s lips on mine felt right. He pulled away, his
eyes still closed. “Wow,” he whispered.

“What?”
I asked, nervous.

“Your
lips taste as good as I dreamed they would.”

I
felt a tug in my belly. Swallowing hard, I said, “You’ve dreamt about me?”

“Yes,
many times. I, however, wouldn’t be a gentleman if I elaborated on that,” he
said.

“I’ve
dreamt about you too,” I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper.

His
eyes locked with mine and his eyebrows shot up. “You have?”

Blushing,
I said, “Of course I have. That’s why I’ve been such a crabby bitch to everyone
for three weeks. I was feeling guilty and almost felt like I was cheating on
Mason because I was attracted to you. I know it seems silly, but…”

“It’s
not silly at all. I think you are really brave, Rory. I’m really glad you told
me everything.”

“I
am too,” I said, but that little pang of guilt was still there. I knew he’d
never look at me the same if he knew the rest of the story. “So, you think
Brody and Marissa are still going at it in there?” I asked, trying to change
the subject.

He
smiled at me. “Do you want to go check?”

I
laughed at him and shook my head. “No. Whatever happens with them is good. I’m
just going to sit back and let it happen.”

“Well,
you sitting back while they figure it out on their own isn’t as bad as my mom,”
he laughed. “You know she’s somewhere in Manhattan exploding with glee because
I just kissed you.”

“I
know. When this gets back to her she’ll be thrilled.”

“Well,
if she’s thrilled by a little kiss, wait until she finds out about this,” he
said, and pulled my face to his. This time, I felt his tongue glide across my
bottom lip and I groaned in pleasure. Instinctively, I parted my lips, inviting
him inside. He obliged and slid his tongue into my mouth. My blood was racing
already as my hands slid into his hair, fisting it. I moaned into his mouth as
he kept one hand on my face as the other slid down my back and rested at my
waist. He tasted so good…like peppermint and a little bit of tequila. Suddenly,
muscles deep down in my belly started clenching, and I just had to pull away from
the kiss. Breathless, he said, “Rory, what’s wrong?”

I
shook my head. “Nothing. It’s just…fast. We’ve got to slow it down a bit,” I
said, trying to catch my breath.

He
tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ve got all the time in the world when
it comes to you, Rory. I’ll wait as long as you want. I’m not going anywhere,”
he said.

This
guy completely floored me. He was absolutely perfect. He was not only patient,
funny, and kind, but he was hot as fuck. The ink on his arms alone had me
drooling, and it made me want to see the ones on his back even more. I could
see myself falling for this guy…I was just hoping he was still willing to catch
me once he knew the whole truth.

Liam

This
girl was way more complicated than I ever dreamed. I thought maybe she’d been
dumped, but to watch her fiancé dying right in front of her eyes on their
anniversary? It was just tragic. And just to know that she was comfortable
enough with me to tell me something she’d not been able to say out loud in four
years to me was mind-blowing. If her physical attributes alone weren’t enough
to send me into a tailspin, her vulnerability just made her even more beautiful
to me. At that moment, I realized I didn’t just want a fling with her. For the
first time I can remember, I really thought this might be the start of
something good.

Above
all else, she’d let her guard down and let me kiss her. I knew she’d be nervous
about it, and that I might get a slap across the face for even trying, but she
stayed still and let it happen. And it was incredible. The first time I kissed
her it was light and innocent…and my world lit on fire. Her lips were sweet and
soft and tasted amazing. I felt like the luckiest man alive to have kissed
those perfect lips even once. The bite of her piercings just made it even
better. It was better than kissing her in all my fantasies. When she confessed
she’d been having hot dreams about me too, I thought I was going to explode. I
couldn’t fight the urge and leaned into kiss her again, running my tongue
across her bottom lip, barely grazing the snake bites. To my surprise, she’d parted
her lips for me, and I immediately thrust my tongue inside her sweet mouth. Her
tongue ring gliding across my tongue and her hands grabbing fistfuls of my
hair…I wanted her here and now. Thankfully she broke the kiss to slow it down
because any more and I might not have been able to stop. She looked nervous
about stopping it, but I reassured her I wouldn’t be going anywhere and that
I’d wait for her. And I was telling the truth. Rory was hands down the most
incredible woman I’d ever met in my life, and I was determined to keep her
around.

I
felt her shiver beside me. “Are you cold?” I whispered in her ear.

“A
little,” she said, and I wrapped my arm tightly around her shoulders and began
rubbing.

“Do
you want to go inside?”

She
shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

I
grinned. “You don’t?”

“Well,
my head is telling me to go back in the club and keep drinking, but my pants
are telling me to pull you into the back alley and take advantage of you,” she
said, laughing. I know that she was trying to lighten the mood, but I almost
choked and I had to shift in my seat for her to avoid seeing my rock hard
erection. My reaction made her giggle. I loved that sound.

“You
think that’s funny? You know you’re killing me, right?” I laughed.

“I’m
sorry. Back inside, it is. Come on,” she said, standing up and holding her hand
out to me. “Let’s go find out if those two dumb asses have come up for air
yet.” Grinning, I placed my hand in hers and let her lead me off the bench. When
we got back inside, my eyes immediately went to our table, and it was empty.
Rory turned to me, looking puzzled. “Where did they go?” I shrugged my
shoulders. Rory took her cell phone out of her pocket, scrolled through it, and
sighed. “Well, I truly have been ditched,” she said, a smile in her voice.

“What
is it?” She held up her phone and it said,

Rory, I went to come find you, but you looked like you
were in good company, *wink* Brody and I are heading back to the apartment to
talk, wish me luck, love you!

Smiling
her killer smile, she typed something into her phone and put it back in her
pocket. “So, what now? Do you just want to head out too?” I asked, hoping her
answer would be no. It was only eleven, and I was used to being up late. I
could still taste Rory’s kiss on my lips, and I didn’t want to go home knowing
she wouldn’t be coming with me.

She
shook her head, making her hair fall around her shoulders. “No, it’s still
early, and I’m off work tomorrow. You want to stay and hang out with me? Maybe
throw some darts?”

“You
throw darts?” I asked, impressed.

“Yes,
but not well. Pool on the other hand? That’s my game.”

“Really?
You think you could beat me at pool?”

She
narrowed her eyes playfully. “Oh, I know I can. Don’t think just because you’re
a guy that you can beat me at pool. I can kick your ass all over this place.”

“Really
now? Care to make it interesting?” I said, cocking an eyebrow.

She
crossed her arms across her chest, making her breasts push together and lift
higher. I kept my eyes on hers because I didn’t want her to catch me staring at
her amazing chest. “Name your terms, Tanner.”

“If
I win, you go to dinner with me tomorrow night on an actual date,” I said.

She
tried to hide her smile, but she couldn’t. “And if I win?”

“Name
it.”

“You
pick up my tab tonight. Deal?” She held out her hand to me, but before I could
take it, she pulled back. “Think about it first. I can run up a pretty high bar
tab.”

I
didn’t doubt that for a second, but I was feeling pretty cocky. I took her
small, delicate hand in mine. “Deal,” I said, and we walked over to the pool
table.

Leaning
over the table with her hot, perfect ass sticking out, she looked wickedly at
me and said, “Eight ball, corner pocket,” she said. Without even glancing at
what she was doing, she kept her sexy eyes on me and hit the ball with her cue,
sinking the eight ball and officially kicking my ass
again
. She stood
up, smiling in triumph. She sauntered over to me and held her hand out to me. “How
many games does that make now?  Four?”

I
ran my hand through my hair and tossed my pool cue on the table. “Come on, best
out of nine?” I said, exasperated.

Laughing,
she said, “Hell no. Time to pay up, Tanner.” Rory wasn’t kidding about being
awesome at pool. If that hairstylist thing doesn’t work out, she’d make a
killing as a professional pool player.

I
handed her my debit card and said, “Here.”

Grinning,
Rory took another shot and took the card from me. “Thanks,” she said, cheery,
and walked over to the bar. She also wasn’t kidding about running up a high
tab. Rory could definitely drink with the best of them. I sat down on a nearby
stool and watched her as she leaned against the bar and waited for the bill to
be paid. She had arched her back so her bottom was sticking out and was rocking
on her heels. God damn, this girl was fucking hot. Her jeans were so tight I
wondered if she even had panties on. I had to stop my mind from going there
because one more thought about her in lingerie and I was going to go in my
jeans. Even though she spanked me at pool, I loved watching her play. The way
she would lean over the table, sticking her bottom out…that scene would play in
my dreams of her tonight that was for sure. She came sauntering back to me and
handed me back my card.

“Thanks,”
I said, putting it back in my wallet. I noticed Rory stifle a yawn, and I
looked at the time on my watch. It was ten after three. “Are you tired? You
want me to take you home?”

“S’okay,
I can take a cab,” she said.

“Um,
I’m not letting you go home by yourself this time of night drunk off your ass,
Rory. Let me take you home,” I insisted.

“Normally,
I would fight you, but right now, I’m just too tired,” she said, smiling. “Take
me home, officer.” That was quite possibly the sexiest thing I’d ever heard any
woman say. I stood up off my stool and wrapped my arm around her waist and I
led her outside and to my car. I opened the passenger side door and helped her
in. Going over to the other side, I slid in and started the car. “This is a
badass car, by the way,” she said. I drove a black 1969 Mustang. Most guys
named their cars, and I was no exception. Elvira was my pride and joy.

“Thanks,
Rory. What kind of car do you drive?”

“I
don’t. In true New York style, I either hail a cab or take the subway,” she
mumbled, and was starting to doze off.

I
patted her on the arm. “Shh. Just get some rest. We’ll be at your apartment
soon.”

She
sat up straight and shook her head. “No, wait.”

“What
is it?”

“Brody
and Marissa are there. What if they are still talking? Or more, having sex? I
don’t want to interrupt what might be their first time getting it on,” she
said. “Can you just take me to a hotel?”

“No
fucking way! I have plenty of space at my apartment. You can crash there,” I
said.

“Oh,
Liam, I don’t know,” she protested.

“Rory,
it’s settled. You’re coming back with me. Text Marissa and Brody letting them
know where you are. I’ll take you back home in the morning.”

She
groaned and rested her head on the head rest as I drove the rest of the way to
my apartment. Even though Rory wasn’t coming back to my apartment to rock my
bed, at least she’d be there and I’d get to see her in the morning. We drove
the rest of the way in silence and when we got to my apartment, I pulled into
the garage and parked. Rory wasn’t asleep but all that alcohol she drank was
starting to hit her, and she was having a hard time walking, so I picked her up
and carried her to the elevators and held her the whole way up to my apartment.
I had to set her down to get my keys into the lock, and when I did, I kicked
the door open with my foot. I carried her to the loveseat in the living room
and ran back to lock the door. She was looking around my apartment while I went
into my bedroom and found her an old tee shirt of mine to sleep in. “Nice
place,” she said when I walked back into the room.

I
handed her the tee shirt and she said, “Thanks.”

“No
problem. And yeah, I like it here. I’ve been here about three weeks now.”

As
she started to take off her boots, she said, “I thought your mom said you moved
back almost two months ago.”

I
nodded. “I did, but I was crashing with Nick until I found a place.”

“It
looks like you found a good one,” she said. She was grunting, trying to get her
boot off. “Damn it!” she shouted, and her foot went sideways.

I
walked to her and knelt down in front of her. “Let me help you,” I said.

She
grinned. “You’re just going to try and cop a feel. Cop, get it?” she giggled.

I
smiled. “Rory, believe me, I’m not going to try anything. Even though I like to
think of myself as tough, I know if I tried to sneak a peek you’d probably grab
my balls and twist. I am fond of my nuts being right where they are,” I said,
and she laughed, which made her breasts jiggle slightly. I could feel myself
getting a semi.

“Damn
right I would.” She sat back as I took off both of her boots. She slid the tee
shirt over her head and before she slid her arms through the sleeves, she
maneuvered her shirt and bra off and set them next to her. She started to
unbutton her super tight jeans, and was having trouble getting them past her
curvaceous hips. I looked at her and held my hands up, showing I was just
trying to help, and she nodded at me. I hooked my thumbs into her belt loops
and gently tugged.

Well,
I was wrong. She was wearing panties, but they were the sexiest things I’d ever
seen. She was wearing a sheer black thong with a hot pink zebra print bow right
at the middle of the waist. They were sheer enough for me to see through
them…and in that moment I had to clench my eyes shut and blink hard for a few
moments because I could see that she was completely waxed except for very small
strip. My fingers trailed the curves of her beautiful bottom while I slid the
jeans off her waist. Once her jeans were off, I stayed knelt down on the floor
while I folded them. I had to get my hard on to go away somehow. Jesus, being
around this girl was turning me into a teenager with a constant boner. Once I
got Liam Junior to behave, I looked up at her and her eyes were drooping shut.
Setting her clothes down, I picked her up in my arms and carried her into my
bedroom. I held onto her with one arm and pulled my blankets back with the
other, and laid her down on my sheets, pulling the blanket above her. She
immediately drifted off, and I watched her for a moment. She was so
breathtakingly beautiful that it almost hurt to look at her. Her fiery red hair
was in waves around her on the pillow, and she looked so peaceful. Not able to
resist, I leaned in and kissed her lips lightly, whispering, “Good night,
beautiful.” She mumbled something in her sleep as I grabbed an extra pillow
from my bed and walked back out into the living room. Grabbing the throw
blanket off the back of the couch, I lay down and covered myself up. I stared
at the ceiling and thought of a half naked Rory sleeping in my bedroom, and
before I knew it, sleep claimed me and I drifted off into a very sexual dream
involving her laying naked on a pool table.

The
next thing I knew, I woke to the smell of fresh coffee the sound of sizzling. I
opened my eyes and sat up. After I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I looked
toward the kitchen and saw Rory, still in my tee shirt, hovering over the
stove. She was a vision. “Good morning,” she called out. “Are you hungry?”