“Not a thing,” he answered coldly.
Feeling reckless, I let the curious and bold side of me take the reins. In one swift movement, I sat up and swung one leg over him, completely straddling him. The surprise in his eyes made me smile.
I bent over next to his ear. “And when I did this earlier,” I whispered and ground against him. His growing length hit my center through my shorts, and I had to resist the urge to move at a faster rhythm. “You felt nothing then either?”
His breathing picked up, and his hands fell to my waist.
“Because I could’ve sworn, I felt something, Liam. Something I’m feeling right”—I rocked into him again—“now.”
His fingers dug into my skin like he was ready to flip me over and take me. God, I wanted it. And I was only a few pieces of fabric away from getting it.
Do it, Liam. I know you want to.
His left hand slid up my back and fisted my hair, pulling me away enough to look me in the eye. “It could’ve been any other girl grinding on me in that car, and I would’ve reacted the same. I told you, I feel nothing for you.”
Ice froze in my chest, and I stilled my hips.
I swore I saw a glimpse of regret in his eyes when I rolled off of him, but it was gone in an instant. “Get the hell out of my room,” I said.
Liam re-situated himself, pulling the sheet over his legs. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You just said—”
“I know what I said, and that has nothing to do with this. I’m staying if you’re going back to sleep.”
My frown deepened. “What the hell does that even mean?”
“Someone needs to be here to wake you up from that again.”
“From my dream? Are you kidding?” I pushed my hands through my hair, anger churning deep in my stomach. “I’ve never experienced such whiplash. Jesus, fuck, Liam. You could barely look me in the eye when I got here, and now, you’re lying in my bed, ready to scare off my demons?”
He dropped his gaze to the mattress and then looked back up at me, his barrier crumbling.
“You don’t kiss someone likethatand then pretend it meant nothing. I know it meant something, Liam. I felt it.” I climbed off the end of the bed and grabbed the towel I’d used from my shower earlier.
He sat up on his elbows. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going for a swim.” I swung the door open and glanced back at him, pointing at the bulge in his boxers. “Can you deal with that in your own bed? Thanks.”
His lips twitched.
“And for the record, Zayn never broke my heart. I broke his. So, please don’t do me any more favors. I deserved the guilt of seeing him move on. What I don’t deserve is being lied to.”
19
Liam
I’d lied. I’d told Avery I hadn’t felt anything, but I’d lied. I’d felteverything, and I wanted so fucking badly to feel it again. It had taken every ounce of willpower I had not to roll her over, pull her little black shorts down, and take her the other night, but I had known that would be wrong. Even if I’d thought it would feelso right. Despite my ferocious tendencies, I still made an effort not to be a total asshole. And screwing my best friend’s sister would definitely be a monumental mistake.
I should’ve brought home a girl I’d met at our meet and greet after the show last week, but no. I couldn’t stop thinking about Avery’s mouth. None of the girls interested me anyway. They were the same as always—eager and willing to do whatever and say whatever they thought I wanted. That used to entertain me, but something about it didn’t satiate my palate anymore. I wanted something real. Something worth fighting for. Someone who didn’t want me because I was Liam Lockwood, front man of A Quiet Peril.
Avery was the first girl in a long time to see through the things I had done in the past and my bullshit lies. She didn’t give a fuck about my rising fame. In fact, I didn’t even think she had known about it until she went to her first show. But wanting her wasn’t an option. I wouldn’t allow myself to give in, no matter how tempting she was. I just wished she weren’t being dangled in front of me every day like a delicious treat I wasn’t allowed to have.
I looked up at the ceiling of the basement, where her bedroom was. Her door had been cracked open when I passed by on my way down to the studio, and I had seen her on the floor with a stack of books beside her. She’d looked miserable, but I supposed that was what most college students looked like while studying.
“Dude, you missed it.” Danny’s voice came through my headphones.
I turned in the booth, giving him the signal to start the bridge of the song over again. When he did, I hit the notes perfectly—unlike the last dozen times.
