Take me Somewhere

Chapter 11

Harper stretched awake and smiled when she caught Liam watching her, "Sorry, I fell asleep."

His hair was falling into his face and he was smiling back at her, "I'm glad you were able to. We have about an hour left and then we'll stop for the night."

Harper swallowed but chose to ignore her nervousness, "Do you want me to drive now and give you a break?"

"I could go all night. What you can do is answer some questions for me."

Harper immediately got excited, "Like the question game? Sarah and Julie never let me play it on our road trips anywhere. My dad used to always let me but my mom hated it. Me first?"

Liam laughed at her excitement and settled in for an entertaining last leg of the trip, "Just so I'm clear, the question game is I ask you one and then you ask me one until we can't stand it any longer?"

She practically bounced in her seat and turned towards him, "Exactly!"

"Alright…favorite color?"

"Oh come on!"

Liam's laughter filled the car, "I've got to start somewhere; trust me I'll dive into the deep dark secrets soon." He met her excited gaze, "I demand your favorite color."

She scowled at him but decided she would play along. It wasn't often she got to enjoy he favorite car game, "Purple. What's your favorite color?" She shot back.

Liam grinned, he was already enjoying himself, "Purple is a good one but mine is green."

"To match your eyes," Harper winced, "That wasn't supposed to come out of my mouth."

Liam found it hard to remember the last time he'd laughed this much with someone, "On that note, do you think I'm handsome?" he couldn't even find it within himself to feel bad for asking it, she acted like she wanted a no holds barred question game and he'd get them there quickly if she was eager.

"Well…I mean…obviously I do…" Harper blushed and tried to think what she should ask after his complete 180 question. She jumped onto the first thing that popped into her head, "How long have you been single?" Way too much way too fast Harper, she said to herself, but he started it.

"Is this more of a, you have to answer everything or you lose, game?" Liam saw the debate play over her face on if that commitment was worth it and inwardly grinned when she nodded her head yes. "On that note, I've been officially single for about six months."

"Was it serious?" Harper asked, already feeling jealousy settle in the pit of her stomach.

"No cheating, it's my turn." Liam paused before he asked his next question. He could easily drag this game out and keep it lighthearted but if there was any moment for this the time was now, "When was the first time Daren hurt you?"

He heard Harper's breath hitch and forced himself to keep staring at the road. She didn't need his eyes on her when she was trying to work up the courage to open up to him or tell him to go to hell; he figured he had a better chance of the latter but was surprised when she started speaking.

"Everything was great at first. There were little things here and there over the years that, looking back, should have been a warning sign but I was too in love with him to notice. Over this past year he started getting really possessive, jealous, he would freak out on me and grab my arms and then immediately break down and apologize to me while at the same time somehow making it my fault. The other night was the first time he'd ever actually hit me. When you ran into us in front of my work I was stupidly hoping to get an apology or some kind of closure from him…after those pictures though…it's like any good feelings I ever had for him dried up."

"Thank you for telling me."

"I'm not sure why I did… I guess it being so late…it feels like we are the only people in the world right now."

Liam cleared his throat, "It's your turn." He had never been afraid of commitment in his life, his parents were still together and almost all of his siblings were married, but how much he was already feeling for Harper was starting to scare the s**t out of him.

"Umm…why did you break up with your ex?"

"Well…" Liam thought back to the night he'd been walking up to Danielle's apartment door and had been greeted by her shirtless neighbor before his hand had ever been able to knock. He flexed his hand on the steering wheel recalling the throbbing from when he had punched him in the face; not his proudest moment. Danielle had come screaming and begging him not to leave and that it was all a misunderstanding, but he wasn't an i***t and hadn't spoken to her since. "Let's just say someone was visiting her apartment on the regular and It wasn't' me."

"Oh, I'm sorry Liam." Harper felt so ashamed of herself in that moment. Why Liam was even still speaking to her right now she had no idea. She had almost been on the same track as his ex, "How can you even forgive me after that?" She whispered.

"Honestly, if this had happened a few months ago I probably would have walked out of that restaurant and never looked back." Harper felt hurt at just the thought, "But I had moved on and there was something about you, something vulnerable, and you were so honest so early on when it came to how you were feeling that I just couldn't let it go."

"I'm glad you didn't."

"You cheated by the way; that was two questions."

"You let me cheat so your cheat claim is voided."

They finished the last bit of the drive on much lighter subjects. How Liam's mother, Charlotte, was the ultimate baker. That his father, John, ran their ranch that sat on thousands of acres along with the help of multiple ranch hands and that his little brother and sister, Luke and Lilly, would be at home too this week. Lilly was already married and expecting a little boy and Luke was still running around trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do with his life. They were all a few years apart, Lilly being the youngest, but they were inseparable when they were younger.

Harper opened up about how she had run into Jason at the gas station and Liam made a mental note to tear his friend a new one for the way he spoke to Harper but then a handshake for sending her his way. She told him that her mom and dad, Ruth and Mitch, lived a few states away but she talked to them regularly. She hadn't told them about what had happened and wasn't sure she ever would. Liam guessed he could respect that, if it was his daughter who had gotten hit he would be in prison by now.

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They finally pulled into a motel and Harper looked around. It wasn't the nicest place but as long as it had clean sheets and was bug free she didn't care.

Liam must have been thinking the same thing because as he was opening her door to help her out he voiced the same opinion, "We could have driven further and stayed somewhere nicer but by the time we got there we might as well have kept driving. You okay with this?"

Harper stretched her legs and walked past him towards the check-in door, "This is just perfect."

Liam caught up with her, "You're a bad liar but I appreciate the effort."

"I'm not lying…completely, it'll do just fine. Do you think I can only sleep on one thousand thread count sheets?"

Liam checked them in and Harper slid the young man at the front desk her card while Liam was setting down his bag and taking out his wallet. It earned her a glare but she figured it would at least cover her portion of the gas he was using getting them this far.

She stood behind him as he used their room key to open the door and felt her nervousness return. She wasn't sure if this room had one bed or two and she had no idea how to handle it. Did she even want there to be the option of two beds? Liam calling out to her to come in already snapped her out of her mindless thinking and she walked in to see him taking off his jacket and setting his bag at the end of his bed. Two beds…she shoved aside her unexpected disappointment.

"I figured we could take a shower and then unless you're hungry we could crash; we have about two or so hours left of driving in the morning."

"Shower?" The sound of Harper's voice was strained when she asked and Liam held back his laugh and walked up to her. When she took a step back once he got into her personal space he just stepped closer; he knew he was overwhelming her and he didn't care.

"I figured you'd want to take one on your own," He brushed her hair over her shoulder, "but if you'd like me to join I'd be happy to oblige."

He saw her eyes heat up and her skin flush and his own body tightened in return. He had walked up to her with the intention of teasing her but now the thought of Harper with him under the hot water and soap making her skin slick was running through is mind and taking hold.

"By…by myself is just fine." She forced out. She couldn't drag her eyes away from his lips and he being so close was overwhelming.

He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face so she met his gaze, his eyes were a dark green now and she wanted to melt where she stood, "Are you sure?" he asked softly.

"No," She instantly replied, "But I know I should say yes."

He stood there a moment longer just looking at her and she was all but screaming for him to kiss her but he finally nodded his head and stepped away from her. To say she was disappointed was an understatement.

He went and grabbed his bag and handed it to her, "I put an extra pair of gym shorts and shirt in there for you. There are toiletries in there and an extra toothbrush. We'll stop first thing in the morning and grab you everything you'll need."

Harper took the bag from him, told him thank you, and locked herself in the bathroom. She had heard many men say they needed a cold shower; she wondered if that worked on women too.

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She finished in record time and sat cross legged in the middle of the bed waiting for Liam to finish up. She thought it would be rude to go to sleep before he was out, like that was even a possibility, but had already emailed her boss, Sarah, and Julie and couldn't think of anything else to keep herself busy.

She was twisting Liam's oversized t-shirt in her hands when she finally heard the water cut off and him step out. He came out of the bathroom with just a pair a gym shorts on that matched hers and nothing else. He was towel drying his hair and Harper knew there had to be drool coming out of her mouth and if there wasn't it would be very, very soon. He paused when he noticed her staring and slowly lowered his arm. His hair was all over the place, his skin still had sheen to it, and everywhere she looked all she could see was Liam; she wanted to cry from the beauty of it.

"Everything okay?" He asked puzzled.

Harper bit her tongue so she wouldn't say anything stupid and nodded her head, "I was just waiting for you to finish." She continued to stare and after a moment he tossed his towel on his bed and came a stood at the foot of hers.

"Come here." He said gently and she immediately unfolded her legs and moved to the end of the bed and sat back on her knees. He pushed his hands through her still damp hair and held her head still as he bent down closer to her, "You're beautiful."

"So are you." She whispered back and she saw his small smile before he bent the rest of the way and his lips met hers.

Heat and pure bliss filled Harper and she pushed up and wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Liam groaned at the feeling of Harper pressed again him and pulled her tighter. She felt amazing in his arms and he was sure he could die happy right where he stood.

He slowly drug his hands down the sides of her neck, over her shoulders, and came to rest on her hips. He pushed slightly and she immediately responded and he followed her down onto the bed. He was resting between her legs and couldn't help but groan at the contact and sent up a silent thanks that he had only packed thin gym shorts to sleep in and pushed himself against her.

Harper could only explain the sound that came out of her throat as a purr. She was caught in the moment and couldn't stop stroking Liam and kissing him back as if her life depended on it. His lips trailed to her neck and she shivered as he focused his attention there while his hand found its way under the hem of the shirt he had let her borrow. When his hand touched her bare skin it felt like fire and she pushed against him wanting more. He hummed his approval and his mouth found hers again as his hand slid up and cupped her breast. Harper gasped at his touch and tore her mouth from his trying to find some kind of ground to hold onto while he was making her feel so much all at once.

Her fingers dug into his biceps when he focused his attention on her n****e and he nipped her neck with his teeth, making her arch into him even more when he soothed it with his tongue. Harper was panting and rubbing against Liam like a cat and she could feel his need resting against her as he moved his hand to her rib cage and put his forehead against hers.

"We need to stop." He ground out. His eyes finding hers and making her drag her hands down his back from the need in them alone.

"Please don't" Harper pleaded. She was on fire and she needed him to make it better.

"This is too fast." Liam closed his eyes as if he were in pain and kissed her forehead, "I don't want you to regret this in the morning."

She put her arms around his neck when he went to pull away, "I won't regret anything. Please don't stop."

"Harper, you aren't making being the good guy very easy right now." She pushed her hips into him and he groaned, "This isn't right. I don't want this to happen here, in a place like this."

Harper took a deep breath and made herself really focus on him and not just the way he felt laying on top of her, "I don't care about anything like that Liam. It could be in the back of your car if you wanted it to."

Liam laughed and dropped his head to her shoulder, "Only you Harper."

She hit him in his side, "Only me what?"

He was kind enough to pretend like she had somewhat affected him, "Ouch, watch it." He put his weight on his elbows and looked down at her while he brushed her hair away from her face, "You deserve better than this and I want to give that to you." He put his hand over her mouth when she went to speak, "Please."

Harper glared at him and turned her head so he would drop his hand, "How can I argue with a gorgeous half naked man who says please?"

"Thank you." Liam whispered and kissed her softly before he moved off of her and helped her slide under the covers.

"Good night Liam." Harper said as he stood over her. She was annoyed that he had stopped them but in the back of her mind she was also grateful. It was probably too fast even though she didn't feel like it was, and if he truly wanted to wait who was she to deny him that.

Liam slid into his bed and faced towards her, "Goodnight Harper." He watched as she turned over and away from him and he turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He knew they had done the right thing but that sure wasn't going to make sleeping any easier.

"Hey Harper?" He said into the dark room.

"Yes?"

"Who won the question game?"

She paused for a long moment, "What were you going to do to me if we hadn't stopped?"

Liam knew what she was doing and could feel her embarrassment from where he lay, "Well first I was going to – "

"Okay! Okay! You win." Harper covered her ears and pulled her blanket up. She hadn't thought he would answer that and now she was embarrassed, a loser at her favorite game, and not going to get any sleep.