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For a moment, Liam was torn, incapable of reconciling the thought of having to protect her while at the same time accepting her right to put an end to all of this, even if she was placing herself in harm’s way. It took a while, but Liam managed to press his lips together and give Isabella a silent nod that he got the hint. Jerry on the other hand saw things black and white with no grey zone in between. He crossed his arms and pushed his shoulders back. “Let me tell you a few problems with this plan of yours…A, you're not a police officer.B,it's not safe.C, my guess is that it's more likely that he's the one setting the trap,D,he might have a gun by now.” He shook his head in a firm no. “But if you want, I can keep going all the way toZ.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Isabella replied in a cold voice and turned toward Dan. “How can I get a hold of you? Do you have a cell phone now?” Dan smirked and grabbed something from her pocket. “Even better, I have one for the both of us.” She handed her the phone.
“Splendid.”
Before Jerry or Liam could say another word, she continued in a determined tone that did not allow for further discussion. “If you will excuse me now, I am awfully tired. This has been a very long day, hasn’t it, Liam?” Liam looked over to Jerry who clearly expected him to take his side, but much to his disappointment, Liam lended her a helping hand.
“Yes. It has been one of the most eventful days of my life. Let’s continue this tomorrow.”
Jerry let out a grumpy growl, but didn’t argue any further. “Fine. I'll stop by around five.” He turned to open the front door. “You better be here tomorrow. And call 911 immediately when you see something. No hero stunts or John Wick stuff, you hear me?”
Isabella softened her mood, giving him a quick salute. “Loud and clear.” But instead of leaving, he just stood there, lifting an eyebrow into the room, awaiting something. Dan finally pouted back at him. “Yes, I guess it's about time.”
“Well come on then, I'll drop you off. Unless you want to walk again for another three hours?” Dan glanced over to Isabella. The wrinkles that formed on her forehead told everything Isabella had to know.
“It’s fine, Dan. I'll manage. We will talk again tomorrow.”
“Fine. But call me if you need me.” She joined Jerry as they both disappeared into the hallway and the door slammed shut.
Isabella and Liam stared at each other in silence across the empty room. For a while they didn’t know what to say. It was a trying day, filled with surprises and mixed emotions.
"I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to sound overbearing,” Liam broke the silence.
“No, I’m sorry. I know you're just concerned about me. It’s just, my whole life people have controlled every aspect of my existence. What to eat, what to wear, what to say… Even who to marry. When I first woke up in this strange new world, I had nothing, but at least I was free to make my own decisions. It felt incredible, and I wish it would stay that way.”
Liam nodded, lifting a hand to his chest, taking a step closer toward her. “I’m not trying to say I understand what it was like for you. It sounds awful. But I can—how do I say this—empathize. The military had my ass, literally, for a good part of my life. They could send me to war or have me clean toilets all day. In fact, they made me do both.” A feeling of shame washed over her. It made its way from her head down to her heart to leave a sharp pain. Not once had she taken the time to ask Liam how he was doing. It was more than obvious that he bore the scars of his own tale. But ever since she got here, everything had always been about her. She wanted to talk to him. Not about the weather or other unimportant things. She wanted to know him in a much deeper way. To feel the man who stood up for her. To reach down into his heart. To hear about his most memorable joys, as well as his greatest sorrows.
“Was it hard? Your time in the military?”
Liam pressed his lips together, drifting into thoughts. “It was…” he said in barely more than a whisper.
A painful lump formed in her throat. Liam shook his head with an unfocused gaze and shallow sigh, tearing himself out of wherever his mind had just wandered off to. “No, not tonight. We sure have enough going on already. But if you want to, after all of this is over, I'll cook dinner for us, and you can ask me whatever you want to know." He gave her a stare, with eyes that seemed to be filled with pain—a brave soldier’s burden. "I will answer truthfully.” His faint smile touched her heart deeply.
When all of this is over, we might not get the chance to,she thought to herself, feeling the overbearing cold sadness that caved in her chest. But she wouldn’t tell him that. “Yes, let’s do that when all of this is over,” she replied, veering off from his gaze. “I better rest now…” were her last words before rushing behind the closed door.
Her throat choked in tears. Her legs finally gave in, as she crumpled onto the floor.After all of this is over… She would be back in her own time. To be recognized as a noblewoman. Sleeping under golden sheets. Dining with dukes and princes of the time, and married off to some rich aristocrat, trapped in a golden cage. Of course, there was another option. She could continue defying her mother, and dragging her brother along with her entire family into ruin. Whichever one it would be, it would be without Liam.
The church bell drowned out all the noise from outside. Isabella stood in front of the altar, wearing a wedding dress fit for a queen. A priest was holding an open bible in his hands, staring at her in great anticipation. She looked around and realized that the church was empty. The only person in attendance was her mother, who stood right behind her, almost as if she was holding her in place. Next to her was Lord Warrington, wearing nothing but nappies. Without clothes to soak in his endless sweating, a stream of smelly fluids were running down his insufferable body, forming a puddle of putrid liquid underneath his feet. He giggled uncontrollably under half-missing dentures like a child. Isabella tried to escape, but she couldn’t. She was frozen in place.Somebody help!She tried to scream, but even her voice was empty. Lord Warrington turned toward her, grabbing her by the wrist so tightly that it hurt. He licked his lips as they turned into a perverted grin, ready for the part of the ceremony where he was supposed to kiss the bride. His whole face was wet, smooching with sweat. Isabella turned toward the only person in that place that could help her.Mother please!But her mother just grinned from ear to ear with eyes that sparkled like she was staring at a chest filled with gold. Isabella fumbled to avoid their soulless gaze as her eyes scoured the room for help. But she found terror instead! In the far end of the church, hiding in the shadowy corner, was Ghost, staring at her in anticipation with the red eyes of an evil demon. Her body shook in horror.Liam, help! Help me!She tried to scream, to kick, to burst into tears, but bloody hell, she couldn’t.
“HELP! LIAM! HELP ME!”
A loud bang assaulted the room as it was violently swung open, waking her from her nightmare. She shot up in her bed, her fingers fumbled to grab the sheets to cover herself as little pearls of sweat were running down her forehead. She suddenly realized where she was; Liam was right next to her, putting a hand on her cheek.
“Are you ok?” His voice was in panic. Hers was in disarray as she stared at him with her eyes wide open like an owl, breathing heavily.
“I… He tried to kiss me… I couldn’t move… Then there was Ghost… Eyes like the devil…” Liam moved closer, sitting himself on the mattress next to her to pull her into his arms.
“You are safe. It was just a nightmare.” Giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead, he softly rocked her back and forth. “I won’t let anybody hurt you.” She closed her eyes while he held her in his arms. His warm body was wrapped around hers. She opened her eyes just enough to see him, only to notice that he was naked from his waist up, wearing nothing more than a pair of boxers. His bare chest was muscular, twitching, hard as steel.
Her desire flickered to life, sending heat waves down her spine. No man before Liam had been ever this close to her, and yet her body seemed to know exactly what she longed for. She was drunk with love. She slowly moved her head back, looking right at him. It was dark in the room but the light coming in from the window was enough to see a mixture of longing and uncertainty in his eyes. And before he could say another word, with her hands grasping at his thick shoulders, Isabella leaned forward and pressed her steaming lips onto his. Her heart skittered. His soft and warm lips opened to let out a moan.
“…Isabella…” Passion took a hold of her and Isabella’s kisses became deeper, begging for his touch. He suddenly pulled away just a few inches, breathing heavily, almost unable to speak. “Are you sure this is what you want…?” She leaned in, softly stroking his lips with hers.
“I never wanted anything this much in my life,” she whispered, running her hand over his chest all the way down and into his boxers. “Oh,” she sighed in surprise, gently closing her hand around his big and hard steel. His eyes darkened and he grabbed her wrist.
“This isn’t a game, Isabella,” he growled in arousal.
“I couldn’t agree more,” she moaned back at him, softly moving her hand up and down his manhood. His eyes flickered in a way she had never seen before as he pushed her with his body onto the mattress, locking her in place in between his legs.
