Liam

There was no other way to put it—he looked like shit.

It was hard to believe that the person who stood in front of me was my cousin, Alan.

But the biggest change was his face. He looked older somehow. As if the months had been years. The playful, light-hearted Al was gone. The softer side was replaced by rough edges, hard eyes, and what seemed like a perpetual scowl.

After I’d left Bree, I drove all the way to the address Caleb gave me.

“What the fuck happened to you?” I demanded, nearly the same time Alan burst out, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“You don’t get to ask the questions. You fucking disappeared!” I snapped back, equally pissed.

He’d been running away from everyone. It needed to end now.

“You shouldn’t be here!” he yelled back, as if he hadn’t heard me. Anger vibrated in his body.

I wanted to understand what was fueling it.

Standing in front of me, he looked like a stranger. “Come back, Al.”

His expression shuttered. “I’m not coming back. And I’m not getting you involved in this either.”

Motherfucker.

I gripped his shirt. “Too late. I already am. Why are you involved with them?”

He looked torn. “I can’t tell you. Shit. I’m sorry, but I can’t. Tell Eva—tell her I’m not coming back.”

His words sank in, and I realized he didn’t know about Eva. My grip loosened on his shirt.

“Eva disappeared, Al.”

I caught a brief flash of surprise in his expression before he turned away, starting to pace. He hadn’t expected me to say that. It told me all I needed to know—he still cared about her. “What do you mean? Where did she go?”

“She went looking for you.”

He swore, raking a hand through his hair, and his frustration showed. “Why would she…” He kicked a garbage can hard, and it toppled down on the ground. He stared at me, his eyes narrowing. “You’re just saying that to get me to come back.”

A humorless laugh tumbled out of my lips. “Because I have every reason to lie,” I replied dryly. “Especially with something that’s too easy to check. What kind of shit did you get involved in?”

He shook his head, his jaw hard. “I took something from them I’ll have to pay for. I can’t go, but you have to, or they’ll kill you.”

I went cold. “And they’ll kill you too.”

“I can’t, okay? Go. Before they find out about you.”

“That your answer?”

He nodded. “You found me. I’m sure you’ll find Eva. Tell her… Tell her not to look for me.”

I laughed humorlessly. “If you think she’ll listen to me, you’re really that far gone.”

He kept his expression blank, but I could see with the hardness of his eyes and how his lips were pressed tightly together that it affected him.

I walked away, but I swore it wouldn’t be the last time. The next time we met, I’d make sure I wouldn’t leave without him.

* * *

Still buzzing with energy, I continued to drive, not wanting to go home yet.

Bree’s face flashed in my mind, with her smile, and the way she tasted earlier.

I was just going to drive by. The streets were quiet, most people asleep by now. I drove past the blur of houses and trees, until I reached hers.

To my surprise, her lights were still on, and I could almost see the glow of the television through the gap of the curtain.

The time on the dashboard read 2:00 am. Why was she still awake?

Drive away.

I looked back at her house, remembering the way she’d responded earlier, the hunger in the kiss almost desperate, matching mine.

Ah, fuck.

* * *

Bree

I couldn’t sleep.

I didn’t really understand why. I was tired, but it was like my body was still too keyed up from earlier.

I turned the TV on and put the volume on low while I brewed some tea. A drama aired, two lovers out on a romantic date. The kiss from earlier flashed in my mind. Heat crept up my cheeks at the memory. No one had ever kissed me like that. Greedy, scorching, and toe-curling. The kind that made my mind go blank, except the need.

Without warning, I heard a couple of raps on the door, startling me.

I pulled the curtain back a little to see who my visitor was, and to my surprise, Liam was waiting outside my door.

I stood frozen for a moment, unable to believe it. Did I just conjure him with my thoughts?

He knocked again. I scrambled to get to the door quickly and opened it, still in shock.

“Liam? What—?”

Suddenly, his arms were around me, wrapping me in a tight hug. His body warmed me from the chill of the wind. But still, he didn’t say anything.

“Hey. Are you okay?” I asked, my arms going up to his broad shoulders.

“I am now,” he muttered. His words washed over me, a thrill that made my heart fill with warmth.

A smile hit my cheeks before I could help it. I dropped my head down on his chest, hearing his strong, steady heartbeat. “Sweet-talker.”

My own heart pounded fast, and I wondered if he heard it.

“You’re still awake.” His hands continued to stroke my back, as if he needed the contact. His touch left tingles in its wake. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Nope,” I admitted. “Oh. I just made some tea. Want some?”

“Tea,” he repeated the word, and with the way he said it, he made it sound like it was foreign to him.

I pulled back, looking up at him. “What’s wrong with tea?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment before he asked, “You don’t drink coffee?”

I made a face. “I don’t care much for coffee. I employ people who do. Besides, I want to fall asleep, and coffee won’t help me do that.”

“Decaf?”

“No.” I shuddered.

He chuckled at my immediate reply.

He dropped down on the couch and put his head back, shutting his eyes. He’d been teasing, but something about the set of his shoulders and his deep sigh told me something was wrong. Which reminded me—he never answered my question.

“Did something happen?” I asked, plopping down beside him.

“Had a… disagreement with a friend. It didn’t go well.”

He turned to me, his eyes meeting mine, and he caught my hand between his. He traced a random pattern with a finger absent-mindedly.

His arm was stretched along the back of the couch, and I dropped my head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you work it out.”

“I hope so, too.”

My comfortable position and the droning sound of the voices from the TV was starting to make me sleepy.

And if he muttered something else, I didn’t hear. I snuggled deeper into the warm body that surrounded me as I succumbed to sleep.

* * *

It was dark in the room, and I became aware that I was in a bed, and there was a very warm and solid body behind me, a hand on my stomach.

A brief inspection showed that this was my room.

“Liam?” I whispered.

He stirred behind me. “Something wrong?” he asked, his voice rough from sleep.

“We’re sleeping,” I pointed out, a little confused. “In the same bed…” I let the statement hang.

“So we are.” I could hear the amusement in his voice, and tried to move away to create distance between us, but before I knew it, he pulled me back down towards him. And then I noticed—he didn’t have a shirt on.

I ended up on top of him, every inch of my body pressed along his. I could feel his hardness pressing against my stomach. My cheeks felt hot. I was probably blushing furiously. Thank God it was too dark for him to notice.

“Go back to sleep, Bree.”

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered.

“Not that hard, baby. I can help you if you have trouble with it. Relieve the tension.”

His hands went to my back, underneath my shoulder blades, pressing on a spot I didn’t know existed, eliciting a low moan.

Now I really wouldn’t be able to sleep. He was going to make me lose my mind.

“I—I’ll be fine,” I said softly.

“Sure?” His hands drifted lower down to the back of my thighs.

“Y-yes.” He seemed to always have that effect on me. Knocking me off my feet, and bringing my world off-balance.

I moved back and slid further away from him to the other end of the bed, but his arm immediately went back around me, hugging me closer to him as he rolled over to his side.

I felt safe in his arms. Like he wouldn’t let any harm come to me. And I fell asleep thinking to myself that there was no better feeling in the world.