A Shift in the Air by Patricia D. Eddy Page A

stay, Fergus would kill him.
    “ I can’t…”
    “ That’s not an answer.” He
pulled back to meet her gaze, the sudden chill against her skin a
physical blow. “Why would ya run, Caitlin? Answer me.”
    The loss of his touch, his lips, left
an ache no one but Liam could fill. “To save you.”
    “ I don’t need
saving.”
    “ You don’t know him.”
Caitlin turned and stalked into the apartment. Chilled to the bone,
she clenched her hands to stop them from shaking. “Fergus Tharp is
a crazy bastard who thinks that he owns me. And…he
does.”
    Liam growled, but Caitlin held up her
hand. “He stole my element. Convinced me he loved me so I’d let him
work a charm he knew would destroy me. I can’t fight him. All he
has to do is turn my element against me, and I’m powerless. He’s
fucking huge—bigger than you, even, and he doesn’t give a crap who
he hurts to get what he wants. So, yes. If he finds you, you will
need saving.”
    “ And ye’re going off to
face him alone. Shite, Caitlin, how the hell do ya expect to
survive him?”
    Her answer hung in the air. Icy
droplets of rain snaked down her collar, between her
breasts.
    “ Fuck me.” Realization
clouded his gaze. “Ya don’t.”
    Shame bowed her head. “I killed myself
eleven years ago. When that failed, I destroyed Caitlin in
Mexico—with Katerina’s help. I never expected to be myself again.
If I die now, at least my death will have meaning. And I had one
more night with you.
    “ Mo chuisle, mo
chroí,” she whispered, and Liam’s eyes
widened. “I know what it means now. I remember. I loved you. I died
to protect you. And I’ll do it again.”
    “ The hell ya
will.”
    She wanted him to yell and scream, to
use his fists like Fergus always had. She understood violence,
rage. But his quiet determination spoke of care and need and…
love.
    “ I failed ya eleven years
ago. If I’d been stronger”—he stopped, cleared his throat, and held
out his hand. Unable to resist, needing his touch more than she
needed her next breath, she placed her palm in his and gasped as
electricity raced up her arm. “I won’t lose ya again. If ya don’t
love me, if ya don’t see a future with me, I’ll walk away as soon
as ye’re safe. But I am not letting that arsehole take one more
minute of your life from ya. Not when I can prevent it.”
    “ I could make you
forget…”
    “ No. Ya couldn’t.” Liam
pulled the cross-body bag over her head and tossed it onto the
sofa. Releasing her hand, he eased the rain jacket from her
shoulders. Against her thin blouse, her nipples tightened, and Liam
purred when he dropped his gaze. “Nothin’ could make me forget ya,
Caitlin Brannigan.”
    Deft fingers made short work of the
tiny buttons, and the creamy fabric parted, exposing her breasts to
his hungry mouth. First one nipple, then the other, ached under his
ministrations, and his hands slid over her waist, holding her up
when her knees weakened.
    She tipped her head back with a moan,
letting her blouse fall. The catch of her bra released with a flick
of his fingers, and the delicate material joined the small pile
around her.
    “ Do ya want this, luv?” He
swirled his tongue around her nipple, then blew on the hard tip,
sending a jolt of need straight to her core.
    Caitlin met his gaze and
nodded.
    “ I need to hear ya. Tell me
what ya want.” He sank to his knees, fingers poised over the button
to her jeans.
    “ You.” The single word
rasped over her desire, and she tilted her hips towards
him.
    “ That’s not an answer.” He
grinned and flicked the button open. The zipper ticked in an
agonizingly slow trail. Her pants fell, and he held her steady
while she stepped out of them. A single finger slipped under her
panties. “Shite, ye’re so wet.”
    “ Make love to me.” Tears
gathered in the corners of her eyes, and Caitlin’s knees buckled.
Liam eased her down so they knelt face-to-face, and she had to
force herself to breathe under