I was at Exchange again with Sierra. I wasn’t with Liam at his business event, where I was supposed to be. I’d stood him up.

And it was a bitch move, but I’d suddenly gotten terrified of him. I’d thought about him – I’d had a dream about him where he’d fucked me and walked away – and when I’d woken up I’d been scared that this was what it was all about.

Sure, the dinner had been great, he’d shared a bit of his life with me and he’d told me about Kenna. But every time we saw each other we made out, or worse. Fingering, blowjobs… where was this going to lead?

I couldn’t let him have my virginity and then watch him walk away. But Liam was trouble – when I was around him it was hard to say no to him. So the best thing was to stay away from him, completely.

Sierra and I had decided to come out again, instead. I wanted to drink and forget. She wanted to flirt. We were young, unattached, with no reason to stay home.

We were on the dancefloor. Sierra was grinding up to some guy again but tonight, it was just me, doing my own thing. I wanted to forget. I wanted to lose myself to alcohol and music. Since I’d met Liam I’d been feeling a little disoriented, a little off balance. I blamed him for that.

I had had my life sorted out until he’d come along. I liked my job, I’d moved to LA to pursue my dreams. I didn’t need an asshole with an eager dick to screw that up for me. Even if the asshole was hot. And a billionaire. And really not an asshole at all.

No.

I closed my eyes and let the music move through me.

Someone came up behind me, a presence at my back.

“You ditched me,” he whispered in my ear and I shivered. Liam had found me but it wasn’t creepy. It wasn’t scary. In fact, it was hot. I was turned on almost right away. Fuck, I was tipsy again, at least. Was alcohol always going to betray me like this?

When I turned around, I took in the sight of him. He was still dressed in his suit pants and a collared shirt but the top button was undone with no tie, his shirt sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows, shirt tails untucked. He looked like someone who had gotten distracted halfway through getting undressed.

Shit, I wasn’t going to be able to look at him without feeling that delicious pull of sexual attraction, was I?

“So?” he asked, leaning in so I could hear him over the music. Having him this close made me feel wobbly. “Where were you?”

I swallowed. I didn’t know what to say to him. I couldn’t very well tell him that I was sure he was going to make it a hit and run.

Liam stepped closer to me, his body pressed against mine and my breath hitched in my throat. He had an effect on me that left me breathless; that left me wanting him, every time. Trouble.

“Come home with me, Harper,” he said in my ear, his lips just in front of my ear, his lips hot on my skin. I shivered.

“How did you know I was here?” I asked without answering his question. I needed time to think about it. I needed to stall.

Liam pulled away a little and looked at me. I was glad, it gave me a chance to clear my head a little. He was intoxicating.

“Joel is here. He saw you and told me.”

Right.

“Where’s Kenna?”

“My mom is at my house, watching her. She’ll be in bed by now.”

“Come home with me,” he said again. I was running out of things to ask. I was running out of reasons not to. I couldn’t call him a creep because he wasn’t. I couldn’t say he was an asshole because I’d been the bitch, and I couldn’t find another reason not to go with him.

“Let me tell Sierra,” I said and turned away from him. I found my friend and told her what was happening.

“Are you sure?” Sierra asked.

No, I wasn’t. I nodded at her. “I’ll make my own way home,” I said.

Sierra hugged me. “Be careful,” she said.

I hugged her back. I had to be a lot more than just careful with Liam, but somehow I was already past the point of no return. I walked out of the club with Liam and the little voice at the back of my mind was screaming at me again. I knew I was going to do something I didn’t have the capacity to say no to, when I was with him. I knew I was playing with fire. I’d told myself from the start that Liam was bad news.

But I couldn’t stay away from him. When he was with me, all I wanted was to be with him. Whether it was infatuation or just sexual attraction, it was so real I couldn’t ignore it.

I was going to go home with him because no matter what my arguments were when I was away from him, the moment I was with him, it didn’t matter what the question was. My answer would always be yes.