"Oh, really? What did you want to call him? Thor? Hunter? Brick?"
"Don't be ridiculous. No one calls their cat Brick."
"Okay then. Tell me your preferred pussy name."
He stares up at the ceiling. "I wanted to call him Fluffypants."
I nearly bust a gut holding in my laughter.
He rolls his eyes. "Go on. Let it out. Don't want you getting cancer or anything."
"Fluffypants!" I fall forward and laugh my ass off.
"That would have been a kickass name!” he says, indignant. “But then Jamie won rock-paper-scissors, and the poor little dude was stuck with Wigglebottom. He was humiliated."
"How old were you guys when you named him? Five? Six?"
"Fifteen. Naming our pussies was serious business back then."
At this point, I have no idea if he's messing with me or not.
"Well, personally," I say, "I don't think you can go wrong with either Wigglebottom or Fluffypants for your porn name. They both describe you to a tee."
"Why you little—" He goes to grab me, but I twist out of reach just in time and dash down the stairs toward the living room, thinking I have the advantage indoors. However, despite Liam's size, he's goddamn fast and catches me around the waist just before I reach the kitchen.
I squeal when he hoists me over his shoulder. "Liam! Stoppit! Put me down."
"Nope. You need to be taught a lesson, young lady, and I aim to be the one to teach you."
I paddle on his back before reaching down to cup his ass as he strides toward the huge modular couch. "Well, I suppose there are worse things than being disciplined by Wigglebottom Washington."
"Right. That's it." He sits on the couch and spreads me across his lap with me lying on my stomach. "You have so many entries on the naughty list by now, I've lost count. Time to pay the piper, lady." He flips up my robe up to reveal my bare bottom and smacks me firmly on both cheeks until my skin starts to burn.
"Liam!" I giggle as he strokes the areas he just hit. "That tickles."
"You sound like you're enjoying this a little too much." He smacks me again, harder this time, three times each side. It stings like hell, but I kind of like it. Feeling the strength of him holding me down and the firm slap of his hand ... wow. Definitely hot.
He strokes my butt again. "Now, are you going to behave? Or do you want more?"
I'm silent for a moment then say, "More."
His hand freezes. "What?" He sounds genuinely surprised.
I clear my throat. "I said, more, please." I pause. “Master."
The bite of Liam's fingernails as they curl into my butt cheek lets me know he approves. "Liss, are you sure?" He sounds excited but nervous. Seems like we're on the same wavelength about that.
"Yes. More, please," I say firmly.
He lets out an uneven exhale. "Okay, you asked for it. Don't move."
He slaps each ass cheek in turn, successively applying more pressure. I'm surprised how each sting shoots pleasure right through to my spine. I close my eyes and moan as my skin starts to swell and burn.
I'd always had a vague fantasy about Liam spanking me, but now that it's happening, it's even more glorious than I imagined.
When he finishes, he rubs my bottom gently. Right now, I don't want gentle. I want his fingers inside me. Rough and insistent. Hitting my deepest places.
Instead, he lets out a rough breath. "Have you learned your lesson? Or do I need to continue?" His voice is strange. It has an edge I've never heard before.
I'd actually like him to continue doing other things.
"Lesson learned," I whisper as my pulse beats double time. "Thank you."
He lifts me until I'm sitting on his lap, and then he grips the back of my neck and pulls my head down to his mouth. "Thank you ...?" His lips brush my ear, making me shiver.
"Thank you, master."
He makes a low noise in his chest, and for a moment I think he's going to throw me down on the couch and fuck me after all. But his expression morphs into deep contemplation, and he stands abruptly to set me on my feet.
"Are you okay?" he asks. "Did I hurt you?"
"Yes," I say, a little embarrassed. "But only because I asked you to."
"Fuck. Okay." He nods and thinks for a few seconds before stepping away from me. "I'm ... ah ..." He looks down the hallway. "I need to take a shower."
"Liam—"
"Could you call Alba and ask her to bring over my clothes? I dropped my suitcase off on the way here last night. Everything was soaked."
"Sure, but I—"
"I won't be long."
"Okay."
He strides over to the stairs and takes them two at a time until he's out of sight.
More than a little confused, I go to the kitchen and call Alba. When I hang up, I sit on one of the stools, careful of my tender behind.
Well, that took an interesting turn.
Did it freak him out that I asked to be spanked? I mean, our sex is rarely gentle, but this was something we've never done before. Maybe it was too different.
I rub my eyes. I wouldn't blame him if he was freaked out. I am, too. Even though I consider myself pretty tough as far as injuries go, I never considered I might have a thing for pain. What the hell does that say about me?
···
After Luis and Alba deliver all of Liam's freshly laundered clothes, we all bustle about setting up for breakfast on the balcony beside the pool. Liam comes down to help, freshly showered and wearing bright red board shorts that sit deliciously low on his hips. I don't miss the way Alba's eyes widen when she sees him shirtless.
She shoots me a quick glance, and I nod, as if to say, "I know right? How dare he be so hot?"
When the preparations are nearly done, I dash upstairs and pull on another of my new bikinis before topping it off with a sarong.
By the time I come back down, the large wooden table next to the pool has been set with sparkling silverware and fresh flowers, and Liam is lying on a sun chair with his eyes closed. His hair has been pulled up into a ponytail, which highlights his cheekbones like crazy. Even though it's still early, his body is already glistening with a thin layer of sweat. It only accentuates his muscles.
I make a mental note to rub sunscreen on him later. After all, somebody has to do it.
He cracks his eyes open as he hears me approach, and when he registers what I'm wearing, his brows furrow, and he sits up.
"Nice sarong." Despite his words, his tone suggests he thinks the sarong is an asshole. "Where did you get it? And why does it want to hurt me by hiding your hotness from my eyeballs?"
With a patient smile, I stand in front him and untie the knot around my neck. Then I strike a pose and hold the sarong open so Liam can see my bikini. This one is deep blue with gold highlights.
Liam takes in a breath then exhales as he tries to look everywhere at once. Even though he gives my whole body a thorough appraisal, his gaze keeps coming back to my chest.
"Okay," he says, still staring at my boobs. "So, that's you in a bikini. Don't let this go to your head, but this is possibly the best thing I've ever seen in my life."
I smile. "What about the view out here? The ocean, the cliff, the pristine beach below us? It's stunning."
At last he makes it up to my face. "Liss, there's not a single thing on this planet as stunning as you. How do you not know that by now?"
As usual, he melts me with his words, but there's something else in his expression, and I wonder if he's still bothered by what happened earlier.
I'm working up the courage to ask him when Alba calls out, "Breakfast!"
Liam sighs in disappointment when I refasten my sarong, and he takes my hand as we go sit at the table where Alba and Luis have set out omelets, fresh fruit, tea, and coffee.
We eat breakfast in relative silence, content to take in the view. When we're done, Liam leans back and rubs his completely flat stomach, as if there were something there other than ripped abs.
"S
o, Miss Holt, how adventurous are you feeling today?"
I dab my mouth with the linen napkin, still thinking about the glory of Alba's cheese omelet. "Hmm, depends. On a scale from ‘using a different brand of dental floss’ to ‘swimming with sharks’, how adventurous are we talking?"
"Adventurous enough to get your blood racing."
I put my hand on his thigh. "Being with you is enough to get my blood racing, Mr. Quinn." His posture stiffens as I slide my hand up toward his crotch. "So as long as you're with me, I can do anything."
He smiles. "Right answer."
SEVEN
He Knows If You've Been Bad or Good
I squeeze my eyes shut and grip Liam's hands. "Okay, so, it turns out I can't do this."
"What happened to 'I'm up for anything as long as you're there?"
"That was when I was high on cheese omelet and safe on the ground. Now I'm fifteen thousand feet above sea level and sure to die."
"That's not even a little true. We're only sixty feet up."
"I thought you loved me."
"I do."
"Then why are you trying to kill me?"
"Stop being so dramatic. Just open your eyes." I shake my head, but he kisses me softly and whispers, "You're perfectly safe, I promise."
I crack one eye open and grip his arms. "Let's go for a hike," he said. "I know a spot that's beautiful at this time of day," he said.
Yeah, well, after arriving at the lake, we hiked up the cliff for nearly an hour before reaching this spot. And sure it's gorgeous, but now he wants me to jump off the edge to my certain death? No thanks. I'm firmly on the NOPE train to Fuck-that-ville.
"How about you open the other eye, too?"
I sigh and open both eyes. I never thought I had an issue with heights before now, but looking down into the water, I feel a sick dread fill my stomach.
"We're not that high, Liss. And I've jumped from here before. The water's plenty deep enough. It's a total rush. I think you'd really enjoy it."
I look over to the beach where we've left all our stuff. What I wouldn't give to be lying there reading a terrible zombie book and talking to the local wildlife. The spider monkeys are there again today, looking like Disney characters come to life.
Liam moves behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. "Listen, if you really don't want to do it, that's fine. No pressure. We can walk back down. I just thought you might like a challenge."
The thing is, I usually do. I don't know why I'm so hesitant about trying this. Guess I've never really given the idea of cliff diving much thought beyond, Wow, that's a thing that looks like fun, as long as I'm not the one doing it.
"Okay," I say and take a deep breath. "I'll give it a try. But you have to go first."
He kisses my shoulder. "No problem." With his usual grace, he moves forward and points to a rocky outcrop. "When you're ready, stand right here on the edge and jump out, not up. There are no rocks down below, so you'll be fine." He comes back over and takes my hands. "Ready to see how it's done?"
"Sure. Show me your stuff, Quinn."
He gives me a mischievous smile, drops my hands, turns on his heel, and runs full speed toward the edge. When he gets there, he launches off like a superhero. I'm in awe when he completes a perfect swan dive and lands head first into the water.
I run over to the edge and look down just as he breaks the surface to wave to me.
"See?" he yells over the sound of the waterfall. "Nothing to it."
I scowl at him. "Show off!"
Curse his superhuman physical prowess. Now I'm going to look like an uncoordinated fool in comparison. Ugh.
I walk over to the outcrop and take a deep breath.
Okay, Elissa, you can do this. Stay calm, jump out, and try not to flail like a skydiving octopus on the way down. Easy.
When I take a last look at Liam, he smiles at me in encouragement.
Okay, here I go. I'm doing it.
I bend my knees and prepare to push off, but then I straighten up and shake out my hands.
Okay. Yep. Here I go. I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar. I bend my legs again, but when it comes time to jump, I shake my head and step back from the edge.
"Liss?" His voice echoes off the cliffs, and even from here, I can tell Liam is wearing a concerned expression.
"I can't, Liam,” I call down to him. “I'm sorry. Why don't you swim back to the beach? I'll walk down."
He looks disappointed, but he smiles anyway. "No problem. I'll be waiting when you get there."
I mentally berate myself as I start the long climb down the rocky trail. Way to wuss out, Elissa. Good job. You're supposed to be a badass who's not afraid of anything or anyone. Harden up, lady.
One good thing about the trek back is that it's all downhill, so it only takes half as long to get down as it did going up. In just under twenty minutes, I've made it to the clearing with the altar and can see Liam a few dozen yards away, soaking up the sun.
I glance over to where I saw the shadowy figure. Of course, now there's no one there. Maybe it was a shadow after all. Or a man-shaped palm frond.
Gathering my courage, I cautiously walk over to get a closer look. "Hey, Mr. Spirit. If you're here, please don't murder me. That would bum me out."
When I reach the tree, I peek behind it. Nothing. Thank God.
I'm about to turn and leave when I see something bright under a fern a few feet away. I walk over and brush back the leaves to reveal the awful zombie book I was reading the other day. Next to it is an empty bottle of cola.
A chill runs up my spine.
"It could have been the monkeys," I tell myself.
Yeah, sure, it was.
Fighting the urge to run, I hurry through the clearing, hoping like hell I don't bump into anything on the way.
When I get to Liam, he smiles up at me as he squints against the sun.
"Hey, thrill seeker. Welcome back."
"Hey."
"You okay? You look flushed."
"Yeah, just creeped out by the murder altar back there. I keep imagining things."
He frowns. "Like what?"
I wave my hand. "Vengeful spirits."
"You've been speaking to Alba, haven't you?"
"A little, but it's fine. Just tell me there's no such thing."
He looks at me like he thinks I'm both crazy and adorable. "There's no such thing."
"Cool. Thanks." I flop down on the towel beside him. "So, on a less creepy note, sorry for not jumping. I'm a wuss."
"No, you're not. That was a tough thing to ask you to do. Most people would have balked."
"You didn't."
"Yeah, but I have more guts than brains. You're the smart one in our relationship." He leans over and kisses me. "Maybe we should develop your adventurous side with something a little less extreme."
"Like ...?"
He shrugs and feigns innocence. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe ... topless sunbathing?" When I give him a skeptical look, he gestures to his chest. "Look, I'm already doing it. You should join me."
"Seriously, Liam?" He's grinning like a teenager about to get his first glimpse of boob.
"What do you have to lose?" He gestures around us. "We're in a private spot, and you can avoid those pesky tan lines."
I do hate tan lines. Not that I've really had a tan before. "What if Luis comes to check on us?"
"He won't. I gave him and Alba the weekend off, so they could go to the mainland for their daughter's birthday. They won't be back until Monday morning. That means we have this entire island to ourselves for nearly three days."
When I hesitate, he makes chicken noises. Bastard.
Oh, game on, Quinn. I'm not chickening out this time.
"Okay," I say, and stand. "How about we take this a step further." I strip off my top and push my bottoms down my legs before stepping out of them. "You wanted me to ditch my clothes this trip. Fine. You got it."
Liam's eyes nearly bug out of his head. "Uh ... wow. Okay. So, wo
w. You're ... naked."
"Do you have a problem with that, Chicken McNugget?"
He swallows, hard. "Nope. No problem at all." He just stares for a few seconds, slack jawed and practically drooling.
"Liam?"
"Sssh!" he says, waving a hand. "Talking will wake me up, and this is the best dream I've had in a long time." He brings two fingers to his temple and squints like he's concentrating. "Dream Elissa, please walk around so Dream Liam can ogle you. Maybe get him a Dream Coke while you're at it."
Shaking my head, I head over to the beach hut. On the way I hear him whisper to himself, "Oh my God. It worked. I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi."
It feels weird being naked out in the open, but I kind of like it. Right now, the girl who's spent most of her life in the concrete jungle of NYC is feeling wild and free, and it's empowering.
I grab two Cokes from the fridge and head back to Liam. He's studying me with the intensity of an alcoholic watching someone pour him a drink. There's longing but also a little fear.
When I pass him his drink, he looks away with effort, and judging by his color, either the sun is starting to get to him, or he's blushing.
"Still cool with me being naked?" I ask.
He holds the cold bottle to his face. "Yep. It's ... good."
"Good? Hmmm. So turned on you're having trouble with your vocabulary, Liam?"
"Uh ... no. I'm ... good."
I enjoy his discomfort way too much as he tries to look at me and keep himself under control at the same time.
"Then how about some quid pro quo, Clarice." I uncap my bottle. "If I'm going to be naked, it's only fair you are, too."
He takes a mouthful of his drink then wipes his mouth. "I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"Because it's different for me than it is for you."
I slap his shoulder. "Hey! Sexist, much? Why is it different?"
"You really don't get it?"
When I shake my head, he sighs and stands. Then he opens his shorts and pulls them down. As soon as his erection bounces free of the fabric, it points proudly to the sky.
Liam gestures to it with vague disgust. "That's why. I look like a goddamn rhinoceros." He glares down at his crotch. "Why can't you behave yourself, dude? Seriously. Just because Elissa's naked, you don't have to lose your shit. You're a disgrace to penises everywhere."