Sure Bet (Out of Left Field #1)

23. Brooke

Chapter 23

Brooke

K neeling on the floor before me, Liam’s hungry eyes locked on me like a predator ready to tear into its prey. His chestnut hair fell in messy waves around his face. I pulled hard on the strands at the base of his neck, holding him in place.

I had longed for him in secret, spent years pining for something I didn’t believe I’d ever have—his affection and admiration. Yet there he was, at my feet, all attention fixed on me and waiting for my command.

A slow smile unfurled over my face, my fingertips digging into his scalp. “You heard me.”

A steady voice for an uncompromising demand. There was no room for doubts and insecurities on the throne of my pleasure.

He licked his lips, his gaze unwavering and his smirk wolfish. “Say it again.”

My grip tightened on his hair, a surge of electricity thrumming through my veins. My heart raced with excitement, my body loose and tight simultaneously. I’d made myself come, but I wasn’t sated—not even close.

“You heard me: mouth, hands, tongue, and cock. Get to work.” I tipped my chin, not in arrogance, but in confidence.

It was a rush of power, not just about him or his encouragement to take it—it was about me owning my desires without apology. I deserved to get what I wanted.

He seemed to agree. With a rough groan, he pressed forward and buried his face in my pussy. The broad flat of his tongue licked in a languid pass and then another, testing strokes before he gripped my hips. His fingers dug into the flesh and hauled my ass to the edge of the bed.

I squealed, falling onto my back as Liam lifted my hips to bring my body closer to his mouth. There was no more tentative exploration. He dove in, spreading me with his fingers while his expert tongue devoured. Husky groans rumbled low in his throat as he flicked his tongue over my clit, kissing and sucking at me.

I clawed at the sheets, twisting with pleasure and struggling to breathe. My left leg dropped down when I tried to find purchase and leverage against the ruthless strokes of his tongue, but my heel slipped off the blanket.

Liam grasped my ankle, tossing my leg over his shoulder. He lifted his head to grin at me, arousal wet on his chin and mouth. With a throaty grunt, he grabbed my other ankle and draped it over his shoulder, his body wedged between my legs and forcing me wider. He used his thumbs to trace my labia, sliding to spread my lips and thrust two fingers inside me.

His eyes intently watched my reaction, his brows furrowing when I bucked and pulled hard at the sheets.

Curling his fingers, he worked me into a frenzy. His eyes devoured me as eagerly as his hands. “Mm. That’s beautiful. Let go.”

I bowed against the mattress, panting something incoherent as I tumbled into my climax. My calves flexed over his shoulders, everything going tight.

“What was that, Brooke?” A vicious curve in that smile; his eyes shone fiercely with pride. “Did you say something?”

He eased his fingers from me, but he cupped my pussy as aftershocks of my orgasm fluttered through me. Sensitive to his touch, I inched up the bed for respite from the overstimulation.

“Oh, my queen, no. You asked for it all.” He reached for the nightstand, opening it and blindly rummaging until he found what he wanted. The foil crinkled as he tore open the condom and sheathed himself. “Just one more thing.”

Liam said he’d have me all night, and he did.

My legs fell open for him when he rose from the floor, naked and proud. Thick and magnificent, he stroked himself and hummed his approval. “You’re gorgeous like this, Brooke. Spread and ready for me.”

Shadows danced through the curtains with the moon’s glow, the soft light only enhancing the cut of his form. The mattress sank when his knees planted on the bed, and he crawled his way along my body. One hand gripped his length as he traced my slit with his cockhead, the sound obscene.

“You’re so wet for me, fuck.” He grasped my knee, pushing it to my chest, and lined himself up with my entrance. “I wish you could see this from my perspective, Brooke. Look how good you take me,” he murmured, easing forward.

He hissed a slow breath as he moved inside me, both of us groaning with each glorious inch.

“That’s nice,” I breathed. “God, Liam. That’s?—”

“Do I feel good?” he said low in my ear, dragging his hips back and thrusting again. “Because you feel like fucking heaven. Dirty, filthy, erotic heaven. Christ.”

I laughed, but a sharp bite to my shoulder shut me up.

“If you keep clenching like that, I’m going to blow before you. Have some compassion.”

He laughed with me this time, though his jaw flexed tight, and he gritted his teeth. I affected him as much as he did me, and pleasure soared through me with the recognition. The intensity in his gaze, the affectionate brush of his thumb over my cheek, and his drive to please me confirmed it. But it was the heavy beat of my heart that allowed me to feel it—all of it.

Liam shadowed me, rolling his hips in easy strokes as he buried his nose into my neck and groaned roughly. My hands combed through his hair, sliding down and smoothing over his shoulders. Skin heated and damp with sweat, we clung to one another.

He fucked me slowly, taking my wrists to hold my arms above my head as he pushed deep inside. Each languid thrust was a gentle connection, a moment of affection between us, and though new, it felt familiar—right.

“You good?” he rasped against my shoulder, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin. He palmed my breast, and I bowed into the touch.

“So good,” I panted, meeting his sweet strokes with a thrust of my own. “You?”

One hand snaked over my throat, holding me in place, and he nodded against me. “This okay?”

My hand covered his, and I squeezed. “I like it harder.”

He hesitated, but only for a moment. “Be more clear. What do you like harder?” Pulling back to get a look at me, he hovered on his forearms. His eyes flickered to mine, and I bit my lip.

“Everything,” I whispered. Gentle was wonderful, but Liam was different… I wanted something different. “You said… about mounting. I want you to mount me. Please,” I added.

He cursed softly and dropped his head back with a groan. “Fuck, happily. I’ll pin you down and make you take it, Brooke.”

And he did.

He railed me hard and harder still, whispering praise and filthy adorations as he flipped me onto my stomach and lifted my hips. “I love you on display like this,” he murmured against my cunt, tonguing and licking me from behind. “All of you.”

I nearly shot off the bed when he rimmed me. “Oh, Jesus Christ!”

He chuckled as he rose and towered over me. “New for you? You’ll love it.”

“I just might,” I mumbled into the pillow, my cheeks blazing hot.

But it wasn’t embarrassment that stoked the flames. It was Liam’s approval, his uncompromising arousal. He looked at me like nothing was off-limits because he wanted everything, and even that might not be enough. I’d never been consumed by someone else’s desire, never wanted with an insatiable hunger.

Skating his palm up my back, he pressed between my shoulder blades until my chest was flat against the mattress. Leaning over me, his lips brushed my ear. “Such a good, greedy girl. You’ll take what I give, and you’ll take it well, won’t you?”

“Yes,” I breathed.

He kissed my cheek before he flattened his hand over it. “Of fucking course you will. Breathe, baby, and ass up high.”

And then he did exactly what he said he’d do to me that night on the phone. He shoved my face into the bed and fucked me hard from behind. His hands gripped my hips, forcing them up while he pounded so ruthlessly my teeth rattled.

Gray clouds filled the sky, the threat of rain on the horizon, but Liam packed food for a picnic anyway. After a night—and morning—of marathon sex, I took the day off from work.

Though I’d done it because of exhaustion and an aching vagina, my stomach felt a little queasy. “Think it’s okay to be out of the house today?”

We stood in the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed after a few false starts.

Liam licked the jelly off his finger. “Yes. It’s not supposed to rain until this evening.”

“No, like, what if someone sees me and tells Dr. Coleman that I ditched out on work?” I chewed on my thumbnail, staring out the window. “Then again, they would have to be out of the lab to see I’m out of the lab, so. Mutually assured destruction, I guess.”

“That’s the spirit.” Liam smiled brightly, shoving the sandwiches into Tupperware. “I enjoy watching you detonate, but I’ll tell not a soul. Such a questionable influence with your naughtiness. I approve.”

I pressed my hand against my forehead and arched my back seductively. “I am running hot.”

He hummed, snapping the lid onto the container. “I’m but a shell of a man, Brooke. You’ve sucked me dry.” He nudged me with his hip. “Just twenty minutes ago, as a matter of fact. I’ll die of starvation if you hold me hostage any longer.”

I awoke this morning with Liam’s erection rubbing against my ass and his lips kissing along my neck. With little effort, he had me on all fours, grabbing my hair and digging his fingertips into my hips as he took me from behind and I rocked back on him. He’d hauled me flush to his chest, and his hand clasped around my throat as he whispered in my ear to take it.

A blustering claim of a hostage situation, though he occasionally pulled out and made me beg for him to finish me off.

He certainly didn’t appear unhappy to be preparing lunch in the kitchen now. A smile had adorned his face from the moment I agreed to spending the day together. Some hostage.

I pointed sternly at him. “I’m getting you a dictionary for your birthday.”

He hooked his finger in the belt loop of my jeans, pulling me to him. “Perfect. I have this naughty librarian fantasy. Make sure it’s a hardback.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re?—”

“Incorrigible,” he agreed.

Our laughter cut off when the front door flung open, the sound of the wood hitting the wall stopper echoing through the living room.

Shana stumbled into the house, rubbing her weary eyes. We scooted aside when she brushed into the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee. She wore her coat and shoes, and her purse was strapped across her chest. She pulled a mug from the cupboard, one so large I used it as a soup bowl, and filled it to the brim.

She slurped the liquid that spilled down the side with her unsteady walk to the table. With a sigh, she collapsed in a chair.

Liam’s wide eyes met mine, concerned for her state of disarray. She’d been out all night, which wasn’t unusual, but her recent exhaustion was new.

I worked to make my professional dreams come true, but Shana worked hard and hustled for hers. She dreamed of running a dance studio like her mom had before she got sick and sold it, but getting it off the ground was tough.

I worried she’d been working herself to the bone to get the capital together. I wished I had more to offer.

“Hey, Shan. You okay?” I slid into a chair across from her. “Were you working?

She blinked a few times and feathered a hand into her hair, a tangled mess of curls. Had she been using her salon conditioner? She’d either had a great night or an epically terrible one.

“Are you okay?” I repeated when she didn’t answer, glancing at Liam.

Shana sipped her coffee and nodded. She gestured between Liam and me. “You ate your cake early, huh?”

“What? How can you?—”

“Aside from your hickeys”—she snickered and jutted her chin at Liam—“and yours? I heard you sneaking out of his room the other morning.”

I blanched. “Did you hear?—”

“Nope!” She slapped her hands over her ears and screeched. “Thank fuck I got home late.” Cautiously lowering her earmuffs, she ignored Liam’s smirk. “I love you, bestie, but I draw the line on details. Live your best life, but live it quietly.”

“I’ll gag her,” Liam said solemnly, holding up the bag of food and heading toward the door. “Ready?”

“God, gross,” Shana choked as I groaned, “You did not.”

“I did ,” he said happily. “I’m?—”

“Incorrigible,” Shana and I said simultaneously.

Liam looked pleased as he waited by the door with my coat. My best friend grabbed my hand before I got up and whispered to me, “I’m exhausted, not unhappy, okay?” Her gaze flickered to her brother. “I’m not surprised, either.”

I squeezed her hand. “Love you, Shana.”

“Nearly twenty-five years and counting.” She raised her voice so Liam heard, too. “Tomorrow at Neighbors, nine o’clock. If you’re late for our party, I really will be unhappy. With work and our schedules, I feel like passing ships in the night. My new house cleaning gig and your project?—”

Shana gasped suddenly as Liam helped me into my jacket, and we prepared to leave.

“Jesus, it’s chivalrous , not scandalous,” Liam muttered, but Shana hurried out of her chair and shoved him off me.

Gripping my shoulders, she scanned my face. “I can’t believe I forgot to ask! Zaza?”

With Shana’s hectic hustling, I couldn’t blame her for forgetting. I grinned. “We’ll have an army of Zazas.”

We squealed and hugged and rocked back and forth in a tight hug.

“Oh. Well, that’s actually kind of sweet,” Liam mumbled.

Shana punched his shoulder before shoving us out the door.

“Where to?” I asked as we stepped out of the building. Sunlight from a break in the clouds reflected on the slick sidewalks from last night’s rain, and I squinted against the glare.

Liam gestured for me to lead. “Pick a park, any park. Your favorite park? Show me your city, Brooke. My time is yours.” He leaned closer, his voice husky. “My body, too.” He offered his hand and smiled.

My fingers laced with his, and I tugged him down the street. “You grew up around here, too.”

“I know, but I want to know your Seattle, Brooke.” He rubbed the back of his neck, shuffling along. “I want to know you. What you like and how you spend your time and where you go on an overcast day when you want to sit in the wet grass and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a guy who’s kind of maybe a lot crazy about you.” He shrugged. “That’s all.”

I forced him to halt, cupping his face and kissing him before he asked why we stopped. My tongue split the seam of his lips, caressing slowly. He groaned, his hands on my face to mirror my touch on him, deepening the kiss. I bit his bottom lip, tugging as I pulled back.

“Liam,” I panted, “You’re?—”

“Incorrigible?” he offered.

I shook my head, dragging him toward a small park near the waterfront. It was just a strip of gravel with concrete planter boxes full of dead flowers and litter in the bark. It wasn’t much, but it was always quiet and had a view of the Sound that was unbeatable.

“You’re a guy who I’m kind of maybe a lot crazy about. I’ll show you my favorite place to eat lunch by the water. There’s no damp grass, but I promise your pants will still get wet.” He lifted his finger to interject, and I laughed. “Sitting on concrete. Come on.”

He chuckled and mumbled his excitement about getting wet, and off we went, practically skipping down the sidewalk as we held hands, swinging them with every bounce.

“Hey.” I cleared my throat, suddenly shy.

Silly, given how unshy I’d been since coming home with a thundering heart and a note burning a hole in my pocket because it fanned the flames of my undeniable desire for the man who wrote it, for the sentiment of its message, and for the inspiration it gave me to stand in front of a room of my peers and present not only my work, but the meaning and significance of it in my life.

Liam’s note had been a needed reminder that his influence wasn’t about my sexuality, seducing him, settling for less than I wanted with a man, or even a reminder to hold my head high with pride. It was about taking control, taking up space, and believing I deserved to, rather than hiding or apologizing for it.

“Hey…” he prompted, squeezing my hand.

“There’s a celebration dinner for the engineering team next week. The company wants to show their appreciation for everyone’s hard work. It’s kind of a thing—a big thing, I guess. I’ll be getting an award from the board.”

“Brooke!” He spun me around like we were a couple of ballroom dancers, his grin contagious.

I flattened my palms on his shoulders, admiring the shine of excitement in his eyes. “I can bring someone. Would you… want to be my someone?”

He gave a sweet sigh, clasping our hands to his chest. “I’ve always wanted to be your someone, Brooke.”