Page 65 of Forbidden Mistress

Using the washcloth, I clean myself up. Then I get up and open the curtains, allowing the brightening pre-dawn morning light to flood the room. We managed to fuck all night. How am I not surprised? Hart has amazing stamina. And he still didn’t need to sleep after all that, either.

I dig out my T-shirt and curl up in the bed, suddenly giving in to the fatigue seeping through my limbs. Hart may not need to recharge but I sure do. I close my eyes, determined to think through this clusterfuck when I’m better rested.

My phone pings from somewhere across the room, and my eyes crack open to sunlight flooding the room. It’s still morning, mid-morning from the looks of it, and with a glance at the clock, sure enough, I see that I’ve been asleep a little over three hours. I stretch and get up from the bed and pad across to my bag. The phone reads almost 8:30 a.m., and I’m momentarily frozen in fear, wondering if Hart is ordering me to leave. Or worse, tell me he never wants to see me again?

I unlock my phone, but instead of Hart’s name, I see that it’s a text from Liam.

I can’t stop thinking about you. I need to see you.

Butterflies riot in my stomach, and I push out a breath, seized by a feeling I can’t really define, even to myself. I might have just told on myself, imagining him during sex, but that doesn’t mean I forgive him for all the shit he’s put me through since Dad’s death.

Something cold and painful twists in my heart. This is all so fucked up. I type out my response.

I can’t. We can’t do this. What happened last night in your car was a mistake.

Seconds later, he replies.

We need to talk before I leave town.

Dear God, he’s staying at Lori’s house, so avoiding him over the next few days, when she’s due to be discharged, is going to be difficult. I’ll need to go over and prep her house, do a little cleaning up, and stock her fridge and cupboards with some groceries. I also need to make arrangements with a temporary part-time caregiver, so once Lori is released from the hospital, we’re ready. Even though Liam could do some of that, or have his assistant do it, I know there are details he’s likely to miss. Because, men.

But the absolute last thing I need is to see Liam’s beautiful face, which at this point, is just a reminder of what happened between us in the car. And worst of all, how it led to me fantasizing about him while another man was inside me.

With a bit of time and distance, I’ll forget about this. Right? It’s just a passing thing. It doesn’t mean anything—God, how I hope it doesn’t.

Just email me with whatever you need to say, I reply.

The dots appear that show he’s typing out a response. It’s probably an infuriating response, though. Because, knowing him, he’s going to push the issue. I don’t have the emotional energy to deal with him right now, so I turn my phone off and shove it back into my purse. I need to leave this hotel room ASAP. I need to go home and sort out these feelings, if possible—because, right now, I’m tangled in a web of confused emotions.

I take a quick shower, then throw on my clothes. In the living room area, next to the phone, there’s a notepad and a pen. I write out a quick note to Hart, telling him I’ve gone home and that I’ll call him later. No explanation, because I don’t even know what to say. I could just text him all this, but I don’t want to turn on my phone again and see Liam’s reply. And I don’t trust myself not to look.

Once I’m back at Hill House, I run into a few of my roomies fixing breakfast in the kitchen. They ask me for an update on my stepmom, but I just make some vague comments and go straight upstairs. I’m still bone-tired from the draining day, the events of last night, and all the vigorous fucking I did with Hart. I fall into bed without even changing my clothes.

The second my head hits the pillow, my mind wanders to Hart and Liam, but I force those thoughts away. I just need to get some sleep, and then I’ll be able to think through this whole situation with a clear head. But one thing I won’t do when I wake up—I won’t go to the hospital. I’ll just call Lori on the phone instead.

The following day, I just go through my usual routine: wake up, grab breakfast, and attend class. The familiar rhythm gives me an odd sense of control, even as my life spirals into a dark, bottomless pit of chaos.

When I finally turn my phone back on, I’m disappointed to see that Hart hasn’t texted me since I left him the note. On the other hand, Liam won’t stop blowing up my phone.

And I don’t know how to feel about any of it.

Hart was always meant to be a temporary thing, right? So why am I so upset about him ghosting me? And Liam…God, I don’t even know where to start with him. He’s fucked me over so badly in the past, I just don’t know if I can ever forgive him. And yet…my heart thuds in excitement whenever he’s near or even when I get a notification on my phone with his name on it.

After class, I drive myself over to the hospital to see Lori. It just doesn’t seem right to call Hart’s driver, Andrew, when whatever this is, is still hanging between us.

It’s just before noon, so my chances of running into Liam are slim. He’s never at the hospital at this hour and I’ll be long gone before he can break free from his work for his usual time with her. The man is always working, it seems—or at least, that’s what Lori tells me. And thank God for that, because running into him right now would be awkward as fuck and I’m positive Lori would detect it immediately.

When I walk into Lori’s hospital room, she’s sitting up in bed, finishing her lunch, spoon poised over a cup of vanilla pudding. The TV is blaring a rerun of some old sitcom. She looks like her normal self—rested, hearty, and no longer so pale. I’m flooded with relief. Although, she has a learning curve ahead of her with this special hypoglycemic diet she’ll have to maintain, she’s going to be alright.

“Hey, Lori,” I say with a smile. “You’re looking fantastic today!”

Her eyes light up when she sees me. “Oh, honey. I didn’t know you’d be coming by. Liam just left. It’s a shame you missed him.”

I frown. He just left? How weird. He’s never here at this hour. “Ah, that’s too bad,” I lie.

She glances toward the door as if he’d just walked out through it and frowns. Her voice takes on a conspiratorial tone. “I’m really worried about him. He’s exhausted. I can tell he isn’t sleeping, and he’s stressed about something, distracted.”

I fight to keep my face completely neutral. “Hmm. That’s weird. Maybe it’s just him worrying about you. I mean…you gave us a big scare, and after losing Dad, well…” I suck in a quick breath and let it go.

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