Chapter 7 #2
That idea sounded good in theory, until I was standing next to the couch, staring down at Liam.
He was on his back with his left hand draped over his eyes and his right hand resting on his chest. He was still in his clothes from last night, but thankfully, he’d managed to get his shoes off before he collapsed.
It was embarrassing, how long I stood over Liam, wondering how I was going to wake him up. Finally, I blew out my breath and reached over and shook his shoulder. “Liam,” I half whispered.
He groaned and shifted but didn’t wake. Instead, he flipped to his side so he was now facing the back of the couch. I pinched my lips together and took in a deep breath, frustrated that he was making this hard to do.
I reached forward and grabbed his shoulder. “Liam,” I said as I gave it a few good shakes. “It’s time to get up.” I was louder this time.
Liam jolted and turned. His hand grabbed onto mine as he stared up at me with his eyes wide. “Ana?” he asked, his voice groggy from sleep.
It took a second for my confusion to wear off and for me to comprehend what I was looking at.
Never mind that he’d just called me by a different name, that wasn’t what had startled me.
The right side of his face—the part that he’d been covering earlier—was bruised, and there was a deep gash going through his eyebrow that was caked with dried blood.
I blinked a few times, wondering if I was actually seeing what my eyes were telling my brain I was seeing.
“Sabrina?” Liam asked as recognition passed over his face. He shifted against the couch like he was trying to sit up.
“Oh my gosh,” I said as I moved along with him so I could keep my focus on his face.
“What happened?” Now that he was sitting upright on the couch with his feet planted on the floor, I took his chin in my hand and tipped his face so I could get a closer look.
“Why didn’t you go to the hospital?” I asked, glancing down to meet his gaze.
Liam looked confused, which sent panic sirens off in my mind. It wasn’t just a surface-level injury. He had a concussion.
He brought his hand up. “What are you—” He winced when his fingers brushed the side of his face.
“Why didn’t you wake me up when you got home?” I tipped his face further so I could get a better look.
When he didn’t answer right away, I glanced over at him, worried that he’d slipped into a coma or something. But I was met with his goofy smile.
I frowned. “What?” I asked as I pulled back slightly.
He wiggled his eyebrows. “You’re worried about me.”
I scoffed and dropped my hand as I straightened. “I am not.”
He leaned back against the sofa and folded his arms across his chest. He looked so at ease as he sat there, staring up at me. “You are.” His tone was flirty, and he punctuated his words with a wink.
Not wanting to get sucked into the Liam vortex, I reached out and grabbed his hand. I tugged a bit, hoping he’d understand what I wanted him to do. “As your assistant, I need you to get up and get ready. Bonnie said you need to be at rehearsals by nine.”
I don’t know why I thought that talking about Bonnie would get this man to move.
Nothing in my words or body language seems to be getting through to him.
Instead, he wrapped his hand around mine, completely enveloping it in warmth.
The sensation of his skin against mine sent a burst of electricity throughout my body.
For some asinine reason, my breath hitched in my throat and my heart began to pound.
Crap. What was wrong with me?
“Ugh, that’s too early,” Liam said as he continued holding my hand. His gaze was on me now, and his perfectly formed bottom lip jutted out. “Will you text her that it’s too early?”
I stared at him, not sure what he was trying to do. This was my job. The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint Bonnie. Sure, Liam was my boss, but I had a sinking suspicion that if I didn’t do what Bonnie told me to do, she was going to make my life a living hell.
So I patted Liam’s hand and gave him my best mom smile. “You will be fine. We’re going to clean you up, get you fed, and to rehearsals by nine, because that’s what’s needed of you.”
Liam groaned and flopped his head back against the couch with a loud thud, and he winced. “Ouch,” he said as he lifted his head and rubbed it with his free hand.
“Come on,” I said, using most of my strength to pull him off the couch.
He must have realized that it was futile to fight me, because this time he stood. He grumbled but followed behind me as I led him through the living room and stopped in front of the bedroom door. I glanced at him from over my shoulder before I raised my fingers to my lips.
“Samuel’s sleeping,” I whispered as I widened my eyes.
Liam gave me a military salute. I reached over and quietly pressed down the door handle before slowly pushing the door open.
Liam stayed right behind me as we headed through the room and into the bathroom. Once the door was shut behind us, I flipped on the light only for Liam to groan as he closed his eyes.
“Good Lord, woman,” he complained.
I tsked him as I started pushing him toward the toilet. “You’re such a baby,” I muttered under my breath as I pressed down on his shoulders so he would sit on the closed lid.
He squinted at me through one eye. “I adore little man, so that’s a compliment,” he said as he finally gave in and sat.
Those words did something to my insides.
A sensation akin to drinking hot chocolate ran through me.
I already knew that Samuel was the best thing that had ever happened to me.
I couldn’t have asked for a better son. But to have a man, this man, have the same feeling?
It was weird. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
I pushed the feelings from my mind. I was a professional. I grasped his chin once more so I could tip his face up and assess the damage.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said.
“You should. You’re a good mom.”
His words made me pause and I stupidly met his gaze. It was flirty and warm. Like he wanted me to know that he was complimenting me. It was a look that made me forget that I was his assistant and he was my boss. It was a look that needed to be stopped. Right now.
“Liam,” I said slowly as I straightened, effectively pulling myself away from him.
His half smile emerged. “Sabrina.”
I pinched my lips together and wrinkled my nose. “We—you need to stop doing that.”
He leaned back, propping his right elbow up on the toilet tank behind him. “I need to stop doing what?”
Needing something to do, I turned to the vanity to find a washcloth and flipped on the faucet. “You need to stop doing…that,” I said as I stuck the cloth under the warm water and used my free hand to draw circles in the air in his direction.
Then I rung out the excess water and flipped off the faucet before turning around.
“I need to stop…” He paused before he lifted his left eyebrow. “Complimenting you?”
My cheeks heated at his question.
“Telling you that you’re a good mom?” He frowned. “Telling you that I adore your son?”
Why did his questions sound so normal? Why did I have a problem with his compliments? Why was my first reaction to assume he was flirting and push him away?
Why was I being an idiot?
“Well…no,” I whispered. I stood in front of him with the washcloth in one hand, my other hand dropped to my side.
I’d been so confident in myself and my ability to be his assistant when I’d marched over to the couch earlier to wake him up.
Now I felt completely incompetent. I couldn’t even hold a conversation with this man without assuming that he had ulterior motives.
I was going to sabotage this job before it even got off the ground.
“I’m sorry,” I finally managed out. “I guess I just don’t know what to do when a guy”—I swallowed as a lump formed in my throat—“is nice to me.” The last few words were barely a whisper. Tears formed in my eyes, and I blinked hard to keep them at bay.
I didn’t want to be weak. I’d taken this leap to prove to Abigail, to the whole world, and really, to myself, that I could do this.
I wanted to be that strong single mom that was depicted in movies.
But here I was, messing up on the first day.
Crying in front of my boss was not on the to-do list I’d made up for myself last night.
Suddenly, a warm hand engulfed mine. I glanced up to see that Liam had leaned forward.
He met my gaze. “Your ex is an asshole.”
I scoffed. Truer words had never been spoken. And even though I knew it was the truth, my body couldn’t process that he was the one saying it. He made it sound like he was inadvertently complimenting me. And I couldn’t handle that. I dropped my gaze to the floor.
“Sabrina, look at me.”
I couldn’t. I physically couldn’t.
He stood, bringing his body inches from mine. His fingers slipped under my chin, and he pressed up. “Sabrina,” he whispered, like he was worried he’d scare me off if he spoke too loud.
My face was fully tipped towards his, but my eyes remained downturned. And he waited. He didn’t give up. I hated how nice he was being. It took some mental coaxing, but I finally lifted my gaze slowly to meet his.
His bright blue eyes were light, like he wanted me to believe what he was about to say.
“I wouldn’t have hired you if I didn’t think you were amazing.
Any man who walks away from you has fumbled the ball, bad.
And Samuel...” He glanced over at the bedroom while he sucked in air between his lips, creating a reverse whistle.
“That kid is the G.O.A.T. And you are the only reason he’s as amazing as he is.
” He chuckled as he returned his attention to me, pausing like he wanted his words to sink in.
“And get used to me complimenting you.” He shrugged. “It’s in my DNA.”
I furrowed my brow.
His gaze turned more earnest. “Please?”
I waited. I wanted to keep fighting him on this.
I wanted him to stop, but that wasn’t fair to him.
He was just being nice, and I could be nice back.
I studied him before I slowly began to nod.
“Okay,” I whispered and then paused. “Professional compliments are fine. Compliments that borderline flirting are a no go.”
He scoffed in a way that told me he was never going to agree to that. But, when I didn’t relent with my gaze and continued to stare at him like this was the boundary that he was going to stay in, he sighed.
“Fine.”
I raised my eyebrows, surprised that he’d given in so quickly. “Fine?”
He narrowed his eyes. “I will only give you bland compliments.”
I smiled. “Great.”
He smile returned and winked as he pulled back. “Perfect. Now clean me up before Bonnie has a conniption fit.”