Liam (2 page)

It seemed like there was always fireworks when it came to Meg. Something about her had always set him on fire. She had just been nineteen when they first met. Jet brought him over to meet his family in hopes of getting him a job with Reed, and there she was, fresh-faced and carefree.

She danced among the large family, happy and loved. Never having to wonder how her family would pay their next bill or how they would buy the groceries. A part of him had been jealous that she could be so carefree. That is, until she came to greet him. Warm and open, she embraced him like one of the family, and that had been all it took. When she headed away, he could see it in her eyes that she felt the same connection.

Now four years later, she had grown into a woman, a woman that attracted him in all sort of other ways that had nothing to do with her sweet carefree nature.

Liam leaned around the car to watch her walk toward him. Her cheeks were pink, likely from anger and not the kiss. He watched as her long summer dress got caught by a breeze and fluttered behind her.

Meg stopped at the passenger door and glared at him.

He wondered if she had been reminded of the kiss they shared before she left.

“Let’s go asshole,” she snarled at him. “We’ve got a wedding to get to.”

She climbed into the car and slammed the door. Liam winced. She likely remembered the kiss. He sighed and walked over to the driver’s side. It was going to be a very long night.

Chapter Two

Meg fumed as they drove in silence. Once again she was the sucker for Liam. For one brief moment when he kissed her, she actually believed that maybe he had missed her over the summer. That her pain all these years was finally forming into something other than what people kept insisting was puppy love.

Her heart hurt at the thought. What she felt was far more than a simple crush. The feelings she had were real, and given the way he kissed her, she was almost sure they were real for him as well.

Meg glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Liam had his hands firmly on the wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Her stomach twisted. This was just like last time except her stomach was churning this time from her own stupidity, rather than a crap ton of mixed drinks. Well, a different sort of stupidity.

She closed her eyes and tried not to think about the rejection of that night, but it was hard. All she had wanted was one night out with her soon to be sister-in-law, Olivia, and new-found friends Irene and Jess. But it just hadn’t worked out that way.

Right from the very start, he had been angry with her when they showed up to Cortex, Jess’s place of employment at the time. So what it was owned by the head of the Irish Mafia. So what if Olivia was involved in some shady shit. It wasn’t the first time Meg had faced danger. It was hard to a member of the Allen family and completely avoid danger. No Liam was angry just like every other time he was angry. For no damn reason at all.

After a few drinks, she felt her inhibitions drop. When he started in on her again about being there and drinking, she snapped. She was twenty-three, and she’s be damned if she was going to get a lecture on drinking.

The look on his face had been priceless when she grabbed his shirt and pulled him in for a hard kiss. Even now it made her nearly giggle.

Not caring what anyone thought or the rightness of the situation, she let herself go in his arms. What’s more, he seemed to do the same. Her lips moved over his and when his arms came around her waist, she sighed into his mouth. The kiss turned into a slow burn, and she felt other parts of her alight with the flame of desire.

Slightly dazed when he pulled back, she welcomed the sensual sway to the music they started, after they found their own way on the dance floor. It had been amazing. Almost magical.

Meg sighed as she looked out the window as they drove along. The memories of another car ride pierced her like a knife.

“This won’t work,” he had said when they were alone in the car.

She had turned to look at him and blinked a few times.

“Well we don’t have to rush things,” she said shyly. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but she was more than ready to stay the night with him.

Liam had kept his eyes on the road. “No,” he said firmly. “We can’t work. There are too many things making it a bad idea.”

She sat, shocked. How was she supposed to respond to that? It was like some sort of sick joke.

“I don’t understand,” she said and crossed her arms. “If this wasn’t going to work, why did you kiss me back?”

He pulled up to the curb outside her house and sighed.

“It was a response,” he said and kept his eyes fixed on something outside the front window.

“A response,” she said slowly.

He gave a curt nod. “It was a mistake. I shouldn’t have let it go that far.”

Her face flamed as he spoke. The best night of her life, and it was a mistake to him. Meg’s throat had gone dry, and her eyes burned. She opened the door without a word.

“Meg,” he said softly and reached out for her. She pulled out of his grasp.

“Just…” she said shakily. “Just don’t.”

Meg shut the door and raced inside. Within the safety of her home, she let out the tears she had been holding back.

Not this time. Today, Meg was stronger than that. He had already broken her heart once, there was no way she was letting it happen again. They stopped outside the church.

“Meg,” he said softly.

The hairs on the back of her neck raised at his voice, almost exactly the same as that night. Anger roared through her.

“You know what I learned in London?” She turned to him and took pleasure in his confused look. “That kisses don’t mean all that much,” she said. “But then, I guess I didn’t have to go to London to learn that.”

His head snapped back like he’d been hit. Meg leaned a little closer.

“But let me make this clear. You put your mouth on me again, and I’m prone to bite,” she said and snapped her teeth at him.

Meg pushed out of the car and up the stair. She had a wedding to attend.

Liam watched her climb up the stairs in her very high heels. He frowned. She was different. Her hair, the way she talked, even the way she dressed. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen her in a dress, but there she was, flouncy dress and high heels, acting like she was going to take on the world.

He groaned and laid his head back against the seat rest. Why couldn’t he just keep his damn hands to himself? His jaw twitched as he tried to get himself in check.

No question about it, she was going to send him to an early grave. His lower half throbbed in time with his heart. Having her lean in all sultry like and talk about biting him, it had nearly done him in.

A knock on the window broke the silence, and his hand went for his gun.

“Whoa,” Cage said from the other side of the glass. “Just checking to see what the holdup is.”

Liam grimaced and pulled the keys from the ignition. When he opened the door, he tried to discretely shift certain parts, so they weren’t so prominent.

“Saw my sister head in,” Cage said, giving Liam an odd look. “Guess you all weren’t able to patch things up?”

Liam gave a tight laugh and shut the door. “You could say that.”

Cage followed him up the stairs to the church. “Well, thanks for getting her. Mom had all these plans for today, and everyone got roped into them.”

Liam chuckled as Cage held the door open for him and rolled his eyes.

“All I know is I’m eloping,” Cage said. “All this money being spent and Reed’s not even going to get laid.”

“Who says I’m not?” Reed said from the doorway.

Liam smiled at his no-nonsense boss. For the boss of a security company, he sure fit the bill. Well, minus the babbling baby in his arms. Her sweet little cherub face dropped the macho in the room by about ten degrees. He smiled at her chubby little face.

Cage waved an arm at the baby. “Well, there’s your number one reason,” he said and stooped down to put his face in front of the baby. “Isn’t that right little, Vi? You going to cock block daddy tonight?”

She squealed in delight at her silly uncle.

Reed turned her away from him. “I’ve told you it’s not Vi, but Violet, and don’t say cock block in front of her.” Reed paused a moment before heading toward the church. “Also, Mom is watching her tonight, so there will be no blocking.”

Cage snickered at his brother’s irritation.

“Whatever, she’s a baby. She doesn’t have a clue what I’m saying.” He took her from Reed’s arms. “Besides, she said she’s still angry at her parents for naming her after the blueberry girl in that chocolate movie.”

Liam watched in amusement as the two bickered.

“Olivia likes violets,” Reed said through clenched teeth. “Now quit harassing me on my wedding day.”

“Come on, Vi,” Cage said to the baby. “Let’s see if we can find your crazy grandma.”

“You better not let your mother hear you say that,” Mr. Allen said from the other side of the door.

Liam fought a stab of bitterness. Reed and Cage had a loving father. He was the bastard son of a psychotic thug.

“Well she shouldn’t act so crazy, and I wouldn’t say it,” he said loudly. “Anyway, she wouldn’t hit a man with a baby.”

Cage winked at them and walked off with little baby Violet cooing at him as they went.

Liam heard Mr. Allen from behind the door sigh and then movement. When he came into view, Liam could see he was already dressed for the ceremony.

“I better make sure he doesn’t get into trouble, or we’ll all get cock blocked,” he said.

Liam nearly choked trying to keep down the laugh that threatened to come out.

“So, I assume Meg got in safe,” Reed said as they watched Reed’s father walk away.

Liam turned to him and nodded.

“She should be with the women now,” he said.

Reed stared at him for a moment before nodding to the door and walking in. The room was small: a desk, couch and few armchairs. He assumed it was normally the preacher’s office. On the desk sat a tumbler with amber liquid inside. Reed picked it up and took a drink.

“Liquid courage?” Liam said lightly as he sat onto the comfortable couch.

Reed laughed loudly. “Hardly,” he said and grinned. “More like Mom tonic.”

“That bad?” Liam raised a brow.

Reed shook his head and took a seat in the chair across from him. “Not really. She just wants everything to be perfect for Olivia,” he said. “Only having one daughter, she didn’t think she’d get the opportunity to be a mom for another woman.”

He smiled warmly.

Reed raised his glass and grinned. “But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been hell on wheels for the past week.”

Liam watched as Reed finished off the last bit in the glass.

The room got quiet as Reed stared at him.

“Did you tell her?” he asked after a moment.

“Tell who?” he asked. Confusion setting in.

“Meg,” Reed sighed. “Did you tell Meg about my offer?”

“About opening a place in Texas? Why would I tell her?” He swallowed. This was not the conversation he wanted to be having.

Reed stared at him hard. “You know there isn’t a one of us that wouldn’t love to see you together.”

Liam’s jaw tightened. “And you know why that’s not a good idea.”

Reed shook his head and stood. “What I know is that you’re a good man, and no amount of family connection is going to change that,” he said. “Hell, your brother isn’t so bad. At least he’s moving away from the old ways.”

Liam flinched at the mention of Finn. He might be willing to accept that Finn was his brother, but it still felt so strange to hear it said aloud.

“Being with me would just put her in danger,” Liam said firmly.

Reed laughed and tossed out his arms. “In case you hadn’t noticed, she’s already put in danger by working for me.”

Liam shook his head and stood. “It’s not the same. We’re talking about the Russian mob.” His heart leapt into his throat. “You can’t ask me to put her in that kind of danger.”

He turned to stare out the small window facing the back of the church.

“Besides,” Liam said after some time. “We’re just too far apart in age. She’s so young, and I’ve seen so much.”

When he turned around, Reed was studying him like he’d just sprouted wings.

“Meg isn’t the girl we all remember,” he said quietly and pulled a garment bag from the closet. “And we’ve all seen a lot.”

He opened his mouth to protest when Reed held up a hand.

“I won’t push,” he said. “Just know where we stand. As for the offer, think it over and get back to me. We aren’t looking to set up operations right away since Johnny and Trent aren’t out of the military yet, but here in about six months, we should be ready to roll.”

Liam heard the concern in his voice. “How’s Trent doing?”

Reed handed over the garment bag and scrubbed a hand over his face. As a close friend of the family, Trent was treated as one of the fold. Especially considering what he had done for Johnny.

“As well as to be expected,” he said. “The sniper hit his knee, and luckily, it missed the bones there, but the soft tissue was badly damaged. He’s walking pretty well now, but there’s still some residual stiffness.”

“And the SEALs won’t take him back?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“They were happy to put him in some office, but that wasn’t what he wanted to do.” Reed sighed. “If he opens up operations down south, he can still do the work he loves.”

“And Johnny?” Liam asked.

Reed shrugged. “Early retirement.”

Liam frowned. “I thought he was going career.”

“He was, but Trent’s career was ruined when he saved his life.” He sighed. “Besides, I think he was tired of it. It would do them both good to be settled for a while.”

Liam nodded but not totally agreeing. The two men had been through a lot together, including losing Trent’s brother Paul. The times he had met them, neither seem very comfortable with being outside the military, and he wondered how they would cope.

“It’s a good opportunity,” Reed said.

Liam nodded it was. It was a great chance to really make some money. He sighed.