Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 44666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
He blinks, taken aback by my snark. “Of course not.”
“Then what could be more important?”
“The Brotherhood is hosting a special dinner in honor of the legacy members tonight.”
“So?”
“Your presence is required.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Too bad.” He stands to his full height, arms crossed, his posture immovable. “Dinner’s in an hour. You need to shower and dress properly.”
“I don’t want to go.”
“You don’t have a choice.” With one swift motion, he pulls me from the chair and hauls me over his shoulder, drawing a startled squeal.
“Put me down!” I shout, thrashing against his solid grip.
Ignoring my protests, he strides into my private bathroom, turns on the shower head, and sets me on my feet.
“Can you stop fighting me for once?” Frustration cuts through the question, but then his voice softens. “Let me take care of you.”
We stand close, chests brushing against each other as the air thickens, and in a dizzying moment, I surrender.
“Okay.”
“Good girl.” He lifts the hem of my silk nightgown, and the last of my resistance melts away. I’m held captive as he slips it from my body, discarding it on the floor.
With a silent apology in his gaze, Liam sinks to his knees and hooks his fingers into my panties. His touch is gentle, warm knuckles gliding down my thighs as he strips me bare.
Something dormant and undeniably wrong stirs.
My breath catches.
His does, too.
“Novalee…” he whispers, his irises the color of burnished wood.
It’s still there, that pull between us, battling the stormy waters of devastation, grasping for a lifeline as he regards me with love, support, and compassion.
God help me, but his desire sparks the smallest of flames in the most hidden part of myself.
Since Los Angeles, he’s been by my side, worrying over the meals I refuse to eat, swallowing his disappointment at the untouched sketchbook he left on my nightstand, and sleeping in my bed to keep the nightmares at bay.
And yet, this growing closeness feels like a betrayal.
A sickening one.
The tension snaps when Liam rises to his feet, and I track the deliberate slide of his fingers as he unbuttons his shirt. Fabric falls to the floor, followed by his pants. I can’t help but gawk at his sculpted arms, the sharp definition of his abs. Every detail is carved with raw, masculine beauty.
“Get in the shower,” he says, his tone thick with an emotion I can’t quite place.
As I step under the warm spray, I sense him reaching for my plumeria-infused soap. With patience, he washes me, his hands tracing over curves and dipping into valleys, pausing at the back of each knee. The brush of his touch exudes tender intimacy, transporting me back to another time, another shower, another man.
The pain returns full force, spreading through my chest until I can’t breathe. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to stifle a whimper, but it escapes.
“You’re safe with me, my sweet girl.” The warmth of his voice almost fractures my protective barrier. Tears burn, threatening to drag me from my mental fortress.
“Don’t make me cry.”
“I’m not trying to.” He frames my damp cheeks, his features weighed down by fear. “But you’re slipping further away, and I’m scared of losing you.”
Water cascades over us, droplets pouring down my face, some of them salty on my trembling lips.
“I can’t,” I say, barely audible above the sound of the shower. “If I start crying again, I won’t stop. I don’t want Vance to drug me.”
Liam takes me into his arms, and though he doesn’t say anything in response, his silence speaks volumes. He needs me to hold it together.
But I don’t know if I can.
“I miss him so much.”
“I know.” He grips the back of my head, pulling me closer. “He loved you.” A thick gulp travels down his throat. “Sebastian wouldn’t want you to suffer like this.”
Flinching at the mention of his name, I drown in waves of memories, from the fiery arguments to the passionate moments that now make my chest tighten. His voice drifts through my head with a vividness I hope never abandons me.
“Tell me you love me.”
“I love you.”
I’d responded without hesitation that day in the elevator, after Landon and Elise’s wedding, with my knees against the gritty floor. I can almost feel Sebastian behind me, holding me by the neck as he drove himself into my ass. The memory should launch me into a black hole of shame, but I’d never experienced such raw passion and desperation until then.
I’m terrified I won’t ever feel that way again.
He’s gone.
I shake my head, casting out the rebellious thought, but a sob bursts free anyway. Liam’s arms tighten around me, giving me the sanctuary I need right now, but as I lean into him, my heart breaks under the burden of betrayal. Another sob escapes, and I will the dam not to bust open.