What the Heart Sees - New Revised Edition

Three

Chapter 3

Where Have You Been All My Life?

Placing a gentle hand on Liam's hidden cheek, I caress the scarred skin. His beautiful eyes close just he covers my hand with his.

"Please don't," he whispers.

"It's all right," I softly tell him. "It's okay."

Heaving a resigned sigh, his eyes open and he turns to face me fully, his breath hitching as I continue to caress the extensive mass of scarred flesh. The moment tears pool in his eyes, my heart literally becomes his. The emotion emanating from this giant of a man makes it obvious that he hasn't had this kind of contact with anyone for a long time.

Taking his face between my hands, I let my gaze roam over his Native American features. His straight, black shoulder-length hair is pulled back in a ponytail and tied with a brown beaded strip of leather. The bottom half of his right ear is missing, and the right eyebrow is gone, as well as the lashes. His nose and full mouth are whole and untouched. A bushy brow and thick dark lashes frame the left eye, and a deep dimple appears when he smiles. His eyes are a startling gray, and his body is very muscular, his arms chiseled like a body builder. And he is definitely tall, probably close to seven feet from what I can tell by just looking at him. He doesn't look that old, maybe in his mid-thirties. Staring into his unsure eyes, warmth spreads through my entire being and I instantly feel an unexplainable connection to him. And I have absolutely no idea why.

"You're beautiful," I tell him, watching his eyes widen in disbelief. When my expression doesn't change, the disbelief in his changes to one of wonder. "You are beautiful," I repeat.

Liam turns his head slightly, pressing his mouth to my palm, and a warm shiver rushes through me. Never in my life has a man affected me this way. I am bruised and in pain, but all I can think about is being wrapped in his arms and owning his affections. Could it be the bump on my head causing these feelings? Maybe, but I don't think so. In fact, I know it's not.

A sudden boldness sweeps through me, and before I can ponder too deeply what I'm about to do, I sit up and pull his head down, kissing his lips softly. Drawing back a little, I smile as I take in his look of surprise. Believe me, I'm surprised by my actions as well!

Searching his eyes, I whisper, "Please believe me when I tell you that nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

Saying nothing, his smile widens. Wrapping his massive arms around me, he draws me close before lowering his again head and pressing his warm lips to mine. And in this moment, I am instantly pulled from this world and into another–a world where only the two of us exist. As his heated mouth makes thorough work of ravenously devouring mine, it draws forth a passion in me I had no idea I possessed. Wrapping my arms around his neck and holding him tightly, I anxiously accept the many years' worth of pent-up emotion he hadn't been able to share, and I accept it gratefully, taking everything that he gives and giving it back to him ten-fold. It's as if we are two lost souls in need of love–searching for it, searching for each other. He smells of earth, pine, and the fresh mountain air, and his kiss is the most amazing thing I have ever experienced.

His affections soften and his lips lightly toy with mine for a moment. Slowly breaking the kiss, I rest my forehead against his, our rough breathing mingling together. Oh, how I want this man! I want him like I've never wanted anything in my life. I want to belong to him, and him to me. I know it's crazy, but this is the way I feel. I can't help it, and I couldn't fight this pull to him if I tried. It is powerful and incredible.

Maybe this is why I was never interested in any of Rob's friends. Maybe my heart had been unknowingly tied to Liam, and all my innermost desires had been wrapped up in him.

"I need to get you to the hospital," he whispers, raining light kisses on my face–my temple, my ear, my neck, and I tighten my embrace.

"Not yet. Please, just hold me a little longer."

"I will hold you for as long as you want."

Liam leans back against the carved dark wood headboard, propping himself up against the pillows. He stretches out beside me, holding me close. Lying in his arms, we talk of everything we can possible talk of. I tell him about my brother and the argument that spurred my angry hike. I share how tired I am of my brother throwing his male friends at me. I've never had an inkling of interest in any of them, and that will never change, especially now. I tell Liam of my anger over Rob's attempt to run my life. Twenty-two is old enough to make my own decisions. Liam agrees with me.

And finally, I share how it felt to wake up in his arms and how amazed I am that it should feel so right. Pressing a soft kiss to my brow, he in turn tells me about his family moving down to Texas just after the accident.

"Though they would never admit it, I was an embarrassment to them."

"How could they feel that way?" I ask, appalled that his family could be so heartless.

"Truthfully, it was expected." He pauses, squeezing my hand where it lay on his chest. "I'm thirty-four now, but I've always been a disappointment to my parents, from the very day of my birth. They already had a son and wanted a girl. They got me instead." His mouth turns up in a rueful smile. "My father was Cherokee and a doctor, my Italian mother, a lawyer.

"They came from old money, and they assumed my brother and I would follow in their footsteps. My brother is a big-time corporate lawyer and he hates it, but he will never tell my parents. I decided to go my own way and became a firefighter paramedic instead, which didn't sit too well with the folks. When the accident happened and I was no longer able to work, they gave me my inheritance and basically washed their hands of me."

"That has got to be one of the saddest things I have ever heard," I say, blinking against the tears stinging my eyes. "And you've been alone all this time?"

"Pretty much. But it's okay. I'm used to it." He twirls a lock of my hair around his finger, silent and thoughtful for a moment. "An elderly neighbor who lives a mile down the road drops by every now and then with cookies, brownies, or a loaf of homemade bread, just to check up on me and let me know she cares, always reminding me she is just a phone call away. She even picks up a few things for me when she is out grocery shopping."

"That's so sweet of her."

"It is. She is the only woman that has ever stepped inside this house . . . until you."

I let my gaze travel around the large bedroom with its vaulted ceiling, cozy sitting area, and fireplace. It truly is a beautiful room and I'm sure the rest of the house is just as lovely. Lifting my hand to his face, I caress his cheek. "I'm sorry you've been so alone." I smile. "But I'm here now."

"You are," he affirms softly. "But you will be leaving and returning to your life."

"And I will be back."

"Will you?" The sadness and doubt in his voice almost breaks my heart.

Raising my face to his, I kiss him, and his response ignites a new fire between us. "I promise, I will come back to you."