Page 66 of Forbidden Mistress

She reaches out and takes my hand. Her skin is cold, so I hold her hand against my stomach. “If something had happened to me,” she says in a small voice. “I’d like to think you two could put aside your differences and take care of each other. Aside from me, you are the only family each other has that either of you can count on.”

I shake my head and release her hand. I don’t want to get into this with her, especially now. “Okay, but nothing happened to you. You’re here, and you’re going to be taking better care of yourself from now on, right? Because we both need you.”

But she doesn’t appear to be listening. Her face is still intent on the point she wants to push across. Good ol’ Lori. Stubborn as ever. “He’s a good man, Cassie. I know he can appear cold, but that’s just his way. Things weren’t good for us when we lived in England, and when I left his father, he was so young and…I leaned heavily on him, probably too heavily. He was my little man, just ten years old. He promised he’d be the one to take care of me and told me I didn’t need anyone else. In spite of that, he accepted your dad readily as his own when we got married. That serious little boy who’d seen way too much for his age never left him. Not even now, at twenty-five. But Liam always has a rational reason for doing the things he does. He’s not trying to be cruel.”

I walk over to a beautiful fresh bouquet of roses on her side table and bend to smell them. They’re from Liam, of course. “I know. We’ll work our differences out given some time. Don’t worry so much.”

I don’t know if I really believe that, but at this point, I’m willing to say anything to get her out of this dark mood she’s in. She should be excited about getting released and getting back to her normal life, working with her charity again, puttering about her house, and starting some new craft project.

I turn back toward her and change the subject abruptly. “So did the doctor give you your discharge date yet?”

Before she can even respond, I hear Liam’s voice as he enters the room. “Hey, Mom, I forgot my—” He stops cold when he sees me, stiffening his posture. Our gazes meet and lock. I swallow, and he blinks. “Cass.”

Chapter 27

Complications

The second Liam steps through the door, my heart leaps into my throat. God. Dayum. How is he so beautiful? He’s wearing a pair of navy-blue slacks with a white button-down shirt, sleeves rolled up to expose his muscular forearms. His hair is neatly combed back, and his chiseled jaw is freshly shaven. He looks perfectly coifed and put together—like a model who’s just stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine.

It’s such a cruel twist of fate; the man I hate most is the same man who makes my heart race and my knees go weak. If there is a God, then He’s up there laughing at me right now.

I push out a breath and glance up at the ceiling. Of course, he would be here at the exact moment I stopped by to visit Lori. My bad luck has been unbelievable lately. My God.

I gather every ounce of patience I have, which isn’t much, and meet Liam’s steady gaze with a tight smile. “Hello.” Then I deliberately turn my attention back to Lori. “As I was asking…what did the doctor say?”

Lori is oblivious to the tension crackling between Liam and me—or, at least, she acts oblivious. I know she’s secretly thrilled that Liam and I are together in the same room again. If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect she’d somehow arranged it.

“They took some blood this morning. If everything comes back clear, then I go home tomorrow.”

“Oh! That’s great,” I say. “I have classes in the morning, but I could pick you up in the afternoon and take you home.”

“I’m free all morning tomorrow,” Liam interjects. “I’ll take her home and get her all set up. I’ll probably have to duck out for a little work in the afternoon, though.”

I don’t even look at him. “Okay, then I’ll come to check on you later in the day, make sure you have everything you need.” I glance up at Liam pointedly. “I’m sure Liam is headed home any day now.”

Thank God for that, too. If I have to suffer his presence much longer, I can’t be held responsible for what happens between us—I’m either going to kill him or fuck him. And neither one of those outcomes is ideal.

He thrusts his balled fists into his pockets. “I head back to the East Coast Thursday morning,” he supplies stiffly.

Perfect. I can manage to avoid him for two days, right?

“I’ll pop over to check on you after you get home, Lori. But call me if you think of anything you need.” I lean over and kiss her on the forehead, then make a beeline for the door.

Liam follows me out. Dammit.

“Cass, wait.” He trails me down the hallway.

I ignore him, dodging empty gurneys and laundry bins as I head toward the elevator.

“Cass, fuck, wait,” he says again, catching up to me. From behind, he grabs my elbow, and pulls me to a stop, turning me around to face him.

“What is it, Liam? I’m not really in the mood to talk right now,” I say, jerking my elbow out of his hand. I’m successful, but only because he releases his grip. I press the down button for the elevator, and it lights up.

His gaze rakes over me, and I suddenly feel self-conscious. “You look pale. Are you getting enough sleep?”

I push out a frustrated breath. “Is that why you chased after me? To discuss my sleeping habits?”

He straightens and shoves his hands into his pockets, which makes him look every bit the business shark I know he is. He’s so tall that he’s looming over me. “We need to talk about what happened in my car.”

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