Legacy of Lies (Empire of Lies 3)

My heart drops as he looks into my eyes, and I know that this ‘story’ doesn’t belong to someone he knows. It’s his.

“What about that, Meredith?” he asks, standing right in front of me as the water drenches us both. “Is that a good enough fucking reason?”

“I…” I feel tears pricking my eyes, and I don’t even know what to say. I’ve never seen this pained look of vulnerability in his eyes before. “Michael, I’m so—”

“It’s ironic that you want to get on your high-horse, in comparison to me.” He cuts me off again, pressing his chest against mine. “Because deep down, you’re just as fucked up of a person as I am. In fact, I don’t think you’re as good of a person as you like to believe. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you’ve attempted to look down at me over the past few days—to try to keep your distance, to try to act like you’re not as terrible as I am.”

“No….” I shake my head—understanding his pain and anger, but he’s reaching right now. “I’m nothing like you.”

“You’re too much like me.” He tilts my chin up with his fingertips. “You’re fucking intrigued by what I do, by the gritty ecosystem that you know nothing about. But you’d definitely take full advantage if someone gave the access to you…” His voice trails off for a few seconds. “You liked dancing at Club Swan back in New York, but you loved the high you got by stealing from the greedy people who you thought ‘deserved’ it. You tried to justify it, by telling yourself that you needed tens of thousands of dollars to start your life over, but you could’ve taken all the money you stole and moved on long before Rio Warren ever caught you…”

I feel my cheeks heating as he reads me like a book, as he reveals the part of myself that I never shared with him.

“Every man you stole from had shady ties to other companies,” he says, sliding his thumb against my bottom lip. “Which leads me to believe that you researched all of the people you stole from first—once again, trying to justify what you did. It also makes me see that you’re a hypocrite…”

I shake my head, attempting to get a word out, but he doesn’t let me.

“Furthermore,” he says, “You’re still here with me when you could’ve left long ago. I’ve left the keys on the dresser for you, left my phones out—all five of them, and there’s no indoor security system here. You could’ve walked out of this damn shower the moment I started talking, too. The other door is right behind you.” He pauses. “You want to prove me wrong?”

“I’m here because you’re supposed to take me to the airport…”

“You’re here because you’re a willing captive, Meredith.” His free hand pinches my nipple as he continues teasing my mouth with his other hand. “And at times in your life, you’ve been just as bad as me.”

“No,” I say, still in disbelief about the way that he’s described me. “None of the things I’ve done have hurt other people…None of the things you listed has anything to do with me being a good person.”

“Meredith…” He looks into my eyes, pressing his forehead against mine. “A ‘good person’ wouldn’t be standing in front of me right now.”

Silence.

His lips quickly latch onto mine, and I wrap my arms around his neck. He slides his tongue into my mouth, giving me a taste of what I’ve been missing—what I’ve been needing, for weeks.

When he kisses me like this, nothing else in the world matters. Every remnant of the last argument is slowly erased, every petty word spit out of spite sails away, and the world comes to a complete stop.

Reaching behind me to shut off the water, he keeps his mouth on mine as he pushes me back against the shower’s glass—not letting me catch more than a few seconds of breath.

“Meredith…” he whispers my name in between the more aggressive kisses, rendering me speechless all at once. His kisses take away all of my previous thoughts and doubts, each one rolling away from my tongue and onto his.

“I missed you…” I manage to utter a few words. “I fucking missed you.”

He bites down on my bottom lip before gripping my waist. “I missed you, too…”

I shut my eyes as he begins kissing me again, as I feel his cock hardening against my thighs, but he suddenly stops.

“Not this time,” he says, waiting for me to open my eyes. “I want you to look at me while I’m fucking you…I want you to look at me the entire time.” He leans down and sucks my left nipple into his mouth, then he slips two of his thick fingers deep inside of me.