Consolation (Consolation Duet #1)(52)

Then I wonder about Liam. The fact that I’d be entering a relationship knowing the life I’d live with him and the possible outcome. But I was built for this. I’m a SEAL wife. I know the life, the struggles, and the joys that it can bring. I know I’m able to handle deployments and all that goes with it. I just don’t know if I could withstand losing him. Loving Liam comes with a cost.

“What’s going through your mind? I can feel you tensing up.” Liam breaks the silence.

I lean on my hand that rests upon his chest. His blue eyes sparkle and I give a sad smile. “I’m thinking about all of it. The love, the loss, the affair. I think the fact that I don’t have answers is the hardest part.”

“Do you want to talk to her? Will that help?” Liam’s hand continues to run up and down my back.

“I don’t know. A part of me wants to forget it all and call her a liar. What does it even matter?”

Liam kisses the top of my head and lets out a deep sigh.

“Where do we go from here?” I ask.

Liam’s hands grip my shoulders and he pulls me on top of him. I’m lying on his chest and we’re face to face. “We decide. You decide because I’m here with you, but I need to know you’re not there with him.”

Pushing my hands up his chest, I rest against his shoulders. “I’m with you right now.”

He sits up so quickly I’m not sure how he manages it. He flips me so I’m on my back and he’s on top of me. My body warms from his touch and he glides his calloused fingers down my bare arm. “Liam . . .” I sigh his name.

“Tell me when you need me to stop,” his voice is low and smooth.

I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to tell him to stop. I hope he has more control than I do.





His fingers graze my pants where my shirt meets. I squirm in anticipation. Liam pauses and my eyes lock on his. I don’t speak or move, but I grant him the permission he seeks. He knows how to read me, my body, my tiny movements that not many would be able to pick up on. It’s a blessing and a curse.

The pads of his fingers float across my stomach and my breath stops. Lust flurries and builds as his fingertip moves higher. It skims my ribs and he traces the underside of my breast.

“Tell me if it’s too much,” his husky voice gravels in my ear.

“It’s not enough,” the words fall from my lips.

Liam groans and his tongue traces the shell of my ear. My eyes roll back in my head in pure pleasure as he pushes underneath my bra. When his finger grazes my nipple, I nearly buck off the couch.

“You’re so perfect,” he reassures me and rubs back and forth, my nipple pebbling beneath his adept touch.

Needing to touch him, I run my hands under his shirt, pushing it up. Liam uses one hand and rips it off. My fingers delicately press against his skin. I trace the tattoo on his ribs: Dulce bellum inexpertis. I outline the letters and he tenses. “What does that mean?” I ask as he kisses my neck.

He looks up and his blue eyes darken. “It means war is sweet for those who haven’t experienced it.”

My voice is barely audible, “I’m sorry. I know you’ve lost a lot.”

“I’ve gained too. War takes from us. It robs us of so much, but if we let it . . . it can save us. You being here in my arms right now is reminding me that sometimes the victory is worth the battle.”


Liam bows down as each breath passes between us. As much as he’s breathing life into me, I’m doing the same for him. We’ve both lost because of war. Liam’s lost countless friends as well as handling his own demons. “I shouldn’t be feeling this way,” I say as he brushes the hair out of my eyes.

“What do you feel?” his voice is rich and warm. It heats parts of my body that have been forgotten. “Describe it,” he demands.

I close my eyes as his hand floats down my body and back under my shirt. I allow the sensations to overtake my mind and Liam’s touch is what I give myself over to. “Your hands are strong, but when you touch me, it’s tender.” His thumb brushes my nipple and I sigh. “The scraping of your thumb against my skin.” He does it again.

“Does it feel good?” he asks gruffly.

“Yes,” I moan, as his hand cups my breast and he squeezes.

“Do you want me to keep touching you?” he asks.

Keeping my eyes closed, I stay in the moment. “Please,” my voice is low and dripping with need.

His weight shifts and he pulls my shirt over my head. I look at him and his eyes turn to liquid as he appraises me, setting my nerves at ease. Liam groans in approval. “Perfect. Every inch of you is perfection.” He pulls my straps down and waits. I tilt and unhook my bra, but leave it in place.

No other man has seen me like this besides Aaron. Aaron was my first and only. Liam seems to understand my hesitation and then he’s on top of me again. His mouth fuses to mine and he kisses me eagerly. My fingers pull his beanie off and tangle into his hair. I want him so much right now. Every cell feels like it’s on fire and I’ll soon become cinders. Burning with need, I get lost again. No thoughts of anything but him exist.

My hands grip his ass as he grinds down on me. I feel his hardness against my core and I begin to throb. His hands start to drift down my side as he pulls the bra from between us, but keeps me covered with his body.