at you,” I start, not really shocked at his reaction. “I was just—"
“Then what, Mia?” he seethes, cutting me off. “Did that shit open your eyes to the real mess within, huh? How do you see me now that I’ve just bared my soul to you when you’re not even reliable enough to be trusted with the truth?”
“That’s not fair,” I say, holding his gaze and that’s when I see the unshed tears in his eyes. “If you didn’t trust me you wouldn’t have told me.”
“Come on, Cupcake,” he mutters, his voice calming down as he runs a hand through his hair. “It’s not about trust with me, though that matters, it’s about—”
“Being familiar with that godawful feeling of being burned one too many times that opening up becomes so excruciating that you’d rather cut out your damn heart than open up to anyone else,” I finish as Julian’s face flashes in my head.
My heart beats slowly for a few seconds and I almost groan in pain. I miss him, God, I miss him so much.
Liam looks down at me, not saying anything for a while as a lone tear rolls down my right cheek.
Liam slowly reaches up to my cheek, then with his calloused thumb, he wipes the tears away. I can’t look away from him as the pain we’re both in connects us to a deeper level. I don’t even notice how close we’re standing together or how his thumb is so close to my lips.
“Yeah,” he finally says, his voice ever so soft. I stare up at him, noticing his gorgeous, chiseled face, his dark eyes different from his brother but my God, Liam is beautiful, sexy, boyish and so damn alluring. The only problem here is he’s not the correct Fitz brother that I want to kiss right now. “Do me a favor though, Cupcake.”
“What’s that?” I question, snaping back to the now.
“Try not to look at me with pity in your gorgeous eyes,” he mutters, looking down into my eyes so fiercely, the breath is knocked out of my lungs for a moment.
“I don’t,” I protest.
“You do,” he says, watching me. His gaze drops down to my lips for a second, then he looks up at me. “Don’t let my shit over her upset you and don’t treat me differently just because you know I’m never going to give the shattered pieces of me to anyone else other than you.”
“Me?” My eyes grow wide as shock grips me by the throat. Liam starts smiling his famous, billionaire, playboy shameless flirt smirk.
“Yes you, Cupcake, don’t look so shocked. You knew what you were doing when you inserted yourself into my life. You snuck into my heart and took hold of it.”
“No, I…” I stutter, not knowing what to do. Is this a declaration of love? What is he saying? Is he trying to tell me that he has feelings for me?
Holy shit! He’s Julian’s brother.
My poor heart is beating wildly in my chest and I know my face is drained of color right now.
“It’s useless denying the effect you have on me, Mia so don’t even bother,” he says, stepping closer to me, his thumb now grazing my cheek so softly, I shiver. “You know you and I are good together, right Cupcake?”
“Liam,” Okay, I’m totally freaking out now. What is this?
“The way you say my name, the way you get me, just us, Cupcake,” he says then his thumb grazes my thumb. It’s like a bucket of ice-cold water has just been poured over me.
“Remember the question you asked me last night?” Liam groans in my ear, the sound so intimate that my eyes widen. “Do you remember, Mia?”
All I do is nod and his eyes light up with satisfaction.
“Ask me again, I have the answer now.”
Oh God, this needs to stop right now. Shit.
“Ask me, Mia,” he groans, then turns his head around, giving me his ear so I can repeat my question from last night.
“Uh, I asked if you can promise not to hurt me?” I whisper in his ear.
He looks back into my gaze, and I almost jump back when I feel a sinister thrill going through me as he wraps an arm around me.
“Can’t baby,” he mutters. “We’re recovering liars.”
We? Who is he talking about?
Shivers go through my body as the hair at the back of my neck stands up on end and as I step away from Liam, I notice the evil glint in his eyes as he looks down