Silence pricked the air around us. The only sound came from Samuel’s little slurps and sighs as he guzzled the milk down. In a matter of seconds, his eyelids were slits, and a ring of milk began to form where his lips and cheeks met the nipple.
I kept my focus on Samuel, ashamed of how terribly I handled that entire situation. I didn’t want to look up and see how disappointed Liam was in me. Sure, he didn’t mind Samuel, and he’d specifically asked me to be his assistant. But I doubted he’d realized what he had gotten himself into. He was just waiting for me to compose myself before he would tell me that he’d made a mistake and send me back to Harmony.
Something moved in front of me. Liam was slowly kneeling down in front of the couch. I could see that he was studying me, and I wanted to meet his gaze, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“Sabrina?” he whispered. His voice sent shivers across my skin.
Suddenly, his fingertips were on my skin as he gently lifted my chin so I had to look at him. I kept my gaze averted until it was no longer feasible. As soon as I saw the concern in his gaze, my tears began to flow again.
“Why are you crying?” He reached up, and with the tips of his fingers, he began to gently wipe my cheeks.
I wanted to speak. I wanted to tell him why I was upset, but I also didn’t want to give him any ideas, just in case he wasn’t thinking about firing me.
“I’m so sorry,” I finally managed out. “I should have…I should have…” All of the shame and embarrassment rose back up in my throat, choking the words I was trying to speak. I wasn’t going to be able to get anything out without having a true breakdown, so I just pinched my lips shut and shook my head.
Liam didn’t say anything as he continued to gently wipe my tears away. Once my cheeks were dry, he pulled back and met my gaze. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said. His voice was low but forceful. Like he wanted me to know that he was serious, but he was also aware that Samuel was nearly asleep.
“Yes, I do.” I took in a few deep breaths in an effort to calm myself down. I’d already cried twice in front of this man. No need to do it again. “This was so unprofessional. I should have had it handled. You stopped your rehearsal because of me. I…” Tears formed once more, and I knew if I kept talking, they would fall again.
Liam’s expression didn’t shift. His eyebrows remained drawn together, his eyes slightly narrow, as I spoke. I was certain that eventually I would see agreement in his gaze even if he was ultimately sympathetic. But that never came. Instead, he continued to stare at me as if I had two heads. “Screw rehearsals.”
I parted my lips.
“Screw the band.”
My eyebrows were now drawn together, like what he was saying was truly insane—because it was.
“Screw anyone who puts their desires before a baby.” He shook his head. “Little man needed to eat. That’s part of the human condition. If people can’t see that, screw them.”
“But—”
Liam raised his hand. “I don’t want to hear your apologies. If the band is ticked off. If Bonnie is ticked off, I’ll handle it.” His goofy, cocky, flirty grin was back, and for the first time, it created a warm storm inside of my stomach. These weren’t just words. He meant what he was saying. “You’re mine.”
He paused like he wanted me to feel his words…and I did. Oh, if that man only knew what those words did to me. I’m sure he didn’t mean them in the way my stomach, heart, and head wanted him to. It had been so long since a man had claimed me as his. Since a man had declared that he was going to protect me.
I liked it. I needed it. And I was scared that, from this moment on, I was going to crave it.
“You’re my assistant, and I’m the leader of this band. If I say we take a break so my assistant can feed her kid, then everyone else can jump in a lake.” Suddenly, his hand was on mine, and he squeezed my fingers. My gaze lifted to meet his. “So, don’t worry. If they say anything, you send them to me.”
My stomach felt like it was doing gymnastics. I was on the rollercoaster that was Liam Carmichael. He was everything I wanted in a man, yet he was the one guy I couldn’t have. I was a nobody from Harmony Island, North Carolina. I had baggage and trauma a mile long. I had a baby.
I wasn’t meant for his world, and I was certain he would be miserable in mine.
So even though I allowed myself to imagine for a moment what it would feel like for him to claim me as something more than his assistant, I slammed that Pandora’s box closed and locked it. Those kinds of thoughts only did one thing: got me into trouble. And I’d promised Samuel I would stay out of trouble when we boarded Liam’s plane.
Falling for my boss seemed like the fastest way to break that promise.
I forced a smile and nodded. “Thanks. But this was a one-time thing. It won’t happen again.”
Liam held my gaze before he narrowed his eyes. “It’s not a big deal if it does happen again.”
I jutted out my chin, needing him to believe me. I was going to get this right. “But it won’t.”
“But if it does?—”
“It won’t.” I steeled my gaze, daring him to speak again.
He paused, silence falling around us like we were in a good old-fashioned stare down. Then, slowly, his lips tipped up into his familiar half smile. “Okay,” he drawled.
