Page 86 of Intolerable Bishop

“Well, I’m smarter than you if you genuinely think I’m somehow capturing all the guys like they are prey for some devious plan of destruction,” I said, pulling my damp hair over my shoulder as Liam smirked.

“I haven’t figured out why you’re doing it yet. But I know you have something up your sleeve.”

I laughed and shook my head at him. “Paranoid much? Let’s be honest, shall we? You’re just pissed off that you have competition when it comes to Theo. But I’m going to let you in on my secret and the error of your ways. The only reason I’m competition is because you’ve been an ass to Theo, and I haven’t. It’s that simple. He hasn’t said anything to me, so don’t go getting all angry with him, but it’s not hard to tell that you hurt him. I didn’t do that. You did.”

Liam stood from the couch. “I’m allowed to be pissed off that he decided to inject a third person into our relationship. A person who happens to be dragging along two other people.”

“First of all, let’s not pretend that the two other people aren’t like your family. Myles and Blake aren’t some outside threat that you don’t know and don’t already trust with your life. Also, from what I understand, you stepped out with girls all the time. So what makes Theo spending time with me so different, Liam?” I already knew the answer, but was very curious if he would admit that it was because Theo didn’t see me as a one-night-stand.

“I already told you…you’re dangerous. Axel, the cops following us, and the shoot-out in Canada all prove that. I don’t trust what your motives are with any of us,” he said.

I pushed myself to my feet so he wasn’t towering over me. Bringing up Axel and the shooting were low blows, and they hurt, which they were meant to, but there was no way in hell I was going to let him push my buttons. Nash and his assholish behavior was enough.

“You didn’t strike me as the type of person who would join Vicky in the sludge of victim shaming, but I guess I pegged you wrong.” The glare softened.

“That wasn’t what I meant. Axel deserved what he got for what he did, but you are a walking target.”

“And all of you aren’t? What dream world are you living in, and can I join you? From where I sit, in this insane world I’ve been dumped into, someone is always lurking around the corner. Isn’t the crap that Lawrence and Owen do what Nash has been fighting to end? You guys were in this mess long before I showed up?” Myles had been scolding me for taking on all the guilt. It was in my nature to blame myself, to take it all on and try to fix it on my own, but he said something profound to me that helped me think about all of this differently.

“Snowflake, am I to blame for the evil my father does in the world? Is Nash to blame for the women Lawrence has killed, raped, or trafficked?”

I shook my head. “Of course not.”

“Then why do you continue to shoulder the sins that your parents created? What your mother and father set in motion is no more your fault than Devin’s, Owen’s, or anyone else’s actions are mine.”

“How do I not feel like a threat to you every time we go out,” I asked.

“How do you know I’m not a threat to you? I’ll piss someone off if I haven’t already, and they’ll come for me one day. That is the world we live in. That is reality.”

Liam ran his hands through his hair, and it was the first actual thread of unraveling emotion I’d seen out of him. He made Nash and Theo seem easy to read, so this was huge.

“It’s not the same.”

“From where I’m sitting, it is, and you didn’t seem to care until Theo and I slept together. It’s not that I’m a threat to the group. It’s that I’m a threat to you. I thought we’d already discussed this, and I agreed that I’d never come between you two.”

Liam stepped in closer, and I could feel the anger coming off him. Instead of backing down, I got into his personal space and locked eyes with him.

“And yet you seem content to play house with what is mine. Whether you mean to or not, you’re creating a divide, and I’m not going to let you continue to drive the wedge wider between me and Theo. I’ve done the calculations. The odds of you stealing him from me are not in your favor, Little Rabbit. So, you can shake your adorable ass in his face all you want. I know whose bed he’ll run to when the novelty of his shiny new toy wears off.

My lip twitched with the use of the nickname he’d given me at the end of school last year. I was positive it was meant to make me feel weak, but rabbits were fast and eluded large predators all the time.

“I have no interest in driving the two of you apart. But if I did…I wouldn’t have to lift a finger because you’re doing a bang-up job all on your own. Each day that passes and you let this distance fester between you two is another day that Theo is more comfortable with me and more hurt by you.” Liam’s caramel eyes burned with frustration, even if nothing more showed on his face. Splitting Liam and Theo up was not on my bingo card, but messing with him a little might just be what the doctor ordered. “Wouldn’t you call that evening the odds?”

Liam opened his mouth, but just then, the door swung in, and we looked over at Theo and Blake. They froze, and the four of us were caught in the strange four-way staring contest.

Blake closed the door, breaking the silence.

“Are we interrupting something,” Theo finally asked. Liam and I each took a step back, the tension settling but far from defusing. Theo walked over and took me by surprise when he wrapped his arm around my waist. Liam’s jaw tightened, and his muscles twitched as he glared at Theo’s hand.

“We were just having a friendly conversation,” I said.

“It didn’t look friendly.” There was a cool aloofness to the way Theo spoke, as if he was dismissing thoughts or ideas he deemed ridiculous, but he wasn’t looking at me. His eyes were locked with Liam, and a new tension formed. This one felt supercharged with sexual sparks, and I almost expected Liam to grab Theo and rip his clothes off. The heated stares had me wishing for a fan. Images of the two of them together chose that moment to frolic in my brain, and I quickly pushed them aside.

“Ren is speaking the truth. We were having a titillating conversation about odds,” Liam said. I rolled my eyes.

“Is that so?” Theo drawled.

Theo turned to look at me, and I sucked in a shocked breath as he cupped my face and kissed me. I knew it was more for Liam’s benefit than mine. If I hadn’t been annoyed with Liam and wanted to poke at him, I would’ve been pissed that Theo was using me as a piece on his personal chessboard. No matter the cause, my body welcomed the kiss and warmed all over. Theo broke away, and my head spun.