Page 50 of Taming Liberty

Her trapped with Sawyer on a boat… I couldn’t imagine how that would be desirable to her, but she insisted, claiming she wanted to get to know my friends.

I don’t buy it. I want to. Iwantto trust that Lib is loyal and committed to adapting to and even embracing the island, but there’s a gnawing feeling in my gut telling me it could never be this easy.

We’ve fucked every day for the past week, and she hasn’t picked a fight with me once. It’s been blissful, addictive, and it’s made me question if maybe Ididmake the right decision playing my role in bringing her to the island.

But then something happens, something small, like her asking me how close we are to Fiji or about a guard or about the layout of the manor. She does a good job of coming off smooth, curious but nottoocurious. But I still catch it, and things like that have me questioning every move she makes. Is she kissing me because she wants to, or is it because she’s planning something? Is she wanting to know my friends because she cares for me, or is it something else? Just how cautious should I be?

I don’t know. I’m playing a dangerous game with her, I can tell. What I can’t tell is who’s winning.

I open my mouth to tell Sawyer to chill out, but the boat slows before I have to. I look back at the now-empty tube just as Sawyer turns the boat around. We speed back to Anna who’s floating in the water, a yellow life jacket swallowing her neck.

“Yay, Annie!” Aurora claps her hands as Patrick helps Anna into the boat.

I turn to Lib who still looks sick, but she at least has her eyes open all the way now.

“Now’s a good time to take you back,” I say to her, trying for the fourth time to give her an out.

She shakes her head. “I’mfine. I promise, I’m having a good time.”

No, she’s not. Why is she pretending?

See? Red flag after red flag.

The boat rocks as Anna slams herself into the seat across from Lib and unclips the life jacket. “Your turn,” she tells Lib, ripping the jacket off and holding it out to her.

Lib shakes her head and holds up a palm. “Oh, no thanks. I’m good.”

“Come on.” Sawyer spins around, flashing his teeth at Lib. “You have to try to wake board. I have a feeling you’d be good at it.”

She shakes her head again. “I just want to watch. Thanks, though.”

“You sure?”

“Yup.”

“What if—”

“Sawyer,” I cut off. He turns to me. “She said no.”

He holds up his hands in surrender, then moves his attention to Patrick. Patrick doesn’t hesitate, grabbing the wake board and jumping in the water to hook the board to the boat.

“Jeez,” Lib says to me, quiet enough that only I’ll hear. “You don’t have to be so stern.”

I raise a brow. “What?”

“He was just being nice,” she admonishes.

I feel a hint of annoyance at her disapproval, but I don’t show it. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you wanted Sawyer to be nice to you.”

She opens her mouth to respond as the boat roars and Sawyer takes off, dragging Patrick behind us.

Whatever Lib was going to say must leave her mind because her mouth clamps shut, and she latches onto my arm. When her face changes color, I frown.

“You okay, Liberty?” Anna asks, leaning forward and reaching out to take Lib’s free hand.

Lib nods, but her eyes are closed, and her face is pinched with nausea.

This is ridiculous.

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