Page 35 of The Havenport Collection

Liam

A fter pizza, grass-fed burger kebabs, and some gluten-free whoopie pies, Cece seemed more like herself. I wanted to get her alone, ravage her, and tell her I was falling for her. Beg her to stay with me—at the brewery and in my bed—and be mine forever.

We walked and chatted about other potential festivals we could participate in.

Every minute I spent with her was so much fun.

Watching her come out of her shell was such a privilege.

She brought an infectious enthusiasm to everything— pizza toppings, nineties rock, or string lights for the patio.

I loved what I did and I loved her passion for the brewery.

She was making all the hard work worth it.

She was taking her place in this town, in my business, and in my family. All these years there had been a hole and I hadn’t even realized it. Having her here made me finally feel whole.

I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to broach the subject, but several beers and Declan’s emergency whiskey flask were making me feel courageous.

Tonight was the night. Every minute since our first kiss, I had been falling more deeply in love with this woman, and I needed to tell her. Better yet, I needed to show her.

I was done with casual dating. No woman would ever compare, and I was not letting her get away. I was done with this idea that she was going to pack up and leave town when she was thriving here. I wanted her to be mine.

I wasn’t dumb enough to propose. At least not yet. But we would obviously get married. How could I let her slip away?

For once, my idiot brothers were right. I had to lock her down.

I was going to lay it all out.

We walked slowly back to my apartment, laughing and chatting about the weird gourds we had seen. Everything was more fun when I got to talk to her about it.

I unlocked the door and led her up to my apartment. I had spent the morning cleaning furiously and preparing for this moment.

“Liam, what are we doing here?”

“I just wanted a minute alone with you, and this seemed like a good place for that.” I opened the door and let her walk through.

She gasped. “Liam, what is all this?”

In addition to thoroughly cleaning my apartment, I had lit a bunch of flameless candles and set them all over the space.

I also had a massive bouquet of roses in a fancy vase on the coffee table for her.

The lights were low, and there was soft music playing.

I wanted to set the scene for romance, and judging by her reaction, I had succeeded.

“This is incredible.”

I took her coat and hung it up. I was struggling. Could I do this? Could I really share my feelings? I was a man—a Quinn for Chrissake—and we didn’t do that. But I had to lay it out for her. I couldn’t lose her and then hate myself for not being honest. “I have to tell you something.”

She turned and crossed the room, wrapping her arms around my neck and tilting her head up to look at me.

Her hazel eyes glowed softly in the candlelight, and her lips glistened.

Those wild curls were escaping from her ponytail.

She looked so beautiful I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her.

It was a gentle kiss that began to intensify.

I wrapped her in my arms and felt her entire body pushed up against me.

I finally tore myself away from the kiss. You can do this. Tell her how you feel.

“Okay. You have my full attention.” She gave me a wink, and an electric current shot straight through me.

“Today was amazing. Tonight was amazing. You have done so much for me, I don’t even know how to thank you.”

“Liam, stop. It’s literally my job.”

“No. You have gone so far beyond. You are so talented and creative. You don’t even know how incredible you are.”

She rolled her eyes and tried to brush me off.

“No,” I said forcefully, grabbing her by the shoulders. “You are fucking amazing. I look at you and I see the most brilliant, beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and it scares the shit out of me.”

Her eyes flashed and next thing I knew she was kissing me.

I lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist. Her kisses were both rough and soft.

Every single cell in my body lit up as I carried her over to the large leather sofa.

Her hands were in my hair as I kissed a trail down her neck to her collarbones.

We quickly shed our winter layers as we scrambled to touch each other and taste each other as much as possible.

Cece was dominant tonight, grabbing at me and practically ripping through my layers of clothes.

She pulled my shirt over my head and slowly unbuckled my belt and unzipped my jeans.

She was careful, deliberate, taking care not to touch my straining erection.

She was clearly trying to kill me and I loved every second of it.

Once I was standing in only my boxer briefs, she removed the rest of her clothes and stood before me, a naked goddess, lit by the glowing candles and the moonlight through the window.

I was overwhelmed by her beauty but also her confidence.

A confidence that was hard-fought and well-earned.

My heart was pounding. “You are so beautiful,” I whispered.

She began to kiss and lick my collarbone and chest, like she was trying to memorize every bump and ridge of muscle as she made her way down to the promised land.

By the time she got to the waistband of my boxers, I was shaking and growling with need.

Slowly she peeled them down and dropped to her knees. I almost fainted from the visual.

She grabbed the base of my cock and slowly lowered her mouth to the crown, pausing before licking the tip gently with the flat of her tongue.

“Holy shit.”

She maintained eye contact, her eyes hooded with lust. “I’m just getting started.” She slowly lowered her mouth and took all of me.

Cece worked me thoroughly and reverently, alternating between deep and shallow strokes and swirling her tongue in the most incredible way.

My vision was blurry, but I looked down and saw her playing with her nipples.

The sight of this naked goddess, on her knees with her lips wrapped around my cock while pinching her nipples, was almost too much to take.

I almost detonated on the spot. I had to regain control. This night was about her.

I slowly removed myself from her mouth and pulled her to standing before planting a big messy kiss on her swollen lips. “Cece, that was the most incredible thing I have ever experienced. But I need to slow down and take care of you. I need to be inside you.”

“I need it too,” she whimpered.

I carried her to the bedroom and set out to grab a condom.

“Liam?” she asked demurely. “I want you. I want all of you. I don’t want anything between us tonight.”

My brain started to short-circuit. I had never had sex without a condom in my life. But there was nothing I wanted more than to feel every single inch of her and give her every single inch of me.

“I’m on birth control. And I’m clean. I was tested after Xavier.”

I nodded, incapable of formulating words. “Me too.”

She wrapped her arms around me, kissing me deeply and pushing me back onto the bed.

I watched in awe as she positioned herself above me and slowly lowered herself onto my aching cock.

The feel of her silky walls against my bare cock almost pushed me over the edge.

We were joined, touching the most intimate parts of one another, and I felt overwhelmed, not just by the physical sensations, but by emotional ones as well.

When she finally began to move, gently rocking her divine wetness against me, I had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming out “I love you.” My hands caressed her breasts and landed on her hips as our rhythm grew wild.

I was thrusting with everything I had, exploring her body and teetering on the edge.

Watching her body on top of mine, watching her chase her pleasure while giving me the most I had ever experienced in my life, was world altering.

I held on long enough to watch her come apart, throwing her head back in an epic climax.

Her body shook, her inner walls trembled, and her riotous hair cascaded around her like a wild, dirty angel.

It triggered my own climax as my body finally released, pouring myself into her, giving her absolutely everything I had.

We collapsed, sweaty and breathless, on the bed. My mind and heart were racing, but one thing was certain. I wanted this woman forever.