“No,” she murmured. “No. She’s just hurt right now.” Donny might be spouting his vitriol in her ear now, but Lisa was a smart woman. She’d see through what he was doing. Like any compulsive gambler worth his salt, he’d pounced on a chance to make someone else look bad in his stead. Her father had done it dozens of times.
Don’t blame me your mother ran out of money to pay the bills. She should have organized the finances better.
It’s not my fault your cousin doesn’t have enough cash to pay for his knee procedure. Yeah, he loaned me some money, but he should have gotten some insurance.
Don’t blame me for going to the casino for a couple of hours of fun. Maybe if the women in my life were more interesting, I’d have stayed home.
Don’t blame me. It’s not my fault.
Always someone else’s problem.
She’d give Lisa some space and try her again in a day or two. It would have to work. The thought of losing her was too much to bear right now.
Thank God she had Liam. He’d been her rock and she wouldn’t let Lisa or anyone else badmouth him. They didn’t know him like she did.
Do you really know him at all?
Oh, she hated her fucking inner voice.
She looked at the clock, wondering when he’d come through the door. He’d gone to work, promising to return in a few hours. She had to admit, she rather enjoyed dwelling in his fantasy suite, but it seemed so empty without him.
When he walked through the door around six, she flew into his arms.
“Hey,” he said, kissing her with a tired chuckle. He pried her off long enough to peer into her face and frown. “What happened?”
She told him what Lisa said and his frown grew deeper. When she finished, he just stared at her.
“After everything you did for her and her kids. That sucks, Kate.”
“It’s been over a week and I didn’t even bother to let her know I was alive or dead. What was I thinking? I’ve been a bad friend.”
He raised her chin, making her look at him. “You wouldn’t know how. Lisa has no idea what you’ve been through. Remember the reason you came here in the first place. Don’t beat yourself up for this. I mean it.”
“Maybe I never should have come here. It’s been like a dream, but I need to get back to reality.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“Don’t I? Liam, despite everything, despite your generosity, it’s wrong for me to be here.”
His face began to harden. “You’re safe here. I don’t want you to go.”
“But…”
“No buts, Kate.” His eyes took on a possessive gleam. “Stay with me.”
Even though his face was so serious, so set with determination, his voice cracked. When he looked at her like that, she couldn’t say no to him. He was her great vice, her only temptation. People like her dad and Donny might gamble their lives away, but Kate was powerless before Liam’s persuasions. He whittled away all her good sense.
“Liam,” she said. “I can’t hide here with you forever.”
He began to breathe heavily, his gaze hovered near her lips, but unfocused. “Yes, you can. I want you to stay, and you know you want it too.”
Before she could stop him, he dropped to his knees. He pushed up her shirt and kissed her bare waist. His fingers slid up her legs, under her skirt, pushing it up toward her waist. His face, contorted by desire, made the hairs on her arms stand on end, but she didn’t stop him. Dammit, she wanted him even more because of it.
He reached for her panties and dragged them down her legs. Unthinking, she stepped out of them. As she took in the sight of the silky cloth on the floor, Liam pulled her to him and buried his face in her pussy. She cried out as his tongue made hot contact with her skin.
He wasn’t gentle. He sucked and bit and demanded her orgasm with every move. As much as she wanted to fall to the floor, to kick and thrash, he held her upright as he continued his ferocious adoration. There was nothing polite about this lovemaking, nothing sweet. Just Liam, showing her how much he needed her, how badly he needed her to come. She banged on his shoulders, eager for him to stop, only to pull at his hair, desperate for him to continue.
He released her pussy lips for one moment and stared at her from the floor. His lips, swollen and wet, seemed to mirror his bright gaze. “You’ll stay with me. Now come.”
His mouth met with her again, and she reeled under his touch. Heat streaked across her skin, setting her on fire from the inside out. He plunged his tongue into her pussy, staking his claim, and she capitulated. Writhing in his grip, her knees buckled. Horrible, wonderful pressure sliced through her belly, making her ache and squirm. And just when she thought she could take no more, he nibbled on her clit and she exploded into a million pieces. She was sure her head had ended up somewhere in the corner of the room.
Only then did he let her fall to the floor. She lay, dazed, and waited for him to rip at his clothes and fuck her like an animal. But he didn’t.
Liam just sat next to her and ran a gentle hand through her hair, a sad smile on his lips. “I won’t let you go,” he said, pulling her to him.
When she’d first agreed to stay at Vice, Kate had worried he might be a bad influence on her. Now she wondered if she was a bad influence on him. He’d already lost so much. The idea of losing anyone else had turned him into a possessive beast. And she didn’t know how to help him other than give him the raw physicality he craved.
Maybe they were each other’s vice, after all.
And maybe this feral need in him proved he’d be better off without her.
Chapter Fourteen
That evening, Kate decided she needed to get out of Vice altogether. Liam hadn’t been thrilled, still worried about her seizures and Vaughan. However, she accepted his offer of a car and a drive from Wade.
The best medicine for her right now would be to attend a New Horizons meeting. She hadn’t been back since the attack, and she missed her pals, especially in light of Lisa’s comments. As much as she’d shied away recently, she was now eager to attend and just be there.
Of course, she had every expectation Lisa had given them a run-down on her activities at Vice, and her liaison with Liam. She hoped, however, that they’d listen to her and hear the voice of reason, unlike Lisa. After all, she’d spent years listening to them, supporting them through their trials.
Wade parked outside the building and Kate breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the group room. She understood these people, understood their challenges, and they needed her as much as she needed them.
Eager to see some smiles from some friendly faces, she looked for a free chair and sat down, feeling like the new kid entering class for the first time.
Heads turned in her direction, but not with warm welcome. Rather, her old friends regarded her with apparent distrust.
“Hey, guys,” she said quietly, smiling and waving a hand. “I know it’s been a while, but…”
They all looked to Rod now. He clenched his jaw, stood and came over. “Kate, can we speak outside, please?”
She stood and followed him out. “Okay.” She had a bad feeling about this.
Once out of earshot of the other group members, he laid it all out for her. “Look. There’s been some discussion in the group, and most of us don’t feel comfortable with you here right now.”
“What?” They couldn’t have passed judgment on her already, could they? Not without hearing her side first.
Rod turned a bit red. “Kate, are you going to make me go into detail? I was kind of hoping to spare you the embarrassment.”
“Um, too late.”
“All right, I’ll spell it out for you. Lisa told the group how you’ve been socializing with Liam Doyle. At Vice.”