Page 35 of Stronger Than Love

“Why were you angry earlier?”

“Because I had few possessions when I was younger, but stuff used to go missing all the time and reappear in strange places. What you said earlier made me realise that the bitches next door must have been stealing our stuff.”

“Please don’t shout at them.”

His brow furrowed again, and his jaw tightened.

“They had very little as well, Liam. They wanted to be accepted but went about it the wrong way.” My other hand wrapped around his, so it was sandwiched between both of mine.

“You have too kind a heart.”

“No.” I pressed a kiss to his hand. “But compassion is in short supply nowadays and you can’t be angry at someone for wanting to be more than where they came from.”

“Hmmm,” Liam hummed in reply.

He eventually reclaimed his hand when we reached traffic and he needed to shift gears. I could never visualise Liam anywhere but the village where he grew up, so I had no clue as to where he would choose to live. His apartment overlooked the River Lagan, and it was very much a bachelor pad decorated in various shades of grey and black.

One of the walls in the living room was covered in canvas prints of his family since childhood. My lips lifted as I stood engulfed in the memories. Included were images of Niall and me, laughing up at Dad as he took pictures of us. There was a canvas of my last summer with Liam, his arm flung over my shoulders carelessly and my arms wrapped around his waist.

Liam wandered into the living room wearing black dress trousers and a white shirt hanging open as he buttoned the cuffs.

Holy moly, he was a sight to leave any heterosexual female panting.

“Oonagh, I can’t get this bloody cufflink in.” He stopped, his gaze moving from me to the canvas pictures on the wall. “I tend to forget they’re there, and it never occurred to me when I said we’d get ready here.”

“I didn’t even know this one existed.” I touched the image of the two of us together.

He shrugged. “Callum took it and developed it around Christmas that year.”

I lifted his arm and struggled the cufflink into place. It was such a domestic task that a lump formed in my throat.

“Okay, done. Where can I change?” A shaky smile formed on my lips, my neutral mask starting to slip.

“My bedroom’s the first on the right, or the guestroom is at the end of the hall.” He began to button his shirt over that chest that really deserved to be displayed more often.

His room was devoid of the very personality that Liam exuded at all times. The only personal touch was a framed picture of all the brothers together and another one of us together when we were sixteen on his window ledge.

I quickly changed, checked my eye makeup, and applied deep red lipstick that accentuated my features. Smoothing down my skirt, I returned to the living area.

Liam turned around to face me, dressed in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie. It was a universally accepted truth that a man in a tailored suit had the same effect as women inskimpy lace underwear. My breath caught, and my heart stumbled over a few beats until it found its rhythm again.

It was the look in his deep blue eyes that made me stop walking. His gaze slowly ran from the top of my head all the way to my six-inch heeled knee-high leather boots and back up again. He trailed his thumb over his bottom lip before shoving his hand in his pocket.

“Um, you’re applying for a job as a doctor, right?” he asked, his voice lower than normal.

“Uh-huh. I bought the suit in London last year for a conference I was guest speaking at. Is it okay?” I glanced down, a crease forming on my forehead.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, you look great.” Liam took a predatory step forward and my eyes widened, my feet stuck to the floor. “Just to be clear, when we get back, I have every intention of fucking you in it. You have no idea what you look like with your hair ready to be wound around my hand, your eyes sultry, and those lips…”

I swallowed nervously as he took another step forward. His gaze narrowed on the gesture.

“Those red lips are going to be wrapped around my cock while you’re on your knees on the floor.”

“Liam?” I gasped as his hands spanned my waist, tugging me hard against the length of his body. His response to me was evident, pressing into my belly. His lips hovered over mine, his breath mingling with mine, tempting me to close the distance.

“Later,” he promised, ghosting a kiss on my lips before stepping back. “Right now, I have to get you to your interview. I’ll pick you up when it’s finished.”

“You don’t have to…” I began to say, but his furious look cut me off.

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