Page 11 of Accidental Proposal

Not caring or chancing Liam would come back this way, I ran to my bedroom, shutting the door. I leaned against it, breathing heavily.Man, I need to work out.I smiled a small smile, glad I didn’t get caught. Who knows what would have happened if Liam had seen me? Taking a deep breath, I looked around the room, knowing I was going to be in here all night. I changed out of my clothes and into my PJs and washed my face. When I exited the bathroom, I froze when I heard a noise.What the hell?Confused, I looked around before silently opening my door an inch.

I could instantly hear moaning. Groaning and scrunching up my face in disgust, I shut my door, but I could still slightly hear it.Does that woman have a microphone? I can hear her through the walls and downstairs! That’s why Liam didn’t close his door, to make sure I could hear him and stay away. Don’t worry. I didn’t plan on coming out.Frowning, I climbed into bed, leaning against my pillow. When I heard the random girl’s moans, I covered my ears and groaned loudly. It was going to be alongnight.

Chapter Six

Somehow I fell asleep sometime during the night. I kept my mind off of the sounds coming through the walls by playing on my phone and looking up YouTube videos. The sound of voices woke me up, and I groaned loudly, pulling my pillow over my head. No way in hell was I going out there, especially with that girl Liam had over. I rolled over and stared up at the ceiling. It was Sunday, so it had only been a day living with Liam. I was already done.

This deal wasn’t going to work.Why did I even take it in the first place?Yes, I needed the money, but I didn’t think it was worth it. Liam was asking me to lie to his entire family, fake that I was in love with him, get married, and then leave when the year was up. Yes, I knew I should have thought about all that before agreeing, but hey, I didn’t say I was smart. Hearing Liam and that girl having sex while I was only a floor away made me realize that this deal wasn’t right, for anyone.

I didn’t want to hurt and lie to people I hadn’t even met just so Liam could get the company from his father. I wasn’t going to be some pawn in this little game. I still had my pride. Well, most of it anyways. I could still go back to my jobs and maybe hopefully my apartment. I just had to tell Liam I was not going to do this anymore and that I would be leaving. Nodding at myself and my decision, I pulled the covers away and got out of bed.

As I moved around my room, I heard what I thought was the front door open, then close.Okay, now is my time.I quickly went and washed my face before throwing on a pair of sweats and a loose t-shirt. There wasn’t anyone here to impress, so why get dressed up? I walked out of my room, pulling my hair into a messy ponytail, and headed toward the kitchen. My footsteps were soft on the tile because of my socks. I glanced at the clock and saw it was only a quarter after nine. So early on a Sunday. Wanting to get this over with so I could run away like a dog with its tail stuck between its legs, I looked around for Liam.

I didn’t find him in the kitchen, living room, or even his bedroom. I wondered where he could be. I didn’t think he was the one who’d left earlier. With a quick glance in the garage, I realized I was correct because all four cars were parked. When I headed back to the kitchen, I could actually feel myself starting to worry. Stupid, I know. I heard a splashing noise and turned my head to look out the window. I could just make out a body moving in the pool. Found him.

Heading outside, I took a deep breath when I was close enough to the pool.Here we go. We can do this, Jenna.

“Liam?” I called out. Thankfully, just as I called his name, his head popped up from the water at the other end of the pool. He jerked his head in my direction.

“Jenna?”

“I need to talk to you,” I said as he worked his way toward me. He was only a few feet away from me when he stood up, the water coming to the middle of his thigh. I looked down his shirtless body, and my mouth dried up. The man worked out! Water rolled down his toned chest to his stomach, before his swim shorts soaked it up. A hard eight-pack graced his stomach, and my hands twitched, wanting to feel it. Without his dress shirt on, I realized his arms were bigger than I had originally thought. They were roped in muscle. He wasn’t even flexing, and they stood out, well defined. Liam’s brown hair stuck to his forehead, and drops of water hung at the tips. Seeing a man shirtless, with water dripping off of his body, made my body flush. The idea of running my tongue across his chest came to mind, and I didn’t care that the liquid was chlorine and not regular water.

“Jenna?” Liam snapped his fingers in front of my face, and I jerked my gaze away from his body. My face flushed. I cleared my throat, feeling embarrassed for being caught staring at him.

“Oh, sorry. I, um…” I tried to remember why I came out here in the first place, but my mind was blank. Liam smirked at me as he walked up the steps, eventually stepping out of the pool. Without meaning to, I looked over his body again, wanting to run my hands down his wet front.Jenna, stop! You came out here for a reason, and that reason isn’t to eye-rape him.“I need to talk to you about our deal,” I finally forced myself to say. If you were in my position, you would understand how hard it would be to say something while looking at a hot, shirtless guy.

“Again?” Liam asked, grabbing a towel and running it across his head.

“Yes. I…I can’t do it.” He turned and stared at me. “After hearing you and that girl, I know I can’t do this. I can’t be a pawn in your game.”

“You think you can just walk away?” Liam said, dropping the towel at his feet and taking a step toward me. I gulped and took a small step backwards. I couldn’t go far because the pool was right behind me.

“Yes…and I will.” I pushed down my nervousness and straightened my back. “You are just using me to get the company from your father. I won’t be used then cast aside.”

“Jenna, you chose this. You could have said no, but you didn’t. You also signed a contract that is non-negotiable.” He stood right in front of me, staring down. With his huge frame surrounding me, I felt really intimidated.

“I don’t care about the contract or the money anymore. I just want to leave. You can find another girl to use,” I bit out, feeling anger rise inside of me.

“Wow, you really are stupid. The contract you signed states that you are not allowed to get out of it until the year is up, or if you do, you owemeone million dollars.”What?! Damn it. I knew I should have read that contract in detail.He did that on purpose because he knew I didn’t have any money. I’d have to stay here. I glared at him.

“You know I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Yes, I do. That is why the contract is the way it is. You will stay here with me for a year, whether you want to or not,” he hissed at me before turning and walking away. I stomped my foot on the ground like a little kid, but I was too angry to care at the moment. Liam had cornered me, and I stupidly fell for it! Now I was really stuck here until the end. Liam’s figure disappeared inside the house. I let loose a string of curse words.

I really was stupid. I should not have taken this deal. I should not have trusted Liam with that contract, and I should have known this was too good to be true. I was mad at Liam, but I was mostly mad at myself for actually thinking this deal wouldn’t be a terrible thing. My anger simmering down, I walked down to the bungalow and sat on the bench.I hate my life.

The rest of the day passed by slowly. I spent a good three hours outside just thinking and yelling at myself. It seemed Liam had no plans of leaving the house, so when I walked back inside, he was eating in the kitchen. I passed him, not saying a word, and headed to my bedroom. I spent the rest of the day/night avoiding him. When I ventured out of my room a few hours later to grab some dinner, I saw a light down the hall on and knew Liam was in his office. Not caring if I was quiet or not, I grabbed a container of food and microwaved it before heading back to my room to eat. The less time I spent around Liam, the better.

When I woke up on Monday morning, Liam was already gone, and I was thankful. This was going to be the longest year of my entire life, but I was determined not to let Liam get to me. If he wanted a wife, he was going to get one. Two could play at this game. I had no problem spending his money, changing his house, or acting like the spoiled brat he seemed to think I was. He should have picked another girl to use.

The rest of Monday I walked around the house, coming up with ideas on how to change it. If I was going to be here, it was going to look different, more homey. Right now it was empty and cold. All week I was going to redecorate to keep myself busy.

Dinner came and went, and still no Liam. I grabbed a blanket from my bedroom and headed to the living room to watch a movie. Going over to the wall with movies lined up in every space available, I ran my eyes across each shelf, trying to find a good movie. For someone who wasn’t ever home, he sure did have a lot of movies.

Finally I grabbed the movieDear Johnand then got to work trying to figure out his DVD and sound system. Yes, even Liam had Nicholas Sparks movies. It took me five minutes just to turn it on. When I got the movie in, I jumped back onto the couch with the remote and curled up in my blanket. The entire time I watched it, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ever get a love like Savannah and John’s. Probably not after this, honestly. Of course, me being a girl, I cried throughout the movie, wanting a love like theirs. When it ended, it was only nine, so I put in another movie, something less sad. When the credits started rolling for21 Jump Street, I got up and headed to see if Liam had popcorn. I found some in only a couple of minutes before I was back on the couch clicking “Play” and eating.

As I watched the movie, laughing every so often, I could feel my eyes starting to droop. The popcorn bowl sat on the coffee table, completely empty. The harder I tried to stay awake, the more my eyes wanted to shut. I lost the fight a few minutes later and let sleep take me.

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