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“Well, Kelsey,” he continued, taking a step closer, “You just stumbled into something you shouldn’t have. The question is, what do I do about it?”
CHAPTER2
KELSEY
Itried to maintain composure, but my heart was pounding in my chest so loudly that I wondered if he could hear it. Every nerve in my body seemed to be on high alert. Liam’s scrutiny, as well as his piercing gaze, had me on edge. My palms sweated and my knees wobbled, all as I tried to maintain my composure.
I couldn’t let him win.
“Look, I just needed a place to hide, far away from my ex. He hits me sometimes and… and…” I stammered. “I thought this pub was empty. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
Liam’s gaze remained fixed on me, and his eyes narrowed, circling me like a predator closing in on its prey. “You’re a long way from safety if you’re looking for it here.”
I bit my lip, feigning vulnerability. “I heard the Murphy family had connections. I thought maybe I could find protection here. I didn’t know where else to go.”
He chuckled, the sound both menacing and oddly captivating. “You’ve got guts, sweetheart, creeping into the lion’s den and expecting sanctuary.” He stepped even closer, the air thick with an electric charge. “But you know, this is a dangerous place. Not everyone is as friendly as they seem.”
A tingle of fear mingled with the undeniable attraction that pulsed between us. “I… I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” I whispered, meeting his gaze with feigned innocence.
Liam tilted his head, a wry smile playing on his lips. “Let’s not pretend, sweetheart. What’s your game, really?”
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. “I don’t have a game. Honestly, I just wanted to disappear and start fresh. I heard the Murphy family could make things happen.”
He stepped back, the distance between us momentarily widening. “Starting fresh with us is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. But I’ll tell you what,” he said, his gaze lingering on mine, “If I find out you’re lying to me, I just might have to take you over my knee and redden that pretty bottom of yours.”
My mouth went dry, and my body simmered with heat at the sizzling promise in his voice.
He really didn’t just say what I thought he said, did he? He couldn’t be serious. It had to be a joke of some kind, meant to shock me into silence. Spankings were a punishment for children, not for the likes of me. Why, then, was my pulse racing and my core sizzling with sudden need? Why did that single line keep repeating in my head?
“If I find out you’re lying to me, I just might have to take you over my knee and redden that pretty bottom of yours.”
Why was a part of me actually curious about it? Why did I kind of want him to do it?
Maybe it was just the adrenaline talking or maybe I was going a little bit insane…
“You can’t spank me. I’m a grown woman,” I scoffed, and he raised a single eyebrow. The dark shadows in his eyes seemed to swirl into a deeper black, and I shut my mouth.
Liam Shelby was a criminal. He probably had no qualms about killing a man, or maybe even a woman. What would stop him from hurting me if he felt like it?
He’d already threatened to spank me…
A low heat simmered in the pit of my belly, and I swallowed hard. A droplet of sweat beaded at the edge of my brow and despite everything I tried to do to stop it, my pussy clenched hard.
Why was I drawn to him anyway? Why did I want him to reach out, take me in his arms, and kiss me the way I was meant to be kissed?
He didn’t say anything more about it, and I didn’t press the issue.
“I have nowhere to go,” I admitted, my voice a whisper laced with vulnerability.
A sly grin played on Liam’s lips, and he took a step closer. “Well, Kelsey, it just so happens I know a place where you can lay low for the night,” he said, his hazel eyes glinting with mischief.
This couldn’t be good, right?
“Your place?” I asked warily, trying to gauge his intentions. For all I knew, he could be taking me to my death, rather than into his bed. But there was something about him that made me trust him.
And then I realized something else.
He could be my “in” to the Murphy family.
