Liam Read online

  “Goodnight, Mrs. Allen,” he said and walked to the door.

  “Goodnight, Liam,” she said softly.

  He walked to his car and climbed in. Everyone seemed so hell bent on them being together, they never seemed to think about the consequences. He shook his head to clear the thoughts. He didn’t have time for this. There was still a long night ahead at her house. They needed to find some clues.

  He drove off, trying to focus on the task ahead and not the way her pale thighs had looked in his car.

  Chapter Six

  Meg woke up warm and happy. The large body on hers didn’t really make sense, but it felt good. That is, until something wet nudged her cheek and licked her.

  She popped open her eyes to stare at two very happy brown eyes.

  “Harley,” she cried and hugged the big dog. He was nearly the size of her stretched out on the bed, although he outweighed her by a good sixty pounds.

  The big mastiff whined and licked her face a few more times.

  “Have you been a good boy?” She scratched him behind the ears.

  Her mother came in, likely hearing the dog.

  “Well, he’s only the best boy there ever was.” Her mother patted him on the back. Harley thumped his tail in agreement.

  Meg smiled. Her mother had been the biggest protester against getting such a large dog, and now she loved him. They shared a special bond that Meg suspected was based on bacon and scraps.

  She sat up and looked out the window. It was still dark out.

  “What time is it?” she asked. Her stomach growled.

  “Six,” her mother said. She set down the towel she was carrying.

  “Ugh,” Meg groaned. “Too early.”

  “No, dear,” her mother said. “Six at night.”

  Meg shot up. She’d slept through the whole day? How was that even possible? She jumped out of bed and realized she was still wearing the same dress as the day before.

  “I’ve got so much to do,” she said and opened her bag. “First, I’ve got to call the insurance company and then clean up that mess.”

  Meg pulled out a t-shirt and shorts.

  Her mother shook her head. “Liam and Kace cleaned up for you. I think the insurance will wait until tomorrow.” She came over and patted Meg on the cheek. “You were exhausted. It was good to sleep.”

  Meg nodded, still slightly dazed from being asleep for so long.

  “How about something to eat and then a shower?” her mother asked.

  Meg’s stomach growled just to prove how hungry she was.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” Her mother smiled.

  Meg followed her out of the room and into the kitchen, where her father sat at the table.

  “Hi, Daddy,” she said and sat down.

  “How are you doing?” He set down his paper and stared at her. She always hated answering questions from her parents. Somehow they always seemed to know what she was really thinking, even before she knew herself.

  “I’m not tired anymore.” She grinned.

  He smiled. For the first time, she really noticed his age. She had always thought Reed was the spitting image of her father, actually most of the were except Cage, who took more after her mother. But her father really was getting older. Fine lines had formed around his eyes and mouth. It made her sad to think of her parents as aging.

  “Now you eat this,” her mother said and laid a plate of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans out for her.

  Meg looked up and smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”

  She dug into the food and smiled. It was always great getting to eat at home. Meg could cook, but it was never quite like her mom.

  “So did Reed and Olivia come by to get Violet?” she asked between bites.

  “First thing this morning.” Her mother rolled her eyes. “Those two don’t know the meaning of sleeping in.”

  Her father patted her on the back. “Let them have a few more, and we’ll be calling for them to come pick them up.” He winked.

  “Oh well,” her mother said. “I suppose he had this whole breakin to investigate. He wasn’t too thrilled about being left in the dark.”

  Meg nearly choked on her potatoes. “It was his honeymoon.”

  “I’m sure Olivia was happy not to get a midnight call,” her mother said. “First night away from the baby, she would have thought something had happened.” Her mother cleared off her plate after she had finished. “Oh and Cage came by. Felt real bad about last night. I swear, I’ve never met a boy with such an overactive sex drive.”

  Her father cleared his throat, and she threw her dish towel at him.

  “I know you’re encouraging him, and you need to stop.” She put her hands on her hips. “How’s he going to meet the right girl when he’s so busy blowing through all the bad ones?”

  “I’m sure he’ll manage,” he mumbled.

  Meg cleared her throat. “Well, I guess I better go get my car.”

  “Liam brought it by,” her father said, his brown eyes fixed on her.

  “Oh,” she said, trying to control her heart. “Did he say anything?”

  “Yes,” he father said firmly. “Keep you away from that house until they know what’s going on.”

  Her face flamed.

  “I think I’ll take a shower,” she said and skidded her chair back. Without another word, she stomped into her bedroom to get a towel and her clothes. Then, she stomped off into the bathroom.

  She let off a string of curse words as she turned on the hot water. Who the hell did Liam think he was trying to stop her from doing the job she had been doing for years? She swore she was going to throat punch the next person that treated her like a kid.

  Meg stripped off her clothes and stepped into the hot spray. The warm water felt good on her worn muscles. Yesterday’s flight had been harder than she expected.

  She quickly washed and turned off the water. Everyone might have thought they had some ability to stop her, but she’d be damned if she allowed that. Meg had made the choice to take control of things, and that’s just what she was going to do. She slipped on the shorts and shirt. The t-shirt was a little form fitting, but so light and comfortable that it was easily her favorite.

  When she came out of the bathroom, Harley was waiting for her. She patted him on the head as they went to the bedroom. Her makeup bag was on top, but she shook her head. She wasn’t going to need it sitting in a car all night.

  Meg peeked around the corner into the hall and wondered what her parents were doing. It would be a real pill if she had to wait to sneak past them.

  “If you’re going to stake out the place, you’ll want your gun,” he father said from behind her. Meg whirled around and found him standing just outside the door with her holstered gun.

  “How did you get this?” she asked and took it from his hands.

  “That boy really does want to make sure you’re safe,” he said and ran a hand through his graying hair. “But I just have to trust that you’ll do what you have to and nothing more.”

  “Liam,” she whispered.

  He nodded. “I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but he’s obviously conflicted.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” she mumbled.

  Her father placed a hand on her shoulder. “He really does mean well.”

  Meg nodded. She knew this. Hell, it was one of the things she loved about Liam, but she wasn’t about to let his insecurities prevent her from doing a job she loved.

  “Be careful,” her mother said from the end of the hall. “I packed some stuff for the car.”

  She grinned at her mother. “Thanks, Mom.”

  Her mother shook her head and went to sit in the living room. Meg waved at her dad and went to collect her snacks. When she reached the door, she stopped. Harley was following her, and she knew he was not going to be happy about having to stay.

  “Harley, baby,” her mother called. “How about some popcorn?”

  His ears perked up, and his t
ail beat a steady rhythm on the floor.

  “Well, come on, big guy,” she said to him.

  He sat down in front of her mother and waited for his share.

  “Spoiled,” Meg mumbled.

  Her mother glared at her. “You’ll hurt his feelings.”

  Meg laughed all the way to the car.

  *

  Liam pulled up down the road from her house and cursed. The woman didn’t listen to a damn word he said.

  He jerked open the car door and walked to the passenger side of the car. She popped the locks when he stood just outside. Liam opened the door and slid into the seat.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded.

  Meg turned to him and shrugged. “Stakeout.”

  He could see she was fully rested. The dark circles from yesterday were long gone as well as the paleness to her skin. She hadn’t bothered to put on makeup, and he found it was his favorite way to see her, just as fresh as the first day he met her.

  “Go home,” he said firmly.

  “No,” she said, keeping an eye on the house.

  “I’ve got it,” he tried again.

  Meg looked at him skeptically. “You look terrible.”

  “Thanks,” he grumbled. He thought the shower might have helped. He’d even taken the time to shave.

  “Liam,” she said softly. “You look like you haven’t slept in ages. Last thing you need to be doing in a stakeout.” She placed her hand gently on his arm. “I’ve got this. Go home. Sleep.”

  He grunted and settled in. “Not a chance in hell I’m leaving you here by yourself.”

  Meg crossed her arms. “You do remember this isn’t my first time?” She glared at him.

  Liam shook his head. “Not moving. What if something happens? That’s why it’s supposed to be a two-man operation.”

  “Oh, and where’s the second half of your team?” she threw back.

  He winced.

  “So you get to be Mr. Badass, but I’m just slop?” She pressed her lips together and looked back to the house.

  The sat in silence for some time, just staring into the black street.

  “Thanks for bringing my car and gun,” she said grudgingly.

  He noticed for the first time the handgun strapped to her middle.

  “Damn it,” he mumbled. “He was supposed to hide it.”

  Meg snorted. “You do know who first took me shooting, right?”

  Liam leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He just couldn’t win.

  He opened his eyes when he smelled mustard. Meg was holding half a sandwich out to him.

  “Mom packed food,” she offered.

  He started to turn it down when his stomach growled loudly. Meg pressed it into his hand.

  “There’s plenty,” she said. “This is Mom we’re talking about. She’s packed enough to feed four of us.”

  Liam smiled.

  “So why aren’t you sleeping?” She turned to him.

  He nearly choked on the turkey as it went down.

  “Well,” he began. “Things have just been busy. With all the stuff with Alyssa and then regular stuff with Reed, it’s hard to find the time.”

  Meg passed him a cold soda from the bag. “Yeah, but we’re not talking about skipping the occasional lunch.” She popped the top. “This is sleep we’re talking about. I don’t know how you even function.”

  Actually, he wasn’t really certain how he functioned. There were several times where he did something and couldn’t quite remember how he did. His current condition wasn’t safe, but shutting his eyes was becoming more and more an issue.

  He finished off his sandwich and slipped deeper into the seat.

  “Maybe you’re right,” he said. “I think I’ll just shut my eyes for a bit. Wake me if anything happens.”

  He closed his eyes and tried not to think of the one thing that had been plaguing him these many nights.

  Meg stared at him, surprised he would even admit to his lack of sleep. She listened to him drift off, his breathing deeper than before. The deep creases on his brow slipped away, and he looked years younger. Of course, she always thought him attractive, but it was nice to see him relaxed.

  She didn’t really know what to expect, but it was good to be ready for anything.

  What she wasn’t ready for was the groaning from Liam. His brow beaded with sweat and furrowed as if he were in pain.

  Meg placed a hand on his cheek. He jumped, his eyes wide with fear. Liam jerked away from her and sat up quickly.

  She pulled back and leaned against the door as he collected himself. Bit by bit, his breathing came back under control.

  “Sorry about that,” he mumbled.

  “Nightmare?” she asked.

  He turned to look at her and shook his head.

  “Something like that,” he said.

  She stared at him for a moment longer. She’d never seen him so scared.

  “What’s that?” he asked as he stared at her house.

  Meg turned to watch a dark shadow creep across the lawn up to her house. Her hand shot to the door, but Liam stopped her.

  “Let’s see what they do first,” he said. “The house has been cleaned up, so they are going to know someone came by. Let’s just see if they have a plan or are winging it.”

  They watched as the figure moved to the front door and tried to force it open. It moved away from the door and crept along the side of the house to the bathroom window. It easily slid up, and the figure slipped inside.

  “Bastard,” she mumbled.

  The intruder wasn’t inside for long before slipping back out the window. She couldn’t tell if they had taken anything, but based on the past, she assumed not. The person slipped into a car and, when the lights came on, drove in their direction.

  “Duck,” Liam said and pushed her into the seat, his body on top of hers.

  The crunch of tires signaled the passing car and not long later, Liam sat back up.

  “Did you get a look?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Too dark. But I got a make and model. No plates though.”

  “Damn.” She hit her steering wheel.

  She went back to the door but was stopped again.

  “I think we’re going to have to let Kace handle this.” He sighed.

  “If this is about me being here, I’m going to throat punch you.” She glared at him.

  The corner of his mouth twitched. “We need his buddies on our side, and maybe this time the guy got sloppy,” he said. “Just go home, and I’ll call you in the morning.”

  She crossed her arms and raised a brow.

  “I will,” he said firmly.

  Meg sighed. Even if he wasn’t pushing her off, it still sort of felt like he was.

  “Fine, but if you don’t call, I’m coming to find you, and it’s not going to be pretty.”

  Liam held up his hands in surrender. “Understood.”

  She sighed when he got out of the car and went back to his own. Just once she wanted something to be easy.

  Meg started the car and headed to her parents’ house. At least Liam would get to go home and rest tonight. Something about his nightmare made her worry. He held in so much, and she hated to think of him suffering.

  She sighed and pulled away. It was just one more thing to add to her growing list of worries.

  Chapter Seven

  The house was quiet when she woke up the next morning. Meg padded into the kitchen, half-expecting everyone to be at the kitchen table. Instead, what she found was a carafe of coffee, still hot in the container, and a little note on the table.

  Took Harley to the park for a play date with his girlfriends.

  Reed and Olivia called to invite you for dinner at 4 pm.

  We’ll just get something while we’re out.

  Love,

  Mom

  “Girlfriends?” she nearly spilled the hot coffee on the table. “What is she, a pimp?”

  Meg shook her head and grabbe
d a fresh bagel from the bag on the counter. She pulled the cream cheese from the fridge and put a little on the bagel. When she was finished, Meg put the cream cheese away and left the kitchen. She passed by a clock on the way to her room and cursed. It really didn’t feel like it should be half past one. That didn’t leave much time for her to get ready.

  She raced into the room and pulled out some clothes from her bag and frowned. During her trip to England, she hadn’t really spent much time wearing jeans or anything like that. The one pair of shorts she brought was already in the dirty clothes. Meg shrugged and pulled out the pretty light green summer dress she bought there. It was different than anything else she owned, but with Nicolas’s great taste, it was hard to say no.

  The dress had two thin straps and dipped low into her cleavage. There was no possibility of wearing a bra with it. She guessed there had to be a plus side to not having very big breasts, in this case big enough to fill out well but not so big they bounced much without a bra. The dress fell in soft layers from the waist down and stopped just at mid-thigh. It was a little daring, but it would be nice to show it off to Olivia.

  Meg pulled out the chunky strappy sandals she bought to go with the dress and smiled. They would be proud to know that they had such influence over her. Well, maybe not if they knew about kissing Liam twice and nearly going a bit further.

  Her heart raced just thinking about it. She had nearly forgotten. They had nearly had sex. Well, almost nearly. Did that count? It counted in her book, and, judging by the ridge in his pants, it counted for him as well. She sighed. So close. If she got her hands on the jerk who broke in, she was going to kick in him the junk for ruining her chance. And Lord help him if that was her only chance. She wasn’t above pulling out chunks of hair and biting.

  Meg gathered her things and went into the bathroom. She turned on the hot water and waited for steam to fill the room.

  She watched the mirror fog in front of her and thought of Liam. There was no way she was going to see Reed and not say something about the job offer, not that she had a real say, but there just had to be another way.

  In the end, maybe she just wasn’t meant to be with Liam. Her chest ached with pain.