Page 91 of Devious Temptation
“Are you okay?” Liam asks, tossing a bottle of water onto my mattress next to me.
“No.” My lips tremble as I fall apart.
I’m so fucking thankful my parents aren’t here. That Lorraine isn’t here, and she didn’t have to witness that awful display. Sitting up, I hug my orange elephant pillow to my chest.
“He didn’t wan–want to tell him,” I sob, my words breaking with a shaky stutter. “An–and I left in the mid–middle of the night. We spoke…” A hiccup erupts from my throat. “…spoke this morning. He thought… thought I was br-breaking up with him.”
My poor brother looks uncomfortable as fuck, but he sits on the edge of my bed and pulls me in for a hug anyway. “And did you? Break up with him?”
“No!”Liam lets me go but doesn’t get up. His hands are shaking, knuckles bruised from where he hit Rhys. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He sighs, rolling his knuckles. “Can’t even feel it.”
We sit in silence before a question I’ve been meaning to ask him pops into my mind. “Liam?”
“Hmm?” My brother repositions himself to sit against the wall next to me.
“How did you know about Lawson and me?”
I’m unprepared for the harsh bark of laughter that erupts from his throat. “Are you kidding? You twosuckat hiding your feelings. I’ve been watching you two dance around each other since you were a senior in school.”
Heat blossoms across my cheeks. “But at the BBQ, you accused us of sleeping together. How the fuck did you know?”
“Well, for one, if Rhys’ little display earlier didn’t tip me off, all of this…” He gestures to my distressed state. “…just did. But honestly, you’ve been happier than shit since he came back, Luce. It wasn’t hard to put together if you looked for the signs.”
Liam begins picking at the elastic on his wrist—a pastel pink hair tie with little cream and silver roses. Sighing, I reach over and lay my hand on his knee. “How are you?”
“Fine.” He shrugs. “Bored. Thinking of taking that internship in New York that Aunt Daphne set up for me.”
A ding sounds from my phone, and we both look at where it lies between us. As soon as I see the notification from Lawson’s work email, I snatch my phone up and hastily click on it.
“It’s Lawson.Something must have happened to his phone.”
Liam rolls to his side, scooting off the bed. “I hope it works out for you guys. Mom and Dad will throw a fit… but… when you know, you know. And all that sappy shit.”
His words sound far away, muddled over the blood rushing in my ears. A throb explodes beneath my lungs, and I’m pretty sure my heart stops beating.
“Lucy?”
Lawson didn’t just email me. He emailed the entirety of M.I.G.’s Chicago office.
Holy fucking shit.
“Lucy? What is it?” Liam’s voice is louder, right next to me now.
I turn horrified eyes his way. “Call Mom and Dad.” My words leave my mouth in the barest of whispers.
My brother reaches for my phone, but I snatch it away, shouting hysterically, “Call Mom and Dad!”
“Fuck! Okay! Jesus Christ, you’re scaring me!” He pulls his cell from his back pocket and does what I ask. I can hear him telling our parents they need to come home and that he doesn’t know what’s wrong.
My gaze drops back to a blown-up video attached to the email.
A homemade video of Lawson… fucking me from behind.
Thirty-One
Earlier
