starting to say shit at the same time.” Liam says to Cole as they stand up.
“What is this wager anyway?” I ask but they ignore me.
“No way, Little Liam,” Cole says throwing an arm around Liam’s shoulders. “I called it as I saw it. Now you’re losing.”
What the hell are they talking about? But soon, they’re gone, leaving me with a silent Julian who’s watching me like he wants to set me on fire then keep the ashes.
And suddenly, I want to know.
“Do you hate me?”
The question leaves my lips in a rushed tumble of words. I can feel his intense gaze on me, but I don’t have the heart to look into his eyes, afraid of what I’ll find. One breath, another one, then he moves, coming closer to me.
“If you’re going to ask that,” he starts, his voice a rough timber of emotions mixed with lust that makes my nipples hard. “Then have the decency to look at me when you ask.”
His hot breath bathes my cheek, then I feel his lips at my cheek, then my temple, then he ducks his head to my neck to smell me. I shiver, wanting to be as close to him as humanly possible.
“You smell like regrets, self-hatred and lies,” he mutters. “I won’t add to that messed up pile.”
And with that, he backs away and heads in the direction Liam and Cole went.
“Julian.”
He stops but doesn’t turn around.
“I am sorry,” I mutter, then swallow my pride as I get up to walk toward him. “I’m deeply sorry for everything that happened.”
“What exactly happened?” he questions, his shoulders rising and falling so fast, I can feel his agitation from where I stand. I know I shouldn’t be this close to him, anything can happen. But then, I don’t know, I can’t be anywhere else but close to him. “What happened that day, Mia?”
“I… I don’t really know. One moment, you kissed me and the next I felt like I was floating, then I felt like you threw me to the hard, rocky earth and I broke…”
The confession flies out of my mouth like it’s been lodged in my throat for a long time just waiting to escape, but only for him to hear.
“Say it,” he grits out, the words clipped and loaded like a damn gun. Turning around to look at me, his nose flaring, eyes cold and hard.
“What?” I stutter.
“Say it. Tell me why you opened that smart mouth of yours and said what you said to those vultures.”
He takes three steps toward me and then, he’s pinning me up against the fridge.
“I don’t know…”
“Yes, you do,” he counters. “You’re too smart, too well calculated, painfully aware of the shitty world around you not to know.”
“Julian.” I whisper, pain bubbling in my insides. Did I know? No, I couldn’t have.
“Why did you do it, huh?” he presses, pushing his hard body into mine, then he bites my lip. I flinch, but God, am I turned on. “You knew they were reporters. You knew they were hungry for a story to tear apart my family, so why?”
Wrapping a hand around my waist, he brings me even closer to him, then his other hand grips my ass, making me moan.
“I don’t—”
“Why, Mia?” he groans, his voice filled with pain. “I spent night, weeks, years wondering why you served my brother up like that. Then you kissed Liam…”
“I didn’t know he was your brother!” I cry.
“But you can offer those lips that I kisses first, to anyone who has a hunger to hurt my family, huh?
Oh God.
“You knew you were mine when you kissed him.” He leans into whisper in my ear. “You knew you were mine, didn’t you?”
“Julian—,”
“Didn’t you?” he presses, his gaze holding mine, demanding the truth. So, I give it to him, and every other thing he wants.
“I didn’t kiss Shane.”
“I’m not talking about that imbecile.”
God….
“You know, it’s both a blessing and a fucking curse,” he says, staring at my lips, then into my eyes.
“What is?” I gasp.
“To be my brother’s keeper.”
My heart shutters as I remember what John told me and then my growing relationship with Liam.
‘Julian,” I whisper. “Liam and I…”
“But I’m fucking relived that he’s got you,” he says gruffly. “He needs a real a friend.”
I stand there, blinking at him, then I get angry. All this, making me feel hot and bothered strung up so tight waiting for him to touch me and that’s all he has to say? The fuck?