This Is Where I Sleep (17 page)

I watched him slowly make his way over to the couch and sink down onto it still holding his nose and groaning. I pulled up one of the chairs from the other side of the room and sat directly in front of Rodrigo.

“I think it’s broken,” he whined.

“Oh, Jesus,” I said. “I had my nose broken when I was twelve and didn’t bitch as much as you are right now. Man up.”

At that point, I was losing my patience and the way Liam was hovering over him told me that he was also.

Rodrigo gave me the eye, and I knew he wanted to wrap his hands around my throat. I wished he would. I could tell he thought better of it when his gaze shifted to Liam, and he cowered back on the couch.

“Look, we know you were there the night of Larry’s accident. We also know you went to the junkyard to try gaining access to his car. I’ve also had some friends of mine do some digging. The week after Larry died you had $30,000 deposited into your account and another $10,000 a few weeks ago. That’s a lot of money for someone who made $50,000 a year for the last three years. Care to explain?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The widening of Rodrigo’s eyes and sudden tapping of his foot was a dead giveaway that he was lying. As if I needed any more clues.

Behind me, Liam growled. He stepped around me to lunge at Rodrigo, but I placed my hand around his wrist.

I moved to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Rodrigo let out a loud wail of pain, but I remained unmoved.

“Rodrigo, as you can see here, Mr. Bennett has run out of patience. And so have I. You know something about Larry’s death. Hell, maybe you were the one who set it up. Unless you start talking, and I mean now, you’ll be joining Larry in the afterlife.” I was looking Rodrigo squarely in the eyes. I saw the very moment he decided to cooperate, and I released his nose.

“Alright. It wasn’t me,” he said panting, “I didn’t kill anybody. I just had someone come to me and ask me to do them a favor.”

“Keep talking,” Liam barked out when Rodrigo paused, wiping more blood from his nose.

“He said his name was John. He said all I had to do was make sure the cameras played on a loop for about five minutes while he went in the garage and that was it. I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

“Someone offered you $40,000 to have security cameras play on a loop in a place where employees park their vehicles for hours on end, and you didn’t think it was a big deal!?” The outrage in Liam’s voice was apparent.

“I needed the money. I had some gambling debts…” Rodrigo’s voice trailed off.

“Which they no doubt knew about,” I said. “Finish the story. How did you end up at the junkyard?”

“I managed to play the video feedback and make it show on a loop for the time specified. Then when the money was deposited, and I didn’t hear anything back, I didn’t think anything of it. When I heard that guy died, I got worried, but then the police ruled it an accident, so I shrugged it off. A couple of months go by and nothing happens, so I moved on. Except a few weeks ago this same guy, John, calls me on my cell, he says there’s a problem, and he needed me to go to the junkyard. I told him I wasn’t getting involved in any murder, but he told me I already was. That’s when I got scared, so I did as he asked and went to the junkyard to look for some file that was in the car. When I was told I needed permission, I backed off. I tried to go again a few days later, and I was told someone had already come to look at the vehicle and released it to be crushed. Later that day, I went to work, and Ron asked me in for another interview. That’s when I panicked, and after that day, I left town.”

Liam turned his attention from Rodrigo to me, raising an eyebrow.

I looked at Rodrigo and noted his gaze shifts downward to the left as he answered the questions. The tapping of his foot had ceased and even though he is in obvious pain, it’s clear he’s telling the truth. “He’s being truthful,” I told Liam.

Liam nodded and looked back at Rodrigo.

“Did John tell you who he worked for?” I questioned.

Rodrigo shook his head. “I asked him how he found me and he said his employer had ways, but he wouldn’t reveal his name.”

“How did he contact you?”

“The first time he approached me as I was getting in my car as I left the gym one day. The second time it was over the phone, although I never gave him my number.”

I nodded. “We need access to your phone records. What did this ‘John’ look like?”

“Tall, kinda skinny, dark brown hair. Looked to be in his mid-forties.”

“Alright, stand up,” Liam ordered as he pulled Rodrigo out of his seat. “We need to make sure you don’t run off anywhere.”

“Wh-where are we going?”

“We’re just gonna get you some medical attention for that nose and make sure you don’t run off until we’re able to track this John person down.” Liam pulled Rodrigo towards the door. He opened it, and there were already two of his own security staff waiting.

I followed as Liam gave them instructions on where to take Rodrigo for medical treatment and where to hold him afterward. We left out the back door where there were two cars already waiting for us. Ron was the driver of the first car, while Mitch drove the second. Liam released Rodrigo to his security, and they took him to the awaiting car. I felt Liam’s hand around my waist pulling me to the second car.

“We’re going home.” I felt his warm breath against the back of my neck and shivered at the earnestness in his voice.    

****

Coral

“I never left you.”

Those words garnered my full attention. In spite of my desire to remain cold towards him, I took a chance and looked over at Liam on the other side of the car. I noted the blur of the passing lights and street signs as we headed back to his home.

“Wh-what?” My voice had a slight tremble that I wasn’t used to.

“I,” he began slowly as his strong thigh muscles bulge beneath his Italian designer pants as he slid over closer to me.

I swallowed deeply, feeling like a deer caught in headlights as my eyes met his fierce gaze.

“Never left you,” he repeated, this time pulling me to his side. “You’re not often wrong, but you were wrong earlier today. I didn’t leave. I…” he paused.

“You weren’t there,” I accused. “I woke up and you were gone. A few weeks later it’s all over the news that you’re engaged to be married. I sat in the…” I stopped myself from blurting out what I was going to say. “You weren’t there,” I said with finality and attempted to pull away.

Liam’s grip around my waist tightened. “There are things you don’t know. I’ll tell you soon,” I heard the sincerity in his voice, and I wanted to believe it.

I couldn’t get out a word before we pulled up to his driveway and soon enough to his front door. Liam continued to stare at me until the car made its final stop and Brian opened the door. Only then did our stare-off end, but the warmth from Liam’s gaze continued to emanate down to my very core. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe there was some deeper meaning behind why he left, but I was hesitant. There was always a part of me that believed I never fit in with Liam’s world. I wasn’t from a multigenerational family of wealth and privilege the same way he was. I didn’t come from high society. I came from a world where fighting every day was a way of life, both inside and outside my home. Michele, the woman he married and who birthed his child was more on his level. She came from his world. Where the hell was I supposed to fit in all of that? That may have been the reason I waited until he told me first to confess that I was in love with him. That may have been the reason I left for years after he left. And I knew it was the reason I have yet to ask him outright why he left me five years ago. I didn’t want to hear him confirm my suspicions that I just wasn’t good enough to be the woman in his life. Not the one he married or had children with.

“Thank you, Brian. Make sure Rodrigo is well taken care of,” I heard Liam say as we made our way to the front door.

I didn’t even look back as Liam inserted the key and pushed the door open, while standing behind me. “I’m going to sleep in the guest room,” I said, trying to put some distance between us. The words hadn’t even fully left my mouth when my back was pushed up against the closed door, and Liam’s arms bracketed either side of me.

His face was incredulous as he peered down at me. “Why the hell would you do that?”

“Li,” I sighed out at a loss for words. I didn’t have the energy to deny him.

“That isn’t my room. It’s
ours
,” he emphasized the last word as if he was trying to tell me something important. I didn’t have time to discern his meaning before his soft lips were pressed against mine. The logical part of my brain knew I should push him away and go to my own room to sleep. However, the feeling of Liam’s lips as they made their way to that sensitive spot on my neck and his hand moving up under my dress, completely over rid any logical thinking for the night.

“Hssss,” I hissed when his hand brushed over my bare labia.

“Another thing,” he pulled back glaring at me.

I raised my eyebrow, angry as hell he’d stopped to freaking hold a conversation.

“Don’t ever let another man put his hands or anything else on you.” He dipped his head and bites my lower lip, sucking it into his mouth, licking it.

Something between a moan and sigh escaped my mouth at the same moment our tongues touched. I tasted a hint of rum and coke on Liam’s lips and tongue, but instead of it making me nauseous like it did earlier, the taste, mixed with his natural taste, invigorated me. I kissed him back with same fervor and passion he was kissing me. His hands were now on my back, sliding the zipper of my dress down. I sent a silent prayer up thanking God for Laura’s grandparents who had taken her for the weekend to make up for the previous weekend they had to cut short.

I felt Liam’s strong hands at the back of my thighs, as he walked me backwards towards the stairs. Tonight I knew we wouldn’t even make it to the bedroom before this first round was over. Liam broke away from my lips and stared down at me, those green eyes glittering with a fierce passion I’d only seen from him in moments like this. My mouth moistened and I could think of nothing else besides tasting him. Just as he began trying to pull down my dress I pulled back and turned him, pushing him down to the stairs, so his back was pressed against them. Kneeling in front of him I unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and belt buckle. I leaned up to his mouth, licked his lips and placed tiny kisses against his lips and face.

“Fuck.”

That whispered curse sent a chill down my spine at the same time his cock jumped in my hand as I removed it from his boxers. I made eye contact with Liam as I licked my lips and the groan that escaped his mouth had the wetness in between my legs begin to slide down my inner thighs. I slowly drew my gaze down from Liam’s eyes, down his broad body, and finally to his erect cock which stood at full attention in my hand. Even without an erection Liam was a sight to behold, but when fully erect his ten inches was glory.

“CeCe.” The need in his voice was so apparent that I decided to finally put him out of his misery. I leaned down placing the tip of my tongue at the tip of his cock’s head, swirling around the drop of precum that emerged. I moaned at the taste of him on my tongue right before I covered his entire head with my mouth. I go down until I felt him hit the back of my throat and there was still a few inches of him left exposed. I used both my mouth and hand to give his dick a massage.

“That’s it, baby. Suck it,” Li moaned and I picked up the pace, bobbing my head up and down on his length. I began to suck and slurp, making him hit the back of my throat with every down motion. I swirled my tongue around his stiffness, licking the thick vein on the underside on the way up. I smiled when I felt Liam’s hand now in my hair, gripping my curls. I released his cock from my hand, still using my mouth to suck him off, while my hand trailed down to his balls and began massaging.

I felt Liam’s cock grow even longer in my mouth and I knew with a few more strokes of my mouth he’d be coming. I began to ready myself for it, but was stopped. I peered up through my lashes and see Liam, pulling back from my mouth.

“I want to come inside you.” His voice was full of strain.

I slowly allowed his cock to slip from my mouth with a loud “pop”, and let him pull me up to straddle him. He pushed the sides of my dress all the way up, over my waist and up my arms, tossing it over the banister of the stairs. He maneuvered a little bit sliding his pants and boxers the rest of the way down to his ankles.

I braced my legs on his thighs and gripped the sides of his white button up, tearing them opened to feel the firm, rippling muscles of his stomach underneath my fingers. I allowed my hips to sink down onto his hardness and I tossed my head back moaning as he completely filled me up.

“Mmmm,” we both moaned in unison. I paused looking down at him and our eyes locked. My pussy muscles clenched at the range of emotion I see in his eyes. In those dark green depths was possession, protectiveness, care, but most of all there was….love. Plain as day he lets me see it.

“Li,” I sighed as I raised my hips and came down roughly, the smacking of my ass cheeks against his thighs echoed around the room. I rode Liam like he was a real-life Texas cowboy. When I felt his fingers digging into my waist I stared down into his face. His heavily lidded gaze was tight with concentration. I pushed up again, squeezed my pussy muscles and slowly swiveled my hips as I lowered myself on his hard rod.