Page 27 of Liv Parrish

“Figured, but we should probably wrap this up, so you guys can get on with it.” He cranes his neck to look past me and calls to Liv who’s humming as she moves around her kitchen: “Little Pain, come here for a sec, will you?” She appears next to the sofa a moment later.

“I’m just about to dish, just a few more minutes.”

“Nah, I’m not staying, and this won’t take long. The Russians that were hanging around your kids, they’re part of the crew we’re investigating, the Reznikovs. So, I’m thinking when they found you, they figured you were spying for one of the competitors trying to make a name for themselves, too small to be a threat which might explain why they haven’t been looking for you at the center. It doesn’t really look like they’ve been looking for you at all, so …”

“So, what? You think there’s no more threat just because nothing has happed yet? I don’t like this, man. It just means there’s more unknowns we need to uncover and keep track of.”

“I think if they were planning to, they would have made a move by now. They’re not even hanging around the kids anymore, almost like they’ve moved on to something else.”

“Not likely. We don’t know anything for sure at this point and I’m sure as hell not taking any chances with Liv’s safety.”

“Nobody said you should, but I think at this juncture I should take a step back. You don’t need me hanging around anyway.” He gives me a significant look, meant to convey that he’s doing as I asked, but it’s Liv who finally speaks up for the first time since this conversation started.

“Whoa, what exactly do you mean take a step back? This is the second time you’ve implied that I won’t be seeing you again. Do I have any say in this or are you guys just making all the decisions now?”

“Baby, don’t get upset. We’re–”

“Don’t call me baby, and don’t patronize me either. Wyatt was doing important work before and occasionally he needed my help. I liked that, feeling useful. What I don’t like is you deciding what you think is good for me without checking with me first. That is not how this relationship is going to go and yes, this is a conversation we should be having in private but seeing as we’re all here now I’m taking the opportunity to tell you what I want. So, Wyatt, I know we’re not close friends or anything, but I’d be very upset if you just disappeared out of my life. Please try not to do that?”

Damn, this woman is going to be bad for my heart, and I almost feel sorry for Wyatt. How can anyone resist such an earnest plea, coupled with those big brown puppy dog eyes?

“Baby, he’s not going to disappear, okay? As for you being friends, I think that would be great. God knows he needs some positive influences in his life.” Wyatt’s head swivels back to me and I can see he’s trying to decide if I’m being full of shit or not, but I just smirk at him. “Come on, man, how are you going to say no to that face.” It’s not a question, and I don’t wait for him to answer either. “Come on, time for you to get going. Take the Chinese, we’ve got plenty of food here.” We get up off the sofa and I grab the bag of food and hand it to him, not giving him the opportunity to argue. He chuckles while grabbing hold of the bag before turning to Liv again.

“Thanks for everything, Liv. We’ll talk soon, okay? Shout if you need anything.” She gives him a quick hug in response before stepping back and I walk him to the door.

“We’re not done discussing all of this, but I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Sure, have fun.” He bobs his brows a few times before walking out the door and once I’ve closed and locked up behind him, I turn back to my girl.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” She smiles at me, but it’s not the full smile I was hoping for.

“Are you still mad at me?”

“I wasn’t mad, a little upset maybe. And worried. You sent Riley to do the sweep and I didn’t hear a word from you for the entire day. I didn’t know what to think and I missed you.” As much as I hate the first part of that sentence, I absolutely love the second.

“I’m sorry, baby. It was a busy day, but that’s no excuse. It was never my intention to ghost you or make you worry. Forgive me?” She smiles and wraps her arms around my waist in a tight hug.

“Nothing to forgive.” And then she gives me her lips and I accept them for the gift they are. Food forgotten, I carry her to her bed and unwrap her while praying that it will always be this easy between us but knowing that it won’t.

Chapter 8

~ Liv ~

This isn’t love. I know that. I mean, it can’t be. I don’t believe in love at first sight, even though I can’t deny the attraction I felt for Heath when we first met. Despite the unusual circumstances, there was a connection, one we both felt, but true feelings develop over time, right? We are still getting to know each other, and I haven’t exactly made it easy for him, but I want to do better. I want to give us a chance, see where it leads and trust him with my heart and not just my body. It’s early morning and sounds of the city waking up rise to insert themselves into the little cocoon where only we exist. Heath is spooning me, his warm body curled around mine, an arm around my waist and one of his legs shoved between mine. From his breathing I can tell he’s awake.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I whisper into the quiet room. His only response is to hold me tighter and press his face into my hair, inhaling deeply. I like that he doesn’t say anything, that he can communicate so much with just the tightening of his arms around me. If I’m honest, there is a lot I like about Heath, more every time I think about it, and I find myself thinking about him almost constantly. Yesterday was a strange day. When Riley showed up to do the sweep, I didn’t think much of it, but then there was the radio silence from Heath and I was back to second-guessing our relationship all over again, something I hate. At least we managed to end the night on a high that has me smiling now, just happy to be in this moment with him. When his phone beeps a few minutes later, he reaches over to my bedside table to check the message and sighs.

“I really don’t want to get out of this bed right now.” My smile fades slightly, but this was unavoidable. “What do you have planned for the day, baby?” I like that too, that he’s interested enough to ask about my day, and not just the parts that include him.

“I’ll be at the center for most of the day, so just the usual.” He tenses slightly at that, and I wonder if he’s also thinking about our conversation last night with Wyatt. I don’t want him to worry, because I have been more vigilant since the attack, not taking unnecessary risks, not doing much of anything at all. So maybe what happened scared me more than I care to admit, but Heath has enough on his plate, and I don’t want to add to that. “I’ll be careful, promise.” He hugs me with his whole body this time, then moves us so that I’m on my back with him hovering over me. His eyes move over my face, lingers on my lips before stopping to stare directly into mine.

“I appreciate that, because if anything happens to you ... If you need anything, call, or text. I swear yesterday was an anomaly. If you need me, I’ll answer.” I stroke my hand over his cheek, roughened by a day’s worth of stubble, hoping to give him the assurance he seems to need.

“I know. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. And afterwards, I can cook dinner again and we can actually eat it this time.”

“Hey, we ate your food, just not at dinner time.” I meet his smirk with a laugh of my own.

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