Page 90 of Burning Bridges Duet

“What did the letter say?” I ask.

“He just wrote that he missed me and couldn’t wait to get to know my new friends,” she says. “I thought he would come for you guys, Gunner, and Chris, so I panicked. I thought the only way to protect you was to leave.” Jaxon takes her chin in his forefinger and thumb.

“Eyes on me, Liv,” he commands, and she looks up at him. “He won’t get to you or to us, but we need to know everything and we need to stick together. We’re a family, and we protect each other, but I can’t protect you if you don’t tell me anything or if you run away, you hear me?”

“I hear you,” she whispers, and Jaxon gives her a quick peck before releasing her.

“Where did you go?” Ryder asks, taking her hand. “What was the plan, baby?”

“There wasn’t a plan,” she replies, looking down at the floor. “I got in my car and drove for nearly a day. After sleeping in the car for a few hours, I thought about what happened and called Frank, our former manager. I asked him if he could check if Liam was still being held in the facility, and he came back to me pretty quickly, confirming that Liam was still there. I thought he might have gotten information on my whereabouts, even though I have no idea how that could have happened. Maybe a viewer recognized me or something. He can’t just come here and hurt any of you, though, so I decided it was best to come back, tell you everything, and figure out a plan together.”

“Good girl,” Jaxon murmurs after kissing her temple.

“Yes, you did good, beautiful,” I say, smiling at her, but Chase notices Liv’s exhausted state.

“You look beat, Liv. Have you slept since then?” he asks.

“After the call with Frank, I drove right back here through the night,” she admits, shaking her head, so Jaxon immediately takes charge.

“All right, let’s get you back to our place. I’ll cook something for you and you can sleep,” he says, but Liv hesitates.

“I can go home to sleep, Jaxon, it’s no problem. I need a shower too.”

“As if we would leave you alone now,” Ryder says, putting an arm around her shoulder. “You can decide, Liv. Either you come home with us to shower, eat, and sleep there, or we all come home with you.”

“I don’t think we’ll all fit in that tiny apartment,” Liv says with a shrug as we make our way towards the exit.

“How come you have such a small one? It seems like money isn’t the issue,” Ryder asks her, and I cringe at his blunt question. Can he not put his foot in his mouth for once? Only Liv just laughs.

“What? Do I not meet your typical celebrity standard?” she teases.

“I-I didn’t mean—” Ryder stammers, but Liv interrupts.

“I know, I’m just joking,” she assures him. “It was the only one available near the campus on short notice. I thought I could find a better one when I settled.”

When we get to Liv’s Mini, I hold out my hand to her and say, “Keys.” She looks at me questioningly, so I continue, “There’s no way you’re going to drive as tired as you are, and I’m sure you’d like to have your car, so let me drive. You can ride with me or Jaxon.”

She smiles, giving me the keys and a small peck on my lips before whispering, “Thank you.” Then she rounds the hood and gets in on the passenger side.

“Let’s get going,” Jaxon says, and Chase and Ryder get into the Jeep with him.

I get in the driver’s seat, start the car, and follow behind Jaxon on the road. My right hand is on the stick, but Liv takes it and interlocks our fingers. I bring the back of her hand to my lips for a short kiss before lowering it again. I hear her sniffle, so I shoot her a quick look. Not only is she exhausted, she’s full-on sobbing now. I pull over to the side of the road and stop the car.

“Beautiful,” I start, but she already has her seatbelt undone and is crawling over the center console into my lap to straddle me before I can say anything else. Her arms are around my neck, hugging me tight, and she’s crying hard. “I’ve got you,” I tell her, stroking the back of her head and her lower back.

Jaxon has seen us stop and pulls over a few feet in front of us. Ryder gets out of the Jeep and sprints to us, opening the driver side door.

“Sit with her on the passenger seat. I’m going to drive us home,” he tells me, and I nod.

I undo my seatbelt and stand up with her hanging onto me like a little monkey, while Ryder goes to open the passenger door for us. I sit down, and he arranges the seatbelt around both of us. Liv is still crying into my neck, and I’m stroking her gently. As Jaxon and Ryder start to drive again, I whisper soothingly in her ear, but not two minutes later, she’s fast asleep in my arms.

FIVE

I take a deep breath, the scent of fresh soap and peppermint filling my nostrils, and a smile spreads across my face. River. I snuggle into his hard chest, feeling warm and content. My nose is slightly squished, but I don’t mind. My right hand is on his hip, my fingers just under his shirt, but I let them wander up his back, tracing light patterns. I hear him groan, so I scratch him lightly with my nails, trailing my fingertips from his back to his abs. His six-pack is impressive, and I can’t resist running my hand over it. As I move, my arm brushes against his erection in his sweatpants, and I feel it twitch.

“Liv,” he whispers. “Are you awake, beautiful?”

“Mm-hm,” I hum, trailing my hand farther down, but he grabs my wrist gently and leans back so he can look me in my eyes. He looks disheveled, his normally styled hair ruffled, making him look so much like his brother. He lets go of my wrist and cups my cheek, stroking it.