Deceit (Gallows Hill #1)

24. Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three

Skyla

I ’m walking to my introduction to business class the next day. My new favorite morning drink is firmly in my hand when a pair of arms grab me, pulling me into a supply closet. Apple cider splashes across my arm before I lose my grip on it entirely, watching as it spills on the floor.

I look up to see how huge this closet is. It’s bigger than you’d expect a closet to be, much like everything at this university, but it’s still only about six feet deep and four feet wide. There are shelves of cleaning supplies and maintenance tools as well as Liam and Ronan.

Liam unwinds his arms from around my waist before pressing a chaste kiss against my lips. For half a second, I lean into the gesture before I remember where we are, who is in front of us and everything that came with last night. Ripping myself away from him, my eyes come up to Ronan, waiting for his anger or chastising. Instead, he is stoic, his watchful eyes on the two of us.

“What’s going on?” I ask softly, as my eyes bounce between the two of them.

I look up at Ronan to see some red marks around his neck.

“Oh my god! What happened?”

“You like him,” Ronan says stiffly, dodging my question completely.

It doesn’t sound like a question, though I’m not sure it’s a statement either. Maybe a verification of sorts? Maybe it is his way of asking, but he’s so damn direct it’s hard to tell.

“I—”

The words die on my tongue. To be honest, Liam is kind of obnoxious, and half the time he’s practically Asher’s little lap dog. He’s slept with half the population of this university, and I’m not so sure that would stop just because I confessed that I may have felt a spark there last night. Liam seems to be able to understand my hesitancy as he gains my attention.

“I like you, babygirl. I want more nights like last night, I want your days too. I want you.”

A rush of butterflies take flight inside me as his light green eyes latch onto mine, not letting me go for seemingly anything.

“What about Asher?” I find myself asking.

Liam’s smile doesn’t budge, even for a second as he lifts a hand up, his thumb brushing against the outline of my mouth.

“What about him? If he’s not going to recognize what a perfect diamond was laid before his feet, I’m certainly not going to pass it up. You deserve to be taken care of, treasured. He’s so unworthy of you, it’s unreal. I just hope that my dumbass hasn’t earned the same fate,” he says, with a slight crook of his head. As if he were testing the waters with that last part.

My eyes come to Ronan, who apparently hasn’t looked away since I was pulled into this closet. My eyes are asking him a million questions and thankfully, he speaks.

“It’s okay, if you want to be with him. It would be easier, at least for the time being.”

I frown at that, taking a step away from Liam until I’m pressed against Ronan. I have to look up to maintain eye contact as I shake my head.

“I want you, Ronan. I…we…”

I’m tongue tied, and amazed at how I got myself into this situation in the first place.

“What if you didn’t have to choose?” Liam says.

“What?” I ask, turning to face him fully.

He takes a step closer, pinning me in against Ronan’s chest while he plasters himself against my front.

“What if we didn’t make you choose? What if you could be with both of us?”

I blink at him, waiting for this jester to deliver the punchline. It doesn’t seem to come, though. Instead, he’s watching me with rapt attention as Ronan’s hand comes to my hip, squeezing gently.

“I…what?” I ask breathlessly.

They can’t be serious….can they?”

“Things are…messy right now,” Ronan continues. “I can’t be with you the way I want to, the way you deserve. Though, you would still need a level of…discretion with Liam since you are engaged. He can be with you in a lot of ways and places that I can’t.”

I frown at that as I look up at him.

“So, what? He’s going to keep me warm for you? Am I just a plaything that you want to keep satisfied, while you handle Amber whatever while I—”

I don’t get to finish my sentence. Ronan’s lips are pressed against my own in an instant, and all irritation, confliction and sadness die right then and there. His hold on my hip tightens to the point of near pain, but I’d never ask him to stop. His tongue strokes against my own briefly before he pulls away, resting his forehead against mine as he speaks just above a whisper.

“You’re everything, Skyla. Absolutely fucking everything. No one matters to me more than you, do you understand me?”

My stomach flips at the sincerity in his words. Surely he can’t actually mean that, right? We’ve only known each other for about a month. There is no way feelings can develop that quickly. But…

“It took Liam three hours of begging this morning for me to even semi agree to this. You think I want to share my girl? That I like the thought of his hands, his lips, on you? Fuck. No.”

I shake my head. “Then, why even offer?”

His eyes cut away from mine to meet Liam’s before coming back to me.

“Because he made some excellent points and if I’m honest, I’ve never seen the kid work so hard for anything in his life. He wants you, almost as much as I do and that’s saying a lot. If he is willing to risk severe bodily harm, again,” he says, as he gestures to the bruising on Liam’s face and his nose that look a little swollen now that I stare at it. “By coming to me with this and knowing you want him too… he’s the only man that would be barely worthy of you.”

“Apart from you, of course,” I fill in.

He gives me a barely there smile and shrugs.

“I’m not so sure I’m even there.”

I roll my eyes at his dramatics and slip my hand behind his neck, pulling him down to my lips before speaking against him.

“You’re more than there, Ronan.”

His stoic mask cracks at the seams, and a small soft smile shines through.

“So, what do you say babygirl?” Liam asks, his voice honey smooth, though I can sense a hint of impatience beneath it. As if he were anxious. It’s kind of cute.

Looking between them I shake my head.

“How would this work?”

“Well, we haven’t exactly written out a visitation schedule,” Liam teases.

I scoff and smack his arm as he chuckles and Ronan intervenes.

“We can take it day by day, and if you ever feel overwhelmed or don’t want to be with one or even both of us, open communication. You call the shots here, baby.”

“What if you guys want to be done? If you don’t want to be with me or—”

“Not gonna happen,” they say in unison.

I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face at their unwavering insistence. Could I really date two men at the same time? To make matters worse, while I’m technically engaged? To make it even worse, when one of those men is my fiancé’s best friend while the other is his uncle…Yeah, I don’t see that blowing up in any of our faces in the future.

Still, I’m not a stupid woman. What they are offering me here is many women’s dream. Mine especially, because I like both of them for very different reasons.

“Okay,” I say.

“Yeah?” Liam asks, his eagerness bleeding through immediately.

I smile at him, and he practically pounces on me. His mouth on mine, tongue tangling with my own as Ronan makes a sound in the back of his throat before clearing it.

“I have a meeting with the Headmaster. You keep her safe or I’ll fucking gut you,” Ronan says, though his words don’t hold that much heat. Maybe it’s because he trusts Liam with me, or maybe it’s because he’s not that worried and is trying to flex his authoritative muscle. Either way, it’s sexy as hell to hear a man demand your safety like that. Though, I’ve gotta wonder, what is he supposed to be protecting me from? Asher?

Likely.

Liam pulls away from me, giving Ronan a mock salute that has him rolling his eyes before he pulls me in for a kiss. When he releases my hip and backs away, he slips past us as he turns to Liam once more.

“Be discreet, please. Make sure there are no…prying eyes.”

“Ronan, I’ve got this,” Liam says, as he loops an arm around my waist.

Ronan’s face tenses slightly, almost in displeasure before he gives a terse nod and slips out of the closet, shutting the door behind him.

“So, now that the grown up is gone. You sure you’re in, babygirl? You seem hesitant.”

I turn my head slightly as I try to verbalize the array of emotions racing through me.

“I just…I like you. I didn’t expect to when I said yes to our date, trust me,” I laugh lightly before smiling. “You’re different than you portray. There is more to you than you let on, and I’d like to get to know that Liam more, but I also really care for Ronan and—”

“Say less, babygirl. I’d love to show you the real me. This world…sometimes you have to hide pieces of yourself, for preservation and survival.”

I nod, understanding that if everyone in this town is like my father, then it makes complete sense.

“However I will say, your fiancé will kick my front teeth in when he finds out about us.”

I laugh at his words as I tilt my head back.

“Didn’t Ronan just say that we need to keep a low profile? Away from prying eyes?” I remind.

“Of course, but he wasn’t talking about Asher.”

“Who was he talking about then?”

He doesn’t respond at first, then he simply shrugs and gives me that signature smile that sends my heart racing as he cups the back of my head and pulls me in.

“Who cares,” he says, before crashing his lips against me.

Something feels different in this kiss than before. There is so much need, so much unquenched desire. Suddenly his hands are everywhere, setting my body on fire with every inch he touches.

I feel his hands come to the hem of my skirt before bunching it up around my hips. It’s a warmer day today so I skipped the stockings, and god I couldn’t be more grateful when Liam is able to easily slide down my panties before dropping to his knees.

“Fuck, have I told you how pretty your pussy is, babygirl?”

I make a strangled noise in my throat because honestly, how does he expect me to think, let alone speak when his mouth is inches from me?

Before I can even try to formulate a response his tongue is out, flattening against my slit before running it through me in one long delicious lick that has me shuddering. He repeats the move again and again, his eyes on me the entire time. I feel one of his hands come to my left thigh, before lifting it up and out, resting it over his shoulder to allow him better access.

God, does he make use of that access too. Liam begins devouring me like he was a starved man, and I was a feast he couldn’t resist. His tongue expertly twirls around my clit, licking me from top to bottom, until I’m a writhing panting mess.

I lean my back against the wall to help stabilize me, because my legs are all but gelatin at this point, but he seems to have a better idea. Once my back is against the wall, Liam takes my right leg, lifting it up and resting it against his other shoulder. I almost lose my balance until his large hands come to my waist, holding me perfectly in place as he slowly begins to stand.

There is something to be said about a man that can pick you up. There is something entirely different about a man that can lift you into the air while your thighs are wrapped around his shoulders, and his face buried in your pussy.

He doesn’t skip a beat. Rising to his full height before he presses me all the way against the wall, his tongue stroking and licking me as his hands hold me in place. I bury my fingers into his blond, almost wavy hair. At first, I think I do it to balance myself but really, it’s so that I can grind myself against him better because I’m so close to my release I can practically taste it.

Liam must be able to tell too because he moans against me, vibrating my clit just enough to throw me right over the edge. I come hard and the first moan that comes out of me is so loud, I have to release his hair and slap my hand over my mouth so that no one thinks a person is being murdered in here. I feel wave after wave of my orgasm hit me, and Liam doesn’t stop eating me until he’s licked every inch of me clean.

Once the euphoric typhoon subsides, he slowly lowers himself back down to his knees allowing my feet to hit the ground before he stands up again, once again pocketing my panties as he does. His hands reach out, pulling down my skirt and even smoothing a few lines out as he does before he gives me that dopey smile that I love.

He runs a hand through his now messy hair, before opening the closet door and letting me step out first. He follows closely behind me, wrapping his arms around me as he whispers into my ear.

“Thank you, babygirl. I almost skipped breakfast. Most important meal of the day!”

I scoff, shoving him away before he reels me back in. He presses a kiss to my nose and then to my cheek before burying his face into my neck, making a growling sound that has me squealing. When he finally lets up, we are both laughing and smiling like a couple of fools. A light feeling wrapping us up into a perfect cocoon. At least for two-point-five seconds before a pair of dark brown eyes catch my attention.

He's standing there glaring at us with a woman on each arm but honestly, he’s not paying them any attention. Honestly, he’s not paying any attention to me either. Instead, his eyes are set firmly on his best friend. Liam doesn’t shy away from his glare either. Rather, he returns it with a goading edge.

For a moment I wonder if the only reason Liam is interested in me at all is just to get under Asher’s skin. That thought disappears in the next moment though when Liam wraps his arm around my shoulder, casually letting it drape around me as he presses a kiss to the side of my head and begins guiding me towards the class that I’m already late for.

Asher all but stomps off in the opposite direction, his groupies quickly in tow as he leaves them in the dust. We don’t pay them any attention, though. I’m happy, we’re happy, at least I think so and for once, I won’t be letting Asher fucking Putnam ruin that.