She cried out my name again, holding tight to me.
“I’ve got you, Firefly. You’re safe.”
And then she let go and came apart in my arms and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever had the honor of witnessing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jenna
Liam’s foot gave a small push to keep the swing going. I snuggled closer and breathed him in.
“You good, Firefly?”
“Mm-hmm.”
He chuckled, his chest rumbling under my cheek, sending electricity zinging through parts of me I’d just discovered. His chest, covered with ridges and valleys and muscles, felt even more impressive now that I’d seen it. And his tattoos…I’d seen them peeking out of his shirts, but they were so much bigger—and sexier—than I’d imagined. A flag on one shoulder, an eagle arcing across his back and curling around the other, dancing along his golden skin, alive with the movement of his muscles. How could I feel so satisfied and replete and so on edge and desperate at the same time? He’d awakened something inside of me, and I was greedy for more.
The thought ofmoresent my heart into overdrive, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it. “You built this swing?” I asked—a random, easy, nonsexual question.
“Yes.”
“I love it.” Okay, maybe not so easy and nonsexual. Not when what I really meant was that I loved everything about tonight. About him.
“Me too. I love this.” His voice was so gruff, so serious.
I looked up at Liam. He held my gaze, his eyes heavy with emotion, and he caressed my face, and I was completely lost in him. I twisted, sitting up and reaching for him, and he held me tight against his perfect chest, and we kissed for I don’t know how long. Minutes, hours maybe. I poured every bit of emotion into kissing him…all the feelings that were too big to put into words. The magnitude of what just happened…feeling comfortable in the bikini, in the hot tub, in his arms…the orgasm. The seismic, earth-shattering, life-changing orgasm. The peace of being here in his arms. The wonder of kissing him like this, feeling his intensity in return, in this bubble where time ceased to exist. Where the whole world outside of us ceased to exist.
Eventually, he broke away and looked out into the yard. A long moment later, he said, “See the ledge around the firepit?”
“Yeah?” I blinked, trying to come out of my Liam-induced daze to focus on it.
“The outside will stay cool, even with a fire lit. I thought that would make it safer for Thor.”
Oh my God. This man. “You did that for Thor? You want him to come here?”
“Of course. I—” He stopped himself, and then finished with a simple “Yes.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what he’d been about to say, but I didn’t. His answer was enough. “He’ll love it here. I do too.”
He tightened his arms around me. With a contented sigh, I snuggled back into him, curling my feet up on the swing beside me.
Liam ran his hand down my back, over my hip, and down my leg, his touch both lulling me into relaxation and setting me on fire. His fingertip traced the curlicue-covered infinity sign on my ankle. “Why this tattoo?”
I sighed and gripped his arm. I loved my tattoo, but I hated to bring up any reminders of Brian now. “At my elementary school graduation, the principal spoke about how no matter what path your life takes, you’ll never lose the experiences you gained during those years…that you’re shaped and molded from those early years and the fabric of your being has been set and will continue within you forever.” Liam’s arms tightened around me.
“It devastated me.” That sounded like an exaggeration, but it wasn’t. The idea haunted me and mocked me for so long—maybe, in some way, until I got the tattoo. “I wanted to lose everything from those years, but eventually I realized there was some good in them, too. The curls coming off the infinity symbol are like exit ramps symbolizing the power to hold onto the good and let go of the bad.”
Liam traced the tattoo again and pressed a long, sweet kiss to my temple. “Firefly, you truly are the light in the dark, too bright for anyone to dim.”
I squirmed in his arms. After the hot tub, I’d only put on my skirt—no leggings. Now, under the spell of Liam’s caresses, I wanted him to keep sliding his hand higher up my leg. To touch me where I’d never wanted to be touched before.
I looked down at his lap, at the bulge in his sweatpants. I tentatively reached out and traced my finger over it. His penis—cock—jumped and swelled. I laid my hand over it, mesmerized as the size and shape changed under my hand. Liam’scockdidn’t feel anything like Brian’s penis.
“Is this okay?” I asked without looking away from his crotch.
“It’s good,” he croaked. “Really good.”
I rubbed my hand over the erection tenting his sweats, his cock hard under the soft fabric. “Do you want me to stop?” Was it unfair to start this when we both knew I didn’t have any intention of finishing?