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“Of course,” I whispered, refusing to look him in the eye. I gazed through tears at his lips. “All I’ve ever wanted was you. You’ve been my first and last thought every day since I’ve met you and I’ve hated it.”
Liam laughed that sexy fucking laugh. “Till now. Because you have me now, Sash. And I’ll keep us a secret from Riley and anyone else you need me to but at least be real with me when it’s just us two. I think about you and I worry about you enough as it is without you keeping secrets from me.”
“I know.” I closed my eyes. I knew Liam worried about me. It drove Riley crazy growing up. If I got so much as a paper cut, Liam would be wrapping me up and making sure I was fine. When I landed in the hospital for a fall off my bike, he was the first to arrive at the ER. He played favorites with me like no other and secretly, I’d always reveled in that.
“If you know then tell me so I can get some peace of mind, ‘cause I’ve been losing it all day thinking it has to do with something like that piece of shit, Ethan.”
My ex’s name off Liam’s lips made me stiffen in his arms. Just saying it made Liam visibly angrier. His body was rigid, his muscles tight as he waited for me to answer.
“It wasn’t Ethan,” I said straightaway. Once the deceit was done, I breathed out hard. Fuck. I did it. I lied. But I couldn’t help it. I was too scared of what Liam might do. “It wasn’t him, it was just… Jenna. Aria’s cousin who saw us in your office.”
Liam paused. “She say something to you?”
“No. But, um, she asked to meet me,” I went on with my story. “And I know she’s going to do something to piss me off. She loves getting under my skin. And I’m bad at confrontation, you know that. So after she texted me, I was just… kind of dreading meeting her all day. That’s why I was acting so weird. I’m sorry.”
Liam looked into my eyes. I knew he was trying to read me and see if I was lying. His lips were pressed into a line, but finally, they relaxed. He wasn’t fully convinced. I could see it in his beautiful face. But I’d given enough of an explanation for now. “Alright.” Liam straightened and cupped the back of my neck as he gazed at me. “If you want me to, I’ll talk to her.”
“No, that’s fine. I’m sure that’s just what she wants and I have no intention of giving her that satisfaction.”
“So what, you’re going to take care of it on your own?” Liam grinned with the most irresistible glint in his eye. “Baby Sash has a bad side, huh?”
“Apparently.”
“Good to know.”
I bit back my smile as Liam kissed my forehead, closing my eyes again and feeling the warmth and love in his lips. It felt so real and so incredible that it lit fire under my skin. In his arms, I reveled in the moment all the while giving myself a little pep talk. Whether it was Ethan or Jenna, I was realizing something – that I wanted nothing more than to be with Liam, the man who made me feel more in a few days than anyone else other man had made me feel in my lifetime. And that if it came down to it, I would fight for us. I’d have to dig the wild side out of me, and I’d have to convince her to stick around for longer than a night at a time, but if it meant being with Liam, I’d do it. I had no other choice.
Chapter Eleven
Perfect daaahling. Meet me outside my work at noon. We’ll grab a bite and chat ;)
“Ugh.” I rolled my eyes at the reply text Jenna sent me the next morning. I had contacted first with a request to talk, which I hated having to do, but I reminded myself it was necessary considering Jenna was a loudmouth and she’d just seen me having sex with my stepbrother.
I’d lied to Liam last night but I hadn’t lied about being bad at confrontation. I was famously mild-mannered. Ethan had always told me it was a good thing. It was “ladylike.” But ladylike came nowhere in handy with a girl like Jenna Pettit. So I had to break out Bad Sasha, or at least try. I wasn’t sure if she really existed inside me but if she did, I was trying to coax her out with red lipstick, a high ponytail and black heels. On top, I went with a simple white V-neck and camel blazer.
The moment I stepped out of my room, A.J stood up straight and ripped the Mets cap off his head. “Well, hot damn.”
Liam was in the midst of sliding over-easy eggs off a pan when he looked up at me. “Shit,” he breathed like someone had punched him in the chest. I grinned at him, finding it kind of hilarious that he was ogling my fully clothed body while standing half-naked in the kitchen, wearing only black gym shorts and the perspiration of a morning workout. His faded baseball cap was on backwards as he cooked and to me, he just looked like sexy, sweaty, all-American glory. For a moment, I had to just stand there, taking him in as he took in me.
“Alright, guys, that’s enough,” A.J decided.
I laughed, heading over to the counter where I saw a less protein-riddled breakfast waiting for me – my usual coconut yogurt and granola with halved blackberries. A crooked smile touched my lips. Liam had gotten my favorite parfait right – down to the little glass ramekin of maple syrup, so I could drizzle to my liking. “Liam.” I gazed down at the yogurt I never bought anymore because I found it so extravagant. “This stuff’s like, thirteen dollars.”
“I know.”
I couldn’t control my goofy smile. I tried chewing it back so A.J wouldn’t complain, but he gave a “Jesus Christ” and excused himself to the bathroom. It was for the better. I could practically feel the sparkle in my own eye as I watched Liam cook. He didn’t usually come home after his morning workout, so this was my little preview of him being domestic.
God, it was a little too much fun to think about.
/> “Going to see Aria’s cousin?” Liam asked, sliding me a long, skinny spoon. He even knew my utensil preferences.
“Her name is Jenna,” I laughed.
“Excited?”
“Madly.”
“You’ll know how to take care of her,” Liam smirked, leaning against the kitchen counter and watching me lick my spoon. I shook my head as he watched me eat.
