He groaned and shifted but didn’t wake. Instead, he flipped to his side so he was now facing the back of the couch. I pinched my lips together and took in a deep breath, frustrated that he was making this hard to do.
I reached forward and grabbed his shoulder. “Liam,” I said as I gave it a few good shakes. “It’s time to get up.” I was louder this time.
Liam jolted and turned. His hand grabbed onto mine as he stared up at me with his eyes wide. “Ana?” he asked, his voice groggy from sleep.
It took a second for my confusion to wear off and for me to comprehend what I was looking at. Never mind that he’d just called me by a different name, that wasn’t what had startled me. The right side of his face—the part that he’d been covering earlier—was bruised, and there was a deep gash going through his eyebrow that was caked with dried blood. I blinked a few times, wondering if I was actually seeing what my eyes were telling my brain I was seeing.
“Sabrina?” Liam asked as recognition passed over his face. He shifted against the couch like he was trying to sit up.
“Oh my gosh,” I said as I moved along with him so I could keep my focus on his face. “What happened?” Now that he was sitting upright on the couch with his feet planted on the floor, I took his chin in my hand and tipped his face so I could get a closer look. “Why didn’t you go to the hospital?” I asked, glancing down to meet his gaze.
Liam looked confused, which sent panic sirens off in my mind. It wasn’t just a surface-level injury. He had a concussion.
He brought his hand up. “What are you—” He winced when his fingers brushed the side of his face.
“Why didn’t you wake me up when you got home?” I tipped his face further so I could get a better look.
When he didn’t answer right away, I glanced over at him, worried that he’d slipped into a coma or something. But I was met with his goofy smile.
I frowned. “What?” I asked as I pulled back slightly.
He wiggled his eyebrows. “You’re worried about me.”
I scoffed and dropped my hand as I straightened. “I am not.”
He leaned back against the sofa and folded his arms across his chest. He looked so at ease as he sat there, staring up at me. “You are.” His tone was flirty, and he punctuated his words with a wink.
Not wanting to get sucked into the Liam vortex, I reached out and grabbed his hand. I tugged a bit, hoping he’d understand what I wanted him to do. “As your assistant, I need you to get up and get ready. Bonnie said you need to be at rehearsals by nine.”
I don’t know why I thought that talking about Bonnie would get this man to move. Nothing in my words or body language seems to be getting through to him. Instead, he wrapped his hand around mine, completely enveloping it in warmth. The sensation of his skin against mine sent a burst of electricity throughout my body. For some asinine reason, my breath hitched in my throat and my heart began to pound.
Crap. What was wrong with me?
“Ugh, that’s too early,” Liam said as he continued holding my hand. His gaze was on me now, and his perfectly formed bottom lip jutted out. “Will you text her that it’s too early?”
I stared at him, not sure what he was trying to do. This was my job. The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint Bonnie. Sure, Liam was my boss, but I had a sinking suspicion that if I didn’t do what Bonnie told me to do, she was going to make my life a living hell.
So I patted Liam’s hand and gave him my best mom smile. “You will be fine. We’re going to clean you up, get you fed, and to rehearsals by nine, because that’s what’s needed of you.”
Liam groaned and flopped his head back against the couch with a loud thud, and he winced. “Ouch,” he said as he lifted his head and rubbed it with his free hand.
“Come on,” I said, using most of my strength to pull him off the couch.
He must have realized that it was futile to fight me, because this time he stood. He grumbled but followed behind me as I led him through the living room and stopped in front of the bedroom door. I glanced at him from over my shoulder before I raised my fingers to my lips.
“Samuel’s sleeping,” I whispered as I widened my eyes.
Liam gave me a military salute. I reached over and quietly pressed down the door handle before slowly pushing the door open.
Liam stayed right behind me as we headed through the room and into the bathroom. Once the door was shut behind us, I flipped on the light only for Liam to groan as he closed his eyes.
“Good Lord, woman,” he complained.
I tsked him as I started pushing him toward the toilet. “You’re such a baby,” I muttered under my breath as I pressed down on his shoulders so he would sit on the closed lid.
He squinted at me through one eye. “I adore little man, so that’s a compliment,” he said as he finally gave in and sat.
Those words did something to my insides. A sensation akin to drinking hot chocolate ran through me. I already knew that Samuel was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I couldn’t have asked for a better son. But to have a man, this man, have the same feeling? It was weird. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
