“Really? Do you think so?”
He shrugged. “Sure. If anyone asks who you are, I’ll say you’re my cousin Mike who doesn’t like people.”
Laughing, I asked, “You’d make me a guy?”
“I mean, it would be hard to cover a body like that, but…” His words faded and he quickly looked at me. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make a comment about your body. I mean, you have an amazing body. No, wait—I’m just saying that… Oh, hell. I don’t know what I’m saying. I hope you didn’t think I was a creeper when I found you and changed your clothes. I swear, I was only concerned with getting you warm and making you comfortable.”
“It’s okay, Liam. I know what you meant. You have no idea how grateful I am that you found me and brought me to your house. I’m not sure how much longer I would have been able to keep running. And what if someone else had found me and…”
Closing my eyes, memories of my escape through the forest overwhelmed me, and a small sob slipped free.
Then I was gently drawn into Liam’s embrace. I instantly melted against his body. His strong arms came around me, and I buried my face into his chest. He smelled like the woods and something else I couldn’t put my finger on. He made me feel safe, and while I didn’t like feeling the underlying notes of weakness, I also knew I needed to give myself some grace. It had only been…five days since I had escaped that hellhole. Five. Days.
I drew away and looked up into his sky-blue eyes, and instantly felt at peace.
“How is it that you make me feel so much calmer?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m just glad I don’t make you nervous.”
Smiling, I broke our stare and focused on his chest. “I want to be strong, but at the same time…I’msoscared he’s going to find me again, Liam.”
He placed his finger on my chin and lifted until our eyes met once more. “I promise you, Mallory, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Drawing in a breath, I slowly exhaled. “I believe you.”
He leaned in and gently kissed my forehead. The air between us instantly changed. My eyes landed on his mouth, and for a moment I desperately wanted to kiss him, or have him kiss me.
We both jumped apart when the doorbell rang. Liam looked toward the front door, drew in a deep breath and released it as he looked back at me. “That should be Randy. Are you okay?”
I nodded and cleared my throat as I looked around the kitchen.
“Wait here.”
“I will,” I said softly, as I watched Piper jumping up at the door. She stopped once Liam gave her a command, and she patiently sat.
After checking who was at the door, Liam opened it.
“Randy,” he said as he motioned for him to enter. “Thank you for coming over tonight.”
The other man was slightly taller than Liam, but not by much. He had brown hair and a similar build. He wasn’t dressed in a police officer uniform, but wore a dark suit instead. The tie was undone and hanging around his neck.
“You’ve got me curious after that cryptic phone call.” When he turned and saw me, he paused. With a slight frown, he looked back at Liam.
“She’s the reason why I asked you to come over.”
Randy focused back on me and made his way into the kitchen. As he got closer, I could see he didn’t have the same blueeyes as Liam…instead, his were hazel. He was handsome. Not as handsome as Liam, but still very good-looking.
“Hi,” he said as he approached. “Randy Sanders. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
I took his offered hand and shook it. “Hi. Mallory.”
He smiled and looked between me and Liam, then laughed. “I didn’t realize you were dating anyone.”
Liam coughed. “No, we’re not dating.”
The timer on the stove went off and Liam made his way over to it. Grabbing an oven mitt, he took the lasagna out and set it on the stove.
“I’ll get the salad and everything out and put it on the table,” I quickly said, making my way to the refrigerator and taking out the bowl and dressing. I walked them over to the table and placed both in the middle. I took the moment alone to draw in a deep breath and slowly let it out. The dining room was the only space that wasn’t part of the open floorplan, which I currently appreciated. The double French doors were open, so I could hear the men talking.
