Mercy

Chapter 22

Liam held me tightly to his body, rocking me slowly. It didn't take long for me to doze off in his arms. When my eyes finally opened again Liam was gone. I slowly sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I glanced over at the clock and it read 2:45 AM. I slowly climbed out of bed and made my way over to the window. I could still see the glow on the beach from the bonfire, but now there was only one figure left on the beach. Even being this far away there was no mistaking who it was. I tugged one of Liam's large t-shirts from the dresser as I grabbed some underwear from my bag. I changed out of my swimsuit and pulled the fresh clothing on before making my way down stairs. The house was quiet which was kind of surprising - I assumed that the house would be packed with drunk couples but there was nothing.

I made my way down the sandy path to the beach where Liam was sitting in the sand his arms resting on his knees. "Hey you..." I whispered softly as I took a seat beside him in the sand.

Liam's POV

Sam was now quietly sleeping but the guilt for what I had done was making me sick. I watched her sleep for hours; her sweet face now relaxed. My eyes slowly traveled down to the bruise mark I had left on her arm. I felt a deep ache in my chest as I ran my fingertips over the mark. That wasn't supposed to happen. I never in a million years meant to hurt her. I had panicked when I had seen Ray put his hands on her. I didn't want her to be sucked into that part of my life and the filthy people who I worked with. Then again look what I did to her...I wasn't much better than they were. I promised her I would never put my hands on her like that - even though I honestly didn't mean to hurt her I should have never been so rough with her. The sick feeling in my gut was getting worse. Quietly, I eased myself from the bed and made my way out of the room. The feelings for Sam were indescribable - I had never felt this way about someone before. I was so selfish to let her get involved with me knowing what I did and who I was. No matter how bad I knew I was for her it was impossible for me to let her go. As I made my way outside I made it a point to let everyone know I needed to be left alone. Quickly everyone left the beach and made their way up to the house. My body collapsed into the cool sand, my eyes locked on the dancing flames.

Unsure how long I had zoned out in my thoughts but I was quickly brought back to reality when I heard her sweet voice. "Hey you..." Her voice was soft and kind. My head snapped up as she took a seat beside me. "Hey..." I answered, my voice was rough and deep - the complete opposite of hers. She gave me the sweetest smile that only managed to make the sour feeling in the pit of my stomach worsen. Before I could say another word her tiny frame pressed itself against the side of my body as she snuggled against me. "Why are you down here by yourself?" She mumbled softly, her eyes focused on the fire in front of us. I wasn't sure how to answer her, there was so much I wanted to say but I knew I couldn't tell her. "I was just thinking..."

Sam's POV

"I was just thinking..." His voice sounded so sad, this wasn't a side of him that I was used to seeing. Today I saw a lot of new sides of Liam and I still wasn't one hundred percent sure on what to think of it all. I reached over, tugging his arm away from his legs and pulled it around my shoulders. His arm tightened around me like he was afraid I might pull away. "Can we talk?" I finally managed to get the courage to say. His eyes were sad as they looked over at me but he nodded slightly. There was so much I needed to understand but I wasn't sure where to start. I pulled myself up and repositioned myself straddling his lap so that we were now face to face. He looked shocked and to be honest I was a little shocked by my actions; I had to know what was happening though. I let my fingers brush gently against his cheek as I stared into his sad green eyes. "What happened...?" The words left my mouth before I had even realized it. He looked so broken as he stared back at me. He was always so confident and sure of himself but now it was like he was crumbling. "Listen..." His voice was rough as he started, causing him to clear his throat a little before continuing. I kept my eyes locked on his as he spoke. "I never in a million years meant to hurt you, I swear..." His voice was thick with emotion. My heart ached for him. All I wanted to do was comfort him and hold him in my arms. I truly know he didn't mean to hurt me, I knew what that looked like and this wasn't it. At the same time though, my brain was not about to let him think that this was okay in any way shape or form. I had enough of people thinking that kind of behavior was nothing. "I know you didn't mean to but that...whatever that was in there...that cannot happen again..." A lump was forming in my throat as my mind flashed back to the events earlier that day. "Liam...you scared me..." My voice cracked as I tried really hard not to cry. My mine was now overflowing of memories of my father; how his eyes would turn dark and cold. The warm touch of his hands cradling my face snapped me out of my thoughts. "Baby...I cannot say sorry enough...I wasn't mad at you and I should never have touched you that way. I was so angry with him...how he put his hands on you..." His thumbs gently brushed away the tears that were now coating my cheeks. My cheek leaned in against his touch, my eyes fell shut as I savored the feeling of his skin against mine. Sighing softly as I pulled away from his touch, I wanted badly to enjoy the warmth he filled me with but there were too many questions bombarding my brain. "Who was that? Why did he do that to me? Why were you with them?" The questions flew past my lips, my mind not even having time to process what I was saying. The look in Liam's eyes got darker as my word vomit evaded with silence between us. He leaned in resting his forehead against mine. You could tell he was in deep thought when his eye brows scrunched together. "If I tell you this will change everything... Sam I want to be honest with you but at the same time I don't want to lose you. When I tell you... you won't want to be my girl..." The last words he spoke repeated over and over in my head. His girl. Did Liam want me to be his girlfriend? Did I want to be his girlfriend? That was a dumb question this guy had be head over heels since day one. The way my skin would burn with delight when he would touch me and the way he ate up my thoughts all day and night was enough to say I had lost the battle that is Liam. "You want me to be your girl?" I blurted out, quickly covering my mouth in embarrassment. He let out a soft chuckle before the sad look took over his face again. "Sam, that's all I want." My heart was racing, beating mercifully against my chest. Without any warning, I threw myself at him, my lips smashing against his. His arms instantly wrapped around me. This kiss was nothing I had experienced before; it was needy, harsh and heated. My arms locked tightly around his neck; keeping our bodies glued to each other. After what seemed like forever I slowly pulled back, my lungs begging for oxygen. My lips were swollen and ached slightly as I tugged on my bottom lip with my teeth. I was snapped out of my haze when his deep warm voice spoke up. "What was that for?" He asked, his fingers running slowly through my hair. "It was...I mean..." I stumbled over my words as I still tried to catch my breath. "If you want me to be yours Liam all you had to do was ask..." I finally mumbled the words surprising even me. This short time with Liam had a huge effect on my confidence level. He made me feel like I was more than I had ever pictured myself being. There was no doubt when I decided to continue being around Liam that I was oblivious to the rumors. There were reasons that Liam had the reputation he did and I continued to get involved. I had to be willing to accept all of him even some things I might not like. "But you have to be honest with me. If I am going to be yours I want to know all of you and not just those parts of you that you want me to see." I whispered softly against his ear as I held him tightly. This man had changed me in so many ways and it might be hard but I wasn't going to let anything get in my way.

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Sorry this chapter is a little rusty! Be sure to vote and comment!!!