“Liam, stop before you give the poor woman a heart attack.” Mel smiled up at me, but all I saw were knives in her eyes before she turned back to Jan. “Please don’t mind him. He doesn’t know the full extent of his Irish charm.”
I rolled my eyes and kissed her cheek affectionately. I felt her stiffen just slightly, but she didn’t break out of character. “All I needed it for was to catch you.”
I still needed it to catch her.
“This is going to be a great interview. I can feel it. Are you both ready?” Jan asked. Nodding we walked over to the chairs that were staged for us. I waited for Mel to sit down first before taking mine right next to her. The moment I did, she leaned in like a fucking pro and placed her hand on my knee. For someone who had never done an interview before she was doing well. Crossing all the t’s and dotting her i’s. But that was my wife, a master manipulator.
“First of all, it’s my pleasure to be sitting across from America’s Royal Couple,” Jan said to us, leaning forward.
Mel looked at me, and I knew that if Jan wasn’t careful, my wife would kill her.
“America’s Royal Couple?” she smiled before letting out a small fake laugh.
“Yes, Mrs. Callahan, all of America loves you, and I have to say I personally loved your wedding dress. After your wedding, orders came flying in all over the country,” Jan said, gushing.
“Oh, my God, really?” Mel blushed, looking innocent and doe-eyed while she held on to my knee with a grip from hell. “That is so odd to me. Suddenly, everyone cares about my clothing and hair. I feel like a celebrity or something.”
“Believe me when I say there are no bigger celebrities than you two. My friends are even trying to figure out the secret behind the Liam Callahan sex hair,” she continued, and it took all I had not to groan instead of smile for the fucking camera.
“Honestly, I do nothing,” I said, laughing.
“Because he is Liam Callahan and is naturally sexy,” Mel continued, before sticking her tongue out. So I leaned in and kissed her lips.
“See why I can never win a fight?” Mel frowned back at Jan, before grinning again. “He just kisses me, or worse takes off his shirt, and I’m completely dumbfounded.”
If only that was fucking true.
“Yes, because I’m Liam Callahan and naturally sexy,” I said, throwing her words back at her before turning to Jan. “Do you think we can get that on a bumper sticker?”
Mel hit me, laughing softly, and I disliked it simply because it wasn’t her. This bubbly, preppy faker was not my wife. It was odd, because I had wanted her to be like this before we met. However, my Mel, both in private and with our men, was stronger, ruthless, and sexy. This Mel was cute, but it wasn’t her, and I wanted her to be who she truly was when she was with me.
“So the very first question the world wants to know is . . . where did you two meet?” Jan asked.
MELODY
I groaned as we walked into the study. “Thank motherfucking God.”
Liam handed me a glass of brandy, reminding me, once again, that I needed to have someone set up my wine in here. “I’m surprised you didn’t kill her when she asked if you were pregnant,” he said, watching me carefully as I drank.
“Me, too. Apparently, marriage has made me soft,” I replied, turning back to the paperwork on the desk before us.
He wrapped his arms around me slowly, and I felt my body automatically begin to relax into him. I wasn’t sure when it started, or if it was due to all the sex, but it did that now. My body now knew his touch and was accepting of it, in fact, it enjoyed it. I enjoyed it.
What the fuck was happening to me?
“Liam, we need to make sure everyone believes Amory killed my father and prepare for Italy,” I murmured, but he just kissed along my shoulder and neck. “I’m serious. Cork your cock, and let’s finish this before Evelyn drags us out for the dinner.”
He groaned, pulling away, and my body instantly missed his warmth. Drinking some more, he sat down, looking at the file after I pushed it toward him.
“Six of Vance’s most prized cars will be en route from Suvereto to Lucignano. It’s about one hundred and four miles, but they will take the back roads because it’s safer and the roads are clear of police. I don’t care if they are Vance’s men or not, they are still men,” I replied, showing him the map.
He looked at me with an eyebrow raised and with a twinge of lust as always. He was such a fucking sex addict.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means if they have dicks, they are male. If they are male, and you put them behind the wheel of a multimillion dollar sports car, they will break the speed limit. They will race each other, because males have to prove they are better in everything.” I rolled my eyes.
He glared up at me as he gripped my arm. “You know I hate it when you refer to any other man’s dick but mine.”
“Get over it, it’s not like I’m sucking it,” I said, glaring at his hand. He had one second to let go before I cut it off.
“Fuck, Mel. Why must you always try to piss me off?” His eyes narrowed before he finally let me go.
“The American Royal Couple, remember? That means I embody freedom of fucking speech.”
Before he could reply, there was a knock on the door.
“Great. It’s your mother.” I sighed and prepared myself to be civil.
Rolling his eyes, Liam turned toward the door. “Enter.”
However, the person who entered was not Evelyn, but Declan, whose eyes were dark and his jaw set.
“The new Chicago Police Superintendent is here and wishes to speak with you,” he said, glowering. I looked back to Liam who was now sitting up straight in his chair scowling at the door with the promise of death and blood in his eyes. This Liam I found to be the sexiest of all.
“Bring him through,” he said softly.
Declan stepped aside, allowing a middle-aged man, though younger than I would think a Superintendent would be, to step forward. Beside him, another man around his age entered. They both looked unafraid, which meant they were either naïve or stupid.
“Thank you, Declan,” Liam called out. Declan eyed the officers, his jaw grinding, before walking out and shutting the door behind him.
“Superintendent Andrew Patterson is it? What brings you to my neck of the woods?” Liam asked as I took a seat on the desk crossing my legs.
“Yes it is, Mr. Callahan,” he said before glancing at me. “We came to talk to you privately.”
Privately? This mother-fuckering bitch.
“I think I’ll stay,” I said as kindly as possible, before Liam could speak.
Liam snickered, leaning back in his chair. “Well, you heard the lady.”
“As you know, Mr. Callahan, in fact, I’ll call you Liam, I’m the new Superintendent because the former decided to retire early. I was chosen by the good people of Chicago to make this city safe. Something it hasn’t been in a long fucking time. I know who you are. I know what you do, and I’m here to warn you that your days of walking all over the law are over. I won’t stop until you and the rest of your kind are where you belong. Behind bars reaching for soap.”
Liam laughed, looking at me. “Sweetheart, we really have to start voting. Look what happens when we don’t. Some idiot gets a badge and a gun and tries to pick a fight.”