Page 52 of Forbidden Mistress

After reading, Lori uses her app to get us food delivered from the cafe across the street and begs me to stay for some cards. We end up playing an old family favorite, Crazy Eights, and reminiscing about Dad and his treacherous tactics at the game. He was never above cheating, much to our ongoing annoyance.

It’s nearly the end of regular visiting hours by the time I stand up and stretch, my arms high over my head. “I gotta get going….”

“You’re not driving home this late, are you?” Lori asks with that same overly worrying motherly concern. “I know your boss’s driver has been taking you home. Is he still here?”

I sigh. “It’s not even eight yet. I’m fine! Andrew went home, but I’m just going to grab an Uber.”

Lori’s eyes dart to Liam, but she doesn’t say anything. Liam immediately stands up. “Neither of us wants you in an Uber on a Friday night. I’ll take you home.”

I open my mouth to protest and send him some sharp words, but Lori is very closely watching our interchange. And I promised to be a grownup.

Besides, in his fancy-ass sports car, he can get me across town faster than an Uber anyway. And maybe, alone and with Lori well out of danger, I’ll have the chance to say what I really want to say to him.

“Yeah, okay,” I say, pushing out a breath.

I say my goodbyes to Lori, kissing her on the forehead and promising to come back over the weekend.

Out in the parking lot, we find Liam’s sleek, silver Maserati. Of course, he has the best set of wheels that money can buy. He took all my dad’s money and bought himself houses, cars, and God only knows what else. Maybe he’s not as blingy as your average wealthy guy, but he definitely has expensive taste. Meanwhile, until recently, every month was a struggle of penny-pinching and ramen-eating in order to make my rent.

Asshole.

As I slip into the passenger seat of his car, I prepare myself for the forty-five-minute ride home. I can do this. I can be in a car with him and not claw his eyes out, right? Yes. It’s not even an hour. I can be civil for that long. I just keep repeating that inside my head.

Liam lowers himself into the driver’s seat, then glances over at me, his gaze raking over my dress. It’s one of the ones Hart’s personal shopper bought for me at Exeter House that morning after I’d spent the night at his place. Last week, he’d had all the clothes she’d brought me delivered straight to my house.

Liam’s gaze settles on my very prominent cleavage. “I like the dress. Is it new?”

I bristle immediately and snap, “Can we please just leave?”

Is he wondering how I could have bought such a dress since I’m so poor—the way he obviously prefers me to be? Thief of my inheritance.

His masculine scent pulls me under, and suddenly, I feel like I can’t breathe. He’s so fucking handsome, which is not helping my resolve. I have to remind myself over and over that he’s an asshole. A selfish prick who only cares about himself.

He reaches over, placing his arm across the back of my seat. “Cass, can we just talk for a minute?”

Oh. My. God. “No, Liam. I’ve done what you asked. I’ve been grownup and civil for Lori. That doesn’t mean we’re going to be chums, okay? Those days are over, and too much water has passed under the bridge. I honestly just want to go home and go to sleep.”

His finger finds a strand of my hair, and he toys with it absentmindedly. “Cass.” His voice is low, pleading. “Please. Let’s talk about this.”

I pull away from him, flipping my hair over my shoulder and swivel to face him. “Okay, if you insist,” I say, my voice dripping with anger. “Let’s talk about it. What made you think it was okay to take everything away from me after Dad died?”

“Cass…”

My chest feels tight, and I’m flushed with rage. “You left me with nothing, Liam. Nothing.”

I’m saying all the things that I’ve been bursting to say to him since Dad died and I ended up with no inheritance to speak of. Liam and I never had a chance to speak face-to-face. He’s been avoiding me almost the entire time, until he came back to town just over a month ago.

But now? Yeah, now, I’m ready to lay into him.

My anger lashes him, sharp and cutting, I can see it in the way he pulls back. “There are very good reasons for—”

“Really? And what reasons might those be? What could possibly justify taking every cent my dad left me?”

Pushing out a breath, he leans back against the headrest and closes his eyes briefly. “I’ve told you I’ll pay your rent, Cass. Your tuition, your living expenses. Whatever you need.”

I fold my arms tightly over my chest and narrow my eyes. I could strangle him. “Yeah, you’ll pay it. But it’s my money. I want to pay my own bills, Liam. Why is that so difficult for you to understand?” I glance out at the dark parking lot, anywhere but at Liam’s face.

He doesn’t even bother answering me or trying to explain. Pushing out a harsh breath, he starts the engine, and we pull out. Thank God. I literally can’t wait to get home and text Hart. Right now, the thought of him is the only thing keeping me sane.

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