Page 87 of Drawn Together

But nothing like that came out of his mouth when he opened it to speak. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

I blinked. “Something stupid like falling for you?” I said without thinking.

“Marfil—”

“Don’t worry,” I cut him off, ready to walk away, wishing I could erase his expression of panic from my mind. “You’ve made it abundantly clear you’re only interested in one thing from me.”

I expected him to stop me, to tug again at my arm and tell me I was wrong. But he didn’t do either of those things, and I felt myself go pale.

I ran across the street to my best friend’s building and rushed through the front door. When I got into the elevator, I was starting to hyperventilate, and I used the few seconds it took to reach Liam’s floor to steady my breathing.

Liam’s apartment was dark upon entering, completely empty. I wandered down the long hall to his bedroom, then took off my clothes, grabbed one of his T-shirts, and got into his bed. It took me a while to get to sleep, but exhaustion eventually won out.

My nightmares weren’t the usual ones. They didn’t have anything to do with my mother or her death, but everything to do with a Sebastian who abandoned me, a Sebastian who turned his back on me. No matter how many times I called out to him, he just kept walking away. He walked and walked toward a tall, beautiful blond woman, took her hand, and led her into the darkness.

I awoke to the dazzling light of a new day. It took me a second to remember where I was. In Louisiana? My apartment? Where? Then Liam stepped into the room, shirtless in pajama bottoms, with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

“I have to admit, I love seeing you between my sheets,” hesaid, walking over to the bed, handsome as always, then sitting down next to me.

Why couldn’t I just fall in love with him? He was perfect for me, and I adored him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, leaning against the headboard and staring at me with curiosity.

“Like what?”

“Like you’re thinking impossible thoughts.”

I couldn’t help but smile. He knew me so well.

“Why are you in my bed?”

I pulled the covers up to my chin. “I wanted a bit of normalcy.”

“In your life?” Liam laughed. “Babe, that word has never come close to defining you.”

I sighed.

“Can I ask you why your bodyguard is parked across the street, sleeping in his car in the freezing cold?”

I sat up quickly. “What are you talking about?”

“I saw him early this morning when I came home from the party.”

I stood up and went to the window, where I could see the entrance to the building. It was true—Sebastian’s car was still parked there, with him inside, I supposed. I was instantly flooded with guilt and quickly searched for my clothes to get dressed.

“Where are you going?”

“Home. I had no idea… It doesn’t matter. You’re right, my life is shit.”

Liam laughed loudly. “I said that?”

I ignored him, angrily hopping into my pants to pull them up, then buttoning them.

“Hey,” he said, standing up and stepping toward me, “I can go down there and tell that asshole to get lost. You could skipclass, we could order in some pizza and watch a movie. You decide.”

I shook my head. “Another time. Right now, I’d better go home and face the consequences of…” I fell silent, realizing that I’d said too much.

“Consequences of what?”