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Claire glanced at Liam’s raised brow, and heat burst out across her face once again. Moving faster than she ever had in her life, she scrambled from the bed and darted toward her suitcase, tossing her clothing and phone charger into the baggage as quickly as she could manage.
“I’ll get the extra mattress from the loft,” Tasha said, already on her way out of the door. “Melody, would you mind making a bit of space in your room?”
“For sure,” Melody said, then she wheeled Claire’s carry-on from the room.
Not about to be left alone with the guy she’d only just feared would take her life, Claire heaved her full-sized suitcase up and pulled it forward. To her utter dismay, a rustling sounded, and she glanced back in time to watch the contents of her luggage topple out across the floor.
Cursing under her breath, she knelt down, stuffing the suitcase full once again.
“Would you like some help?” Liam asked, his familiar, smooth voice bringing back more unpleasant memories from the airport.
Get me out of here.
She shifted to hide her red face. “Nope. I got it.”
Finally, she zipped the suitcase closed and hoisted it upright, ensuring the contents remained inside before turning around and walking straight past Liam without a glance.
“I’m sorry to have scared you,” he said behind her.
She didn’t pause as she reached the door, attempting to maintain what shred of dignity she had by leaving as swiftly as possible. “You didn’t.”
“Your shot with this would say otherwise.”
She glanced back to see him wiggling in the air one of the hefty books she’d hurled toward him.
“By the way,” he continued, straight-faced. “Love the pajamas.”
Her pajamas. Good freaking gravy, she’d forgotten about her pajamas. She glanced down at the face of the Mandalorian on her black top, then at the multiple mini Grogus sipping bone broth across her bottoms.
She looked back up at Liam, staring at the amusement dancing in his eyes. He looked so different from when she’d first seen him, scowls and condemnations abounding. Clearly, his mood had improved after he’d relocated his luggage. If he wasn’t making fun of her right now, she might have called him charming.
But he was making fun of her.
Instead of reaching up and slapping that handsome smirk straight from his stupidly attractive face, she turned on the heel of her thick, woolen socks and walked away with her chin held high. Of course, her confidence faltered again when her suitcase wheel bounced against the small door frame, jerking the luggage to the side and nearly wrenching her arm from its socket.
She stole a quick glance at Liam’s growing grin, then raised her chin higher before leaving the man and his room behind. It was only unfortunate that her pride trailed out behind her like useless needles falling off of an old Christmas tree.
FIVE
Claire woke up the next morning to an empty room and a gentle rain plinking against the window. She yawned, stretching her arms overhead before checking her phone to see the time.
Eight o’clock. Still enough time to get ready. Thank heavens she hadn’t slept in. She’d forgotten to put her alarm on the night before in her delirious state.
Rolling off of the mattress, she gathered a change of clothes and her toiletries, then tiptoed toward the door, opening it just a crack to peer down the hallway.
Both Liam and Tasha’s doors were open. Did that mean they were downstairs with Melody already? With a deep breath, she darted from the room, down the hallway, and into the empty bathroom, not breathing until she locked the door behind her.
Her relief at arriving in the bathroom without anyone—particularly Liam—spotting her was short-lived as she turned around and caught her reflection in the mirror.
Good grief. No wonder Liam had been on the verge of laughter last night. The mascara and eyeliner she’d forgotten to remove cocooned her blue eyes with grey circles, and her hair shone as greasy as Rob Lowe’s in The Outsiders.
Pulling out her makeup remover, she scrubbed away the mess, then jumped in for a quick shower.
The night before, she had been that close to booking a return flight to Colorado, but now, after finally getting a good night’s sleep, she was ready to put the whole situation behind her. It was obvious that Liam had no intention of apologizing to her, or of telling his family about the airport, so she would keep the knowledge to herself, as well.
After all, what good would it do to slander his name or to bring up her own mistake? More importantly, she was in his home. Bringing up his wrongdoings would just wind up making this Christmas as awkward and horrible as all the others—and that was something she wasn’t willing to risk again. The two would just have to learn to peacefully coexist for the next little while because Claire was more than ready to leave her baggage behind and finally have a good Christmas.
After showering, dressing, applying her light makeup, and pulling her hair up in a soft ponytail, Claire moved with confident steps down the stairs, refusing to allow her footing to falter when Liam’s voice reached her ears.
