Page 50 of Liam
By the time she came out of the bathroom, a set of clothes sat on the bed. Fiona’s clothes, no doubt.
So many thoughts rushed through her mind as she changed. Worry about Paisley’s reaction to the condo fire. Confusion about Liam walking away from her so abruptly. And fear about what tonight meant. That for some reason, people were gunning for her. Wanting to kill her.
Her breathing sped up, but at the knock on the door, she forced herself to calm. “Come in.”
The door opened and Liam stepped in, that same anguished expression on his face. “Do the pajamas fit? Fiona and Callum dropped them off.”
“They do.”
He nodded, his gaze never quite meeting hers. “I need to make up the other room. I took the sheets off when you left and never made the bed again. It’ll take a few minutes, so you can just sleep in here, and I’ll sleep in there. Do you need anything? Food? Drink?”
The thought of eating made her stomach turn. She shook her head.
He ran another hand through his hair. “I’ll see you in the morning.
When he started to walk away, she stepped forward. “Liam.”
He stopped but didn’t face her. So she crossed the distance and touched his arm. “Hey. Are you okay?”
Slowly, he turned. “I hate what happened to you tonight. And I hate that it’s because of me.”
“We don’t know that.”
His jaw tightened, and he didn’t have to say he didn’t agree for her to know. “I’m gonna have nightmares about it.”
She took a small step closer, her hand going to his cheek. “Then stay with me, and I’ll pull you out of those nightmares.” That wasn’t an entirely selfless offer. She wanted him as close as possible. “Plus, when you’re with me, I feel safe.”
There was a small darkening of his eyes. His hands went to her hips and his head lowered slowly. When his lips touched hers, the kiss was soft, gentle, the touch seeping into her skin, heating her from the inside out.
The kiss wasn’t sexual. It was comfort. Relief. Intimacy.
When their mouths parted, he pressed his temple to hers. “I don’t deserve you.” His breath brushed her face.
“You do,” she whispered. It felt more like the other way around to her.
He lifted his head and tucked some hair behind her ear. “Are you sure you want me with you tonight?”
“No. Ineedyou with me.”
His gaze shifted between her eyes, then he nodded. “Okay. I’m going to check the house one last time, then I’ll be back.”
She nodded, pressing another kiss to his lips before watching him leave the room. She left a single small lamp on and climbed into bed, loving that the sheets smelled of him. A deep, earthy pine scent. It surrounded her. Calmed her.
She closed her eyes, sleep already trying to take her. But she forced herself to stay awake. To wait for him.
Footsteps finally sounded on the stairs. When the light switched off and the bed dipped behind her, she started to turn, but a strong warm arm slipped around her waist, tugging her back into a warm, hard chest.
Liam. Her new safety net. Her new sanctuary. She hadn’t expected to find it in this town. Definitely hadn’t been looking. And man, had she fought it. But now she was finally understanding that it really wasn’t her choice.
CHAPTER14
Liam climbed out of the car and scanned back and forth across the road before glancing up at the house. They finally had a lead. The getaway car from the fire hadn’t been stolen. It linked back to this address, to a man named Wald Paston.
The car wasn’t in the driveway, but then, he’d have to be a special kind of stupid to keep it out in the open after the windows and tire had been shot out.
Was the asshole home? Or had he made a run for it?
The door on the driver’s side opened and closed, then Callum walked around to stand beside him.
