Chapter 16
Liam
He didn’t turn on the light in his room when he returned not long after. Instead, Liam went straight to the shower. And while that was just good sense after what he had joined in on, he was driven more by the need to commit himself to some silent void where he could be alone with his thoughts.
Liam didn’t turn the lights on in the bathroom, either.
He stood there, beneath the showerhead, filling the room with steam and the ghosts of his past. Because while he loved a good party that brought people together under the guise of sex, something about Brim and the other guy had brought up memories.
Which was strange. Nothing else about La Mariposa had hit him quite like that party.
And he doubted that he would think as much about it if it weren’t for how perfect Brim was for Liam’s ideal life.
Me, her, and some other guy we could trust. Liam did not relate to his fellow men who extolled the attraction of a threesome with two women.
For Liam, it was about putting one woman in the center of a worshipful relationship where she could rightfully feel like the boundless beauty she was.
Or, at least, that was how he explained it to the men in his life.
Well, at least the men who got it that far in his acquaintanceship… Wyatt didn’t get to know anything about that, and Liam spent more time with him than almost anyone else.
“How was your time in the Caribbean?” he could imagine a distant friend who knew about La Mariposa would ask.
If Liam were truthful and said, “I saw one woman the whole weekend. She was that perfect!” that friend would be shocked.
For one, that wasn’t the point of the resort.
I’m supposed to sample many beautiful ladies, they would tell me.
Except Liam would use his privileges at the resort however he saw fit.
Even if they dragged up old memories.
He toweled off half an hour later, enjoying the silence of his room and the quiet view of the Caribbean Sea at night.
In fewer than twelve hours, he would be on a plane back to the States.
He’d roll his suitcase into his condo in the city and try to think about work, but in reality, he’d probably scrounge in his fridge for something to eat and watch old favorites on TV.
He might even indulge in a video game for the first time in a year.
After all, he had the day off unexpectedly.
With no one to share it with, why not be a vegetable for a day?
I wish I had someone to share it with…
He used to. Five years ago, when he was last in a relationship serious enough for cohabitation and snuggling on the couch with no expectations of sex from either side, Liam blew it.
Somehow, he had blown it with one conversation.
One suggestion. One thing he knew that would make both him and his ex happier in the long run.
They were gonna get married, after all. For all of his bravado in public and confidence in the bedroom, Liam was the one in business who looked at all issues from every angle and was the best at anticipating negativity before it hit.
Which he had also done in his relationship.
Because he was in love and wanted it to last the rest of his life.
That party an hour ago had made him think of not only the sex he used to have with someone else, but also spooning in bed and cuddling on the couch.
Takeout for dinner and drip coffee in the morning.
Goodbye kisses before going to the office and picking each other up in whatever car made sense that day.
They were both making extreme sacrifices.
Some people would have blown gaskets to know they were together, let alone getting married.
But Liam hadn’t cared. His ex hadn’t cared.
They forgot all about that when they took up one side of the couch and watched “old people” shows like they were already a married couple.
Liam stood in front of the landline phone. It was a damn good thing he didn’t have his cell phone, because he might have been stupid enough to call his ex.
But he did remember the number. It probably hadn’t changed. His ex was the kind of person to keep everything the same as long as someone wasn’t harassing everyone…
Liam picked up the phone. All he had to do was push one button to make a call beyond the island. He didn’t care how much it cost. He’d settle the bill when he checked out.
Except he couldn’t bring himself to dial those numbers. Just holding the receiver to his head and thinking about what he would say was enough.
“I did something tonight that made me think of you. And now I can’t stop thinking about you. I miss you. I’ve never totally moved on from you. I wish I were there with you right now. I wish I could make you feel the way she felt tonight.”
He hung up the receiver without making the call. Liam sat on his bed and sighed.
He would never see Brim again. He would never know her real name. She would never know his real name. He’d go down as Neal in her memories. He’d have to be content with that. He hoped she would think of him fondly.
She’s the kind of girl I could definitely fall for.
The only reason he hadn’t was because it was pointless.
One did not fall in love at La Mariposa.
You either showed up already in love or prepared to push aside all matters of the heart for three days.
As Liam had proven before, he was terrible at that.
There was always the chance he would see her again, but it would probably be in a similar context.
Many of the Butterflies also worked in clubs, brothels, and escort agencies across America.
And if he saw her in that context, he hoped they’d both be available to have fun again.
But until then… and it was never happening…
Liam needed to get some sleep. He was taking the earlier flight in the morning. It was coming sooner than he realized.
But first? A drink from the minibar, because thinking about his ex always made him need a drink. Even if he had just come back from some of the best sex of his life.