Chapter 14 Liam
LIAM
My thoughts were swirling as the car pulled into the hotel parking lot fifteen minutes later. Not only was my head full of thoughts about Sabrina and the conversation we just had, it was also full of what Jonas, my financial advisor, had told me.
Not only did I not have enough petty cash to pull out for Frankie’s good faith money, but Katie had been withdrawing money at such an alarming rate that they’d made the decision to freeze my assets.
When we first broke up, I allowed Katie access to my accounts because I wanted to make sure that Ana was taken care of. I never suspected that she would go behind my back and steal from me.
My heart sank when Jonas told me just how bad things were. Not because I especially loved buying things, but because I wanted to make sure that Frankie was taken care of for good. Now, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to cover the full amount—whatever it was.
It was a strange juxtaposition to go from complete anger to the joy I felt while watching Sabrina’s cheeks flush and her gaze turn shy when I teased her about winking. She had a way of erasing all my frustrations and making me smile.
I enjoyed having that woman in my life a little too much.
When we got up to the hotel room, I took a shower and dressed in my signature ripped t-shirt and jeans. Bonnie had texted that I needed to be on set at five to warm up.
Sabrina was rocking Samuel and eyeing me as I stood in front of the full-length mirror in the living room and put on all of my bracelets and rings. I met her gaze through the mirror, giving her a wink just to watch her blush again.
It was becoming an addiction, watching her reaction to me.
Once I was ready—Bonnie no doubt had my stage outfit waiting for me in my dressing room—I walked over to Sabrina and held out my hands. She studied them before she glanced up at me with a quizzical look in her eyes.
“Go get ready. I’ll hold Samuel.” I wiggled my fingers.
I could see her hesitation, but that only lasted a moment before she nodded and slowly started to stand up. I didn’t even try to stop myself as I steadied her forearms so Samuel wouldn’t jostle too much. Sabrina’s eyes were wide once again when she was standing in front of me, but I didn’t care.
I liked this woman. And I wanted this woman to know that I liked her.
She was centimeters from me now. Her rich brown eyes stared up at me, and the room around us began to fade. Time began to slow as she stared at me. She didn’t look scared. She didn’t look frightened. She looked…content. Nervous.
I smiled at her. “Hi,” I whispered. I feared if I spoke too loud, it would spook her.
“Hi,” she replied.
I didn’t let her go. I was going to stand here and take her in for as long as she would let me.
There was something in the air between us. A crackling and zapping energy. It was intoxicating. My hands were still on her forearms, so I slowly started to slide them up, memorizing the feel of her skin under my fingertips.
This was so wrong and so good at the same time. I was her boss. I shouldn’t be touching her like this. I cursed myself. Yelled at myself to let her go. To walk away. Sabrina was not mine to have. I’d hammered the last nail into that coffin when I asked her to work for me.
I was certain I was committing about a million HR violations, but I didn’t care. I wanted this, and from the heated look in Sabrina’s gaze, she wanted it too.
“I should…” Her voice trailed off as her gaze drifted to my lips.
Damn. That. Woman.
Why did she have to do that? I had convinced myself that she didn’t want what I so desperately wanted. That I was the only one who felt this way. But, now, I couldn’t lie to myself. Not after her gaze slipped back up to mine and I could see the desire that resided there.
“I should go shower.”
My stomach flip-flopped as the image of Sabrina in the shower slammed into my mind. Every inch of my body was on fire as I stared at her.
“Alone,” she said slowly.
I gave her a wicked smile before I leaned in. I lingered for a moment and whispered, “I know that.” Then my hands found Samuel, and I gently pulled him away. “Have a relaxing shower,” I said as I quickly turned Samuel around so he was lying against my chest.
She studied me for a moment before she turned and headed into the bedroom.
Once the door was shut, I sighed and glanced down at Samuel, whose head had slowly started sinking into his chest. I adjusted him so his head was squarely on my shoulder and then moved to sit in the chair that Sabrina had vacated.
There was nothing more relaxing than a sleeping baby on my chest. It didn’t take long before my eyes were closed and I fell asleep. The door opening startled me awake. I glanced over to see Sabrina tiptoeing into the room. I took a moment to study her.
She was a gorgeous woman. Her hair was damp and brushed straight. She wore a floral top and a navy-blue skirt with shoes that reminded me of the type a school girl would wear—leather with a strap across the foot.
She did not look like she was about to go to a rock concert.
She must have felt my gaze because, a moment later, her attention was on me. I lifted my gaze to meet hers and I couldn’t fight the smile that emerged.
“What?” she asked as she furrowed her brow.
I just continued smiling as I shook my head. “Nothing.”
She frowned. “What?” she asked again.
I shifted my weight so I was sitting straighter now. “You look like the president of the PTA.” I nodded toward her clothes.
She paused and glanced down. “I what?”
“You look like the president of the PTA,” I repeated. When her gaze met mine, I winked. She just sighed and glanced back down at her clothes.
“It’s the only thing I have.” Her voice had a slight panicked ring to it.
Worried that I may have taken my teasing a bit too far, I hurried to redeem myself. “You look great. I love it.” She looked skeptical. “You look sexy.” I paused. Was that too much?
She looked startled, but her normal protest about how I shouldn’t flirt with her never came. Instead, she walked over to the full-length mirror and stood in front of it. She slowly turned side to side, inspecting herself.
“We can go shopping tomorrow,” I blurted out.
Sabrina paused and glanced over at me.
I cleared my throat. “If you’re not happy with your wardrobe—even though I think you look great.” I pointed to my chest, frustrated with myself that I’d even said anything. I enjoyed teasing her, but the last thing I wanted was to make her feel insecure.
She held my gaze before she turned back to the mirror. “Okay,” she said softly and then glanced over at me and gave me a soft smile.
I couldn’t fight my grin that emerged. That smile felt like winning the lottery. My entire body warmed like I’d just downed a huge cup of my mom’s hot cocoa.
Something had shifted between us as we finished getting ready to leave. There was a calm in the air as we moved, talked, and laughed together. I reclined on the bed while Sabrina packed her diaper bag. She asked me about my love of music and where it had started.
Music was a favorite topic of mine, and it was nice to keep our conversation light and happy. With Sabrina’s diaper bag overflowing and Samuel dressed and in his car seat, I hooked my arm around the handle and we headed out of the room.
When we got to the venue, Sabrina stayed close as we walked through the back hallways to my dressing room.
As soon as we were inside, I dressed while Sabrina situated Samuel in his baby carrier that was strapped to her chest. I chuckled when I saw him.
He was facing outwards with the noise-canceling headphones on.
His cheeks were squished from both the carrier and the headphones. He was such a cute kid.
Sabrina stayed close while Bonnie gave the band a pep talk.
She seemed determined to be the best assistant ever.
When I coughed, she was right there to hand me a water bottle.
I sniffled and suddenly a tissue appeared.
I smiled over at her in hopes of letting her know that I was okay, she didn’t need to give me everything, but her jaw was set and she had a determined look in her eyes.
Nothing I said or did was going to sway her.
Once I was out on stage, everything about my life, my situation with Katie, and my ever-growing feelings for Sabrina seemed to fade to the back of my mind.
All that mattered when I was singing were the words and the stage.
There was a certain energy that came from a crowd of twenty thousand people.
It pulsed through my veins and reverberated in my bones.
When the music slowed for a ballad, I turned to the wings of the stage to see Sabrina standing there. She had Samuel’s hands clasped in hers and she was swaying side to side. We locked gazes as I brought the microphone up to my lips and started singing.
Her gaze turned shy, and I could tell that she wanted to look away. That the electric connection between us was too much for her. But she never did. Instead, she held my gaze until I was forced to look away and engage with a screaming fan at my feet.
Throughout the whole song, my gaze kept slipping back to Sabrina. I wanted her to know that I was singing this song for her. I wanted her to feel how I was feeling through the music. I wanted her to know that I was interested in her.
She must have gotten the hint. As soon as the concert was finished, I walked straight over to her with a huge smile on my face. When I approached, she didn’t step back. She let me stand near her as I smiled down at her.
“What did you think?” I asked.
Her expression was shy as she looked up at me. “That was amazing.”
My soul sang from her praise. I needed to hear that. I needed her to be impressed by me. I’d stopped caring about what others thought of me. I’d stopped needing the world’s validation. All I needed now was Sabrina’s approval. I craved it.