Chapter Twenty-One
Liam slidinto the office as silently as possible, and worry made him lurch forward when he saw Catriona, her face in her hands behind the computer. It was the very first time since he’d met her, that he’d seen her as anything other than positive.
“Angel?”
Shivering in surprise, she rubbed her eyes before looking up and smiling, but this time, there was a shadow in her light. “Has Lazarus called his contact yet?”
“Left a message. Should hear from him soon. What’s going on?”
“Just double-checking, maybe I missed something.”
Liam doubted it was what put her in that state. “If the only way to cut off Finch is finding the money source, or lack of, through those fake accounts, I’m sure you’re right.”
“But I could be wrong, looking at the data wrong.” And as if to prove a point, her hands returned to the keyboard, eyes fixed to what was in front of her with the same focus he knew her to have.
Going to her, Liam put a hand on her shoulder until her fingers ceased to move, and she finally turned to him. “You don’t have to worry. I’m sure your hunch is good and that contacting the hacker is the right thing to do.”
Her eyes looked bleak. “We can’t be certain of anything. That’s why I need to find another possibility, another crack in that case that will allow us another option is the first one fails.”
Catriona was about to turn back to her computer, but Liam took her hands. “A second option is always good, but I doubt it’s there. You’re great at what you do. How many times have you doubted yourself like this?”
“Never.”
“So, what’s different here?”
“You. I saw your expression, and those of your brothers when the possibility of confronting Finch, even sacrificing your life, was brought up. You’re ready to give up your freedom, your entire life if it comes to that, if it’s the only way to stop Finch.”
She pulled at her hands, but he couldn’t let her go and instead pulled her to her feet. “It’s always been a possibility. From the beginning, all of us, my brothers and I, knew that Finch posed not only a treat to us, but to those around us, to society. We suffered at his hand and knew what it could mean to the people we love.”
Saying the words, Liam wanted to weep for the first time in his life. It was improbable, and impossible, but in a short time, he’d fallen desperately in love with Catriona Walsh. And the cruelest part was, as much as he wanted to tell her, he had to let her go. Most probably, after all this, she’d return to her old life, to the one she knew and loved, and he wouldn’t be the one to hold her back. She was destined to be a nun, and he wouldn’t deprive the world of her goodness.
“I can’t accept it, Liam. I can’t stand by and let you risk your life.”
He rubbed her knuckles, trying to warm up her cold fingers. “We all have a role, a duty in life. I always wanted to be a cop, it was probably to atone for the sins of my father, to lessen the evil in him with justice. I’ll always be a true bastard, but I can change things with my actions.”
This time, it was her turn to grip his hands. “You’re telling me that you’re a true bastard, but in you, I see so much more. You’re a man of honor and justice, dedicated to your family. You’re willing to abandon so much so that others are protected and safe. In my eyes, that makes you so much more than a bastard, but a true brother and man.”
His heart swelled at her praise, but the compliment was bittersweet. Liam caressed her cheek, and she leaned into his touch. “I believe we all have a role to play in this. I’m convinced God sent you to us so that we can end this. I believe you’re the angel who protected my family, and for that I’m forever grateful. When you go back to your life, when you help other people, never forget that you can make a difference in people’s lives and that’s the calling of the angel you are.”
Her mouth opened, and resistance to her was futile. He leaned down and took her mouth, as softly as he could, as tenderly as it was humanly possible, to convey all he felt for her, now and, he knew, for the rest of his life.
When her mouth opened to him, tenderness was swept away with a fresh wave of lust and, by the way his little nun was running her fingers over his chest, he wasn’t the only one suffering.
She was right, the future appeared more fraught with danger than before, but one thing Liam was certain of, he wouldn’t allow anything to happen to Catriona. If he disappeared, nobody would notice, but if this angel of his vanished, the world would never be the same.
His hands slid under her sweater, and he reveled in her moan of approval. A smile made him break their kiss. “I should feel guilty for dragging you into sin with me, but I can’t repent.”
He breathed in her gasp when his hands teased her nipples through her bra. He didn’t wait for her assent before pulling her sweater up and threw it against the wall. The pale white of her bra against the creamy freckled skin was more erotic to him than any lacy undergarment.
His mouth followed the constellation of freckles over her skin, from her collarbones down to the swell of her breasts, nipping and licking until he reacted the delicate barrier. “So soft, so pure, and yet, all I want you to do is sin. Angel, I’m making you fall with me, and I can’t help it.”
Liam continued his descent, reveling in the softness of her belly, the scent of her skin, making sure to lightly scratch and tease her, eliciting the most beautiful sounds from her lips.
Her fingers dug into his hair, pulling lightly before releasing, as she didn’t want to hurt him. He was working on her pants, pushing them to her ankles before she could deny him. But he knew she would not. Half sitting on the office desk, naked now apart from her bra, her skin had the rosy flush of arousal, an inviting temptation, even more so when, with trembling fingers, she unclasped the final piece of clothing covering her, and let it fall to the floor.
Even if her beauty was undeniable, it was the innocence and acceptance he saw in her eyes that made him fall to his knees.
His hands on her knees, he restrained himself from ravaging her and did what he’d never done before and begged. “Why can’t I resist you, angel?” He kissed her ankle. “I shouldn’t have corrupted you.”
