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Working hard not to lean into the touch, I gritted my teeth. He wasn’t playing fair. My body still craved him. Probably always would. But I was smarter than to give in to my baser instincts.
“No games. I just want to talk.”
Raising a brow, I turned my head, and he dropped his hand. “And we have to talk while lying in bed?”
“I want your full attention and no chance of you running away.”
“That must be some talk you want to have.”
Kissing my nose, he took a shuddering inhale. “I’m no longer engaged.” He put a finger on my mouth when I opened it to say something. “There was no way to get out of the contract unless I was willing to start a war. Something I wanted to avoid at all costs since it puts everyone I love in danger. So Gabriel took over as head of the family. I’m only his second now. Which means he also takes my place in the marriage contract.”
Watching me for a reaction, he trailed his finger over the edges of my mouth, the caress tentative. “You are everything to me. I don’t want to go through the rest of my life without you.”
Silent tears trailed down the side of my face, and Liam wiped them away with his thumb.
“I want to believe you,” I said, my voice wavering. “But I don’t know if I can trust you again. Finding out that you were engaged broke me. I trusted you. Loved you. And you betrayed that trust and made me feel worthless.”
Studying his hand that was twirling a strand of my hair around his finger, he nodded. “I’ll do anything to gain your trust back. All I’m asking for is another chance. To prove I’m worthy of you. To prove you mean everything to me. To prove how much I love you.”
I would have given everything to hear him say he loved me when we were together. But now I questioned his motives, not sure if he just said it to placate me or really meant it.
Interpreting my expression correctly, Liam leaned down, his hands coming to either side of my face, caging me in. “I know it’ll take time for you to trust me again, but I’m not going to give up. And I’m not afraid to fight for what I want. And what I want most is you.”
My walls crumbled with each word, and by the end, a tiny flicker of hope ignited within me that we might get through this.
“What now?” I asked, letting out a breath, releasing some of the tension I’d been holding in.
“Now we sleep.” He rolled off me and pulled the blanket over both of us. “Do you need to take more pain pills for your arm?”
He’d been watching my bandaged arm, making sure not to brush against it.
“I’m good for now. It’s not hurting too much at the moment.”
Tugging me against him, he draped half my body over his, then placed my injured arm on his chest, taking infinite care. Kissing the top of my head, he wrapped both his arms around me.
His breathing soon evened out, and then light snores echoed through the room. My last conscious thought was how nice it felt to be back in his arms.
* * *
“Oh my,” a voice exclaimed, startling me awake.
Blinking my eyes open, I looked at my mom, her cheeks tinged pink, her mouth catching flies.
I peeled my cheek off Liam’s bare chest. “Mom.”
Getting over her surprise, she smiled at Liam, who was looking much too comfortable for someone who was caught out in bed.
Sitting up, I brushed my stubborn curls out of my face. “It’s not what it looks like.”
“I beg to differ,” a sleep-roughened voice replied next to me. “It’s exactly what it looks like.”
“Not the time,” I hissed at a grinning Liam.
He sat up, waving at my mom. “You must be Quinn’s mom. It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Liam. Her boyfriend.”
The word echoed through my body, leaving pleasant tingles in its wake. I liked him saying he was my boyfriend more than I should.
“I’m Paola.” My mom beamed at Liam, who’d brazenly taken my hand and kissed it. “Breakfast is ready in thirty minutes.”
