Vivian's List (Vol. 1) (9 page)

We stared at each other as his words hung in the air between us
. “With Brody …” I spoke into the silence. “It was crazy intense. I met him in college my freshman year. And right from the start, we had instant fireworks … the brief explosions you were just talking about. He pretty much swept me off my feet, and I kind of jumped off the diving board into the deep end.”

Liam had a
deep and intent expression on his face as he listened to me.

H
is eyes were open and accepting. Nonjudgmental.

When I finished
, he grew quiet for a moment. Then he said, “I think the idea that love must be crazy intense all the time is what keeps people from being satisfied with the normal, boring day-to-day love. The sort of quiet love that is tucked away in the corner instead of shouted from the rooftops. That kind of simple day-to-day love … that quiet love, it might seem dull to others. But for me—” He gave a short shrug— “that’s love.”

As
we ate in companionable silence, I lapsed into my own thoughts … my relationship with Brody, his declarations of love. It was crazy intense but it was love without any joy or acceptance.

Brody
had told me time and time again how much he loved me.

But his wish to control me, to change me …
maybe he never truly loved me at all.

Maybe h
e only loved the person he wished me to become.

Liam
’s deep voice cut into my thoughts. “Are you thinking about him?”

I nodded
and looked away from his questioning eyes. I did not trust my voice yet, so I remained silent. When I had finally gathered my wits, I turned back and cleared my throat. “So,” I said quietly. “What happens now that I’ve left Brody?”

He held my gaze
steadily. “You need time to heal, to move on. To find yourself outside of your relationship with Brody.”

I bit down on my lower lip.
“And what about Brody?”

“
My guess is he’ll go on to abuse someone else.”

Staring into my empty glass,
I swallowed hard. His words settled like rocks and boulders in my chest.

If only abusers came with stamps on their forehead
.

Liam reached for the bottle. “More wine?”

“Please.”

He
refilled my glass. “Are you nervous about tonight?”

A burning heat rose to my cheeks
. “A little,” I said in a voice I hardly recognized as my own. Taking a deep swig of wine, I gazed unseeingly toward the living room window.

For the briefest of seconds, I
considered crashing through the glass to make my escape.

It was silly really, considering I was the one who
had practically
begged
him to sleep with me.

I took a deep breath and clasped my hands together to hide their trembling.
“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Ask away,
” Liam said.

I forced myself to meet his gaze.
“How many women have you slept with?”

Amusement glimmered in his eyes
. “Not many. I can count the number of women I’ve been with on my fingers.”

“Your fingers on one hand or two?”

“One.”

“So
…” I coughed lightly to disguise my nerves. “Are you any good in bed?”

His
mouth curled slightly at the corners. “I like to think I am.” After a fraction of a pause, he added, “But every woman is unique. Truthfully, I can only get to know a girl’s sexuality the same way I get to know her personality—from
her
. Not from books, not from porn, not from guesswork.” He reached across the table and clasped my hand. “I want this to be good for you, Viv, which means you have to let me know what feels good for you. Do you think you can do that?”

The earnestness in his voice made me blush.
I could barely get the words out. “I think I can,” I said faintly.

“Good.
” He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”

“Right,” I said in
a voice that clearly revealed my doubts. “I have nothing to worry about.”

An emotion that almost seemed like tenderness flickered over his face.
“It’s not too late to change your mind, you know.”

“No.” I sucked in a shaky breath
. “I haven’t changed my mind.” My words were stilted and unnatural.

In the silence that followed
, we looked at each other across the table. The air seemed to crackle around us and every inch of my skin was thrillingly and painfully aware of him.

Chair legs scraped
against the hardwood floor. Liam stood, walked around the table and laced his fingers with mine.

“Come,
” he said, pulling me gently to my feet.

The word alone made my pulse race
. I allowed myself to be led into the living room, feeling a sudden excitement compounded by trepidation.

Framing
my face in his hands, Liam looked at me for one long, breath-stealing moment before closing his lips over mine, joining our tongues in a slow, erotic tango.

As he deepened the kiss, h
e slipped his hands beneath my shirt and cupped my breasts in his palms.

Closing my eyes, I let out a soft sigh
as Liam teased my nipples though the textured lace.

“
I want to see you,” he whispered against my skin, nipping the sensitive spot just beneath my earlobe. “All of you.”

H
e drew back far enough to gaze down at me, his eyes dropping to my breasts as they lifted and fell beneath my shirt with my nervous breaths. “Put your arms up.”

I
obeyed his quiet command and he peeled my shirt up and over my head, leaving me standing in front of him in my red lace bra and denim skirt.

He was silent for
a long moment and when he spoke, his voice was low and reverent. “You’re stunning.”

I
lifted my gaze, thinking he must be teasing me.

But there was no mocking in his eyes, only desire.

Before my resolve crumbled, I reached behind to unsnap the clasp on my bra.

“Leave your bra on.
This …” His eyes burned on my skin as he ran his fingertips over the diamond shaped veil of lace covering my breasts. “This stays on. But your skirt—your skirt comes off.”

Obediently, I unsnapped the button on my skirt
and after a moment’s hesitation, pulled it down over my hips, and stepped out of the puddle of denim.

His
dark gaze slid over my face, down to my heaving breasts, and lower still to the juncture between my thighs … like a physical caress, it seared my skin, making me feel more naked in my bra and thong than I would have been without them.

“
Viv.” Liam clutched my trembling fingers and brought them to his lips. “Relax.”

I pulled
in a deep steadying breath. Exhaled.

This was Liam, I
reminded myself even as my heart was bumping painfully against my ribs. I’ve known him all my life. And I knew he would do everything possible to make this night pleasurable for me. The knowledge stirred a deep longing inside me.

“You all
right?” His voice was gentle, and his concern was almost as much of a turn-on as his touch. Almost.

Unable to speak,
I nodded, reassuring him that I was.

H
e leaned forward so his forehead was touching mine. “I want you to tell me exactly what feels good for you. Tonight is all about you.”

“But what about you—” I started to protest but
he dipped his head, sealing his lips over mine in a kiss so slow and thorough my body melted and shivered despite the heat he radiated.

“
I want tonight to be only about your pleasure,” he said, already breaking away from my mouth to kiss a slow trail down my throat, to the hollow at its base. “I want you to know what it should feel like to have a man make love you.”

My breath
hitched at his words.

To have a man
make love to you
.

A little gasp escaped me as he cupped my breasts and kissed my brimming cleavage
. “I want to taste every inch of you.”

Chapter Ten

Liam

I didn’t just want to taste
her, inch by delectable inch. I wanted to feast on her until she screamed my name in dazed repetition.

But first I had to slow down before my own needs flared wildly out of control
and I risked looking like the inexperienced one here.

Finesse
, I reminded myself.
Finesse.

I didn’t want to remind her of Brody.

There would be no rushing, no demands, just infinite pleasure for Viv.

I lifted my mouth from her breast
s and gently pulled away to make sure she was doing okay. But when I looked at her again, I suddenly forgot what I’d wanted to say.

A
ll I could do was stare at her.

Sweet Jesus. She was sex on legs.

I’d never seen anything more tantalizing in my life. The diaphanous crimson material barely covered her lush breasts, and her pebbled nipples were poking through the wisps of lace.

I swallowed
with a dry throat. As my gaze drifted downward, the building swell of my erection pulsed painfully beneath my jeans.

A thin, narrow triangle strip barely covered her sweet mound
.

God.
She was so blond. Everywhere. The red lace, set against the blond patch of curls dusting her pussy ignited a dangerous fire deep inside me.

Damn. It was insane how much I wanted this woman.

She looked so delicious, so delectable that I wanted nothing more than to bury myself inside her soft and pliant body.

But tonight wasn’t about me.

It was about Vivian.

It was
all about Vivian. And only Vivian … making her feel wanted. Desired.

My hands came up to caress her face
and her beautiful doe eyes were fixed on mine.

I caught a glimmer of
wariness. A faint flash, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared.

“It’s okay,
Viv,” I said softly, giving her another chance to back out. “We don’t have to do this.”

She considered my words, but said nothing. Instead she licked her already moist lips. Then s
he rose up on her tiptoes and kissed me fiercely, with no inhibitions, as if to prove to me that she had no misgivings, no second thoughts.

I groaned into her mouth
as she ground her hips, rubbing firmly against the hard length of my erection.

A
nother wave of desire shot through me, followed by a smaller current of misgiving.

I needed this to be good for
Viv.

No. Not just good.
Damned
good.

And I was up for the challenge.

When the kiss ended, I looked into her eyes. “Do you trust me?”

“I always have
.” Her words came easily, and without thought.

Warmth unfurled in my chest at her faith in me.
I took her hand and guided her to the leather armchair. “Come,” I said again, and this time there would be no turning back.

Vivian lowered herself onto the
armchair. As she reclined into the cushions, she arched her back, causing her breasts to rise, and her nipples to thrust out proudly through the textured lace.

I paused to take my fill of her. Then, w
ith my arms braced on either side, I dipped my head and flicked my tongue over the protrusion of her nipple. “Guess what we’re going to do now?”

“What?”
she murmured, her voice low and breathy.

Her creamy breasts
were spilling over the crimson lace cups and I traced my tongue over her smooth skin in slow and tantalizing strokes. “We’re going to play.”

S
he dug her nails into my shoulders as I lavished the same attention on her other breast. “We’re going to play a little game called Tell Liam What You Want.”

“But …” A whispered breath slipped past her lips.
“I also want to play Tell Vivian What You Want.”

I lifted my mouth from her breast
and kissed the frown lines on her forehead. “Sweetheart, if we played that game we’d be here all night.”

Her cheeks blushed a deep
pink and she looked so endearing I almost lost it.

“
Tell me, Viv.” I kissed the corner of her lips. “What would you like me to do?”

Her swollen lips
parted. But instead of telling me, she showed me.

Even better.

Raising her arms, she laced her fingers behind her neck. The change in posture thrust her lush breasts forward so my face hovered just inches from her deep cleavage.

S
he didn’t have to say any more.

I
bent down and curled my tongue around her rose-tipped nipple. Slowly, I drew the whole peak into mouth and suckled her straight through the lace bra.

Her body responded im
mediately. Her breasts quivered and her taut nipples poked greedily through the lace, begging for more.

I latched onto her breast,
closing my mouth around her distended nipple, sucking harder through the lace, enjoying the feel of the softness of her skin, and the intricate fibers pressing against my tongue.

When
she released a deep, full-body sigh, the breathy sound sent a chill down my spine, a jarring contradiction to the fire burning inside my groin.

I had to pull back for a moment just to admire her.

The sight stole my breath my away.

A
ll heaving breasts and creamy skin, rasping against wisps of red lace.

My co
ck hardened to a granite intensity in my jeans but I forced myself to ignore my own needs. My own gratification didn’t matter at the moment. Only Viv’s.

Pulling in a controlled breath,
I skimmed a hand over her throbbing breasts and across her left shoulder. Her body stilled as I slipped a finger under her heavy fall of hair, pushing the bra strap down one arm.

The
thin scrap of lace caught at the crest of her nipple, clung to that coral tip for a delicious moment before it dropped, brazenly exposing one of her breasts.

Vivian
’s breathing came in shallow gasps and her breasts quivered with each quick breath.

I
lowered my head to take one beautifully formed nipple in my mouth. I drew on the throbbing point, sucking her deeper and deeper, harder and harder, until I felt her rosy bud stretch, pull, and elongate inside my mouth.

She moaned and
began running her hands up and down my back as I reached out and cupped her other breast, teasing the shadow of her tightly beaded nipple through the flimsy lace cup.

Her back bowed,
and her engorged nipple prodded my palm, taut and eager.

I groaned in response,
suckling on one breast while I cupped the other, kneading her soft flesh, teasing her nipple through the lace, rolling it under my thumb and forefinger.

S
he writhed and whimpered, the sound sharp and desperate.

God, her tits were so incredibly sensitive.

With my free hand, I fanned my fingers across the slope of her breast, and over her shoulder, dragging the other bra strap down her arm.

The delicate sc
rap of lace fluttered to the floor, leaving both her breasts exposed.

Fucking perfect.

My gazed lingered on the soft globes for a moment before I closed my mouth over one of the rosy peaks.

One wasn’t enough. I
wasn’t content with just one. I craved more. I wanted to taste both her nipples inside my mouth.

“You have perfect tits,” I rasped
, lifting and pushing her lush breasts together, squeezing her coral-pink nipples so the tips were gently touching. Then I drew both the swollen buds into my mouth and suckled, drinking in her shudders until she wasn’t stroking my hair so much as she was grasping my head in her hands, thrusting her creamy tits into my face.

A
low growl rumbled deep in my chest. Greedily, I feasted on her breasts as if I intended to devour her whole.

S
he cried out, incoherent with sharp delight.

“Are you okay?”
I rose up on my knees so I could gaze down at her face.

She
nodded, biting down on those luscious red lips that I wanted to kiss all night.

“Good.” I bent down to capture her lips in mine
, opening her, tasting her. “Because we’ve only just begun.” With a small and teasing nip, I left her mouth and moved down her throat, trailing kisses over her deep cleavage, stroking her smooth torso, my callused fingers rough against the softness of her skin.

I moved lower
still, to the apex between her thighs. Running a fingertip across her lace thong, I touched her through the delicate material, taking pleasure in the slide of the sheer lace over my callused finger. “You’re so blond.” I dipped my finger through the textured lace, sliding inside her deep folds. “And you’re so wet. Dripping wet.”

A breathless whimper escaped her lips
and she began rocking her hips to meet the glide of my fingertip.

Even as I told myself to go slow, I was helpless to deny her.
Cupping my palm firmly around her pussy, I fingered her through the lace, tracing the cleft of her sex, gliding up and down her slick folds.

In the soft candlelight,
I watched her intently as I stroked her.

Those luscious red lips
were slightly parted and her eyelids trembled, basking in each caress.

My cock throbbed.
I couldn’t wait to watch her as I tongued her pussy. “Open wider for me, Viv.”

Without hesitation, s
he opened wider, her long legs upraised over the arms of the chair. Splayed before me, her pink labia stretched against the taut lace, its delicate webbing pressing deeply into her soft folds.

There was a thickening pause as I gazed at her.
“God, Viv.” I stifled a groan. “You’re driving me insane.” Then I dipped my head and flicked my tongue across the edge of her lace thong, a slow and intimate sweep.

Her fingernails
clawed at the upholstery and I had to cup her throbbing breasts to hold her still. While the pads of my thumbs circled around the circumference of her areolas, I eased my tongue inside the open holes of her lace thong, pressing against that ultrasensitive nub of her sex.

A
soft cry was my reward.

Encouraged,
I closed my lips around her warmth and sucked on her sweet nub through the delicate lace, listening to her little mewls of pleasure.

My
hands continued shaping and molding her heavy breasts as I laved her pussy with a slow torment, then alternated with sweet suckling.

She writhed and twisted, lifting her hips off the chair.

“You taste so sweet, Viv.” I kept my eyes trained on her face as I traced my tongue over her lace thong in slow and loving strokes, swirling over her pink folds. “I can’t get enough of you.”

Her eyes were heavy-lidded with passion as she gazed down, watching my rough hands fondling her breasts, my scorching tongue lapping
at her juicy clit through the lace thong.

By
now her pussy was straining against the lace, pressing forcefully against the diaphanous material, pleasurably trapped inside a web of crimson lace.

Hungrily,
I began working her pink nub between my lips, and she tossed her head back, arcing her hips forward, pushing her sex harder against the textured lace.

I took this as a solid
invitation.

Cleaving
my tongue inside the stretched lace, I parted her sex and plunged inside her tender core.

A low and strangled sound of pleasure caught in the back of her throat
and her hips gave a fierce jolt. Then she opened wider for me, her long, slender legs spilling over the arms of the chair.

The fabric was now digging into her pink folds, even the thin lace too much of a barrier.

“Liam …” she whimpered, her voice desperate and urgent. “Please take it off.”

Thick, c
reamy liquid trickled down her clit.

Ignoring her breathless pleas,
I lapped up her juices as they sluiced out of her lace thong.

Gasping, s
he tunneled her fingers in my hair and I got another mouthful of her arousal.

“
Mmm. You taste so good, Viv.” I licked her again. “So fuckin’ good.”

“Pl
ease, Liam.” Her whole body began to tremble. “Take ’em off.”