Paige
My mind and body are numb, and I'm still in shock when we arrive at Liam's home. I can't believe what happened. What we went through together. I've never experienced something so traumatizing and terrifying in my life. Never wanted to. That was like something you see in an action movie, not real life.
And yet, it happened. Every single moment of it happened. And I'm still in disbelief.
I can't stop shaking and can't seem to find my voice, but Liam makes sure to stay by my side. He holds me close to him, his arms wrapped around me. His presence is large and reassuring, and with him right next to me, I somehow manage to feel safe.
He guides me into his room and sits me down on his massive king-sized bed. He silently takes off my socks and shoes, and then pulls back the covers, helping me lay beneath them. After that, he gently covers me up with a thick, warm down comforter. He sits on the edge of the bed, stroking my hair, but saying nothing. He just looks into my eyes, an expression of warmth and compassion on his face. I'm still shaking, but it's not from the cold.
A few minutes later, Janice brings in some hot tea and some sandwiches on a tray, quietly setting it down on the table beside us.
“If there's anything you need, anything at all,” she says, “Just call for me. I'll be right here.”
“We will, Janice. Thank you,” Liam says softly.
I mutter a thank you as well, though my throat is dry, and my words sound completely garbled to my own ears. They're the first words I've spoken since everything went down at the warehouse though, so I suppose that's an improvement. Minimal and pathetic though it may be.
Janice gives me a compassionate smile and a nod, then leaves us alone again, shutting the large, heavy wood door to the bedroom behind her. Liam helps me to sit upright again and puts one of his large arms around me, pulling me close to him.
Liam hands me a cup of tea and I cradle it in my hands, savoring the warmth upon my skin. I raise it to my mouth and take a sip of it, letting the liquid quench my parched throat, the warmth of the tea sliding down my throat and spreading throughout my belly. He takes the cup from me and sets it back down on the tray again.
I lean into him and somehow am able to forget, at least momentarily, about the fight we had earlier. About the ugly things we said to each other – well, the ugly things I said to him. Sitting there in his arms, with his body pressed close to mine, I begin to remember the feelings he inspires within me. The good feelings. The feelings of comfort and caring we shared. I close my eyes and just allow myself to feel safe. To feel that warmth between us.
Liam may not always be honest, and I have some serious trust issues, but the one thing I do know is that he'd never let any harm come to me. Tonight proved that in spades. He leans back against the headboard of the bed and I snuggle into him, resting my hand on his chest. I can feel his heart beating in his broad chest, faster than normal.
We sit in comfortable silence together, but after a while, Liam turns to me, a look of pure anguish and regret on his face. It tears at my heart to see him in such pain and I raise my hand, resting my hand on his cheek. Liam leans into my touch and closes his eyes.
“I'm so sorry you were pulled into all this, Paige,” he says softly, opening his eyes again to look at me. “I had no idea that any of them were capable of this. I had no idea any of this was going to happen.”
“I know,” I say softly, tilting my head so I can look him in the eye and I feel my heart swell upon seeing nothing but pure sincerity there. “I don't blame you for what happened, Liam. It's not your fault. I know that. I just – I still don't know what to think about your plans here. With the town. With me. I don't know what to think about any of it.”
“I'm sorry I didn't mention it to you before, Paige,” he says. “Believe me though, I only have the best of intentions. For you and for the town.”
“I want to believe you, Liam,” I say. “I really do. I still feel so betrayed. And I don't know what to do about that.”
“I understand the way you feel and I'm sorry for that,” Liam says as he strokes my cheek, pushing back a strand of my hair. “Will you believe me if I tell you? If I show you what I'm doing?”
I look at him for a long moment and then nod. I want to trust him. I want to believe what we have is real. I want to believe that he's not just using me. That he's not betraying me.
“My plans for Port Safira are simple, really,” he says. “I just want to keep the town as it is. I want to support the local businesses and keep everything that's charming and unique about this place. I had to move quickly and quietly because I wanted to buy up the properties before Damon could swoop in with his offers. My goal was to block his moves and in the process, keep the local businesses going. I see potential here, Paige. Port Safira will never be Seattle, and the way I see it, that's a good thing.”
I sit up straighter, so I can look at him directly. So, I can look into his eyes and gauge his level of truthfulness.
“But there's no money in that, is there?” I ask. “I understand that you're a businessman and you're in it to make money. I don't begrudge you that, Liam. I just don't like the way –”
“I disagree,” he says. “I see potential here that others don't. If you talk to people – and for my business, I talk to a lot of people – most of them will tell you that they're getting tired of the large chains and high-end, corporate-owned businesses. The younger generation is actually yearning for a simpler life and Mom-and-Pop style operations. I really think that small, locally owned businesses are the future. More than that, I want to invest in this town. It's my home, Paige, and I want to –”
Before he finishes his sentence, I lean forward and press my lips to his. My heart surges with happiness and I can't stop myself. I kiss him hard, passionately, and hold his face in my hands. He seems shocked at first, his body a little stiff, but he quickly warms to it.
Liam's tongue enters my mouth and our kiss grows more intense in what seems like a matter of seconds. He takes my breath away with his kiss and the warmth deep inside of me begins to grow and spread. The fear inside of me has subsided and my shaking has stopped. Soon, I'm so caught up in Liam, I forget about everything that happened tonight, at least for a while, and focus on the softness of his lips on mine. The sensation of his hands on my body.
He pulls back and looks deep into my eyes, a small smile on his lips. “You didn't let me finish what I was saying.”
“Oh, was there more you wanted to say?” I ask.
He smiles. “Now that my plans for the town are out of the way,” he says, “you asked about my plans with you. And I –”
I press a finger to his lips, almost afraid of his answer. I know he cares about me now, but I don't want to push it. But he kisses my fingertip and moves it away, his gaze firmly locked on mine.
“Paige, I had no plans for a relationship so soon after my divorce,” he says softly. “Believe me, I was doing everything I could to avoid it. But, then you came into my life and fighting my feelings got harder each day I spent with you. It wasn't all that long that I wanted to stop fighting it altogether. If there's one thing that tonight proved to me, it’s that the thought of losing you is unbearable to me. Somehow, through all the shit I've been through in the past few months, and despite the fact that I was bound and determined to hide myself away for a good, long while, I've found something special. Somebody special. Someone that I want to hold on to. I denied it for a while, but the truth of the matter is, I'm falling for you, Paige. Hard. I've never met someone who fulfills me the way you do. Nobody has ever given me such a sense of – safety. Happiness. Nobody but you.”