Venus rising boxset, p.60
Venus Rising Boxset, page 60
Almost as soon as they were done, Chris collapsed on the mat, whimpering pathetically.
“Cut it out,” Liam told him. “Sit up and stretch.”
Groaning, Chris did. Justin was already in position to stretch his long legs out to either side, almost in a split. Unlike Liam, he just never managed to get quite limber enough to actually get his legs that far. There was a long silence, but Liam waited patiently. After several years, he’d learned it was in the quiet after the workout, once they’d worked all the angst and stress out, his friends usually wanted to talk. In fact, he’d once joked to Andrew, he was going to start charging them all for therapy.
“We told Jessica we want her to move in with us.”
Leaning forward, Liam managed to press his body almost completely against the mat in front of him, keeping his eyes on Justin. The other two men exchanged a glance.
“She still hasn’t heard from her parents,” said Chris. “I don’t think she’s going to decide until she talks to them.
“At least she knows you want to,” pointed out Liam. The tired ache in his muscles felt good as he loosened them for the final time that day, feeling the workout he’d put his body through after teachings four classes in a row, then working out with his friends.
“Yeah... I guess we just thought...” Justin’s voice trailed off, and he sighed. “We hoped she’d end up giving us an answer sooner rather than later.”
“It’s hard on her,” said Liam softly. Although Hilary hadn’t divulged much of the situation to him, she’d said enough, he knew Jessica was struggling with more than just her own feelings and her parents’ silence. She was also worried about what others would say. He couldn’t blame her. “Are you sure this is what you two want?” He held up his hand as both of them looked at him with indignant expressions. “I’m just saying that because it seems like you’re really pushing things fast as if you’re afraid of what you might feel if you slow down.”
The indignation faded from their faces as they both settled down.
“I think I’m more afraid of what thoughts Jessica might start thinking if we slow down. I don’t know how we got here exactly, but somehow, it just seems right to be sharing a woman with this asshole,” said Justin, grinning at Chris.
“Makes me wonder why we never tried it outside of the bedroom before,” said Chris, grinning back at him. “We taught that class together often enough at the Venus School. It’s like our subconsciouses were trying to tell us something.”
That made Liam laugh, although privately, he thought they had a point. Out of their group of friends, Justin and Chris were the only ones he could see making a relationship like this work. He hadn’t been at all surprised they’d fallen for the same girl, and he’d only been a little surprised—not shocked—when they’d decided they wanted a sharing relationship.
“It just feels like we’ve already made our decision to commit, and she hasn’t,” said Chris. “The longer it takes her, the more anxious we get.”
“Do you think maybe you’re putting too much pressure on her, and she’s automatically resisting?” asked Liam. “I mean, she’s got a lot of people’s expectations and desires being thrown at her right now—yours, her parents’, society’s. Any way she turns, she’s going to let someone down.”
“I know, we know.” Justin ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration, ignoring the fact it was wet enough with sweat to stick up. “It’s just...”
“We don’t seem to have our usual amount of control around her,” said Chris quietly. “Not even Mr. I-Never-Lose-My-Cool here. We did wait to bring up moving in. We’d talked about it weeks before we actually asked her. Waiting for an answer...”
“Has you chomping at the bit? On pins and needles?”
“You’ve definitely been spending time with Hilary,” said Chris with a laugh, lightening the mood as Liam had intended. “But yeah, pretty much.”
“It’s hard not to show it to her, but I don’t think she realizes how much it’s bothering us.”
“That’s probably for the best,” said Liam. “She needs this to be her own decision, not something she feels pressured into.”
“If only she’d make the decision faster,” growled Justin.
Silence fell over the room. Unfortunately, there was nothing Liam could say to make them feel better, nothing anyone could do, except Jessica. Liam wondered how long his friends would be able to wait before they started inadvertently putting some pressure on her... or until they started questioning their decision to move in together.
Date number two was a little more fraught for Hilary. For one, Liam hadn’t given her instructions on what to wear. The weather was getting a little cooler, and he’d suggested a movie she’d said she wanted to see, so she figured casual.
Pulling off the ‘I’m totally casual and just happen to look fantastic’ was always harder than when it was okay to show she’d put effort into her outfit. With Jessica’s help, she ended up in a pair of comfortable jeans that hugged her hips and a pink sweater with cherry blossoms that clung to all the right places and enhanced the color in her cheeks and lips. Plus, pink always made her feel pretty and went really well with her hair—which she left completely down since they were just going to be sitting—and light makeup.
Two, her body was humming with anticipation over seeing him again. Last week’s date had gone so well, and the goodnight kiss had nearly knocked her over, s he’d had trouble concentrating at work all week. Every second she let her mind wander, she ended up back in Liam’s arms, pressed between his muscled body and the door, his lips molded to hers as they explored each other’s mouths with their tongues.
Just thinking about the incendiary kiss was enough to send her body up in flames, distinctly uncomfortable when she was supposed to be working.
So, by the time Friday finally rolled around, she was a bundle of nerves, yet strangely, somehow extremely relaxed. There was just something about Liam she found intrinsically comforting. Plus, their conversations over the phone meant they had plenty to talk about, especially after the movie.
They held hands during the movie, his fingers occasionally stroking over hers in a way that made paying attention to the plot a bit of a challenge.
Over dinner, they chatted about their week and the movie. Liam told her about how he’d found some possible backers for the program he wanted to start at his dojo, teaching kids who normally wouldn’t be able to afford the lessons. It’d be a scholarship program in conjunction with the local school. One of the teachers at the dojo had recently talked to a couple of philanthropists who seemed interested. Liam was going to put a presentation together for them, which he would be presenting in a couple of weeks.
Hilary grinned at him, loving his enthusiasm for the project and reassuring him about the public speaking part. It was kind of funny someone like Liam, who was so supremely confident, would be nervous about public speaking.
“Didn’t anyone tell you to just imagine everyone in their underwear?” she teased.
The searing look Liam gave her made her flush bright pink.
“I didn’t mean me!”
“I was just practicing.” He gave her a lazy grin, eyes half-hooded in a way which made her feel like he was still picturing her naked, bringing back all the memories from the last time she’d been at Stronghold. It sent a shiver down her spine. Then he opened his eyes all the way again, as if he knew what she was thinking, and got back to talking about tactics to get over stage fright.
It didn’t surprise her, he planned to use meditation as a way to calm his nerves beforehand.
This time, their goodnight kiss started out slowly as if Liam was trying to stay in control of himself now that he knew what to expect. His lips were gentle, seductive, his hands firmly planted on her hips as if to announce his intention to keep them there. It only made her want him more.
Mewling softly, Hilary tried to press herself against him, her hands pulling on his jacket as she tried to deepen their kiss. To her disappointment, Liam pulled away—he didn’t pull very far away and was chuckling, so she didn’t feel completely rejected.
Feeling breathless, she let him lean her against the door. He cupped her chin in his hand, so their eyes met, holding her firmly but gently. Almost whimpering, she reached for him.
“No. Put your hands on the door and keep them there,” he murmured.
A trickle of excitement fizzed through her. Knowing he was in complete control of the situation, that she was doing what he ordered, only made her body hotter.
Liam kissed her lips again, softly and sweetly, and she clung to him with her mouth as much as she was able before he pulled away.
“I want you,” he murmured, and Hilary’s body clenched in response. Feathering his fingers over her neck, she knew he could feel her pulse beating rapidly beneath his fingertips as if her body had gone into overdrive from merely his touch. “But I’m not sure you’re ready.”
“What if I think I’m ready?” She certainly felt ready. Her breasts felt swollen and heavy, her lower body practically aching, and she knew if he touched her, she’d be slick with wetness, her nipples practically boring holes through her bra and sweater.
A small smile curved his lips. “It doesn’t matter what you think,” he said, sounding amused. “Not when it comes to this.” She might have protested, but he ran his fingers through her hair, distracting her. “I need to be in charge, Hilary. I want you to give your body over to me, to obey my every command, to trust me completely. Not outside the bedroom yet but definitely inside it. Until you’re ready to do that, you’re not ready.”
She bit her lip. Was she ready for that? Part of her screamed yes, the other part frightened by how incredibly intimate he made it sound. The description didn’t seem like he was just asking for her body. It sounded like he wanted her heart, her soul… and he wanted her to offer them up to him. No quick seduction or even demand—he wanted her to submit to him and willingly give him a kind of trust she’d never given anyone, much less someone she’d known for such a short time.
Watching the emotions flit across her face, Liam knew he was making the right decision. But damn, it was hard. As hard as his dick—which was rebelling against his logic.
Second date, he reminded himself. He knew they’d already moved far past Hilary’s comfort zone before they were even dating. So, it was only right he did things her way now. As traditional as she was, she wasn’t the kind of girl to do much of anything before the third date. Not that she’d actually told him so, but she didn’t have to—it had been obvious to him five minutes into their first date. Which made the fact they had engaged in some ah… intimacies all the more awkward.
“I see,” she said finally, and Liam sighed inwardly. She looked both terrified and interested. On the other hand, maybe that wasn’t entirely a bad combination. She wasn’t rejecting him or chasing him away, which told him she wasn’t completely vanilla, but he wasn’t sure she was ready to take the next step yet.
“There’s no pressure,” he said softly, bending his head to kiss her again —both reward and torture. “I’ll call you.”
“I’d like that.”
“Good.”
One last kiss, then he made himself walk away, knowing he could have seduced her and had her if he wanted to, but also knowing the outcome probably wouldn’t be what he wanted. Sure, he could dominate her. Hilary would submit, but then tomorrow, she would start to question herself—start to doubt. She wasn’t ready to give her submission yet, and he didn’t want to push her into it because he couldn’t see any good outcome from it. Most likely she would end up running, and if he wanted to pursue her, he’d have twice the work cut out for him, or she might end up not wanting to see him again.
Getting in his car, Liam tried to tell his body he’d made the right decision although it didn’t seem inclined to agree with him.
They’d made a lot of progress tonight getting to know each other on a non-sexual level. They’d flirted, and he’d found it impossible to keep his hands off of her entirely, but the more they talked, the more he found himself wanting her around. Going a couple of days without talking to her seemed too long. She always had the best outlook on everything, and he ended up telling her about things he never admitted to anyone else.
Like how much he hated public speaking. She’d obviously found that somewhat of a shock, but Liam always felt a heavy weight of pressure on himself when people were paying that much attention to his words. It was much easier when he was teaching than trying to promote something which mattered to him, that he was describing with his own words rather than following along in the way he’d been taught. Presentations had always made him nervous even though he’d taken a class on it in college. That had been a horrifying experience, although it had helped him get to the point where he could do public speaking without looking like a complete idiot. Still, this would be the first time he had to do it, asking for money. Completely different from going to a bank and asking for a loan.
He smiled at the memory of Hilary’s indignation over his qualms. Apparently, in her eyes, he could do anything and do it with supreme confidence. The faith she’d shown in him had relieved some of the pressure he’d been feeling rather than adding to it. She’d given the impression, even if he failed miserably, she’d still think the best of him just for trying.
Which is why he was now on his way home to a cold shower, rather than warming himself in her bed —he wanted to keep her around for a long time.
Looking down at his lap, he sighed. “Down boy.”
On Saturday, Hilary woke up late. She hadn’t gotten nearly as much sleep as she might have liked. Her dreams had been filled with a sexy man with dark red hair and a commanding voice, doing all sorts of sinfully erotic things to her. Unfortunately, such sweaty, hot dreams had the effect of waking her up, far before she was ready to. Every time she fell back asleep, she seemed to end up in a similar dream sequence.
So, when she woke up, she wasn’t just restless and tired, she was also unbearably horny. Not to mention grouchy because Justin, Jessica, and Chris had decided to be at the apartment, so they could grill her about her date with Liam. If they hadn’t been there, she might have gotten up the courage to masturbate again—she didn’t think it would take very long in her current state for her to find completion—but they didn’t seem to have any interest in going anywhere, even after she’d coughed up all the details—well, most of the details—from the night before.
“Is everything okay?” Jessica asked her when they went to fix an afternoon snack.
“Yeah, sorry,” Hilary replied with a grimace. “I think I’m just seriously sexually frustrated.”
“Oh, really? After only two dates?” That was news to Jessica, who knew her friend very well.
“Yeah… but I mean, it’s not like we haven’t done anything before, but now, it’s like he won’t even consider doing more than kiss me unless I can say I want to go all the way into BDSM. Why can’t we just experiment or something first before I have to completely give up… everything?”
Even more frustrated now that she’d started talking about it, Hilary scowled at the block of cheese she was slicing.
“Because Liam is too honest to pretend to be something he’s not.”
Both girls jumped and turned to stare at Justin, who was leaning against the kitchen doorframe. Tall, dark, and handsome in his black t-shirt and jeans, for once, his attention was completely focused on Hilary rather than Jessica, and she felt herself wanting to cower from the intensity of his gaze. She’d always thought Justin was more intimidating than Chris, but she hadn’t really realized until now just how much more intimidating.
“What do you mean by that?”
Justin smiled at her in a manner she was sure was meant to be reassuring but just made her feel like a little girl who was about to be lectured.
“He’s not the kind of guy who can go through life with just vanilla sex. While he probably likes you enough to try to do that for you, it’s not going to be what he needs. He would have to worry about either hurting you or pushing you into a place you’re not sexually ready for.”
Heat rose in Hilary’s cheeks. It seemed like ever since Justin and Chris had come into her life, bringing their friends, she spent at least fifty percent of her time blushing.
“Can’t we just… I don’t know. Take things slow? Try it out?”
“Would it be fair to you? If he took things slowly, and by the time you realize you don’t want what he needs, you’ve been together for a long time and are heavily involved emotionally.” Chris came to stand up beside Justin, looking serious and also a little worried. “Part of the reason we sought out Jessica at the Venus School was we weren’t sure if she’d be interested in BDSM when we saw her at work, and we kept putting off pursuing her because we didn’t want to throw ourselves out there, then frighten her off. Or, worse, get something started only to have her realize we were pervs.”
“I think he’s also trying to do things more conventionally for you, so by the time you’re ready and willing to submit to him, you really trust him.”
“My kind of pervs,” Jessica chimed in with the special smile she reserved for her men. “So, what can she do?” Hilary had been about to protest she already trusted Liam—after all, she’d done her Introduction scene with him, hadn’t she? But she wanted to know what the guys thought, so she just looked at them curiously, unaware of the pleading filling her eyes.
Justin and Chris exchanged glances, having one of their little wordless conversations. Actually, it looked more like an argument.
“I think you should give him a couple more weeks,” said Chris, turning his attention back toward the women. “Invite him to the Halloween party, keep getting to know each other.”
“I think you should come to Stronghold with us tonight,” said Justin as Chris scowled at him, obviously displeased. “Liam will be there.”
