A laugh rumbles in Liam’s throat. “The boy toy you were out with—that’s the nickname he’s earned for himselfaroundhere.”
“And why do they call him by that name?” I’m rolling my eyes, but he can’t see, so it’s pretty much for my sake ofannoyance.
“Oh, come on, a pretty girl like you should know what Long Horn means.” I could take some guesses, but that’s what Liam wants me to do, and I refuse to give him thesatisfaction.
“Whatever, I’m goingtobed.”
“I’ll see you at seven, then, so I can teach you what an infant child instinctively knows how to do immediately afterbirth.”
I huff a quiet laugh at his insult. “I don’t need you to teach me how to swim, Liam, so don’t flatteryourself.”
I head back for the steps and gasp when Liam’s hand tightens around my wrist, pulling me back toward him. “I do need to teach you how to swim. I don’t feel like being responsible for saving your cute ass from big bad waves every day this summer, so meet me outside at seven.Gotit?”
His words, the growl in his voice, the warmth of his hand pressed into my wrist—combined with the demands and mention of my cute ass ... I think my heart is beating so hard he might be able tohearit.
It isn’t like me to buckle at demand. I like to be in control, but something inside of me instinctually folds my hand of cards, sprawls them out on the table face up and shows him how easily I cave. “O—okay,” I spit out, even adding a little stutter to myweakness.
His hand releases from my wrist, leaving behind a warmth only in the spot he was touching. I grip the railing tightly and pull myself up the steps, trying my hardest nottotrip.
I close myself into my room and flip on the lights, finding my bed turned down and a mint on my pillow.Turn down service?If what just happened downstairs didn’t happen, I might consider this to be a peace offering, but he’s totally trying to screw withmyhead.
I take the piece of chocolate from my pillow. The small silver wrapper crumples in my hand because there is no chocolate, just an empty wrapper shaped like chocolate. I should haveexpectedthis.
I carefully pull down my sheets, now scared for what else I’ll find, as I should be. I let out a sigh of relief when I don’t find any surprises under the covers. It seems I’m in the clear for the moment. I slip into my cotton shorts and Indiana State t-shirt then head into the bathroom towashup.
Ohh, okay. Super funny. So goddamn funny.Knowing there was nothing here when I settled in, considering Liam’s recent behavior, I’m only slightly shocked to find a silver tray lined with an assortment of condoms situated next to a bottle of hand sanitizer. Then there’s the mouthwash I didn’t bring or place on the sink. There’s a big sharpie-marked circle around the words, “Kills 99% of all bacteria.” Now fuming, I brush my teeth quickly, wash my face, leave the bathroom, and pace back and forth for a good minute before my anger gets the bestofme.
I poke my head into the hall, looking for any sign of Liam, who’s probably waiting for his next chance to pop out of some nook to scare the shit out of me. The thought of this just infuriatesmemore.
I pad down the hallway and burst into his room without knocking.I should have knocked.Always knock before entering. You never know what’s behind closed doors. It could be a man with a body fit for a fitness magazine cover, covered in a tan and tattoos, wearing tight black boxer briefs. My breath has gone missing, and I just shake my head in frustration. Why the hell am I surrounded by the exact type of men I do not want to be around? He doesn’t even flinch when he sees me standing in thedoorway.
Of course I’m gawking, just to make it worse. I’m seriously acting like a sleaze. This hastostop.
I just made out with one guy, and now I’m staring at Liam’s junk. I admit it is impressive junk. Does he have a boner or is that his “relaxed” stance? I should be able to tell the difference, right? What if that isn’t a boner? Why am I envisioning what his boner would look like? That thing is so long, it would puncture my freaking kidneys. Maybe there’s a sock in there. Why would he do that,though?
“Mind closing the door? I don’t need anyotherpryingeyes.”
Doing as he asked, I close the door, staying on the inside, and I quickly realize he might not have meant for me to come infurther.
I grab the door knob to undo what I’m doing, ready to get the hell out of here, and he casually leans against the wall and crosses his arms over his chest, then crosses his legs. “Do you needsomething?”
“I—ah.” I close my eyes since it’s the only way to prevent myself from staring at him, and I pull in a much-needed deep breath. I’m in here because I’m pissed off at him. I came to lethimknow.
I have to let him know it’s not okay to do what he did. My eyes flash back open, finding him in the same position my eyelids briefly closed out. Wow, he’s not shy. I would think most people might try to cover up or something, but nope, it’s like he’s telling me, “Go ahead and look around a bit. Make yourself at home while you’re at it.” No, he’s not saying that, but he’s not, not saying that either.Okay, now. Say it. Say what you need to say.“Why did you put a plate of condoms, hand sanitizer, and mouthwash on the vanity in my bathroom?” There. That’s all I needed to say. Now I wait for his stupid answer, tell him to leave my crap alone, and go back to myroom.Easy.
“I figured you might need itafteryour night,” he says,nonchalantly.
“You figured I’d need condoms after mynight?”
“Wow, you’re not just a one-and-done type of girl?Impressive.”
“What? What the hell does thatevenmean?”
“Condoms. That’s the plural of a condom,” he explains his quickaccusation.
“Whyyyy are you torturing me? Just tell me why. Is there something wrong in your life?” I could deal with him if I knew he had some deep-seated issues that he was dealing with. I’d even have some understanding. “Is it like a filter thing that you can’t control? Are you hurt? Are you mad at the world? What? Just give me something to go on,won’tyou?”
Liam uncrosses his arms, pulls them up, and folds them behind his head, showcasing another layer of tattoos on the undersides of his arms and down the length ofhisribs.
