Liam gripped my hips tighter. “I can’t wait to taste you.”
That, right there, sent me over the edge into the best third-base orgasm I’d ever experienced. It ripped through me, crackling like fire until all I could see was gold sparkles around the room. I was high on Liam’s touch, every nerve in my body alive and aching for more when a strange vibration deep inside me broke through the haze. I had felt it earlier, a subtle thrum when Liam first went down on me, but I had brushed it off, thinking it was just the effects of his touch.
Liam wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes dark and full of heat as he crawled up my body. His lips found mine and I loved how he tasted like me. I melted into him, desperate for more—to finally feel the bulge beneath his pants. But the vibration grew stronger. It pulled me out of the moment and tugged at the edge of my awareness like a relentless whisper.
His fingers threaded through my hair, sending shivers down my spine. And then it hit me—what that feeling was.
Magic.
It surged between us, wrapping around our bodies in golden threads, a living thing that pulsed with hunger, waiting for us to connect, to bind our souls together. My breath caught in my throat at the realization of what was happening.
Dahlia had been right all along.
Liam was my soulmate.
Panic surged through me, sharp and suffocating. I jerked back, breaking the kiss as the words tumbled out of me. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”
Liam recoiled, confusion and hurt flashing across his face as he sat back on his heels. “Did I do something wrong?” His voice was low, almost a whisper. The rawness in it cut through me, but I had to ignore it.
“No,” I blurted, fumbling to pull my pants back on. My hands trembled as I searched for my shoes. How had they come off?And when? I had no idea, but I was grateful they were at the edge of the couch. “I just… I can’t do this. I’m sorry. I… just…”
My words dissolved into nothing as I stumbled into the main room of the bar. I yanked my shirt over my head and clutched my bra in one hand, not bothering to put it on. My magic writhed inside me, a living force straining against my control. It pulsed and ached, the golden threads desperate to weave themselves tighter, to complete the bond it knew we both wanted. It burned with longing, a yearning that mirrored my own, and it tore me apart because I couldn’t give in. Ishouldn’tgive in.
The door behind me opened, and Liam stepped out, his expression crumbling the moment our eyes met. The open vulnerability on his face made my heart splinter. He looked shattered—broken in a way I had never seen anyone suffer before. “Can I drive you home?”
The gentleness in his voice hurt more than if he’d been angry.
“No, Liam,” I said, harsher than I intended. He flinched, and I bit my lip, guilt pooling in my chest. “Just… just let me go.”
For a moment, he stared at me, his jaw tight, his eyes filled with questions he didn’t ask. Then, slowly, he nodded. “Okay.”
And he let me go.
Each step away from him felt like a blade slicing through my heart. I had told him to let me leave, and he had listened—just as I’d wanted. But a huge part of me wished he hadn’t. Wished he had fought for me. Wished he had pulled me back into his arms and refused to let go.
Because as much as my magic burned and as terrifying as this bond was… I wanted him.
LIAM
Icouldn’t sleep. I laid there for hours, staring at the ceiling fan as it spun in slow, hypnotic circles. The faint hum of the motor filled the silence, a small distraction from the thoughts I couldn’t escape while dim light filtered through the curtains, painting the walls of my bedroom in muted shades of gray. I hadn’t even bothered to change when I got home. Holly’s perfume clung to my shirt like a ghost I wasn’t ready to part with. It was floral but not overpowering, subtle yet unforgettable—just like her.
I wanted to believe everything was fine. That her leaving so abruptly this morning was nothing. We’d had a moment—one I’d wanted so badly, for so long—and yet, somehow, it had slipped through my fingers.
Again.
I sat up slowly, feeling the weight of the night settle deeper into my chest. I ran a hand through my hair, gripping it lightly at the roots as if that could ground me. There was an ache inside me I didn’t know what to do with, a hollow thrum where my heart should’ve been. It was like my soul had split in two.
A part of me had seen this coming. Holly had run from me before. Why should this time have been any different? Peopledidn’t change. It’s a fact I’ve told myself countless times, but even as I thought it, something inside me protested.
People could change.
Life forced you to, whether you wanted it or not. Every decision, every yes or no, every ignored text or answered call shaped you into someone new. I wanted to believe that. Needed to believe it, because if it wasn’t true, then I was a fool.
I exhaled sharply, the sound breaking the stillness of the room. I stood and moved through the condo, my steps heavy against the hardwood floor. I grabbed my phone off the coffee table and stared at it, my thumb hovering over her name in my contacts. Holly had left so quickly. Something spooked her. I should’ve given her space. I should’ve given my pride a chance to heal. But I couldn’t stand this half-empty feeling anymore.
I pressed the call button before I could second-guess myself.
It rang once, then it went to voicemail.
