"I Surrender"

Chapter 7: Friday

“Don’t go,” Liam pleads with her, “please don’t leave me.”

He looks at her with those stormy-blue eyes, his expression sombre, and it tugs on her heartstrings, her chest aching for him; but not enough to make her give in.

“Liam...” Fallon begins, her voice pained, but isn’t sure where she’s going with her response.

She's torn.

On the one hand, she could yield to her fiancé’s request and stay, but that’s definitely the more difficult option of the two, especially when her gut instinct is telling her to get the hell out of this bedroom and run for the hills.

Get as far away from him as possible.

“Fallon, please, just stay,” he’s practically begging her now, and she feels her resolve crumbling every second that ticks by without giving him an answer.

She sighs, and knows he's watching her closely as she contemplates, assessing her reaction, hoping she isn’t going to walk out on him, “Liam, I don’t know if I can...”

“Well, you know what?” he begins, “I’ve decided that I’m not giving you any choice,” he says, his tone low and dangerous before pouncing on her, pinning her body down to the bed, making Fallon squeal out in surprise.

“No, no, no, stop!” She shrieks between giggles as Liam’s fingers quickly slip through the slit in her robe and find their way to her bare sides, tickling at a spot he knows is sensitive.

The brunette squirms uncontrollably underneath him, but Liam’s strength keeps her firmly in place, unable to escape him.

“Not until you agree to stay,” he stresses, giving her an ultimatum as he continues his relentless assault. It’s clear to her that he isn’t going to give in any time soon and she’s quickly losing air from her lungs from laughing so much.

“Liam!”

She hears him chuckle above her, chasing her writhing body with his fingers, “yield, Fallon!”

“Okay, okay, okay,” she manages to breathe out, conceding, unable to take the sensations any longer. Her laughter eventually begins to subside once Liam halts, and she looks up into his eyes, smiling, “fine. You win. I'll stay.”

He grins, wide and genuinely, and she knows instantly that she can’t hold a grudge against him for this –there’s a sparkle in his eyes she hasn’t seen there since they learnt of Laura’s deceit about Connor’s true father. He looks so freely happy that it melts her instantly. Even if staying here is just going to make it all the more challenging to keep her hands off of him, she simply can’t go now.

“Really?” He says it like he doesn’t believe her – like he can’t comprehend Fallon choosing to stay home with her fiancé rather than go to the office.

“Of course,” She responds and brings her hand up so that she can card her fingers through his hair, feeling him subtly lean into the touch, “I’ll always put you first.”

She suspects there’s more to Liam wanting her to stay home today just so he isn’t lonely. Being around Laura last night likely triggered some of those painful memories he holds of her to spring to the forefront of his mind. After what had happened immediately after they’d left the Van Kirk mansion, he hadn’t exactly had the opportunity to process anything.

“Well, I’ll make it worth your time,” he promises, and leans down to press his lips softly against Fallon’s. He’s gentle and warm, like the rest of his body feels above hers, and Fallon chases the feeling. She drinks him in, savours the feeling of his lips moving against hers, and she swears she’ll never get enough of this man.