Mercy

Chapter 37

The walk to the car seemed to be a blur because the next thing I realized I am seated in the passenger side of his car. “Thank you for the ride…” I mumble as I wriggle around in the seat until I’m comfortable. He kept his eyes on the road but his hand moved over, gently squeezing my thigh. “You’re welcome. Why don’t you ever drive to school or work? Lace said you have a car.” I frowned to myself as I pictured my old little car still on ‘E’ in the parking lot outside my apartment. It was kind of embarrassing to think about how little money I had compared to someone like Liam. “Well, I do have a car. I’m just in a bit of a rough patch lately and gas is expensive so I walk everywhere instead.” I did my best not to look over at him, unsure if he really knew how poor I was. “Sam, I can help you out with gas money that isn’t a problem at all. I hate the idea of you walking around all the time. What if something happens to you?” His once grumpy voice was now laced with emotion. It was new to have someone care for me so much, well someone other than my Gran. Although it was an amazing feeling I knew there was no way I could ever take his money. “It’s okay, I don’t mind walking it gives me time to think.” I flashed him a sweet smile but he looked irritated. “What’s wrong?” there was no doubt I knew the answer to this question, he had become quite possessive and protective over me. “I can either give you money for gas or I can just drive you around it is up to you.”

His face looked so serious and there was a hint of something else that I couldn’t define. I climbed up onto my knees and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek; instantly his hardened jaw softened and a small smile crept across his once tense lips. “You are so sweet for caring about me. Honestly, there aren’t very many people in this world that has ever cared for me. I’m lucky to have you…” My voice trailed off as I buried my face in his neck. I cannot believe I had just confessed that much to him. There was a part of me that wanted him to see everything I was but I also had this fear it would scare him away. I had a lot of baggage and it wasn’t fair for me to expect him to take all of it on. I felt the car come to a stop, there was no way we were back to my apartment yet. I sat up to look around and we were seated in an empty parking lot. Before I could question him, he pulled me into his lap so that our faces were just a few inches away from each other. My breath hitched in my throat, our bodies now rested firmly against each other. God, this man had such a wild effect on my hormones. I took a deep shaky breath as I tried to relax some. “Baby, what do you mean there aren’t many people that care about you?” My heart began to race, that small confession had now opened up a whole new door and I was scared to death to go down that road.

“i-I just never had anyone other than my Gran…it is a new feeling…” I stumbled through my thoughts as I tried to be as nonchalant as possible. “What about your parents?” His voice rang through my ears as I had thoughts of those horrible people that had raised me made my already sensitive stomach ache. “They didn’t love me.” The words seemed to flow from my lips without force; it was like they had been sitting there behind my lips for years just waiting for me to admit it. A frown washed over Liam’s perfect lips, “What happened to you? You are this amazing woman but there is something keeping you from seeing it. I wish you could see what I see.” His lips brushed against mine as he spoke. He pressed a few soft kisses to my lips; my heart was swelling in my chest. I had never experienced such a strong feeling for someone and I feared that I was falling hard for this beautiful man. He held me tightly to his chest for what seemed like forever, his hand gently rubbing up and down my back. The only noise was the soft hum of the engine. There was a calm that overtook my body, almost like he had wrapped me up in a warm blanket. I could have laid there in his lap for forever and it still wouldn’t have been long enough. “I better get you home, you need to eat and rest.” He placed a soft kiss to the tip of my nose before helping me off his lap. As soon as I was seated in my own seat my body felt cold and I was already missing his tight embrace. My body simply craved to be near him and I couldn’t blame it; he was perfect in so many ways. I let myself day dream about the beautiful man beside me, not even realizing when we had pulled up in front of the apartment.