Page 27 of Liam
“What about you?” she asked, turning back to face him. “Family?”
There was a slight tightening of his jaw. It was so brief that she almost missed it.
“I was raised by my mom. But when I was twelve, she was killed in a home invasion.”
The gasp of air that pulled into Nylah’s chest was so sharp, it bordered on painful. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Were you home?”
He shook his head and tugged at a string in the seam of his pants. “I was at a friend’s house. And I’ve always hated that I wasn’t there to protect her.”
Guilt riddled his voice. And pain. So much that she could hear it clearly.
She lowered her fork and shuffled closer, touching his arm. “Hey. You were a kid. I doubt there was anything you would have been able to do. And your mother was probablygladyou weren’t there.”
Had he lived with this guilt his entire life? God, her heart ached for him.
When his gaze fell on hers, the pain was still there. And a dozen other emotions she couldn’t place.
Every part of her wanted to draw him out of that dark place. She cupped his cheek. “Liam. I’m so sorry. But you wouldn’t have been able to stop what happened.” Her thumb grazed his cheek.
His eyes shifted between hers, like they were searching for something. Answers? Peace?
“Is that why you joined the military?” she asked softly, trying to understand this man. “To save people because you couldn’t save her?”
“Yes. But that hole in my chest never fully pulled together.”
Of course not. That kind of pain changed a person.
She lowered her voice, emotion clogging her words. “She would have been so proud of the man you’ve become.” She’d known him less than a week, and she already knew that.
His eyes darkened, his gaze shifting down to her lips. Time slowed as his head began to shift closer to hers. A part of her knew she should pull away. That after she’d felt this man’s lips on hers, that would be it. She’d be his.
But in the end, she didn’t have to make that decision, because the trill of her ringing phone cut through the evening quiet, pulling them apart.
She sucked in a quick breath and straightened. Liam shifted away from her, and the loss felt like a blast of cold over her skin.
When she lifted her phone to look at the screen, she was somewhere between laughing and crying. Cody. Of course her twin brother chose that exact moment to call. How many times had he scared men out of her life? It was only fitting his call broke their possible kiss.
She canceled the call.
When a small shudder raced down her spine, Liam’s brows pulled together. “Cold?”
“A little.”
“Come on. I’ll get you home.”
The protector…it was a part of him. And now that she knew what had happened to his mother, she knew how deeply ingrained in his personality it really was.
The walk back was a lot quieter than the walk there. Liam carried the basket and blanket in one hand, while holding her hand with the other. It was dark, but fortunately the moon cast a dim glow over the path in front of them.
Romantic. That’s what it was. And the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact, it felt good. Peaceful. When they reached the condo building, she was almost sad the night was over.
She was just about to round the corner to the front of her apartment when Liam suddenly pulled her back.
She opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, but his hand covered her mouth and his body pressed into hers, giving her no space to move.
Then his mouth was at her ear, his voice a whisper as he said, “There are men inside your apartment. There could be more in the parking lot.”
CHAPTER8
