Punt: A British Bad Boy Football Romance (12 page)

“Touching you feels so good,” she murmured, though Liam couldn’t hear her.

She raised up on her tiptoes again, pressing her lips to his.

The second they touched, it felt like a burst of pure electricity flowed into her body, zinging through her veins and making her heart thump wildly.

“Holy shit,” she whispered, breaking the kiss at looking at Liam again.

He bit his lip, flexing his body into hers so that she could feel his cock hardening against her belly. That lip bite made heat well low in her body.

Nothing in the damn world could have stopped her from kissing him again, locking lips and exploring him with her tongue. Their bodies rocked to the rhythm of the music, breath growing quick.

God, he felt so good. The tightness of his hard muscles under her hands, his big body pressed against hers, sheltering her. His hands were hot as he skimmed her ribs, cupped her ass.

When he boldly ran two knuckles over the front of her skirt, touched the inside of her thigh, she thought she might die right then and there. She turned in his arms, hips swaying as she danced with him.

Liam brushed her hair away from her neck, leaning down to explore her sensitive skin with his lips.

Okay, I take it back. Now I’m going to die
, she thought.

“I want you,” she said.

“What’s that, Ginger?” he purred in her ear.

“I want you!” she shouted, feeling wilder than ever.

All she could think about was taking her clothes off, and Liam’s too. She was dying to touch him, explore him. Mount and ride him like a prize stallion.

To her surprise, Liam actually took half a step back. They were still touching, but she whirled and arched a brow at him.

“What?” she said.

“I want you to drink some water, love,” he said, pressing his water bottle into her hand.

“Well, I want things too,” she said, sipping the water. She could hear herself, hear that her speech was rushed and sloppy. She didn’t care, though.

“Yeah?” Liam asked, leading her off the dance floor.

“Yeah. I think we should go home,” she said.

Liam looked at her, then gave a slow nod. “You’re right.”

Audrey knew a moment of panic. Liam was going to take her home. Holy crap. This was a big deal, right?

He didn’t seem too worried about it. He pulled out his phone and fiddled with it for a moment.

“Come on, love. I’ve got us an Uber home, all right?” he said.

Audrey finished the water as they headed up the stairs. Stepping out into the cool quiet outside the club was truly like a breath of fresh air.

“Ohhh, it feels good out here,” she said.

“I think that’s us,” he said, pointing to a dark sedan that pulled up.

They climbed into the back seat and settled in. Liam moved all the way over, but Audrey was feeling bold so she snuggled right up to his side. She leaned her head against his chest, and he put his arm around her shoulders.

The big sigh she released prompted a rumble of laughter from him.

“You all right, Ginger?” he asked.

“Very, very all right,” she said.

She closed her eyes, feeling warm ripples of sensation all over her body. Liam must be feeling it too, but he didn’t mention anything or act any differently than he usually did. Audrey let herself relax.

It occurred to her that this was the first time she’d felt calm and unworried in a long, long time. And yeah, maybe some of that was the drugs. But…

It was Liam, too. She felt safe with him.

She
trusted
him, which made exactly zero sense.

“Nice to know,” he grunted.

“What?” she said, opening her eyes.

“You’re talking out loud to yourself, sweetheart. Reasoning out why you trust a scoundrel like me, apparently,” he said.

“Ohhhh….” she said. “Uh… sorry.”

Liam just grinned and looked out the window. “We’re nearly home.”

And they were, moments later. Liam helped her out of the car and into the house. She stumbled near the front door, and he scooped her up. Threw her over his shoulder, like she weighed nothing, and carried her inside.

“All right, love, let’s get you into that ugly bathrobe,” he said.

“What?” she said. “No way. I want some wine.”

“Mmm… I think you’re all set on that for the night, Ginger.”

“Put me
down
,” she insisted. He walked into her bedroom and set her on the bed.

“Where’s your night clothes?” he asked.

“Don’t need ‘em!” she said. “How come you’re all serious now, Mister ‘Flirts With Every Woman’?”

Liam turned to her with a frown. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, Audrey jumped up and grabbed him, using her body weight to pull him down onto her bed.

“Audrey—” he said with a groan.

“Shut up and kiss me,” she said, pressing her lips to his.

He was rigid for a second, then surrendered with a soft growl. That simple sound, the feel of his body against hers… Audrey was on
fire
for him.

She managed to roll him over and straddle him, rising up to pull her top off. She saw the flare of desire in Liam’s eyes when her breasts bounced free. She grabbed one of his hands and brought it up to cup her breast, hard.

“Touch me, Liam,” she breathed. “I’m dying for you to touch me.”

“Fuck, Ginger,” he said, rolling her over easily. He looked her up and down, trailing his lips from her earlobe to her collarbone. “You have the most incredible body, love. I think about you constantly.”

When his lips found her nipple, his teeth grazing the sensitive peak, Audrey arched her back. Heat filled every inch of her body. She wanted Liam so badly that it was almost
painful
.

“More,” she begged. “I need more.”

She yanked up her skirt, then shoved it down her hips, leaving her in nothing but a pair of skimpy lace panties. “Take off your clothes, Liam. Please.”

He tried to pull back, but Audrey grabbed his hand again, drawing it down her ribs and belly, until his fingertips brushed the front of her panties.

“Fuck,” he said. “You’re so wet for me, love.”

“Please, Liam,” she said, giving up all sense of shame. She was too hungry for that. “Make me feel good. I want you, I want everything.”

She pulled him down for another kiss, and he groaned against her lips. He gentled the kiss, slowed everything down, and Audrey made a frustrated sound.

“You don’t want me now?” she said, pulling back. “You’ve been teasing me since the day I met you. You sleep with
everyone
, Liam. What’s wrong with me?”

Liam blew out a breath. “I don’t sleep with everyone, first off. That’s… mostly untrue. Or at least, it’s not true
anymore
.”

“Fine. You have high standards now, and I’m just not good enough?” Audrey asked, her face growing warm. She had no idea where this anger was coming from, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

“Audrey,” he said, catching her wrists when she moved to shove at him. “Just wait for a second, love.”

“So you can tell me I’m not pretty enough? No thanks.”

“Bloody hell, woman! Let me fucking talk!” he gritted out, his Cockney accent bursting free.

Audrey pressed her lips together and lifted a shoulder, but didn’t meet his gaze.

“Audrey. Look at me,” he demanded.

When she lifted her gaze, arching her brows, he pressed a hard kiss to her lips. Then another, then another, demanding and hungry.

“I want you, love. More than fucking anything,” he swore.

“So have me,” she said, kissing him again.

“I… I can’t. You’re just… you’re hard up for it right now because of the drugs, love.”

“So?” she asked, giving her head a defiant shake.

“So? I’m a lot of things love, but I’m not a complete bastard. I can’t fuck you when you don’t even know what’s up and what’s down,” he said. “It’s… I wouldn’t do that to you, ever.”

Audrey actually felt her heart flutter at his words.

“You… I…” she said, at a loss for words.

“If it were another night, if we’d just been at the pub, I’d already be in you. You’d be calling my bloody name, I promise you that,” Liam said, releasing her wrists and cupping her jaw.

He kissed her, long and slow, and Audrey nearly cried at the tenderness of his touch. The kiss heated, and Liam shaped her breast, running the pad of his thumb over her nipple.

Audrey gave a soft gasp when he moved down to kiss and nip her breast again, skimming his hands up and down her hips. He caught her panties and tugged them down.

“What are you doing?” Audrey asked with a frustrated laugh when he stripped them off.

Liam pressed a kiss to the top of her thigh. “If can’t fuck you, I’m sure as hell going to make sure you come. One of us really has to, don’t you think?”

“Liam…” she said, squirming. “I don’t really… let people…”

“Shhh,” he said. “No more talking, unless you’re going to kick me out of bed.”

Audrey bit her lip, feeling her face go hot as he feathered kisses over her hips and thighs, slowly parting her knees until she was wide open to him. She felt worried and tense, but the first brush of his warm tongue against her clit made her gasp with pleasure.

“That’s it, just relax for me, love,” Liam said.

Then he buried his face between her legs, kissing and sucking and licking her until her whole body was tense with need. She dug her fingers into his hair, rocking her hips and whispering words of encouragement.

She was so close… she just needed…

Without warning, Liam slid two thick fingers deep into her hot, tight core. He curled them, teasing a white-hot spot of pleasure inside her. He sealed his lips over her clit and sucked, swirling his tongue against her flesh, and Audrey couldn’t last another second.

She shattered with a near-scream, her body shaking and clenching. It went on and on, the sensation of falling down the deepest hole in the universe, floating free…

When she finally drifted back down to Earth, all she could do was tremble and try to catch her breath. She expected Liam to tease her, something about how she should come more often maybe.

But to her surprise, he just moved to lie beside her, kissing her again in that same tender way.

God, no wonder women lose themselves to him
, she found herself thinking.
He plays the caring Romeo so well.

She kissed him back, letting her hand wander down his chest until she cupped his erection. It was shockingly large in her hand, long and thick and hot even through his jeans.

He groaned softly, and she moved to unzip him, but Liam stopped her.

“Not tonight, love,” he said, kissing her. “If you do that, I will lose the moral ground and fuck you as hard as I possibly can. What would you think of me then, hm?”

His words were light and teasing, but he pulled her hand away.

“I just thought… I mean, fair’s fair right?” Audrey whispered against his lips. “I thought… maybe I could use my mouth?”

Now he moaned, closing his eyes briefly. “As much as the idea of fucking your mouth makes my bloody night, I think not. I can’t deal in half-measures. Not with you, Ginger.”

“Liam…”

“I’m serious,” he said, kissing her again. He pulled back, a dimple flashing in his cheek that was nearly her undoing. “When I fuck you, we’ll both be stone-cold sober. You won’t just be begging to come, you’ll be begging for my cock.”

Audrey’s mouth opened and then closed again.

“I—” she started. “Oh… okay?”

Liam laughed. “I will do you a personal favor and strip down to sleep in here with you tonight, as long as you think you can handle it.”

Audrey made a strangled sound. “I’m sorry?”

“I mean, you know, I just want to make sure it’s not going to blow your mind or anything if I sleep in the buff.”

“God. You really are awful,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“I’m taking that as a yes,” he said, eyes sparkling. He stood and stripped, giving Audrey a truly eye-opening look at his incredible body in the process. “Not bad, eh?”

Audrey just snorted, but he was a hell of a lot better than
not bad
. Just a big wall of muscle and tattoos, basically. He was pretty damned drool-worthy.

He pulled back the comforter on her bed and dragged her under when he lay down. Turning her on her side, he tucked her up against his body, his cock pressing against her ass and lower back.

“Are you spooning me?” she asked, more shocked about that than anything.

“Shh, Ginger. Just relax and go to sleep, will you?” was his only response.

Liam wrapped an arm around her, holding her tight. For a minute, it was the weirdest thing she’d ever experienced.

Then her eyes began to grow heavy. She let them drift shut, blew out the breath she’d been holding.

She had that same feeling, the one from their ride home. She felt…

Safe. Warm.

Good
.

She was asleep before she knew it.

“
H
ome sweet home
,” Jack joked from the passenger seat. “Turn left here, man.”

“Your sister’s already there, huh?” Liam asked, starting to feel strangely nervous.

“Yeah. I told you, she came down early yesterday to help get things ready for the party.”

Liam pulled away from the guard booth and into the gated community. They were about an hour south of Atlanta now, in an area called Peachtree City. They’d passed several dozen private communities on the way to Carver Lake, where Jack and Audrey’s parents lived.

Liam gave a low whistle as he checked out the houses. They were all new affairs, tan or blue three-story homes situated around a man-made lake.

“Look at the size of these places,” he said. “They make my place look like a cardboard cracker box.”

“Yeah,” Jack said with a sigh. “They’re certainly not cheap.”

Liam glanced at him. “I’m gonna guess you know that for a fact?”

Jack’s lips thinned, but he nodded. “Take another left here.”

“Does Audrey know that?”

Jack gave a harsh laugh. “Yeah. She’s on my ass about it, non-stop. She thinks if I just quit giving them money, my parents will adjust on their own. Downsize, or whatever. She even went so far as to ask me not to tell them that she makes good money working for you.”

Liam frowned. “Why?”

“My mom has a way of… asking for things.” Jack didn’t say more, and Liam didn’t ask though his curiosity grew by the moment. “Hey, this is it. Turn in here.”

Liam pulled into a long driveway. There were already a dozen cars parked close to the house, so he chose a spot further back where he could still get the car out if he wanted to.

Haven’t even been here a full minute and already looking for an exit strategy
, he thought to himself.

It wasn’t totally his fault that he was so on edge. He’d woken yesterday morning in Audrey’s bed… alone. Not a word from her since, either.

Jack made it sound like his sister had been summoned home to deal with the party, but Liam was pretty sure she was also hiding from him, from the intimacy between them.

He didn’t blame her. Liam himself was basically baffled by the whole thing.

“Fuck, let’s get this done with,” Jack said, climbing out of the car and walking toward the big blue house.

The Cross home was an entirely Southern Gothic affair, complete with a big wraparound porch. The lawn was immaculately manicured, and a Mercedes was peeking out of the open garage.

“How were you on scholarship, again?” Liam asked, glancing at Jack.

“Ah. Well, lucky me, dad lost everything in the stock market about a year before I applied for Academe Augustin,” Jack said. “When I came home for Christmas the first time after leaving, the house I grew up in was gone and the family was living in some corporate penthouse downtown. Dad sweet-talked some company secretary into letting us live there for like three years.”

“Hmmm,” Liam said. “He must have the kind of swagger that you have, mate.”

Jack laughed and walked up the steps to the sweeping front porch, pulling open an ornate glass front door to usher Liam inside. Liam went ahead, curiosity pulling him forward.

Inside, it was like some American sitcom about a rich Beverly Hills family. The furnishings were spare and low, every surface highly polished and gleaming.

Jack led Liam through several parlors, all themed differently — one was clearly Japanese inspired, another filled with pieces of ultramodern home decor. On pure instinct, Liam already hated the whole bloody place.

“Everyone’s probably out back by the pool—” Jack was saying.

Liam stopped short once they walked into the kitchen. The whole room was white marble and custom stainless appliances, like some kind of sales showroom. Liam couldn’t care less about the kitchen, though.

No, he was much more interested in the pretty redhead standing near one of the two sinks, mixing up what looked like a huge pitcher of iced tea.

“Aud!” Jack said.

Audrey turned, her gaze immediately narrowing in a way that said she was displeased by Jack and Liam’s presence. She was wearing a conservative white sundress, barely showing any skin, and her gorgeous hair had been bound into a single thick braid down her back.

It was a strange style for her, even to Liam’s limited knowledge of her personal grooming. Somehow, though it wasn’t to his taste, he still found her incredibly sexy in what he thought of as her
church-going clothes
.

“What the hell, Jack?” Audrey hissed, putting aside a wooden spatula. “You were supposed to be here last night. I’ve had to do almost everything by myself! And you sure as hell weren’t supposed to bring any
guests
.”

“Hello to you, too, then.” Liam folded his arms across his chest and tried not to feel affronted. From the look on Audrey’s face, she was more than a little stressed at the moment.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Audrey said, shaking her head. She glanced at the glass double doors that led out to the back yard and bit her lip.

“How bad can I be, darlin’?” Liam asked, deliberately breaking out his Cockney accent. “Or are you afraid I’m going to embarrass you in front of mum and dad, is that it?”

Audrey flushed and shook her head. Jack bumped his shoulder into Liam’s and shook his head as well.

Curiouser and curiouser
, Liam thought.

“Just go outside,” Audrey sighed. “Y’all are late, no surprise there.”

Liam wanted to stay and make a comment about the sudden appearance of Audrey’s Georgia accent, but Jack dragged him out to the back yard instead. There was a beautiful pool and grotto to one side, and an entertaining area to the right with a full bar, a fancy barbecue grill, and lots of glass tables shaded with colorful umbrellas.

There were a few kids in the pool, splashing around quietly. Over by the grill there were a couple dozen adults, all wearing what seemed like a standard uniform: men in khakis and polos, women in light-colored sundresses.

Now Audrey’s outfit was starting to make a little more sense.

“Wow,” was the only thing Liam could summon. His own jeans and t-shirt seemed a little underwhelming, but Jack wore the same so… at least they’d stick out together.

“Yeah. Let’s get through the introductions, then we can get to the drinking,” Jack said with an eye roll.

Liam straightened his shoulders and put on what he thought of as his celebrity smile, and followed Jack over to meet and greet.

“Mama!” Jack called.

An older bleach blonde in a light pink sundress turned to eye them. She was heavily made up despite the warm weather, and Liam could see that she’d gone through quite a bit of cosmetic surgery.

“Oh. My. Gawd,” she said, setting down her wine glass to raise her arms and run over to Jack with a squeal. “Look, y’all, it’s my boy!”

She hugged Jack hard, her movements a little awkward. She seemed drunk, or at least pretty bloody tipsy.

“Mama, Liam’s here. Liam, this is my mother Donna.”

“Goodness,” she said once she released Jack. “You must be Liam. You’re just as sexy as in your photos!”

It wasn’t the first time Liam had heard something like that, of course. He was fairly well-known in the UK, and didn’t exactly get to choose his admirers, after all.

“Oh, thank you,” was his only answer, and he held out his hand to her.

Donna flung herself on him in much the same way she had Jack, but her hands found their way to Liam’s hips, giving him an overtly touchy squeeze. Liam tried not to freeze up, but Audrey chose that moment to step outside. Their gazes locked, and she looked
pissed
.

“Mama!” she shouted as she rushed over to separate her mother from Liam. “I brought you some sweet tea. I thought you could use a little refresher after all that wine.”

Audrey’s smile was sweet as sugar, but Liam could see the steely glint in her eyes.

“I don’t personally care for the way you make tea, Audrey Lynne,” her mother said, giving Audrey a tart look and scooping up her wine glass once more.

“I made it just like Nana Ann used to do,” Audrey said, her smile turning tense.

“I doubt that,” her mother said, dismissing Audrey in favor of Jack. “Jack, honey, you look like you’re not eating enough. Are they not feeding you down in Atlanta these days?”

“Uhhh…” Jack glanced between his mother and Audrey, who was gripping the big glass pitcher of iced tea so hard that her hands were white. “Mama, I gotta introduce Liam to Dad.”

Liam gave Audrey a quick, curious glance. She just gave a tiny shake of her head and brushed past them to carry the pitcher to the bar.

“Dad,” Jack said, calling over a khaki-wearing man in his late fifties. “This is Liam. Liam, my father Beau.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Liam said, offering Beau a hand. Beau took it, but didn’t look pleased. “You and Jack look just alike, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“Where are you from, son?” Beau asked, giving Liam the hardest handshake he’d ever experienced. His Southern accent was more pronounced even than his wife’s, and Liam had to listen hard to dissect what the man was saying.

“England, sir.”

“London?” he asked, releasing Liam to sip his beer.

“Born and raised.”

“I’m gonna be honest, son, I can’t understand a damn word you’re saying. I hear you’re real famous, though. That’s gotta be nice.”

“Liam’s making millions just for this season, can you imagine?” Donna said, appearing at Liam’s side once more. She patted his arm and winked at him. “I read all about you in People magazine. I think Jack should be making just as much, don’t you Liam?”

What happened to the stereotype of Southerners not talking about money?
Liam wondered.

“Err… absolutely,” Liam said.

Beau turned and drifted off, uninterested. Audrey returned with a glass of tea in her hand, sipping it quietly.

“Jack’s really moving up in the world, yes siree,” Donna continued, giving Jack an adoring glance. “He’s going to be an international superstar. Aren’t you, Jackie?”

“Mmmhm,” Jack said noncommittally.

“Then the Cross family is gonna be big time, I tell you,” Donna said. She snorted to herself. “Maybe then we can finally convince somebody to marry little Audrey Lynne over here. She’s getting dusty up there on the marriage shelf, aren’t you honey?”

“Mom, I’m only twenty four,” Audrey said.

“And not a single proposal of marriage to your name yet,” Donna tsked. “By twenty, I’d recieved… oh, let’s see… no less than seven, surely.”

“Well, it’s the modern age in the rest of the world,” Audrey said mildly. Liam noticed that her fingers were going white again, though. “Nobody’s getting married at twenty these days.”

“It’s probably all that red hair,” Donna said, as if Audrey hadn’t spoken. She reached out and captured a tendril that had escaped from Audrey’s braid, tucking it behind her ear. “I blame your father, all that Scottish blood. Never seen a head of hair so red in my life, right from the day you were born. I do so wish you’d let me take you to my salon and get it fixed up. Red is just so…. I don’t know, vulgar…”

Audrey’s eyes closed for the briefest moment, but otherwise she didn’t react.

“I know, mama,” she said.

“I think it’s a very pretty color,” Liam said, feeling the need to come to Audrey’s defense. Audrey’s mother didn’t seem to think the color vulgar on Jack.

Donna gave Liam a considering look.

“Well, you would. Y’all English and Irish and Scots, whatnot. Why y’all like that pale skin and red hair is beyond me. To each his own, they say.”

“Yes ma’am,” Liam said.

“Liam, let’s go get some drinks,” Jack said, pulling Liam away from the conversation.

A little distance didn’t stop Liam from hearing Donna as she continued to list each and every one of Audrey’s perceived flaws, though.

“Now Audrey, honey, you are showing far too much leg in that dress. Your Nana Ann would be ashamed of you…”

“Seems like you got the luck in your family too, eh?” Liam asked Jack as they dug some cold beers out of an ice chest.

“Huh? Oh, you mean my mom? Yeah… she and Audrey don’t get along so hot.” Jack twisted the cap off his beer and took a long sip, then shook his head. “Audrey practically bends over backward trying to please her, and that’s how mom reacts. Dad’s more… well, he just plays a lot of golf.”

“Why’s your mum so hard on Audrey?” Liam asked.

“Oh, it’s beyond me. You know Audrey set up almost every single thing at this party? Mama just sat and directed her, like she always does. I wish Audrey would grow some balls and ignore her for once,” Jack said with a sigh.

“No wonder she didn’t want me here,” Liam said.

“What? Why?” Jack asked.

Liam gave him a long look. “You ever think maybe your sister didn’t want an outsider to see your mom rip her up like that?”

From his startled expression, it genuinely had not occurred to Jack.

“Steaks are ready!” Beau shouted.

Everyone served themselves from a table set up with lots of different kinds of food, mostly Southern specialties. Jack and Liam ended up at a picnic table with Jack’s parents, eating and chatting.

After a few minutes of watching Audrey flit about, trying to make sure everyone had absolutely everything they could ever possibly want, Liam called over to her.

“Audrey! Come sit with us, have a bite to eat!”

She gave him a cross look, but did come over and sit across from him.

“Where’s your plate?” he asked.

“Audrey’s on a diet, aren’t you honey?” Donna said, breaking from her own conversation to answer Liam.

“What for?” Liam asked, his Cockney slipping out.

“You wouldn’t understand, darlin’, because you’re a man. And you’re so active, unlike our little Audrey. She’s supposed to be catching herself a husband down there in Atlanta, not an extra twenty pounds.”

“I think she looks fine,” Liam said, anger bubbling up inside him. Audrey looked absolutely perfect to him, and he’d seen enough gorgeous women to have an expert opinion on the topic.

Audrey plastered on a smile. “I’m not hungry.”

“So Liam!” Beau said, turning his attention Liam’s way. “How long are you in Atlanta?”