Page 84 of What Comes Around

“Now,” he murmured, “let’s eat something. I’m starving.”

I laughed softly, the tension finally easing.

The rest of the weekend passed quietly.

Knox stayed most of Saturday. We ate, talked a little, and moved around each other with the strange ease that had formed between us overnight. By the evening he went back to his own place, leaving the faint scent of his cologne behind in the house and my thoughts far too busy to settle.

I kept thinking about Liam.

About the look on his face when he stood on my porch.

By Monday afternoon the weight of it sat firmly in my chest. Knox had said Liam just needed time, and maybe he was right, but I still wanted to clear the air before things became awkward between us.

So that evening I went to the self-defense class earlier than usual. When I arrived, Liam was standing near the equipment rack, rolling his shoulders to warm up.

When he noticed me, he straightened slightly.

I walked over to him.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey.”

For a moment neither of us spoke. Liam shifted his weight slightly, rubbing the back of his neck like he wasn’t sure where to start.

“I was hoping to catch you before class,” I said. “Without Amy hovering over us.”

That earned a small smile from him.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “About the other morning…”

“You don’t need to apologize again,” he said quickly. “You already did.”

“I know. But I still wanted to make sure we’re okay.”

He studied my face for a moment, then nodded.

“We’re okay.”

Then his eyes shifted to my neck and stayed there.

I froze. I must have rubbed the makeup off. I had covered the marks before leaving for work that morning, but they had only faded a little over the past few days. Not enough to hide them completely.

I instinctively pulled my hair forward, trying to hide what was still visible.

“I wasn’t upset about the run. I was worried about you.”

“It’s not what you think,” I said quickly, feeling heat rush into my face.

His eyebrows lifted slightly. “I didn’t say anything.”

“I know,” I muttered. “But you were definitely thinking something.”

He crossed his arms and looked at me carefully. “Are you going to tell me he’s not hurting you?”

My face burned.

“It’s consensual,” I said. “Very consensual. He’s not hurting me.”