Chapter 10
“Mrs. Everlee Maxwell.”
It didn’t matter how many times I said it or how long I stared at the simple band of diamonds wrapped around my ring finger; I still couldn’t believe I’d gone through with it.
After I’d hung up with my mom, there was a huge part of me that wanted to listen to her. She was right. I didn’t know Liam. He could very well be the things she’d accused him of.
Or he could be none of them.
The man hadn’t just paid my dad’s hospital bill; he’d had him moved to a private room without me even asking. Didn’t that say a little something about his character? That he cared about the comfort and needs of someone other than himself?
And even if it said nothing and he turned out to be immoral, I wasn’t. I’d made a promise, and I wasn’t about to break it.
This was why, and even though my heart broke, I’d driven myself to the courthouse and promised Liam my next five years.
It wasn’t how I’d imagined my wedding day to go, but it wasn’t all that bad for something that was only going to exist on paper.
Until my new husband sealed our vows with a kiss.
I was still recovering from that.
The way Liam’s fingers had wrapped around my neck and pushed into my hair…wow. Such a simple touch, yet my blood hummed in the most delicious way.
Then there were his lips.
I’d only had the tiniest of samples, but it was enough for me to know they were soft and full, and he could probably kiss me stupid.
Sigh.
We weren’t off to a very good start of our fake marriage if I was already thinking about kissing my husband.
Okay, brain, no more thinking about Liam Maxwell and his stupid mouth or the yummy things he could do with it.
With a determined nod, I focused on the bags and boxes littering the floor. The sooner I unpacked them and settled into this new life, the better.
Maybe once Liam and I found our footing around each other, I could go to Portsmouth. See my dad and hopefully explain things to my mom in person.
With that thought, I dragged the boxes closer, one by one. I slowly went through the belongings Natalie and I had picked up at my old apartment. There wasn’t a lot. Since Liam’s place was already furnished, tastefully so—all shades of gray and white with gold accents—I’d left my furniture and crockery behind.
The only important things I simply couldn’t bear to part ways with, besides my clothes and shoes, were my books. The ink on those pages was my one escape and the only thing that kept me company on those lonely nights when Anthony had covered some fancy event or when he’d been away.
Hell, books had been my comfort even when he’d been there.
Until they weren’t.
“Why don’t you try reading a real book instead of the trash you’re holding?”
“Those books set unrealistic standards for women like you, Evie. You’re better off reading something else.”
“Fiction isn’t real, so don’t bother with it.”
“Don’t you have other things to do?”
“I don’t understand why you keep all these books.”
“It’s just a book; get over it.”
His stupid jabs had finally got to me, and I’d stopped reading in front of him. I should have listened to the little voice inside my head then. The one warning me if he couldn’t even have been bothered to show the slightest interest in something that meant so much to me, it was time to reevaluate where we stood.
Of course, I ignored it because I was all too happy to finally be with someone.
I caught sight of my reflection in the standing mirror. Without my permission, my feet carried me to the corner of the room, where I came face-to-face with myself.
I scrutinized every curve, every soft line, every inch of me that didn’t match what the magazines and advertisements portrayed as beautiful. The tears welled in my eyes as I thought about the times I’d been ridiculed, the cruel jokes, and the sidelong glances that made me feel like an outsider.
I craved acceptance and yearned for the strength to rise above it all. I wanted to love the body I’d been given, but it felt like an impossible task. The vulnerability was suffocating, like a never-ending battle to fit in, to be seen as more than just the shape of my body.
A tear finally fell, then another and another.
Why couldn’t I love the girl in the mirror?
I stared and stared and freaking stared at my reflection while my thoughts voiced the things I was too afraid to say out loud.
My thighs were too thick, my skin not smooth enough. My fingers instinctively went to the hem of the sleepshirt I’d changed into when I’d got here. I tugged and tugged, but it was futile.
There was no hiding.
More emotion clogged the back of my throat, and I forced it down. But my brain wasn’t done. Slowly lifting my gaze, I settled on my midsection. I didn’t have to lift my shirt to know I was soft, round, and not flat and defined.
Sure, my waist cinched at the sides, giving me the hourglass look, but all I saw was excess.
So much excess.
More tears fell while my attention moved higher.
I stared at my DD breasts.
It didn’t take long for Anthony’s voice to ring in my ears.
“More than a handful is a waste.”
I still remembered the first time I’d heard him say it, and how I’d told him later that night it hurt my feelings because, clearly, I was way more than a handful. He’d just laughed and assured me he loved my breasts.
I finally saw it for the filthy lie it was.
Because Anthony had never given them any attention. Hell, foreplay wasn’t his thing at all. He just liked to climb on top of me, do the deed, then roll out of bed.
I welcomed my tears. If I cried enough, I could purge these memories and finally give myself permission to see something different in the mirror.
Until then, I’d just avoid the damn thing completely.
Wiping under my eyes, I turned away and returned to the bed to unpack the rest of my stuff. There wasn’t a lot left. Just a few clothing items and some personal stuff. Before I could find places for them, my phone lit up with a text.
I snatched it from the bedside table and quickly pressed my thumb against the screen to bring it to life. My heartbeat thundered between my ears when the preview window showed it was a text from my mom.
Fingers shaking, I opened the thread then read the message in its entirety.
Mom: Where did we go wrong, Everlee? Why would you think we’d be all right with you marrying a man for money? For money!
Mom: Don’t do this. I am not asking you; I’m telling. No child of mine will sell herself for a paycheck. It’s not how we raised you and it’s definitely not what we stand for. If things are as bad as you say, then come home. We can figure it out here. Together.
I stared at the screen until my vision blurred, either from not blinking too long or from the fresh batch of tears splashing over my lids.
I honestly thought my mom would understand. That she’d support my decision.
I was wrong. So freaking wrong.
My heart hiccupped violently. What the hell was I supposed to say? To do? It wasn’t like I could march my ass back to the court and say I’d changed my mind.
Well, I could, but that wouldn’t be right.
I’d given Liam my word, and he’d already done way more than I could’ve asked for.
He didn’t have to cover my dad’s entire bill or move him to a private room.
Not that I could tell my mom any of that since she’d already made up her mind about the situation. In fact, at that moment, and I was ashamed to admit this, I didn’t want to tell my mom anything.
Pushing past the guilt and with a silent vow to get back to her first thing in the morning, I closed the messaging app and immediately pulled up my favorite playlist. What I needed now was to shake my booty to Estaban Alvarez, telling me how he wanted to dance and spend the night with me.
Which was precisely what I did when my song blasted through my Bluetooth speaker. Swaying my hips to the upbeat Spanish rhythm, I told my problems to take a damn hike.
And when they still wouldn’t listen, I turned up the volume until all I could think about was what lyric came next.
I was singing, dancing, and unpacking all at once, and it wasn’t long before I got to the final bag.
I’d left it for last on purpose. It held not only my toiletries but also my trusty vibrator. Eyes darting to the open bathroom door, I pulled the bright-purple toy from its packaging. The feel of the smooth silicone registered against my palm at the same time as my mind drifted back to the courthouse.
Or, more specifically, to the feel of Liam’s hands in my hair and the soft touch of his lips against mine.
That alone shouldn’t have been enough to turn me on. And yet, my belly flipped, and delicious tingles rushed through my body.
Granted, it had been a while since I’d been in the mood. Too much had happened, and my mind had been preoccupied with other stuff.
But now?
Nibbling on my lip, I imagined sliding the toy between my legs, pressing it against my aching core.
I drew in a deep breath through my nose.
Yeah, this was exactly what I needed.
Quickly silencing Estaban, I hurried toward the bathroom. I didn’t make it very far when a booming voice interrupted me.
“What the hell is going on here?”
The most unladylike sound tore from my throat as I spun around and attacked the intruder. Who turned out to be Liam…and I’d just thrown my vibrator at him.
There it was, lying at his feet in all its purple glory.
And if that wasn’t bad enough already, the man actually began to lower himself to pick it up.
Sprinting across the room like Usain freaking Bolt, I dropped to my haunches and shoved—yes, shoved—him out of the way.
My plan would have worked brilliantly if Liam hadn’t dug his fingers into my elbows and dragged me to the floor with him.
Sprawled out on his back, the poor man had my crushing weight on top of him. Well, sort of on top of him. My head was on his rock-hard abs while the rest of me was lying awkwardly between his spread legs.
At least he smelled good. So freaking good. Like taking a walk through the woods on a rainy day. And he was hot. Even with layers of clothes separating us, I could feel the heat radiating off his skin.
What the heck? Was I losing my damn mind or something?
Needing to put some serious distance between us, I scampered to my feet as fast as I could. Or rather, I tried. My bones instantly turned to mush, and I went down again. Afraid of where my head might land, I quickly shot my arms out to break my fall.
Only problem was, it wasn’t the smooth wooden surface of the floor I felt against my palm.
I squeezed my eyes shut and begged the earth to open and swallow me. I waited for a few breaths until it was evident Mother Nature had no intention of saving me. Slowly, ever so slowly, I opened one eye, and yep, I was still pushing down on Liam’s groin.
“Enjoying yourself?”
I didn’t look, but then again, I didn’t need to. Amusement coated every syllable he spoke. And holy wow, that damn British accent rolled over my nerve endings in a too-freaking-sinful way.
My skin burned hot, and I honestly couldn’t tell if it was because of what I felt against my palm or pure embarrassment.
Most likely both.
Snatching my hand away, I very methodically pushed to my feet, taking my toy with me. With it secured behind my back, I glared as Liam got up from the floor far more gracefully than me.
“Have you ever heard of knocking?”
“I did knock.” Leaning his tall, broad body against the doorframe, he crossed his feet at the ankles.
Butterflies immediately fluttered about low inside my belly, but before I could tell them to piss off, the man lifted one corner of his mouth into a grin.
The butterflies went berserk.
“You were too busy shaking your ass and singing in broken Spanish to hear me.”
Embarrassment coated my skin, but I refused to let him see it. “You should have knocked harder then.”
“Harder, huh?” His gaze dropped to the hand tightly secured behind my back.
I shifted from one foot to the other, trying my hardest not to think about how the toy nestled inside my palm felt a hell of a lot smaller than whatever Liam had inside his pants.
What did he have in there? I almost groaned at the thought; I didn’t need to be thinking about Liam’s size or girth.
And yet, here I was…
“Does this mean I can walk around without my shirt now?”
“What?”
It took a few slow blinks for Liam to come back into focus. When he did, the image of his smile widening knocked the air from my lungs. Then he stole whatever was left when he straightened and aimed those icy-blue eyes at my legs.
“Seeing as you’re wearing next to nothing, I take it that I can forego my shirt again.” His fingers went to the dark tie around his neck. One, two tugs, and it was loose. Next up were the buttons on his shirt.
The top one was barely undone, and my mouth, unlike other places, was already dryer than a damn desert.
Another button popped, then another. “I do hate the feel of the fabric against my skin.”
His gravelly voice broke through the fog surrounding my brain. Slowly snapping back to the present, I finally registered that Liam was undressing right there in my doorway, and I was looking at him like he was a snack.
“No!” My hands shot out to stop him from undoing the fourth button, but all I did was shove my vibrator in his face.
Holy hell, can I possibly embarrass myself even more tonight?
Pretending nothing was amiss, I lifted my chin and hoped he couldn’t see me pull on the hem of my sleepshirt.
“You weren’t supposed to be here.”
His eyebrow quirked. “Ah, so you’re telling me that when I’m not around, you’ll be walking around half-naked?” Gaze trained on mine, he rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I might have to install cameras then.”
A myriad of images bombarded me all at once. His hand curled around his thick erection as he watched me play with my toy. Me watching him. Both of us, unable to keep our hands off each other as we watched ourselves…
It was so vivid, pressing my thighs together couldn’t keep my panties from getting wetter.
It freaked me the hell out.
So much, I slammed the door shut.
It took two, maybe three seconds for Liam’s chuckle to roll over my skin.
“Goodnight, Snow. Have fun.”