Fighting With Light (The Coldwell Brothers #2)

45. Liam

45

Liam

“It will only take us about thirty minutes to get there. I rented a house right outside of San Clemente.”

Aelia nods and keeps looking out the window. I think we both just need a lot of sleep. I know I do.

Yet, I feel energized. We said I love you. There is no going back now.

Other women have said that to me in the past, those were flings. Those meant nothing to me. But I never said it back. I’m well aware that I was a playboy, was being the keyword. Those words felt too important for me to just throw out into the open. But now I’ll scream it from the rooftops, I love Aelia Costa.

I smile, driving down the highway that sits right next to the old Pacific Coast highway. The irony of this all is not lost on me. A while ago, Kai told me that a woman would come and knock me off my feet, she would catch me by surprise, and I would be dragging her into the mess of our family drama. Maybe the joke is on him because of all people, Aelia can handle the Coldwell family chaos. She has been a part of all of this since day one. She knows what it’s like. I don’t have to explain the reasons behind why my brothers and I were tactically trained. Her brothers were, too.

Maybe we really can make this work.

As I pull up into the driveway of the house I rented for us, I grab my pistol. I thoroughly doubt anyone is looking or following us, but I’d rather be safe than sorry and also sleep better because of it. I have three days until the competition, and the title has my name on it.

Aelia holds her hand out to me before I get out of the truck and I look down at it. “What?” I ask her.

She moves her fingers in a come to me motion. “ Gun ,” she says.

“Oh, uh, check the glove compartment. I usually have one in there.” She makes a face and opens it and there’s a small one in there. You never know.

She checks for one in the chamber, glances at the full magazine, and gets out of the car.

“You can stay here, just in case. I can do this.”

Aelia glares at me and suddenly I’m not sure we should be having this conversation when there’s a gun in her hand.

“Just because we said I love you doesn’t mean that you get to do these things alone. I’m not a damsel in distress, Liam.”

“I know, princess, but …”

“No buts, Liam, if there was someone here then we’ve already given ourselves away. Come on,” she says and leads towards the house. We approach the front step and I see a box and look around it to make sure it’s not a bomb or something. I tap it once and nothing happens. Glancing at the label, I see that it’s what I ordered for Aelia.

I give her the code to the front door and she types it in and pushes the door open. She was determined to go in first, despite my protests, so I covered her from behind.

The house is smaller than the others I’ve rented, not that size matters in this case. It’s closer to the mountains, and the beach is right outside the back door. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen and a living room. That’s it. Its location has a good vantage point, and you can see anything coming from all angles.

It takes us five minutes to clear the house. Aelia sets her gun on the counter and plops on the couch in the living room.

“I’ll go get our stuff,” I mutter and go back out the front door.

My mind has been spinning since we got what we needed in Colombia. Combined with the fact that love is on the table, I have no clue how to do this...relationship thing.

Regardless, I want her forever .

Since we’re on the same page about how we feel about each other, the bigger question is, can our love stand the pressure from both ends of our family? I know mine isn’t keen on Aelia, and she understands that. She doesn’t blame them for it, either. But she is not her father, she is far from it.

So when this is all over and our fathers are buried under the prison, where will that leave us? Will she want to get married? I never thought I would get married. It was never something on my radar. My family, climbing, and surfing were. Women were a side thing for me, something fun until it wasn’t fun anymore. I see now how empty it was.

Aelia has helped me see a lot of things in a new light. I grab our bags, the box, and drop them in the small master bedroom at the end of the hall.

Opening the box, I set the nicer black La Perla box on the corner of the bed, since I ripped her other pajamas. I ordered replacements a while ago, but I couldn’t exactly have them delivered in Colombia.

Walking into the kitchen, I find Aelia sitting at the island. “I found some cereal and milk,” she says, lifting the spoon into her mouth.

She pushes the bowl of dried cereal and carton of milk towards me. “I definitely need a lot more protein, but I’m too tired to care.”

“There’s a ton of chicken and steak in the fridge, though,” she says.

I nod and spoon the cereal into my mouth. “Awesome, right on time.”

“Is this how you always do things? Rent a place wherever you are and then get food delivered?”

“Depends on where I am, but I’ve been here a bunch before and figured out this works best that way. I can get what I need before a comp, and I don’t have to find it at a restaurant or something.”

She hums and chews slowly.

“What?” I ask her, not sure what else she’s trying to ask.

“Well, I was just wondering if this is what we will always do.”

I study her for a moment, and she takes another bite.

“As in you…want to come to all my surfing competitions?”

Aelia stops chewing and tilts her head. “Well yeah, if that’s what you want to continue doing… ”

I smile at her. “Honestly, I hadn’t really thought about it. I do like looking for you on shore.”

“I’ll wear my red bikini so you can see me from the water.” She winks and I cough, knowing exactly which one she’s talking about, as she scoops cereal into her mouth.

“Um, more people know me here and, babe, there are kids, and…”

“I won’t wear that one. I have another red one,” she says with amusement all over her face.

“Does it cover your ass? Because when you wore the other one in Portugal, I could barely concentrate. All I could think about was some dude ogling you, and then I’d have to lose my competition and gouge his eyeballs out with a spoon, which is not good for my career.”

Aelia drops her spoon in her empty bowl.

“No, Tarzan, that would not be good for your career, and yes, this one covers my butt, I promise.”

“Good,” I grunt.

She rolls her eyes and puts the bowl in the sink.

“I’m going to go take a shower,” she says, passing me.

“Be there in a minute.”

I finish my cereal and grab an apple, taking a bite on my way to the back deck. Collapsing on a chair, I listen to the waves. I missed them. It’s dark out, and only a sliver of the moon is present, and it feels like a blanket of calm right now. The only way I could bury what I was feeling was by compartmentalizing, and now I need to let it go.

We were in Colombia for barely forty-eight hours, but it felt like months. I still haven’t totally caught my breath after seeing someone threaten Aelia’s life. I know she can handle herself, but I want to protect her. She deserves to have someone stand in front of her no matter what, and I am that man. I will be her champion.

She’s lived so much of her life alone. I want to be that man for her, and I hope the love between us is enough to sustain what is likely to be a nasty fight. Neither of our fathers will take this laying down. It will more than certainly put an even bigger target on all of our backs, may even get someone killed, and that is the last thing either of us wants.

“Liam?” Aelia calls softly from the living room.

“Out here, baby,” I call.

I look up at her silhouetted figure barely lit by the moon and a shiver rolls down my spine. God help me, I love this woman.

“I opened your present,” she says.

“Do you like it?” I ask her.

“Yes, thank you. Better question, do you like it?” she asks. The little robe that came with the set sits over her shoulders. I reach for her hip and feel the soft silk under my hand.

“You already know the answer to that question. You’re fishing, princess.”

She giggles. “Maybe. Why are you sitting out here? I thought you were coming to bed.” She steps up closer to me and I grab her wrist, tugging her into my lap. She rests her head on my shoulder as I rub my hand up and down her warm thigh. I think I could stay here forever.

“You smell like mountains and blood,” she says.

I chuckle and kiss her cheek. “Mmm, you smell so good,” I growl into her neck and inhale sweet cherries.

“Well, get your fill of smells now because I’m getting off your crusty lap.”

I pinch her thigh and she yelps. “Don’t be mean to me, princess, it gets me all hot and bothered.”

“You’ll just be bothered if you don’t shower. ” She stands and holds out her hand, tugging me back into the house. I close the doors, flip the lock, and follow her into our room.

“Go, you’ll feel better. I’ll wait for you.”

***

When I open the door to the bathroom, it’s dim, with the TV as the only light in the room. Aelia is lying on her side, watching the screen .

“I swear you take longer showers than me,” she says, holding the remote up to turn the TV off. We plunge back into the darkness and it finally feels calm. The robe is gone, and her silky shorts and lacey camisole are all that covers her.

“Well, you said I stank, so I made sure I was extra clean.”

“Gee thanks, Tarzan, now you don’t smell like the jungle.”

I grunt and beat my fist against my chest. She giggles and gets on her knees towards the edge of the bed. “Come here,” she whispers.

Stepping closer, she drags her fingers over my lips, pulling my lower one down. My hands remain at my sides, giving her control. She releases my lip, and it pops as she drags her fingers over my chin, ghosting my neck, brushing my chest, and grazing my abs. The air in my lungs feels like it’s not enough and I inhale short breaths. Her fingers reach the edge of my towel tucked at my hips and she scrapes a nail across my skin, teasing me.

Aelia leans in, bites my chin, and untucks the towel. It brushes my thighs as it falls to the floor, and her lips touch mine. I try to catch them, but she pulls away at the last second. Growling, I lift my hands to reach for her, and she pulls back.

“Ah, ah,” she says.

I grunt, dropping my hands again.

Her lips move from my face down to my chest to my abs and lower. I fist and relax my hands, ignoring the need to touch her. Feel her within my grip. Her nails gently scrape down my chest and my skin twitches under the sensation.

“I love how your body reacts to my touch. It’s very reassuring.”

“What do you mean, reassuring?” I ask.

“I just…” she trails off and I reach for her chin, tilting it up.

We can barely see each other in the dark. The blinds are closed, and the moon is dim, but I feel like I can see what’s within her and that shines brighter than any light. I can see the heart that has broken over and over again, whose pieces somehow fit with mine. I see the woman who longs to be loved for exactly who she is and not who she pretends to be.

“You are my weakness, you know that?” I tell her. I can feel her gaze drilling holes through my heated skin. “You make me stronger because of it. ”

She remains quiet as my heart threatens to punch through my chest.

”I see you, Aelia.” I catch an audible gasp from her lips and drop to my knees in front of her. “Look at me,” I command.

She looks down and I wish I could see those spring eyes. “I am on my knees for you. I’m yours, princess. All I am belongs to you, and I want you to have it. I love you ,“ I say, almost choking up. I’m not used to saying those words to anyone but my family. She is my family now.

Aelia drags her hands through my long hair and I groan.

“Stand up,” she whispers. I rise to the edge of the bed and she stands up on the mattress.

Her fingers grip the edge of her camisole and I watch her undress. She pushes the silk shorts over her hips and kicks them to the side.

Vulnerability is not in either of our natures, we are more likely to cover it with something else. But standing here without an inch of clothing, and a whole lot of feelings for a woman that was never supposed to be mine, it’s hard not to be.

She drops back down to her knees, bouncing gently on the mattress, and puts her hands around my neck, rubbing her thumbs on the underside of my jaw. My pulse leaps out like it’s trying to wrap itself around her.

“I have never felt so loved as I do by you. You are the mountain tops. You are the reason I am fighting with the light instead of succumbing to the darkness that has been nipping at my heels. You’ve freed me. I don’t just love you, Liam, I belong to you. My heart is yours .”

I lift a knee to the edge of the bed, and she lays back as I crawl over her. Her arms loop around my neck, and she lifts her chin, kissing me briefly. We’re so close, almost sharing breath, that I press my lips to hers again.

“I don’t deserve it, Aelia. I don’t deserve to hold your heart.”

She smiles and grips my hair, tugging me to her lips.

“Yes, you do. You’re the only one that can take the pain that comes with it.”

I shake my head and drag my crooked nose against her perfect one. I have never pretended to be good. I have been and always will be willing to do whatever it takes to protect my family. I will always do the hard thing for them.

“I don’t understand how you know who I am and still want me,” I whisper.

Her hands come to my cheeks and she kisses me, slipping her tongue into my mouth, pulling me away from the perceived reality we live in. Right now it’s me and her. There is nothing else, no one else. We are the only ones in the world.

“We are two halves of a bloody, dark whole, Liam. The things we’ve both done were not out of malice, but love. That heart of yours is simply too soft to be bad. Love is your motivator, and that’s all that matters to me.”

Unable to take it anymore, I dive into her. Our bodies press together and it’s like the change of the tide. It’s gradual, but evident. Love fills the spaces between us with short gasps and sighs as I feel her soft skin beneath my rough palms.

Aelia whines into my mouth, lifting her hips, silently begging me for what she wants. “I love you,” she whimpers.

“I love you,” I rasp, grabbing her knee. She lifts both, locking her ankles at my spine.

“Please,” she whispers.

“Always,” I murmur, tasting her sweetness and rock into her.

She moans as we move. I look down in the dim blue moonlight reflecting off her face as she absorbs the feeling of us together.

“More,” she groans. I slide my hand under her lower back and she locks her thighs at my hips, tensing her muscles, squeezing me as I sit us up. Aelia gasps with the new position and I bite her chin, silently asking for her lips. She grips the back of my neck, holding onto me tightly, swirling her hips, as soft pants brush my cheeks with every press of her chest against mine.

“C’est ca mon amour,” that’s it, my love, I mutter.

She moans in my ear and I flip us again, lifting her leg over my shoulder. Aelia sobs out and I grab her hands, holding them above her head. Our fingers link tightly together as I grind my hips against hers.

“Ma reine,” my queen, I grunt out at the edge of myself.

Her back arches and her chin tilts back as she comes apart beneath me. My hips stutter as I shatter above her.

Releasing her hands, I catch myself on my elbows and she sighs, dragging her nails up and down my ribs. My arm is sore and burning with the stitches holding the skin together, but I ignore it. It’s going to burn even more when I’m in salt water tomorrow.

Aelia hums, kissing me again and I kiss her back, filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for someone that accepts me as I am. Rolling to my side, I pull her into my chest and her lips burn memories into my sweaty skin.

I give in to the exhaustion that has started to pull me into the deep throws of sleep.

“What did you say?” she asks.

I hum and hug her tighter.

“Earlier,” she says.

“My queen,” I murmur and kiss the top of her head.

“If I’m your queen, then you are my king,” she says into my chest.

I chuckle and shake my head, prying my eyes open.

“No baby, I am your soldat,” I mutter.

She’s quiet for a moment and I’m almost asleep again when she says, “You’re not my soldier. That doesn’t work at all.”

I groan and she says, “Tu sei il mio tutto, il mio soldato, il mio re, il mio cuore.” You are my everything, my soldier, my king, my heart. Her lips press to my heart as I think through her words. Italian is close to French, and it takes me a second to put what she’s saying together.

“You are my everything, too, baby.”