Before Sunrise

Before Sunrise

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

ISBN 978-0-615-55647-5

Before Sunrise © Copyright 2011 Sienna
Mynx

Cover art by Reese Dante

Electronic book publication December 2011

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Chapter One

20 September 2001

“
Liam?”

Kennedy dropped her purse on
the sofa. The place smelled divine, like fried batter and roasting
potatoes. It could only mean Liam had come early and was at it
again. They’d only been in North Carolina a week and already it
felt like home. She grinned in excitement. Had been, all day,
because she had big news. First her GED, then her degree from
William and Mary, now this, at last—
law
school
.

“
Hey, sexy.”

Liam walked out of the kitchen. She loved it
when he wore his fatigues and combat boots. She wasn’t a freak
(well, Liam said she was) but a man in fatigues got her panties
moist. Liam had a fresh buzz cut that revealed more of his handsome
face. Over a square chin and strong jawline, the only facial hair
he had was the light mustache over his top lip. But nothing held
her focus more than Liam’s eyes. On some days when he kicked back
they were blue-green; when his temper got the best of him they were
dark as midnight, and when he was horny they were clear as ice.
Women constantly commented on Liam’s eyes. Whenever she became
predictably insecure, he told her he only had them for her.

Even now, seven years in, she never
understood why he liked her. Sierra was much prettier, and back
then, Sierra had been the sure thing. Kennedy always thought of
herself as too hippy. Her shape had always been very black-girl:
thick thighs, bubble butt, small waist, and medium-sized breasts
with oversized nipples that sometimes protruded through the cups of
her bras. She’d been so embarrassed by them she always wore
padding. But Liam seemed to love her body. Still did.

“
Oh goodness, I bet my
kitchen is a mess.” Kennedy chuckled at the flour swiped over his
chin and the front of his shirt. She marched right around him and
stopped at the entranceway. Her breath caught. Every cabinet was
open. Dishes were stacked a mile high in the sink. Flour covered
the floor and the counter. Even the stove was messy with spills and
drying grease. But a plate of Liam’s fried chicken would be the
ultimate reward. He could only grill and fry. Her man did have
skills.

Kennedy waved off the cloud of smoke that
clogged her nostrils and stung her eyes. “Liam, did you cook for
me?”

Liam stepped behind her. He slipped his arms
around her waist and drew her up against his hard frame. Kennedy
was five foot four. Liam was five-foot eleven. He might not have
been a giant of a man, but being held by him always proved to be an
adventure.

“
Damn right, I’m cooking for
my pregnant wife.”

Kennedy grinned. She’d never known a man so
turned on by the idea of being a father. She was only three months
along and Liam couldn’t keep his hands off her. Liam checked her
tummy constantly for a sign of his baby. And the sex—Liam could be
very demanding in the bedroom and had only become more so after he
became a SEAL.

“
Thank you,
Liam.”

“
Thank me better than that.”
He turned her to face him.

“
Hang on, I have news!” Her
hands went to his chest.

He picked her up. “It’ll have to wait.”

“
Liam, I’m serious. It’s
important.”

She struggled, but he carried her out of the
kitchen and down the short hall into the bedroom. He let her slide
down the length of his body and was pulling his shirt over the back
of his head before she could catch a breath. She wore a baby-doll
top that gathered tightly around the bust, then and dropped to
mid-thigh. Liam lifted it to her breasts and growled to find she
also wore white shorts underneath. He grabbed her left foot and
started untying her sneaker.

Kennedy could tell him about her acceptance
letter, and risk killing the mood. Yes, he’d be happy, but somehow
he’d blame Phil Freeman for trying to get next to her when he was
called away. His hatred and distrust of Phil had been unreasonable.
Phil called her and said he was planning to put in for a transfer
to Fort Bragg as well. It’s not like Phil had planned the terrorism
that now threatened to upend their lives. He’d been a good friend
to them.

The few times she’d invited Phil over to a
cookout or for dinner, to make peace, the night always ended with
disaster. Once, Eric had to pull Liam out of the room. No, she’d
wait and tell Liam the news afterward.

Liam tugged at her shorts.

“
Wait, baby. I have to
unbutton them.” She giggled.

“
I’ll help,” he
grunted.

He dropped his knee on the bed. She pulled
her dress up over her head. Liam unclasped her bra and paused. He
exhaled visibly and zeroed in on her breasts. They were the only
noticeable change on her body and she guarded them constantly from
Liam’s calloused, rough hands. She tried to buy better minimizing
bras. Men would gawk at them often. She never told Liam this. With
his jealousy, it would have sent him over the edge.

“
Damn, babe, you’re
beautiful.” He leaned her back on the bed.

“
Liam, they’re tender, so
not so hard, okay?” Kennedy pleaded, wary of the hungry glint of
lust in the misty blue swirl of his irises. Her palms shot up to
protect her nipples from an impending attack. He didn’t mean to
hurt her. Of course he didn’t. Still, this pregnancy thing made her
sensitive in places she hadn’t been before.

Liam lifted his left eyebrow as if to say he
wouldn’t be denied. He scooted backward and put his head between
her thighs, burying his nose in her pussy first and she hissed in a
breath, feeling herself get hot and moist there. His powerful,
strong hands gripped her thighs gently, pulling her downward, under
him. He slid up over her. His dog tags, cool metal, grazed her
belly as he inched up toward her breasts.

“
I’ll be a good boy. Move
your hands, Kay.” He moistened his lips.

Kennedy lowered her arms. Liam eyed her dark
brown, swollen nipples. He dropped his tongue over one, rolling it
sweetly until she started experiencing sharp tingles and spasms
down between her thighs.

“
Mmm, yes Liam. Like that.
It feels good.”

His mouth closed over her nipple and she
winced. He started to suck tighter and she winced once more. But
him on her, easing a hand down to her slick center, was enough to
relax her. He rubbed his fingers over her slit before inserting
two. Kennedy wiggled, and he nipped her breast.

“
Oww, Liam. You promised,”
she groaned.

Liam released her nipple with a wet plop and
immediately latched on to the other. All the while he screwed her
with two fingers, then three. Kennedy rolled her hips and released
a strained breath. Liam sucked harder on her right nipple. She
shuddered and threw her small hands up to his huge shoulders,
trying to push him back. Her lips parted to beg him to go softer,
but all that came out were puffs of air and gentle wheezes. Soon,
she released, climaxing into the palm of his hand.

Liam lifted his head from her breast. Oh, it
hurt so painfully sweet. She didn’t know if she wanted to smack him
or kiss him. She heard the sound of his zipper. Her eyes
opened.

“
I’ll make it better later,
babe. I’ve been needing you all day,” he grunted as he forced the
first thick three inches into her swiftly.

Kennedy’s inner thighs shook. He lifted one
of her legs over his shoulder so she opened to him fully and he
sank deeper.

“
Damn, babe, it’s good. You
like it, don’t you, babe? Talk to me.”

“
Yes, Liam…ye-ye-yes,” she
panted.

Liam always knew instinctively how to touch
her, even when worked up on adrenaline. He’d always been more
concerned about her pleasure than his own. He moved inside her,
giving her slow, measured thrusts, rocking his hips left and right
as he plunged deeper. Liam bent to kiss the curve of her neck, and
Kennedy groaned. She rolled her hips in response and her channel
stretched sweetly to accept all of him. Firm, pliant lips grazed
her collarbone, then slid upward, seeking hers. He whispered words
of love before his tongue dipped inside. Feral tension rode through
them as he shifted, deepening their connection. With a slow,
torturous sweep, he claimed her as his. She lifted her arms and
locked them around his neck, running her hands over his neatly
shaved buzz cut. She could die a happy woman beneath him, locked in
his kiss, and the way he drove himself in and out of her only
intensified that emotion.

When her body tensed and she clung to him in
desperation, he moved his hips side-to-side to slow them down. To
her frustration, he withdrew from the kiss but kept moving in and
out of her. He applied tender kisses under her chin and then down
her neck before trailing them to her collarbone and lower. All the
while he managed thrust after thrust that built up and released
pleasure through her clenching channel.

“
I love you,” he whispered,
in a low breath that floated the curls away from her
cheek.

She opened her eyes. She stared at the
ceiling and knew the truth. This wonderful man was all hers, and
here was where she belonged. Liam lifted his head from her nipple
and she found his face tight with tension as well as pleasure.
Their eyes met. The veins in his neck protruded and his lips were
pressed into a thin, determined line. He could be gentle, ever so
tender. His thrusts increased in frequency and his hands slipped
under her to clench her buttocks unmercifully. When he was rough,
no matter how good it felt, it meant something was wrong, as if he
wanted desperately to disappear in her arms. This would be one of
those times. Kennedy knew instinctively what to do. She arched her
back and locked her legs around his hips. She kissed and sucked on
his shoulder, running her hands down his spine.

“
Damn, Kay. Fuck,” Liam
moaned.

“
Get it from the back,
baby,” she said to him, knowing his true desire. Liam’s eyes
flashed open and the raw, primal lust there sent a shiver of
excitement through her. Kennedy rolled to her hands and knees. Liam
wrapped his fingers into her hair and yanked it back until her
scalp stung. He plunged into her with one determined motion.
Holding her by the hair and the hip, he gave her quick, jerking
thrusts. Kennedy grinned, rolling her ass after each blow and
slamming back into his pelvis for more.

“
Fuck…love this pussy. I
love you, Kay. I need this, babe. I’m sorry but I need
this.”

She pushed back and he cursed. Letting go of
her hair, he ran his hands between her thighs to keep them
parted.

“
Love you this way,” he
sighed, angling them down into the mattress.

Kennedy’s face pressed into the pillow. Liam
removed his hands and pushed her thighs shut with his own, then
pumped harder and harder, grunting, until Kennedy felt the release
of his precious seed all over the womb that securely held their
child.

Liam moved a little more. He licked the
beads of sweat off her shoulders and the center of her back. He
muttered a few more curse words, then dropped over to her
right.

Kennedy lifted on her elbows. She’d walk
gap-legged for a few days after this. “What is it, Liam? Talk to
me. Dinner and now this? What’s wrong?”

He rolled off the bed. He strode into the
bathroom and slammed the door. Kennedy sighed. She fell back
against the rumpled comforter. She knew what was wrong. Hell, she’d
be an idiot not to. Twelve days ago, some nasty, evil bastards
decided to run hijacked jetliners into the World Trade Center. That
act blew apart the safety and security of American life. What the
ashen-faced civilians on CNN called terrorism was, to the men and
women and families of Fayetteville, an unprovoked act of war. It
also loomed over them like a dark storm cloud. In a matter of four
days she had to pack and move. Not normal for a military wife, but
Liam’s unit was special, and so was the treatment of their families
when things changed fast. The world had changed overnight. Now they
were barely settled and trying hard to pretend that this new place,
new time in their life, would be normal. Angelina told her that
Anthony had been acting strange, too. Together, they theorized
their men would be leaving home.