Page 27 of Liam James
So he didn’t. When he entered me, there was nothing slow about it. I met every one of his thrusts as he rocked my world, and I cried out for more.
He moved over me like he was memorizing every curve, every sound I made, like this might be the last time, and he didn’t want to waste a second.
I clung to him, nails digging into his shoulders, his name slipping past my lips as the world fell apart and came back together in the same heartbeat.
Every kiss was desperate.
Every touch said things neither of us was ready to admit out loud.
And when it ended, when we finally collapsed against each other, hearts racing, breaths ragged, neither of us let go.
He held me like he wasn’t ready to face what came next.
Maybe I wasn’t either.
Sunlight slippedthrough the hotel curtains, turning the room a pale gold. I lay tangled in the sheets, Liam’s arm heavy around my waist, his breathing deep and even against my neck.
For the first time in days, I felt… safe.
Poppy’s soft footsteps padded through the connecting door, sitting on the bed next to me.
“Morning, sweetie,” I whispered, brushing her hair back.
She nodded against my shoulder but didn’t speak. She didn’t seem surprised to see Liam and me in bed together. I was glad I pulled the sheet up over us.
Liam stirred beside me, his hand tightening on my hip before he blinked awake. His gaze met mine, sleepy but warm, and something unspoken passed between us.
We didn’t know what today would bring.
But last night had changed everything.
21
Liam
The road twisted through the mountains, sunlight cutting through the trees in long golden streaks. Poppy sat in the backseat, quiet but calmer than I’d seen her in days, her stuffed rabbit tucked under her arm. Jenny kept looking back at her, like she needed to make sure she was still there, still safe.
We all needed this drive.
Time to let the weight of the last few days slip off our shoulders, mile by mile.
When the sign for Fraiser Mountain finally appeared, Jenny let out a breath like she’d been holding it since last night.
“Feels different,” she said softly.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Like we can breathe again.”
The small town opened up in front of us, familiar streets and quiet shops, the kind of place that felt a million miles away from gunfire and screaming and flashing police lights.
I pulled up outside the big log cabin where Forest and the others stayed sometimes, a safe place until the sheriff figured out what to do next about Poppy. The sheriff was married to my friend Jason Bourne.
Forest was waiting on the porch, arms crossed, expression softening when he saw us. Fraiser stood beside him, already talking with the sheriff’s deputy who followed us up the mountain.
Jenny and Poppy went inside while I talked with Forest.
“Is she holding up?” he asked, nodding toward the cabin door.
“She will,” I said. “She just needs time.”
