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She noticed Liam in the courtroom the minute she was escorted in. He didn’t return her smile.
Whatever, dude. This was your idea.
She’d talked with Brad about the plea offer, then asked him what he thought her chances of winning were if she went to trial.
His wince hadn’t exactly instilled confidence.
Then she asked what he thought her sentence would be if she were convicted. His reply of “Anywhere from probation to twenty years,” was too broad a span, and with Brad as her counsel, she wasn’t willing to bank on probation.
So, she accepted the plea after the prosecutor agreed to some changes in the terms.
It wasn’t that she was worried about living with Liam, or even nervous about his so-called perversion. On the contrary, that excited her.
No, what concerned her the most was getting too used to life with him. She’d been there, done that, and was never letting her guard down again. The sooner she was back in her own place, the better.
Utah was surprised how quickly the whole thing went once they were actually in the courtroom. She was instructed to stand, then the judge asked if she wanted to change her innocent plea to guilty. She confirmed she did, and he spelled out what that meant, then he asked if she still wanted to enter a guilty plea.
“I do, Your Honor.”
“Noted,” he said as he glanced down at what she assumed was the plea deal. He reiterated the terms and confirmed with both parties this was the agreed upon arrangement.
He said, “Given this is Ms. Douglas’s first offense, I have no objections to these conditions,” then hit his gavel against the sound block, indicating the end of her appearance.
And just like that, she was a convicted criminal. Her parents would be so proud.
She hadn’t told them, or any of her family, about her predicament. The only other people who knew were Amy and Chad.
Fortunately, there had been a provision in the agreement that if she completed her sentence, she could have the charge reduced to a misdemeanor, so maybe nobody else would ever have to know.
Liam leaned over the railing and murmured, “I’ll pick you up when you’re done being processed.” His words felt ominous, like a warning.
Before she could reply, a uniformed man escorted her out of the courtroom.
She had no idea what the next four months of her life were going to be like, but she hoped they were a lot like when she’d stayed with him before—only dirtier.
Chapter Twenty-One
Liam
Utah walked out of the jail’s gates wearing black yoga pants, a ribbed pink tank top, and a pair of rhinestone flip-flops with a black-wedge heel.
A smile formed on his lips when the first thing she did was set her phone wallet and keys on the closest ledge, then pile her hair on top of her head, pull an elastic band off her wrist, and wrap it around her hair. After a tightening tug, she picked up her items, surveyed her surroundings, and gave a quick nod of acknowledgment when she spotted him standing against his Mercedes in the parking lot.
He couldn’t help but notice her nipples poking through the fabric of her top when she approached him. It was eighty degrees outside.
“Hey,” she said cautiously.
Liam took his time scanning her from head to toe while keeping his expression neutral. He liked that she nervously shifted her weight while waiting for him to reply.
Finally, he pushed off the car, asking, “Are you ready?” as he went around to open the passenger door for her.
A small smirk escaped her lips when she replied, “I’m not sure.” Sliding into the seat, she added, “But I guess it’s too late to change my mind.”
Lucky for him, she was right.
He shut her door and went around to the driver’s side.
Before starting the car, he blatantly studied her in the passenger seat. She looked tired and like she’d lost weight that she couldn’t afford to lose.
