Unplugged: A Blue Phoenix Book

CHAPTER 28

 

 

 

CERYS

 

 

 

Liam buys a place close to Phoebe’s, in one of the newer estates away from the scruffy terrace I live in now. Of course, it’s the nicest house in the area, one that’s been on the market too long because of the price. He protests he has to buy somewhere quickly and this was the best option, and I’ve given up fighting him over this.

 

The place is beautifully decorated with thick carpets and expensive fittings, including a dream kitchen with every appliance I could imagine.

 

Moving day is the first day I see the place, and Liam leads me around the already furnished house until we get to the master bedroom. I swear he’d had an interior designer in to co-ordinate the expensive brown and grey Jacquard linen and curtains, positive Liam Oliver would not buy the carefully contrasting cushions and wall art.

 

I push open a door at the opposite end of the large room. “En suite.”

 

“Not a big one,” he says.

 

I can’t hide my amazement. “But en suite. I’ve never lived anywhere with an en suite.”

 

Liam runs a finger along my nose. “I forget how you common people live sometimes.”

 

“Cheeky!” I slap his chest and he grabs my backside, kissing me hard.

 

“Do you like the house?” he asks.

 

“Of course, your new house is beautiful.” The despairing look edges into his eyes but I ignore him. “Thanks for letting us stay.”

 

“Cerys,” he growls.

 

“Can we bring some boxes in now?” With Ella at Phoebe’s for the afternoon, I’m eager to get the house sorted enough to make her bedroom look as close to her old one as possible.

 

“Sure, soon, there’s something I need to do first.”

 

I’m about to ask him what, but I don’t need to. When he runs a hand along my side, and cups my breast, it’s clear he didn’t bring me into the bedroom to show me the en suite.

 

“I haven’t seen you for a week,” he whispers, then kisses the hollow of my neck

 

“There’s so much to do,” I reply, knowing I’m fighting a losing battle with myself and with Liam as he unhooks my bra.

 

“Oh, yes, you’re right there.”

 

“Jesus, Liam you don’t waste much time.”

 

He unbuttons the old blue shirt I’d chosen for moving in, so slowly that each time his finger brushes my skin a new surge of desire joins. A week away from Liam makes the physical need for him stronger each time. He drops the shirt and bra onto the floor.

 

“I missed you,” he says, circling my nipple with his thumb. “I’ve missed every single part of you.” Liam’s hands go to my jeans and he undoes the button. “Get undressed.”

 

“No,” I say with a smile.

 

“Cerys, don’t tease me because you know it makes things worse.”

 

I drag my fingernails across his tight abs and undo his buttons too. “Wrong, it makes things better.”

 

Liam finishes undoing my jeans and, with a well-practiced move, he pulls them down and traces a finger along my panties before slipping a finger between the cotton and skin. The sensation weakens my legs and I moan, so he catches me with his hips, pinning me to the wall. His fingers find my wet heat and my body flares to life as he glides his thumb against my c-lit.

 

I’m lost. Whenever we’ve been apart, the Liam who returns has a desperate hunger that overtakes him the first time we get skin on skin, and this Liam turns me on as much as it does him.

 

Liam pulls me toward the bed, pulling me onto his lap and closing his mouth around my b-reasts, flicking a tongue across my nipple. “I f-ucking missed the taste of you.” Liam moves a hand back to my damp panties and I press myself against his palm. “I think you missed me, too,” he says.

 

I push my fingers into his long hair and hold his face against me, relishing the feeling of his attention to my b-reasts. His kisses get rougher, sucking and tugging at my nipples; and I moan as I push myself against his hand, desperate for more.

 

“f-uck!” Liam unbuckles his jeans and lifts me up as he shucks them to the floor, as I wrap my arms and legs around him as he does. When he sets me back on his lap, his cock slides against the fabric of my panties. Liam pulls my head back by the hair and nips my neck, the way he always does to indicate gentle isn’t coming soon. I whimper at the sensation, keeping my head back as he drags his face across my neck and shoulders, the nipping getting harder.

 

Cotton rips as Liam pulls apart my underwear and lifts me, easing his fingers inside my wet centre. Sensation shivers through every part of my being as he skilfully spirals me higher, stroking and teasing me. “Definitely missed me,” he murmurs and withdraws his fingers.

 

I moan at the loss of him and he repositions himself, pressing himself at the edge of my sex. Holding my hips, he slowly lowers me onto his his thick length. I dig my fingers into his shoulders and attempt to slide back up but he holds me steady.

 

“Not yet.”

 

“Liam…” I attempt to move but his fingers bite into my hips.

 

“Stay there.”

 

He holds and watches me with hooded eyes of arousal, enjoying my frustrated rocking against him.

 

“Tell me what you want, Cerys,” he says.

 

“You… Liam…Please.”

 

“You’re so f-ucking hot,” he whispers, closing his mouth around my nipples again, sparking more toe-curling arousal. “What do you want?”

 

Teasingly, he slides me upwards, before pushing me back down onto him. Hard. I gasp, hoping this is it, but he doesn’t move again.

 

“Liam!”

 

“I want to hear you say it, or I won’t.”

 

“You’re unfair!” I gasp and sink my teeth into the soft material of his T-shirt, wishing he wasn’t protected from my mouth by the barrier of cotton.

 

“I can be meaner.” Liam pushes his thumb against my c-lit again, circling until my mind melts. He wins.

 

“f-uck me, Liam,” I say breathlessly.

 

“With pleasure.” He digs his hands into my backside and pulls me upwards, lowering me again so slowly I want to scream at him, the slide of his length inside liquefying my insides further.

 

I grip his hands and we move together until I change the pace, Liam guiding my hips as I slide repeatedly onto him, the pleasure scorching through to my soul. My nipples brush his hard chest, pushing me further toward the apex I know will shatter me. The blinding explosion in my head courses through every nerve ending and I sink against him, wave after wave of bliss engulfing me.

 

Liam pushes me down hard and moans, sinking his teeth into my shoulder as he comes. I shudder further and grip his hair, loving that I do this to him. I make Liam Oliver behave like this.

 

He sinks back on the bed and I roll off him, trembling, and glowing. Liam drags my head toward him and kisses my face. “I will never get tired of the incredibleness of f-ucking you.” He touches my shoulder. “Sorry about the bite.” But he’s not.

 

“Asshole. I just got rid of the last bruise.” I flick his nose.

 

Liam smirks his smug smirk, and buries the back of his head into the sheets. I rest my head on his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat and splaying my hand against his stomach.

 

“Welcome to your new home,” he says.

 

****

 

Liam is back and forth between the States and the UK. For somebody taking a break he works a lot. Music is an integral part of Liam, I get that, but the selfish part of me would like him around more. Blue Phoenix has a tour to complete next year; what happens then? Liam gets frustrated with my inability to live in the moment, but how can I not?

 

Craig is pissed off I moved out of the old house, reinforcing Liam’s theory he liked the control. Now I’m away from Craig. And now I have Liam, and I realise how imbalanced my relationship with Craig was. I accepted so much of what he did because I thought without him I couldn’t cope, and Craig enjoyed having someone who let him do whatever he wanted. So when I had enough of his behaviour and fought back, Christmas happened. And when I came back for Christmas, I couldn’t accept him anymore. Now Craig’s last attempt to cling onto his remaining control has gone.

 

The next two weekends, Craig arrives unannounced early Saturday morning for Ella. And each time I give in and let him take her.

 

Liam is in London this week, working on the tracks he started in LA and I haven’t seen him since the day after we moved. I’m disappointed when he doesn’t visit the next weekend but Liam promised Jem he’d go to Ruby Riot gigs in Scotland the following week so he’s busy again. When Liam says he wishes I could go too, the unspoken is underneath; I could go if it wasn’t for Ella.

 

Phoebe questions why I don’t leave Ella with Craig and go. Scotland is too far. I don’t trust Craig either. The lack of interest he had in her until Liam arrived on the scene, coupled with his lack of parenting skills when he was around, means he’d probably dump her at his mum’s house when he got bored. Not that Marcella would complain about that, I’m sure.

 

I’ve begun my job hunt, Ella begins school shortly, and I want to find something as soon as I can. This will be my next step toward independence.

 

Monday morning, three weeks after moving, a letter arrives that flips my new, happy world on its head. Without discussing or attempting to come to an arrangement between the two of us, Craig has set us on the path to a custody battle. Out of the blue, he’s arranged a mediation appointment as the first step. Following a tearful call to Phoebe, she sets about helping me find who to talk to and what steps to take.

 

I don’t tell Liam.

 

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