“That’s because I’m not. I don’t want the spotlight, Cara… But everyone insists on making me the center of attention. It’s kinda tiresome, actually.”
“Oh, come on. You’d keep a low profile if you really wanted to shrug off all that attention. I mean, how hard can it be to lead a normal life? Just act like a boring man, and soon enough the paparazzi will go away.”
“Alright, I’ll admit it. I don’t really like the fame, but it has its uses.”
“Oh?”
“If I’m in the spotlight, that means the spotlight isn’t shining over my family.”
“Your family?” I ask him, having no idea where the conversation is heading. Is he being genuine? Or is he trying to play me with false niceness? Maybe that’s how all these women fall for him - they come in expecting an asshole, and then he unleashes his gallant charm upon them.
“Yeah, my family. My father used to be an infamous playboy back in the seventies, and the press was relentless. They made him look like a real bastard, you know?” He laughs, but then he looks to the side and falls silent; swirling the wine inside his glass, he lets his gaze roams over the New York brightly lit skyline. “I just think my parents deserve to rest now. They don’t need to deal with the media sniffing after a story or bullshit like that. So I keep the focus on me. At all times.”
Well, that’s surprising. Does New York’s most notorious playboy have a golden heart? Seems like it. The jury’s still out on Liam, though - I’m not going to buy into his knight in shining armor narrative just because he sounds convincing. Most sociopaths sound convincing as well, and they aren’t exactly what I’d call eligible bachelors.
But still… I wasn’t expecting any of this from Liam. For the first time in my life, a man has finally managed to surprise me.
“Come here,” he tells me suddenly, placing his glass on the table and standing up. He offers me his hand and I take it, allowing him to pull me up to my feet. We walk to the glass railing of the balcony and stare at the city underneath us, its bright lights like glowing stars on the firmament.
“I know I’m not exactly a role model,” he whispers, turning to me with a faint smile on his lips. “But I truly don’t care about being seen as this or as that. I am what I am, and that’s it.”
“That’s not a bad way to live,” I admit, seeing myself reflected in his words. More than understanding what he’s telling me, I feel it deep in my bones.
In a way, he’s just like me.
Before I know it, I’ve turned to him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt; I go on tiptoes, lock my eyes on his and hold my breath.
And then I kiss him.
Cara
One kiss - that’s all it takes. The moment our lips touch, I know I’m doomed. All self-control, all thoughts of right and wrong… It all goes out the window with one simple kiss.
Liam presses his body against mine, pushing me back against the table on the balcony. His hands go to my waist, his long fingers exploring every curve of my body. There’s no fighting this. How could I? After trying so hard to seduce, my sentence is set in stone.
I let out a small sigh as his lips go to my neck, desire rippling through me as his full lips explore my skin. My nipples are already hardening, straining against the fabric of my bra and pleading for his touch.
I know I should put an end to this. I should tease him some, make him beg for it. But, somehow, my brain can’t process any of that. With each passing second the real world becomes just a distant nuisance, like the echoed memory of some long forgotten dream. Only his touch matters to me now… His lips, his hands. His muscular chest pressed tight against mine.
My eyes are closed, but I don’t need to see. I let my hands guide me, my fingertips going up his neck as I explore the hard features of his square jaw line and high cheekbones. I go up to his hair, running my fingers through and disheveling it, my heart beating faster than ever.
A shiver goes through my spine as he slides his hands up the sides of my body, running them up to my hair. There, he hooks his fingers in it, yanking and forcing me to throw my head back and expose my neck. His slightly parted lips give way to a row of perfect white teeth, and he nibbles at the tender skin on my neck, all of me surrendering to Liam Donovan.
Still gripping my hair, he lets one hand fall down to my waist and then, burying his fingers on my flesh, forces me to turn on my heels. I offer no
resistance, my fingers gripping the edge of the table on the balcony. He laces my waist with his arm and I jut my ass back, immediately feeling the bulge inside his pants squeezing itself against my ass cheeks.
I lean forward over the tables, sighing heavily while he takes both his hands down my legs and, grabbing the hemline of my dress, he pushes it up to my waist. My skin prickles as I feel the cool air lapping at it, and I can’t help but bite down on my lower lip as I imagine Liam’s eyes tracing the contour of my ass, my small black thong the only barrier between me and him.
Placing the back of his hand behind my knee, he slides his fingers up my leg, only his knuckles brushing against my skin. He goes up to my cheeks and then starts to trace the contour of my thong, going all the way to my groins. Another sigh leaves my lips as his fingertips go back and forth, my pussy growing wetter by the second. Everything in me is burning, desire like an anchor on my mind, pushing it down into a sea of forbidden lust.
And it feels amazing.
I hold my breath as his lips travel from my neck to my ear, and then he whispers.
“Spread your legs,” he says, a commanding tone in each of his words. The moment I hear him, I move, my body reacting on instinct. There’s something about him - something wild and primal - that leaves no space for defiance. Whatever he tells me to do, I know I’ll do it.
As soon as I spread my legs, he grabs my thong and pulls it against the side of my thigh. I grit my teeth as he stretches the fabric, only stopping after the sound of it ripping reaches my eardrums. He throws it to the side like a used rag, and I suddenly feel exposed, my cheeks flushing as I imagine him looking at my naked ass.