Chapter 84
His lips twitch. “Deserved.”
“And you’re going to have to work for it,” I add, trying – and failing to sound stern.
–
Liam leans in just a little, like he can’t help himself. His voice drops low, almost like a secret. “Well,” he says, that crooked smile stealing the air from my lungs, “I’d look better begging on my knees anyway.”
My heart absolutely short–circuits. And judging by the wicked glint in his eyes, he knows it, too. “I can start now, if that’s what you’d prefer,” he murmurs, his voice all low and teasing.
My cheeks burn so hot I’m pretty sure I’m going to catch fire.
—
I open my mouth to say something – anything – but all that comes out is a squeaky, “Y–you can let go now!”
I start wriggling in his arms, desperate to escape before I die of embarrassment. It only makes him laugh – a deep, warm sound that sends shivers down my spine – and his arms tighten around me instead.
“Let me go!” I squeal, pushing against him.
He doesn’t even pretend to listen. No, he plays dirty so dirty- tickling my sides until I actually shriek.
“Please! Please! I surrender! I’m sorry!” I gasp between giggles, thrashing in his hold.
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He finally relents, but not before pressing his forehead gently against mine, still laughing. “Do you like watching the rain?”
“Huh?”
Later, we’re standing side–by–side on the balcony, tucked beneath the shelter but close enough that the wind sometimes blows tiny raindrops onto my skin.
The air smells fresh and sweet.
Every now and then, Liam’s arm brushes against mine.
And every time it happens, my heart jumps like it’s trying to escape my chest.
–
I wonder what it’ll be like when I don’t have his scent clinging to
me anymore — the warmth of his sweater, the quiet safety of standing close to him – like some stubborn part of me already knows I’ll miss it before it’s even gone.
Because it will be gone. Like most things, soon enough.
The water below is the deepest blue I’ve ever seen, blending into the sky until it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.
From time to time, I catch Liam sneaking glances at me, like he‘ s trying to memorize,me without getting caught.
Honestly, it’s a little terrifying. Who the hell lays their heart out so casually like that?
Unless it’s all just pretend.
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My lips curl bitterly. “Don’t you think this would be the perfect time for a smoke?”
Liam gives me a look, curious and a little amused. “Do you smoke?”
“Not at all, but it kind of matches the aesthetic, right?” He just shakes his head silently, a smile on his lips. I tug at the neckline of his hoodie playfully. “It’s really warm. Thank you.”
The look he gives me is intense “It looks perfect on you,” he says quietly. His voice is rough around the edges, so full of meaning it makes my heart stutter. “I should be the one thanking you.”
My mind’s a mess, a conflict of what I think and what I feel. It’s all too sudden, it makes no sense. I want to ask so many things, but I find I’m comfortable staying in the dark. “I can’t run a mile without passing out.”
I don’t look at him. “I have the stamina of a pregnant sloth on a meat–only diet. Tessa signed us both for a gym membership a few months ago, but I gave up after I nearly died on a treadmill a week later. And I find myself thinking, if maybe I hadn’t given. up, was just a little stronger, Stone wouldn’t be walking right now.”
I hear Liam suck in a sharp breath. “No, maybe not. I think I would have fought then ran away. I would have frozen up halfway through and broke down somewhere only kinda safe. So I guess the problem is me.
“I think I’m past the point of being afraid now. Now I’m just mad. Mad that things like this always happen to me and that each time I’m either too weak or too much of a coward to actually do
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something about it.”
My chest tightens. I hug myself, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I keep thinking… if it was Tessa, what would she have done?” I shake my head. “She definitely wouldn’t have fought to get away. She would have fought to hurt him as much as he was trying to hurt her. Sometimes – no, most times I’m so fucking jealous of her.”
–
I finally look at him, the expression on his face is pained. “I should have killed him.”
I laugh bitterly. “No, I should have. That’s the real problem, Liam.”
