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“Yeah, you mentioned that.”
“It was the last home I was in before Lucia. I was thirteen. A nice family in Larchmont. I felt lucky. It was better than a lot of places I’d been. Until their son came back from his freshman year at college. Big guy. Body odor problem.”
Liam’s face contracted. “Oh, Christ.”
“Oh, don’t get scared,” I said quickly. “He never actually ... well. Lucky for me, there were always lots of people around, and I shared a room with two other girls. But he took every chance he got to pin me in dark corners and rub his erection against me. That was usually all he had time for.”
Liam’s hands were clenched. “What a piece of shit.”
“He was working up to it, though,” I went on. “It was only a matter of time. And he was his mother’s firstborn darling. She was never going to believe me over him. Which was really sad. She was a nice lady. Deluded, but nice. I liked her.”
I stared up at the ceiling, twiddling with the quilt, lost in unpleasant memories.
Liam nuzzled her with his lips. “And? So?”
I let out a sigh. “So I told my social worker,” I said. “She confronted the mother. The mother took his side. Called me a nasty, lying slut. I got a new placement. With Lucia.” I stroked his hair. “So you see? My luck turned. It was meant to be. But I still carry some of that around. I never go for guys who are significantly bigger than me, for instance. I hate being pushed around, or feeling squished. I freeze right up.” I hoisted myself onto my elbow, and petted his massive chest. “You’re a big exception,” I added, in a wondering voice. “Very big.”
His penis was long and hard, standing up against his belly. He shot me an uncomfortable look. “I know it’s inappropriate, after what you just told me. Being close to you just does it to me. I can’t help it. Or hide it, either. Since I’m naked.”
“It’s okay,” I murmured. “I know you’re one of the good guys.”
He gathered me into his arms and I melted into the hug. My arms
trembled with the strain of holding him so tightly, but I wanted it to last forever.
When we finally relaxed, he brushed the hair off my face and cupped my cheek.
“I want to find that guy and kill him,” he said.
I was taken aback by that blunt pronouncement. “Ah, I don’t recommend that, Liam,” I said nervously. “I have enough problems as it is.”
He traced my eyebrow with his finger. “It’s strange,” he said. “I’m not a violent person. I’ve never gone looking for a fight in my life. But I would kill anyone who hurts you.”
I opened and closed my mouth a few times, utterly nonplussed. “I’m not quite sure what to do with that information.”
“It’s not for you to do anything with,” he said. “It’s just the truth, for me. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared that. Sorry. Didn’t mean to make it weird for you.”
“It’s okay,” I assured him. “Just a little, um. Intense.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” He pulled away and got up, scooping up his jeans, and I sat up, realizing that our idyll was over. Liam was all business now.
He pulled his jeans up over that stunning ass, and then pulled open his closet, rummaging under a pile of thick wool blankets on a high shelf. After a moment, he pulled down a heavy black fiberglass case and laid it down on the bed.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Liam unsnapped the case. “My stepfather’s old service revolver.”
I flinched. “Oh, my God. What are you going to do with that thing?”
He lifted an eyebrow at my tone. “Keep it close. Just in case.”
“You really think that’s necessary? Do you know how to use it?”
Liam laughed under his breath as he pulled out a box of bullets, opened the cylinder, and loaded it. “Yes and yes. I could have used this in your stairwell last night. Of course I know how to use it. God, what a question.” He tucked it into the back of his jeans and shrugged on his shirt over it.
I shivered at the thought of the deadly thing, cold against the warm skin of his back. “Do you have a license to carry concealed?” I asked.
“I can get one,” he said. “I’ve never needed one before, so I never bothered.”