Seeking Justice (8 page)

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

I push against his chest. “Put me down!”

Oh, this is too embarrassing. Not the fact that I feel a fool for falling into his arms or the obvious fact that he’s not happy about it, but because I’m suddenly panting. My chest feels tight, my lungs compressed, and I’m struggling for every breath I take. My lips part as desire coils low in my belly. His eyes flick to my mouth, and then back to my eyes with intent, slowly letting my legs slide down the length of his body. Standing in front of him, my heels bring me closer to his mouth, which plays havoc with my equilibrium. I sway slightly. Snaking his arm around my waist, he anchors me to his front as his other arm reaches up to the back of my head, his hand grabbing a fistful of my hair, pulling my head back. An involuntary gasp escapes at his sudden move, and I grasp his broad shoulders, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt.

“Are you trying to break your fucking neck?” His voice is soft, his breath fanning across my face. I struggle for a deep breath, his scent infusing every cell of my body. This man could make a serious dent in the cologne industry if he bottled his mind-numbing scent. His lashes cast shadows on his cheekbones as my eyes move across his face down to his lips.

“No.” I breathe, looking back up to his incredibly blue eyes. I hope he never lets me go—

He leans over me slightly, pressing me against his arm causing my back to bow. There’s some kind of pulsating, vibrating energy passing back and forth between us. I can feel it, and I wonder if he does.

I lick my dry lips. “You… startled me.”

Before I can take another breath, his mouth comes crashing down on mine, his tongue sweeping in to quickly stroke mine. His mouth is hot, and he tastes incredible. With a mind of their own, my hands move from his shoulders to delve into his thick, soft hair as he presses his rock hard erection into my lower belly. His mouth moves over mine, sucking my bottom lip between his teeth where he bites down gently. He keeps me anchored against his front, and I moan softly when I feel his hand slide up under the skirt of my dress, stroking my thigh, moving up to my hip. His hand is unbelievably warm as his fingers splay around my hip and dig into my bare bottom.

“Your skin is so soft,” he murmurs as his lips move along my jaw to take my tender earlobe between his teeth, biting down. I whimper at the slight pain.

“Shhh.”

I jerk and almost yelp, grabbing hold of his upper arms when his hand moves from my hip and cups me between my legs. He looks up to meet my eyes. Before I have a chance to decipher his wicked grin, he’s twisting the fabric of my thong in his hand, his fingers shredding the delicate fabric as he rips it from my body. I do yelp at the burning sensation where the elastic bites into my skin.

“Darlin’ you need to keep quiet,” he breathes as he bends me back further, placing his mouth in the hollow of my throat, his hand once again cupping my sex. I squeak at the contact and feel his smile against my skin.

“You’re already hot and wet for me.” He raises his head to look into my face. “I do like that, sugar. I like that very much.”

I’m quivering in his arms as one of his long fingers slides deep inside of me, my head dropping back weakly, a long, low moan escaping my throat.

“Fuck, you’re tight.”

Oh hell.

His words cause an uncontrollable reaction in me as I clench my inner muscles tightly around his finger, pressing more firmly into his hand.

I need more.

“Fuck!” He growls, gripping my waist tighter, almost cutting off my ability to draw a breath as he grinds his hand against me, his finger moving widely, rubbing against my vaginal walls. We’re both panting now, and he suddenly straightens, pulling me up more fully against his chest. I’m on my toes as one of his hard-muscled legs wedges between mine, nudging until I step my legs farther apart. He’s moving his finger in and out of me roughly now, and I’m finding it impossible to keep quiet. In a bid to silence me, he brings his mouth back down on mine.

There’s a sensation building deep inside, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s causing every muscle in the most intimate part of me, the part he has his finger buried in, to tighten. This in turn makes his strokes feel rougher, more abrasive, and the friction is about to make me lose all coherent thought. When his thumb comes down on my clit, the sensation is exquisite, causing my legs to stiffen and my toes to curl against the insoles of my shoes. I grip his upper arms as his mouth continues to devour mine, my tongue tangling with his.

When he yanks his mouth from mine and pulls his finger from me, I do cry out. He spins me around, effectively shielding me from the bright light that suddenly streams in from the now open door.

“Cait… Liam! What are you doing in here?” Holly’s voice holds a note of surprise.

Liam’s looking down into my face, his eyes holding mine captive. He raises his wicked finger and pops it into his mouth, pulling it out slowly. “Mmmm,” he hums softly, grinning wickedly as my eyes widen. My blush scorches me as it moves over my skin. My legs are shaking, and I feel like I could be one of those massive firework displays that have just had the lit fuse yanked out, the grand finale stolen. My breathing is still ragged as is Liam’s.

He tugs my skirt in place and turns to face Holly. I move slightly and bend on shaking legs to pick up the packages of cocktail napkins I dropped when Liam snatched me off the ladder.

“Oh hell no!”

I look up at Holly’s sudden outburst.

“No! No, no, no, no.” I glance up at Liam to find him watching me. “Liam! She’ll leave us—and I don’t want to lose her. I like her!” Liam continues to hold my gaze. “You have rules, Liam!” Holly’s voice has raised an octave in her tirade.

“Rules are made to be broken, Holly.” His voice is raspy, and the timbre of it causes my still racing heart to skip a beat. My breath catches when his eyes move to my lips.

“Huh-uh.” Holly moves further into the storage room and nudges against Liam, reaching for my arm, pulling me away from him. She wraps her arm protectively around my shoulders. “I don’t—want her—to leave.”

Liam reaches out and rubs
that
finger across my bottom lip. “She’s not going anywhere,” he murmurs, his eyes boring into mine as if daring me to disagree. Then he’s striding toward the door. Stopping, he turns back. “New house rule. No climbing ladders in fuck me heels.” He gives me a pointed look, and then he’s gone.

Holly looks at me with raised brows, and I feel my face heat again.

“Leon’s waiting for his napkins,” she says softly. I can tell she’s now wondering just what did happen between Liam and me.

I am too. Did I honestly just let him—

Shit!

I am so screwed. And fired. I’m at once not so much worried about Valerie firing me as I am about the fact that I do want Liam to finish what he started. I’m still tightly wound, my core continuing to quiver in a state of sexual tension. My body is screaming for me to hunt him down and demand—
What?
What the hell is the matter with me? I can’t think that. He’s the subject of my investigation, not to mention that he might be involved with Miranda. How did I let this happen?
So not cool, Cait, so not cool.

Realizing Holly is still studying me, I mentally shake myself. I need to get back to work. Then I have a disquieting thought. Where is my thong? I don’t dare look down to the floor for it. If it’s lying at our feet, Holly hasn’t noticed it yet, and I want to keep it that way.

I take a deep breath. “Holly, do you mind taking the napkins out to Leon and giving me a moment? I’ll be right out.”

She frowns slightly. “Cait…”

“It’s okay, Holly.” I give her a reassuring smile. “I have no illusions about Liam.”

She eyes me warily. “O-kay.” She reaches over to take the napkins. “Don’t be long.” One more backward glance, and then she’s out the door, propping it open behind her.

I lean against one of the shelves.
Holy crap!
How am I going to face Liam? Crap, crap, crap! This is all his fault. His dirty mouth at lunch has kept me on edge all afternoon. Thank goodness Holly interrupted us. There’s no telling what might have happened…. Who am I kidding? I know exactly what would have happened if she hadn’t walked in on us. Evidently I lose all common sense with that man, not to mention my inhibitions.

The number one problem right now though, is where is my thong? I hurriedly scan the floor to no avail.

As I walk back to the dining room, I feel like my whole body is one scalding, guilty blush. I feel like every person that glances my way, knows what I’ve been up to, knows that I am in desperate need of release and knows I don’t have underwear on!

I’m expecting Liam’s smug, knowing smirk when I see him, but mercifully, he’s nowhere in sight.

The first diners of the evening walk in the door, and I greet them, leading the way to their table. It’s a little unsettling in my state of undress. The thought of Liam having my thong makes me uneasy. Knowing how much I want him makes me worried. The fifteen minutes of passion he ignited in the storage room surpassed my entire relationship with my ex. I snort softly. The fumbling in the dark Jeff and I shared had no passion—it was just his quest for an orgasm, never concerned about mine.

Liam Justice has awakened an emotion in me that I want to explore. I don’t care that it will be nothing more than sex for him. Just as I told Holly, I have no illusions on that end.

Tansy arrives about nine, apologizing and promising to make it up to me. I tell her not to worry as I’m the one who gets to sleep in the next day.

The dinner shift has been crazy, with the dining room and conservatory full to capacity all evening. I’ve stayed to help Tansy, and the last of the evening’s guests are just finishing up as I leave. One advantage of being so busy is I’ve not had much time to think about what happened in the storage room. But I know I’ll replay the entire scene later. I can still smell Liam on me. That in itself has kept my body in a tightened state all evening, ensuring that I have this constant ache deep down inside of me that I know only he will be able to alleviate.

But then, maybe the state I’m in is just because I have no underwear on.

I walk back to Holly’s office to leave my shift paperwork and glance toward Liam’s closed door. Maybe he has someone in there with him, someone who is helping to ease his ache. Or maybe—he’s upstairs. I worry my bottom lip as I process that thought. I need to remember who he is and what he does for a living. And if what Valerie says is accurate, he is a powerful man with connections. Money, power, and prestige are all attributes that draw women in like a magnet. Add all that to the fact that he’s drop dead gorgeous, and I’m sure he never lacks for female companionship in or out of bed.

I need to keep my perspective here, I tell myself as I walk out the back door.

I stand outside the gates to wait for my cab, glad I have a jacket since the spring evening is a little chilly. This entrance to the property is on a mostly quiet street, except for the traffic entering and leaving Justice House. There are cars still pulling through to let club members out for a night of fun at the mansion’s nightclub. But it seems especially dark tonight in between the coming and going headlights. I could wait at the guard stand, but my cab should be along any moment.

My thoughts naturally drift back to Liam, he’s increasingly taken them over since the first day I saw him. I know I have to stop my—interest in him as nothing can ever come of it. If he ever finds out why I am here… he will hate me.

An SUV slows to enter the driveway but instead pulls to a stop at the curb in front of me. As the driver’s side window slides down, I find myself staring into Liam’s darkened features.

“Miss Shaw, what do you think you’re doing standing out here in the dark?”

I swallow against the sudden dryness in my throat. How does he do that to me? How does he cause me to feel this way with just a look or just the tone of his voice? I’ve spent my entire adult life wondering why no one interested me sexually, if maybe there was something wrong with me. Then one look at Liam Justice, and I’m ready to throw away everything I’ve made for myself, knowing that I want to be with him. All because he said, we were inevitable. Well, not us… just his fucking me.

“I’m waiting for my cab,” I say softly.

I catch a hint of his scent as it flows gently out of the car’s interior. Deeply breathing in his essence, I close my eyes only to open them to find him watching me intently. His eyes are like pools of dark water that seem to glow just below the surface, and there’s something in his expression, but it’s hard to discern in the glow of his dash lights. Turning his head, he speaks to someone in the car.

The passenger side door opens, and muscular Mike steps out, leaving the door ajar.

“Get in,” Liam’s voice is deep, husky even.

I watch as Mike heads toward the gates before I turn back to look at Liam. I need a moment to control the sudden rush of need and longing for him that I feel, which scares the hell out of me.

I swallow. “No thank you. My cab should be here any minute.”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, and I shift nervously.

“It wasn’t a request.” His expression is unreadable in the dim light, but there’s no mistaking the deadly quiet in that voice.

I inhale sharply and consider running for the safety of the mansion.

“I
will
come after you.” He drawls softly.

“I have a cab coming and—”

“Mike canceled your cab.”

What?
Of all the—

“I’m on the brink of not being happy here, Caitlyn, now get in the fucking car.”

I give a choked laugh, his words surprising me. Well, I wouldn’t want to make him
unhappy
, and as if I have no will of my own, I walk around the front of the SUV and climb in.

“Good girl. Now buckle up.”

All I’m aware of as I settle into the seat, is his overwhelming, mind-blowing scent, the strange energy pulsating between us, and the fact I have no panties on.

He pulls away from the curb, making a U-turn in the street heading back toward State Parkway.

I’m supposed to be on my way to meet Paul and Julie, so when he turns in the direction of my apartment, I consider if I should just go on home and call them from there to cancel. I really need to think some things over; I have a decision to make.

“Um… I’m supposed to meet my friends… for drinks.”

He glances over at me, and my heart skips a beat. He is so handsome. It’s dark in the car, but with the dash lights, I can see the blue of his eyes. They meet mine, holding my gaze for a moment. His hair is mussed, and I feel a sudden yearning to run my fingers through it. The shadow of scruff frames his sensuous mouth and firm jaw line, giving him a bit of a dangerous look. He’s dressed in jeans and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

“What’s the name of the bar?” He glances at me again catching me still looking at him.

“Oh, um…” I dig into my jacket pocket for my phone, pulling up Paul’s text for the address. “I’ve never been there…”

“What’s the name of the bar, Caitlyn?”

I give him the name, and he’s suddenly pulling off another U-turn, causing me to latch on to the grab handle above the door.

“Shit! You drive like a maniac!” He flashes me a wide grin, and my heart stutters.

“Don’t worry, I promise to get you there in one piece.”