Page 57 of Claiming Ours (Anchor Bay #2)

LIAM

I slumped in the cheap metal chair and leaned back, folding both arms over my chest. All around me, other members of the Uplift team talked and laughed, but I couldn’t bring myself to join the conversations.

My mind was stuck on the two I’d left sleeping in my bed to be here on time.

I forced myself to walk away after wasting too much time staring at them cuddled together, Baylee’s bare tits peeking out from the blanket, begging me to suck on them like I had the night before.

And nibbled.

And bit, leaving love marks all over her body—which, based on her pleas and begging, she liked as much as I did.

Directing them all night while adding in Memphis’s kink, keeping Baylee restricted with a few of my belts, was a memory I’d gladly replay all day every day for the rest of my life.

Who knew seeing her struggle against the restraints would be so fucking hot?

Or watching while controlling some other guy as he fucked my girl balls-deep?

I still hadn’t revealed my newly gained kink that started after meeting Baylee, shocking the hell out of me the first time I got hard fantasizing about it.

Who knew the idea of her belly swollen and tits huge would make me want to keep fucking her every second to ensure it happened?

Last night, I even pushed my cum back into her cunt, keeping my fingers there to hold it in, even though I knew she had that birth control contraption.

I wonder what it would take to convince her to have it removed.

She really wanted another goat….

“Shit, you have it bad,” Aiden joked as he fell into the chair beside me. Miles hitched his chin in greeting from the other side of his best friend. “I’m guessing things are full steam ahead with you and Baylee.”

I nodded, not wanting to get into it with him.

“And that guy, the one with the sweet-ass tattoos. I’m not into men, but if I was, it would be?—”

“No, your kink is birds, remember,” I remarked with a smirk, knowing that would get the entire team engaged in trolling him.

“I’m a proud ornithologist, thank you very much.”

“Every time it’s said out loud, it still makes me shiver. Sounds illegal and disgusting,” Juno grumbled.

“Don’t yuck my yum, sweetheart,” Aiden responded with a wink.

I scanned the table, noting that Langston wasn’t present to kill Aiden with his death glare for daring to joke with his so-called nemesis—who he also couldn’t stop staring at or complaining about constantly. “Has anyone heard anything regarding West?”

Juno’s smile faded. “The surgery went well, and they’re hopeful he’ll make a full recovery.

Since we’re so far from the hospital, they wanted him close for a few more days.

That’s where Langston is, with West until he can come home.

” She cleared her throat and forced a smile.

“How’s my girl Baylee doing? I noticed an uptick in online scheduling through the website I built for her. ”

I rubbed my jaw. “She’s good.” A small smile broke free from my normal expressionless mask. “Happy.”

“Fucking finally,” Juno said, her grin now genuine at the mention of her friend. “You fixed her little problem, I take it.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” I grumbled, hating the way I felt my cheeks heat since everyone was listening to our conversation. “Not like Aiden and his bird fetish.”

The man tossed both hands in the air in fake exasperation.

Before we could start trolling him again, Oliver and Hudson walked in with Brandon right behind them, shutting the door hard.

Oliver took a seat beside Finley, who shoved at his shoulder and started talking a mile a minute about nothing, while Hudson leaned against the far wall, brows pulled in tight as he studied the floor.

That couldn’t be good.

“Amy made waffles,” Brandon said, sounding exhausted, but the lift of his lips hinted that it was the kind of exhausted that made him happy, similar to how I felt. “So let’s get this meeting done quick so I can get back home and eat.”

“Lucky Amy,” Finley chirped with a wide, goading smile that earned her a blank stare from Brandon. “Sorry.”

Dax shoved her shoulder and mouthed, “What the fuck?” but Finley actively ignored him, even turning in the chair to put her back to him.

Her best friend. I narrowed my eyes at the pair. What was going on between them? They were normally thick as thieves, but the gap between them today felt cold.

Brandon held up a hand quieting everyone and regaining their attention. “You’ve all been informed on what Liam, Memphis and Baylee discovered on their way to Caper, but before we address that, Liam, tell us how the rescue assignment went.”

Clearing my throat, I leaned forward, pressing both forearms to the table, and rattled off everything that I accomplished, also acknowledging Memphis’s hard work while I handled the manual labor side of things.

“All in all, we made a good team for that kind of assignment. He would be an asset to have on board with Uplift. Langston can’t always be here, especially during the summer when most of his fishing and water activities are booked solid.”

Brandon nodded, taking notes as I spoke. “I’ll see what we can do about getting him on board. If that’s what you want.” He eyed me for a long moment, waiting for me to give him my all-in on the stranger.

“It is, and it’s what our community and Anchor Bay need. We can’t always depend on Dr. Dipshit at The Nest to be available.”

The corner of Brandon’s lips curled upward. “I heard about your failed excursion yesterday.”

“Only failed because someone didn’t mind their own business.”

Oliver lifted both hands in surrender. “Just trying to keep you out of jail, buddy.”

I huffed. “Like I would’ve gotten caught.”

“Enough. We have more important shit to discuss like the body you found,” Hudson cut in with a hard glare at me and Oliver.

“As Brandon mentioned, I know you’re all aware of the body Liam, Baylee, and their friend came upon while on their way to Caper.

She was a hiker here for the Soul Trail but thankfully had a dog with her who actually led them to her body.

I know we’re all assuming this is related to the suspicious disappearances along the trail but we’re keeping all options open, considering she was found so far off the actual trail itself.

As far as cause of death goes, we don’t have the autopsy results back yet.

We did have a chance to inspect the few pieces of evidence collected at the scene.

The only thing we think might be related is the silver necklace with a large feather charm that was found close?—”

“What the fuck did you just say?” Miles stood up so fast, his chair toppled behind him. The former SEAL pressed both palms to the table and leveled a death stare at Hudson, who, to his credit, didn’t shrink back. Probably because he was a former SEAL too. Who knew who would win if they went at it.

“We found a necklace—silver, it seems—caught in some brush near the body.”

“Let me see it,” Miles said, shoving off the table and storming around the chairs, everyone cursing and yelling as they shifted out of his way.

Hudson nodded and pulled out his phone. Tapping the screen a few times, he turned it to face Miles, which put it right in my line of sight. The picture was a labeled evidence bag with the necklace we found inside.

Miles leaned in closer, squinting for a few seconds before cursing and standing tall.

“That,” he rasped, pointing at the picture, “is Caroline’s.”

I swear you could’ve heard a fucking cricket fart, it was so deadly quiet in the meeting space.

No one even breathed aloud as we all absorbed that information for several seconds before the room exploded in a cacophony of shouted questions.

Half of the room was now on their feet, hands slapping to the table, demanding to know what the hell was going on.

A loud, high-pitched whistle cut through the chaos, quieting us all down.

“Shut the hell up and let us think,” Oliver shouted, his commanding tone making everyone do just that.

“Fuck.” He pinched the bridge of his nose before grabbing his uniform hat and launching it across the room.

It hit the wall hard, the bill snapping from the force of the contact.

His chest heaved as he fought for control over his emotions and turned to Miles. “Are you sure?”

“I am. It was a gift from her mother a long time ago. She was always fiddling with the damn thing.”

“Her birth mom or stepmom?” I asked, making everyone turn to me, various confused and shocked expressions on their faces.

“It was news to me too.” I explained what Jasper told Memphis and me the day before.

“He said he told your dad, Oliver, but maybe he thought it wasn’t relevant because that was over two decades ago. ”

Oliver’s face had grown redder and redder as I spoke. “Did he now?” he hissed through gritted teeth. “Seems like I need to have a chat with good ole dad. And Jasper, for that matter.”

“I’m right behind you,” Hudson said, turning to follow Oliver out the door.

We all stared at the door when it slammed shut, the sudden quiet heavy and unsettling.

My skin itched, the need to see Baylee and make sure she was okay so insistent that I couldn’t, nor wouldn’t, ignore it. I shoved out of my chair, which landed in a heap like Miles’s, and everyone turned to me.

“We all know what’s on the schedule for the week thanks to Juno,” I said to Brandon, who nodded, lips in a tight line. “I need to go check on my girl.”

“Same,” Miles, Aiden, and Brandon echoed.

Finley darted out the door before any of us could get there, leaving a despondent Dax at the table, staring at where she’d just disappeared. That confirmed something was off between them, but I didn’t have the time or the capacity to ask Dax about it now.