Liam shifted towards me, easing himself onto the floor. He sat next to me, not touching but close. “Who is he?”
I might as well go for broke now. “My ex-fiancé.”
Liam’s body locked. “Was he abusive?” He didn’t look at me when he asked, just stared straight ahead as if sensing I wouldn’t be able to take it if he looked me in the eye.
“Yes.” The word came out as a whisper on an exhale.
Liam edged closer so that the side of his body pressed against mine. His jaw worked. “I’m so sorry, Tessa.” He blew out a harsh breath. “I want to tear this place apart right now. Demand his name and fucking destroy him.” He took a quick peek at me from the corner of his eye. “But I know that probably isn’t what you need.”
Liam slowly reached over and gently laced his fingers with mine. My skin tingled as though a mini explosion of fireworks were going off in my hand. He pulled our clasped hands to his lips and kissed the back of mine. Liam’s mouth caused a riot of sensations. His lips, so incredibly soft, filled my body with warmth. But the stubble surrounding those lips sent delicious shivers up my arm.
Liam dropped our joined hands in his lap. “I don’t want to say or do the wrong thing. The last thing in the world I want is to make anything harder for you. So, tell me what you need. If it’s to leave you the hell alone, it might break something inside me, but I’ll do it.”
An invisible fist squeezed my heart. Tears pricked at my eyes. “I don’t want you to leave me alone. But I can’t see a way out of this mess. I tried everything I could think of, and the only thing that worked was to cease to exist.”
Liam dropped my hand, reaching around to pull me to him. “You’re not alone. Not anymore. You don’t have to figure this out by yourself.”
My heart so badly wanted to believe that, to fall into what it meant to belong to someone in a healthy way. To belong to a family of someones. To Jensen. Walker. Taylor. The whole extended Cole family. And to Liam most of all.
Liam squeezed my shoulder. “Tell me this. Did you report him?”
I ground my teeth together. “I tried once. He’s got too many connections at every level of the system.”
Liam’s hand flexed. “Fuck. From near here?” I opened my mouth to protest, but Liam waved a hand. “You don’t have to tell me where, just tell me if he lives near here.”
I swallowed, my throat dry at the idea of sharing any details of my past. “No.”
Liam trailed a hand up and down my arm. “If he’s not from around here, and hell, even if he was, I think Walker is your best bet.”
I stiffened. “No. If my ex finds out certain people are helping me, he’ll do everything in his power to ruin them.”
Liam squeezed my arm. “Walker’s a great cop. He signed up for that job for a reason. To serve and protect. He’s not gonna let some asswipe with connections run him off his job.”
Liam didn’t know what Garrett could do, just how powerful he was. I wouldn’t put my friends at risk. “I can’t.” The words were a whisper.
Liam brushed his lips against my temple. “Okay. I won’t press on that for now. Just think about it.” I nodded into his shoulder, soaking up his warmth. “What are we going to do about us? I don’t know what this is yet, but it’s something. I don’t want to lose it.”
I shivered, and Liam pulled me tighter against him. “I don’t either.”
Liam cupped my cheek with his free hand. “Then we won’t. Now that I know what you’re concerned about, I’ll be more careful. I won’t flirt with you here or take you out to dinner at the saloon. We can spend time together where random passersby can’t catch a glimpse.”
My heart thudded against my ribs. “Really? You’d do that?”
Liam’s thumb swept across my cheek. “I think I’d do just about anything for you.”
It was me who closed the distance. I couldn’t express what I wanted to any other way than my lips on his. The kiss was tentative at first, almost a little jerky. I was unsure if he might pull away. But the second his lips moved with mine, all of my hesitations vanished.
Liam tilted my head for better access as his tongue swept inside, dancing with mine. He groaned. The kiss went on forever and yet was over far too soon. Liam pulled back with a muttered curse. “I have to stop now. I mean, fuck, I don’t want to stop, but I don’t think this is the time or the place.”
Sheer panic at someone seeing us and at us taking this any further had my mind racing. And that same anxiety had my next words tumbling out before I could stop them. “I don’t know if I’m any good at sex.”
Liam’s eyes widened, and then he burst out laughing. “What are you talking about?”
I smacked him lightly on the chest. “It’s not funny.”
Liam grinned down at me. “It’s a little funny. Why in the world would you say that?”
I looked down, toying with the edge of my shirt. “I just... I’ve never really hadgoodsex. I’ve only been with one person.” My cheeks heated. “And looking back, it was always about him. What he wanted. What he needed. It was all about power.” I swallowed thickly, embarrassment filling me at the admission.
