The song Liam sings in this chapter are the English lyrics to a song by Cui Jian called Greenhouse Girl.
As always thank you readers from the bottom of my heart xoxo. I had the day off from work and school today so I could write a lot more today. Enjoy
~Noeme
Carla is trembling as he leads the way guiding her into his hotel suite. Her legs feel like they could give way at any moment and her hands are hot and sweaty. She longs for him in a way she has never longed for anyone else. He is gentle but persistent as he leads her down the hallway past the sitting area and piano room into the bedroom section.
Slowly he sits down on the edge of the bed and pulls Carla towards him, so that she can rest on his lap. Carla is facing him and looking into his eyes now, they are vivid a gorgeous blue. Slowly he leans his lips towards hers kissing her slowly and with precision. She wants to kiss him more, to feel the full width of his mouth, but he is teasing her.
"You're trembling," he whispers in her ear, "Your hands…are you nervous?"
"Yes," Carla manages to respond feverishly. He was making her crazy.
Liam smirks, "Good," he says, "I like it that I make you nervous." He gazes down at her hands again, a mark of curiosity marred across his face before glancing back up at her, "Your hands really are shaking though."
"It's nothing," Carla lies. It was in fact her tremors but she had never told him about them before, why tell Liam now. It would be better once she took her medicine.
"Maybe I can make them better," he says looking at her seductively.
Gently he grabs her fingers and brings them to his lips kissing each finger one by one. Carla lets out small gasps as he does this. She doesn't know how much longer she will be able to contain herself. He is clearly enjoying making her wait. Keeping her eyes for a while he leans in to kiss her once more. The feeling is heaven and this time Carla can't control herself as she quickly unbuttons his shirt and pushes him down by the shoulders. Slowly he moves his hands around her waist feeling his way up her back to undo her dress zipper, he slides it off her shoulders letting it fall to her waist. Raising his head back up he kisses her neck, moving down across her shoulder area. Then he lowers his head to kiss her breasts. It is the most exalting, most pleasuring feeling. She digs her fingers into his shoulder blades, and muscular back whispering his name over and over. again
Slowly he grabs hold her by the waist gently moving her so that she is the one lying on the bed. Their breathing is more labored now; she can feel his hands sliding the dress of her lower body. Then Liam starts to gently remove her underwear, slowly moving his way up to the top. She needed him inside of her, to feel his touch on every part of her. His hands knew her like no other it was unbearable. And then Liam is inside of her and she doesn't want it to ever end, as she moves her fingers through his hair. They move together until they can't move anymore.
The moonlight had such a way of illuminating his face as he slept, Carla could only stare at him in awe.
"Liam," she whispers stroking his cheek, "Liam, wake up."
"Hmmm," he says fighting the urge to open his eyes.
Carla pinches his arm and he lets out a noise of pain.
"Okay I'm up," he says his cheek still resting on the pillow and his hair unbelievably messy. "What's up?"
"I love you," Carla says, "I love so much."
"I know," he says pulling her into him and stroking her cheek, "You're just stubborn about it."
"Who me?" says Carla half joking and half serious.
"Yes you," Liam responds grinning at her seductively. He is admiring her body, moving his hands up and down her shoulder blade, "I swear each time with you gets better and better."
"What, does Romola not do it for you?" Carla teases.
"I never slept with her before. I don't want to either. I just want be with you."
Carla smiles and then grabbing his free hand she asks, "Can I ask you something?'
"Hmmm."
"How did you know?"
"How did I know what?"
"That I was the woman for you? How could you be so certain, so unafraid?"
"Yow really want to know?"
"Yes," says Carla giving him a giggle.
"Well," he says raising his eyebrow playfully, "You were mad bad and dangerous to know," Liam pulls her into closer to tickle.
"Oh Liam stop," Carla says trying to control her giggling, "I'm being serious I want to know."
He looks at her with great intensity, "When I first saw you I thought to myself I'd never seen a woman more beautiful. But it wasn't just the outside; it was the beauty that comes from within. And thought, why does she look so sad? She should swimming in a sea of good fortune, not being drowned by him."
"Antony?" Carla says.
"Yes, him."
"You saw all that the moment you met me?"
" You made think, what if I never saw you again. What if that was the only time we'd ever cross paths. I couldn't bring myself to consider it and it's strange because I've lived so many years without knowing you. But they were all empty and it made me appreciate life, the simple fact that we are all doomed; that we'll never have this exact moment again. Everything becomes more beautiful because of it.
"I never thought I could inspire such feelings in a person," Carla says truly touched.
"That's because you sell yourself short," Liam says and then grabbing hold of her kisses her forehead, "I've always wonder, what they could have done to make you think you had no way out."
Carla closes her eyes; there is that familiar feeling of pain. The pain that existed at the Palace and the pain that existed long before since childhood. She is struggling not to cry, not to be so vulnerable.
"Carla look at me. Look me, tell me."
"I used to stand in my crib in the nursery," says Carla remembering all the pain, "Ever since I was a child he would stand in my doorway. I had be what he wanted me to be; feel only when he said it was okay to feel. Father didn't understand emotions he thought they were weakness. He told me to stand in front of the mirror and never away look away for I was sinner, I was out of God's grace."
"He doesn't know you then."
"He's my father. He drilled the story about the Lady of Shallot into my head. I was told to never look away from the mirror until I saw what I really was and that what I really was, was all bad. He told me it would lead to nothing more then my death."
"He's horrible. That's a horrible thing to say to a child."
"But he was my father, and I believed every word he said. I wanted please him, I just wanted to be good. But I couldn't be and so I suffered from bouts of hysteria. And father would lock me in my room and punish any servant who dare take pity on me. Then he just tired of me and put me away in an asylum."
"He's a monster. You normal to me Carla."
"Only on the outside Liam, it was only ever on the outside. When father was facing some financial difficulties, he came to whisk his daughter from that prison. I was sixteen, I didn't know any better. And then married me off to Antony Gordon and got some of Alasdair Gordon's diamond money. I thought I was safe with Antony; he was nice in the beginning until he wasn't anymore. It was the little things at first, like the glare in his eyes, or the way he told me I was getting fat. So I stopped eating, I wanted to please him just like I had wanted to please father. I wanted to be perfect, but Antony wouldn't have it. He said the imperfections were rooted deep inside of me, like a stain. He hated me, because I wanted to be free. He didn't understand freedom, since he thought he gave me everything."
"I'm so sorry Carla," Liam whispers his voice is grave.
"It's over now. I'm away from them all aren't I? I paint now, painting makes me happy and they can't take that away from me."
"We should get a little summer house, out in the Hamptons somewhere. You could spend your days painting and I could hunt."
"Hunt," Carla says, "Surely there is something else you do for fun?"
"I swim."
Carla is surprised by the news she didn't take Liam for a swimmer.
"Well I used to anyways, until my mother put a stop to it. It was taking away from the weekends where I could be playing crochet with her and the rest of the family instead. Oh and I like jazz to. Some the best times I've ever had have taken place at a good old speakeasy. And with Paul no doubt."
Carla is still trying to imagine Liam as a swimmer. She can barely wrap her head around the concept of Paul Connor actually being good company. She suppresses a giggle.
"I often wonder what you were like as a child," Carla says, " I imagine that you'd be very sweet." Then thinking to herself she says, "Like your son Cillian."
"I was," says Liam giving her a seductive look, "The ladies loved me, and they still do."
"Oh shut up you charmer," Carla jokes pushing him playfully.
"I am going to make you pay for that," Liam says grabbing her arm.
Carla manages to wriggle free from him and jumps out of the bed quickly wrapping a sheet around her body. She runs from the room, looking over her shoulder daring Liam to chase her. She hears the rustling as he gets out of bed and slips on his undergarments following her out.
"Come back here Carla."
"You're going to have to catch me sir."
"That will be easy. I am way stronger than you. Please think about that."
"I'm not scared of you," says Carla running towards the sitting room.
Liam follows in pursuit. God he looked so sexy, she thought. She enjoyed making him chase her. Suddenly he grabs her out of nowhere by the waist lifting her off the ground and tickling her. Her laughter is uncontrollable and then Liam uses the opportunity to steal a kiss. He is trying to suppress her laughter through muffled kisses, but Carla has a feel it may go further then that. She playfully pushes him away and runs over to the piano she starts to play her favorite song.
"What tune is that?" Liam asks sliding onto the bench right next to her. He watches her adoring her every keystroke.
"You've never heard of it?"
"No."
"It's called Twilight and Mist," Carla continues playing.
"Teach me," Liam says.
Carla grabs his hands and places them on the piano guiding his fingers and lifting them to press certain keys. She adores the way he is smiling and full of awe.
"Does it have words?"
"Yes."
"Will you sing them for me?"
"Yes," Carla says and she begins to sing, "As evening fell a maiden stood at the edge of a wood. In her hands lay the reins of a stallion," " And ne'er I seen a girl as fair, heard a gentler voice anywhere. Whispered "Alas…" She belonged, belong another—Another forever. Yes, she belonged to the twilight and mist…"
"Are you the girl?" Liam says to her their hands intertwined once more.
"What girl?" Carla says completely breathless and overtaking with his gentle thoughtfulness.
"The girl in the song? I think you might be. You're the girl that everyone looks at from afar and never dreams they can actually ever have her. But then I had you didn't I. I'll always have you, screw the twilight and mist."
Carla stares feeling like Liam has overtaken her heart for the millionth time this evening. And then he starts to play the piano and he is actually rather good, so he must have been pretending before. She just stares at him speechless, like he is a vision. He is too good to be true and then he sings,
"I walk past your flower room everyday. I see you but I say nothing I'm so afraid to look at you. Oh girl you say I'm the strongest and I say you're the kindest you ask me where I'm going I point to the ocean oh girl…"
Carla wants him so badly. She would probably never have enough.
"What?" he says grinning perfectly aware that his attempts to seduce her again are working, "Why are you staring much?"
"Does it make you uncomfortable sir?" Carla says seductively.
"Yes," Liam responds jokingly.
"Well I'm sorry sir, but you must give me leave to look at you, there's no hope for anything else."
"You're stealing my lines Carla," Liam says grabbing at her.
Carla starts laughing again. She enjoys the playfulness as she gets up to run away from him. Liam catches her and pins her beneath him on a nearby couch.
"Do you remember what else I said to you that day?" he whispers his voice full of ecstasy.
Carla nods her head as he slowly beings to pull away the bed sheet his eyes taking her naked body all in. He seems to be in another world consumed with desire once more.
"Tell me," he says his face inches away from hers. She can feel his hot breath/
'You said that I deserved to be happy. More than any other woman, I deserve to be loved."
"Hmmm, he says circling her neck with his fingers, "I better keep my promise then."
He enters her once more and Carla is taken to the full depths of happiness.