“Areyou?”
“Yes.”
He hitched up an eyebrow, as though not truly believing me. But it was true, and he must’ve seen this on my face because his eyebrow slowly fell back, aligning with theother.
“Why did you do it?” Iasked.
“Because I was hurt and”—he looked at the painting of the feather over his fireplace—“jealous.”
My arms loosened. “Jealous? OfAidan?”
His gaze jolted back to me. “What?” A flush creeped over hisjaw.
I swallowed. “I asked why you took a bullet forme.”
“Oh.” Clearly, his answer hadn’t been intended for this question. He looked away again and a deep groove appeared between his eyebrows. “I reacted. That’s all.” His lips barely shifted, yet his words stirred the air that had gone verystill.
I barely heard his answer over the loud echo of his previous answer.Jealous. “What did you think I was asking youabout?”
The tendons in his neck shifted as he sat a little taller, as his shoulders pressed a little harder into the pillows. “Why I lost my mind when you came to my house.” He closed his eyes, then leaned his head back against the wooden headboard. “This conversation is more painful than beingshot.”
A breath snagged in my chest. “Youlikeme?”
His eyes remained closed. He was so still I checked his chest was rising withbreaths.
Liam had feelings forme?
“Are you trying to torture me some more?” His voice broke the spell of hisconfession.
“No. I—Why?”
His eyes flew open and set on me. “Why do I likeyou?”
“No one elsedoes.”
“First off, that’s not true. Second off, I have no clue. I just do. But apparently the feeling isn’t mutual.” His tone was rough. “So if you can forget I said anything, that would be great.” He turned his face so that he was facing his bathroomdoor.
“I was scared tonight. Scared that you’d die.” My blood simmered in my veins, heated myskin.
I toed the tufted rug that stretched over almost every inch of the wooden floor and examined the long fibers, trying to decide if they were purple or maroon. In the obscurity, it was hard totell.
“I don’t hate you,Liam.”
Purple.They were purple. A deep, almost electricpurple.
Bare feet flattened the looped filaments and stopped inches from mine. My heartbeats quickened like skittishtrout.
The heat from his bare skin permeated the slim divide between us. Warmth meant he was better, unless he was coming down with a fever. Was his wound infected? I didn’t dare move. Didn’t dare look up. But Liam crooked a finger underneath my chin and tipped my faceup.
“I almost died tonight, Ness, and that reminded me that I’m not immortal. That none of us are. We might be stronger than humans, but we don’t get to liveforever.”
My throattightened.
“Do you know what I thought about when the bullet hit me?” His pupils throbbed, burned a path straight intome.
“What?” Ibreathed.
“That I’d hate to die with you thinking I was abastard.”
