CHAPTER FOURTEEN
LIAM
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“We’re on our way to Ryder’s birthday,” I tell Jayden, who is on speaker.
Jessie thinks this is a game. She reaches over and rubs my cock. I grip her hand but keep my eyes on the road.
“Tell him happy birthday from me and that he’s getting old,” Jayden laughs.
“You can tell him that my face is too pretty.” I grin, indicating at our off ramp.
“Says you,” he taunts.
“Says half the women in the world,” Jessie pipes up.
“How are you, baby sister?” Jayden asks, with zero awareness that she’s currently trying to get to my dick.
I watch her roll her eyes.
“I’m twenty-five in a few months. You’re going to keep calling me that when I’m fifty, aren’t you, big brother?”
“Probably,” Jayden answers.
I chuckle.
These two have always playfully bantered, but underneath all this normality, a storm is brewing. Neither of us are being honest with each other, and its fucking shit.
“How’s the conference?” I ask, knowing it likely ended four days ago.
“Boring. Learning a lot, though.”
Liar.
Then again, so am I.
I’m almost certain he extended his time in Atlanta for a girl. But why lie about it? I couldn’t give a flying fuck if he wants to take a week off and fuck some woman in Atlanta, France or Timbuktu.
“When are you heading home, Jess?” her brother asks.
She snaps her head to me. “Um, haven’t decided.”
“Well, you can’t stay with us forever. It’s Liam’s house, and he doesn’t want my kid sister in the room next door.”
Jessie glances away while I fight the urge to console her. I don’t. Because it just makes me more of a liar when I learn who has hurt her and put an end to this sexual relationship.
I have to.
Do I want to fuck her, sinking deep inside her with my cock? Yes, I fucking do. I want it more than oxygen.
But that’s taking this a step too far.
When I shut this down, she can console herself with the fact I never penetrated her.
It’s not much, but it’s something.
So when are you going to start probing?
I wriggle my jaw.
I wouldn’t be delaying it so I have an excuse to keep spending time between her legs, would I? I groan inwardly, knowing there is some truth to that.
But neither of us is having a horrible time.
It’s like this magical space that we get to be sexual with one another with zero consequences.
I’m a good man, but I’m not fucking perfect.
Not when it comes to resisting Jessie.
The private beach comes into focus, and I park alongside one of the guy’s Maserati. Lucky bastard.
I’d kill for one of those.
Buying a house was more important. I’m only twenty-eight, a lot younger than some of these guys I work with, so my time will come.
Private security pays very well. The bonus checks for black ops are off the charts. I’m considering putting my hand up for them. Not sure how Josh will respond, but if you don’t ask, you don’t get.
“I’ll find somewhere to live. Anyway...a-boo-uh-ka-cutting-out-can-hear-Jay-are-hello...”
Jessie pushes the red button, ending the call with her brother.
“Hey!” I cry, glaring at her.
“Bad service.” She shrugs.
“This is LA. There is no bad service.”
Unbelievable. She just hung up on him.
Because he said she had to move out.
“Oh. Yes. Very sad. He’ll get over it.” Jessie undoes her seatbelt.
Siblings.
I never had a brother or sister growing up. It was one of the many things I loved about being at Roger’s household. Watching Jessie and Jayden together. The bickering and the closeness.
Because they are close.
I remember when their grandpa died. Jessie was still very little and was very sad. Her mom said it was the first person in her world to die, and she was old enough to know what it meant.
Jayden tugged her into his arms on the sofa that night, and she fell asleep snuggled up to him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a human sit still for as long as he did.
When Mr. Rogers came in to tell us to go to bed—I was staying over—he lifted Jessie into his arms and walked down the hall. As he was heading towards her (very pink) bedroom, Jayden said something to him, and Mr. Rogers carried her into Jay’s bedroom, instead.
I watched as he climbed into bed beside his sister and kissed her head, then went to sleep.
I stared at them for a long time, feeling something I didn’t understand.
Envy?
Awe?
Maybe both.
They might’ve been four years apart, but Jay had been Jessie’s first protector.
I need to remember that.
That night I slept on the guest mattress and woke the next morning to find Jessie in bed with me. Her little head on my arm, and I suddenly knew how Jayden had felt the night before. I stared at her like she was the most precious thing in the universe.
Her eyes flickered open, and I’d lifted my finger to my mouth. “Shh.”
I didn’t want Jayden to see.
She belonged to him. Not me.
I kissed her on the forehead and helped her out of bed, then walked her down to her bedroom.
“What did I do wrong?” Jessie asked, looking vulnerable and worried.
“Nothing, Squirt.” I ran a hand over her head. “I have to go home, so didn’t want to wake Jay or for you to get cold.”
“Okay.” She tucked her arms under her face and went back to sleep.
Apparently, I’ve been lying to everyone forever.
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JESSIE
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I THREAD MY fingers through Liam’s, and we walk down to the park. He’s tense. Then the moment we see his friends, our hands fall apart.
I glance up at him, but he’s become distant. Harder. Not the man who’s seen every inch of me and cried out my name as his cock hits the back of my throat.
Here, we are just friends.
Temporarily, I remind myself.
I’m confident there’s no way Liam would want to give up what we have. I couldn’t imagine going back to what we were.
Jayden’s little sister.
Jayden’s best friend.
Today, out of respect for my big brother, we need to be those people once more. I hope he is okay with it when he finds out.
I might have hung up on him—something we do to each other on occasion and is a bit of a joke—but I love him.
I’m relying on our bond to get through this.
We both love Liam, and when he learns how much I do, surely he’ll want to see us both together and happy.
Right?
“Is this...wow.” I glance around at the people on the beach. “Is this a private beach?”
Most of the faces are familiar, and there’s a marquee set up with tables and a volleyball net. Servers are handing out iced drinks, and I can smell the delicious scent of a barbeque.
“Yup. It’s challenging with Savannah and Ryder because of her fame. One of her co-stars owns the beach, so they’re hosting the party.”
“Wow.”
The famous actress spots us and waves out.
“Go,” Liam says, winking down at me. “I’ll go join the volleyball game.” Then he rips his T-shirt off and runs down the beach.
Lord almighty.
I clear my throat and hope my nipples aren’t cutting through the fabric of my bikini.
He is a beautiful sight.
All olive-skinned and ripped from head to toe with a six-pack that I’m very partial to running my tongue over. His shoulders and biceps are my favorite, and when he lifts me onto a table to spread my legs, I’m a goner.
Even with two dozen other military guys around him, Liam still stands out to me as the hottest.
He always has.
Always will.
I flop on the sand next to Briar, who has her two babies with her.
“Aren’t you two cute.” I tag the nose of one of them.
“Amelia and Lucas,” Briar says. “Also known as loud and louder.”
To prove the point, Lucas lets out a screech.
Another baby a few feet reacts in the same tone, and it’s like they are communicating with one another when Lucas kicks its legs happily.
“I feel like our babies have a secret language and they’re judging us,” the mother says.
I chuckle.
“Have you met Jessie?” Briar asks. “This is Scarlett and Zara. And that’s Cassy and Trina.”
“Nice to meet you. Can I?”
Briar nods and hands Amelia to me. Bouncing her on my knee, I smile at her gorgeous face. I’ve never wanted to be a mom. That’s not to say I won’t. Naomi says I will change my mind, but I don’t know. I just don’t seem to have the maternal instinct she has.
When she rang this morning and asked how Hollywood was going, I didn’t mention Liam.
“It’s so different from Texas. The beaches are amazing, but the people are crazy, Naomi,” I’d giggled.
“I miss you. Come home.”
I hadn’t told her I wanted to stay. She’d want to know why, and sharing my feelings about Liam just makes me sound pathetic.
At almost twenty-five, I should have gotten over my childhood crush. Except I knew it was more. And clearly, I’m right.
Anyway, that’s not why I left Texas...and she doesn’t need to know that either. It’s a dark secret I have tucked away inside me.
So I played up the Hollywood thing.
“Not sure. If I get an acting job here, I’ll stay.”
“Boo. I guess I knew it was a possibility. Don’t forget me when you’re famous,” Naomi said. “Now, I need to tell you about Adam.”
I listened to her on-again-off-again gossip about her sort of boyfriend and waited for Liam to get back from his run.
It’s strange being here in California in some ways. Aside from Liam, all these faces are unfamiliar to me. They’re all friendly and accepting, and there’s a vibe that my world is changing. A feeling I can’t pin down. Like, I’ll look back in a year and realize everything was happening for a reason.
Right now, I’m living through it.
I glance at Liam down on the sand playing volleyball...but he’s not playing, he’s staring at me.
Intensely.
Almost looking annoyed.
I bounce the baby and suddenly become aware that he might think I’m racing ahead and thinking about having a child with him.
Shit.
I do not want to mess this up.
“How to you know Liam?” Cassy asks.
The woman is beautiful. Her hair is gorgeous, and there’s a glow about her that’s hard to pinpoint.
“Through my brother. We grew up together.” I smile. “Back in Fort Worth, Texas.”
“Oh, how sweet,” Cassy smiles. “How long have you been together? I thought he was single. Did you guys think Liam was single? Why did I think that?”
Oh, no.