The flicker in Liam’s expression was small but sharp. “You didn’t even hesitate.”
“I’ve already made the choice. This is happening. I’m not going to lie about what it is.”
Liam looked away. “It’s fucked up.”
“I know.”
“I hate lying.”
“Lying’s part of it,” Jacob said. “That’s how this works. But like I told you last night: we lie to them, never to each other.”
“You’re still married,” Liam said quietly. “So am I.”
“I didn’t forget.”
“And I’m still about to be—” Liam stopped, not finishing the sentence.
Jacob sat up. “You’re still mine. At least right now. That’s what matters.”
Liam stared at him for a long moment. “This isn’t going to end with everyone unscathed.”
“Probably not.” His gaze stayed steady. “Will that stop you?”
Liam’s answer was quiet, the guilt clear on his face. “No.”
The phone rang, shattering the stillness. Jacob’s head turned toward it automatically. Caroline. The name lit the screen like a flare.
He saw Liam’s body go taut, a guarded wall sliding into place. He didn’t like it—he wanted to tear it down with his teeth. He didn’t look away from Liam’s eyes as he reached out blindly, pressed decline without a word, and dropped the phone face-down on the nightstand.
The guilt should have come then. Instead all he felt was the need to keep Liam close and tethered. Caroline’s name could flash all it wanted, Jacob wasn’t looking anywhere but at the man right in front of him.
Liam watched him closely as Jacob said, “That call doesn’t change anything.”
“It still matters.”
Jacob nodded. “Yeah, but not right now.” His voice dropped. “Right now, you do.”
Liam’s fingers worried at the corner of the blanket, twisting the fabric over and over instead of answering.
Jacob wasn’t sure what unsettled him more—the urge to comfort Liam or the ease with which it came. Somehow this man reached a part of him he hardly recognized, one he’d thought was long gone.
Jacob shifted against the headboard, rolling one shoulder to work out the stiffness. His hand dragged across his chest absentmindedly. When he glanced over, Liam was staring, eyes dark, lips parted, like the sight had knocked the breath out of him.
Jacob stilled.
He hadn't meant to put on a show, but the second he saw Liam watching, he wanted to push. Then—just to make it worse—he let his hand slide a little lower. He saw the hitch in Liam’s breath and the dazed look written all over his face.
The corner of Jacob’s mouth curved. “Already hard for me again?” His voice dipped lower. “Fuck, you’re easy.”
Liam swallowed but held his gaze.
Jacob leaned in, the roughness back in his tone. “Come here. I’m not done ruining you.”
Chapter 28
Liam
Liam stood before the mirror and barely recognized the man looking back. His hair was a mess—an unfixable disaster of stubborn strands that refused to sit right, no matter how many times he dragged a hand through them.
