"Don't worry," Kathleen said as she grabbed hold of her hand. "We're going to win this game."
"No," Liam said.
"Come on; it will be fun!" Kathleen urged.
"Yeah," Mike enthused.
"I know I wouldn't mind seeing some fine female flesh!" Jack cried eagerly.
Liam was so fast she never saw him move until his arms were locked securely around her waist. "I said no," he said.
Even Sera was astounded by his behavior as she turned to look at him. Kathleen gaped at him as Danielle froze in the middle of standing up. Doug, Jack, and Mike all turned to look at him.
"Liam," she said soothingly.
The set of his chin and the twitching muscle in his cheek let her know he wouldn’t tolerate this. She recalled his words in the bathroom, and she knew, without a doubt, he would attempt to kill everyone here before she ever removed an article of clothing. She would not allow that to happen. Besides, she didn't want to play. The idea of seeing Liam stripping was more upsetting to her than having to remove her clothes. A spark of anger shot through her as she thought about Kathleen and Danielle looking on what was hers.
"I don't want to play," she told them. "Why don't we play rummy, or something else?"
Kathleen stared at her, and then back up at Liam. "Fine, can I talk to you for a minute, Sera?"
She knew Kathleen almost as well as she knew herself, and she knew what Kathleen had to say was important. Her mind instantly shot to Mike. If there was any way she might be able to help her friend from being hurt, then she was going to do it.
"Yeah, sure."
"Good. Come on, Danielle."
She squeezed Liam's hands reassuringly. They eased on her waist and finally released her. She cast him a small smile before following Kathleen out of the kitchen. She didn't head to the living room but veered sharply to the left. Sera lifted an eyebrow but followed her down the hall. Kathleen swung the door to Sera's room open and stepped inside. She waited for both of them to enter before closing it.
"What's going on?" Kathleen demanded instantly.
"What are you talking about?" Sera inquired.
Kathleen planted her hands firmly on her hips. "I mean, what is going on?"
"Kathleen—"
"No!" she cut off abruptly. "Okay, you don't want to play strip poker, I understand that. I've known you for three years now, and I know it's not your kind of game, but what just happened in there?"
Sera's mouth dropped further with every higher pitched word Kathleen shouted. "What are you talking about?" she asked.
Kathleen's nostrils flared as she inhaled harshly. "What am I talking about?" she sputtered in disbelief. "What am I talking about?"
"Kathleen, calm down."
Kathleen took a deep breath and closed her eyes before opening them again. "Sera, he's so possessive of you! He's so… oh, I don't know. You didn't see the look in his eyes. For a second I thought they were red!"
Sera's heart leapt into her throat, but she managed to keep her face completely impassive. "That's crazy, and I have no idea what you're talking about."
Sera worried Kathleen was going to start screeching again. Danielle headed her off. "I thought I saw the same thing, but it was only the candlelight. However, I think I know what Kathleen is talking about."
Sera cast her a glance. "And what would that be?" she asked.
"Has he hit you?" Kathleen demanded.
"What?" Sera was so aghast the word barely squeaked past her throat.
"Has he hit you?" she almost screamed.
"Kathleen, calm down, please," Sera said.
"Don't tell me to calm down!"
Danielle turned to her. "You need to calm down.”
For a moment Sera was afraid Kathleen's head was actually going to explode off her shoulders. Then, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and seemed to gain some control of herself. "I'm calm," she said. Her clear blue eyes landing upon Sera again. "Has he hit you?"
"Of course not."
"Sera, I am not kidding here. You're my best friend, and I love you. I don't want to see you hurt."
"Kathleen—"
"No!" she snapped. "He acted like he owned you! He acted like you didn't have a mind of your own. You two love each other, fine. But what happened in there was not normal, and you know it!"
What happened wasn't normal, she knew that, but she also knew Liam would never hurt her. He would die before he ever harmed her. She knew that, as surely as she knew she needed air to live. She also knew she had felt the same way as Liam about the idea of anyone seeing him naked. Maybe it wasn't normal, maybe it wasn't right, but it was the way it was. He was different, their relationship was different, but there was no way Kathleen, or Danielle, could understand.
"Kathleen, I think you're misunderstanding—"
"No I'm not!" she yelled. "Has he abused you?"
"Never!" Sera cried.
"Because if he has, I'll kill him!" Kathleen continued as if Sera hadn't spoken.
"Kathleen—"
"Has he? Has he hit you?" Kathleen was close to screaming like a banshee again. Sera winced at the shrill tone.
"No!" she yelled. "He would never hurt me. Now calm down!"
Kathleen began to pace as she mumbled under her breath. "Sera," Danielle said serenely. "We're just worried about you."
"There's no need to be."
Kathleen took a deep breath and spun to face her again. "He was acting like the men you hear about," she said. "The ones who think they own their wives or girlfriends. The ones who beat them. If he's doing anything wrong, please tell us."
Tears bloomed in Kathleen's eyes as her lower lip began to tremble. Sera crossed to her and hugged her. "He's not," she vowed.
Kathleen hugged her back as sobs rocked her body. "Would you tell me if he was?"
"Yes Kathleen, I promise I would tell you if he was."
"You didn't tell me before," she whispered so quietly Sera barely heard her.
"This is different Kathleen."
She took a step back. "He really
