by Theresa Jane
“I knew, looking in her eyes, that she wasn’t going to go through with the adoption, and the next day when they brought Liam to our door I stood in my mother’s shadow as she told the social worker. I couldn’t even look at him. I caught a glimpse of his face as they took him away, and it was nothing but an empty shell of the bright boy that used to be there. I never saw him again after that until Liam somehow accidentally hired Lucy as his publicist when his career was just starting to take off."
"Are you sure it was an accident?" I asked, wondering if Liam had searched for them.
"I don’t know," he sighed, "but he wasn’t the same. He was cold, his eyes darker, his attitude wilder than it had ever been before he was famous, before the pressure of his career started to take hold. I couldn’t leave him, not again."
I took a deep breath before I asked my next question because I knew it could push him over the edge. I didn’t understand why he had told me so much so far, but at times it seemed like he would forget I was there as he recalled his past. I needed to know.
"Why did he want me?" I asked cautiously, and his eyes quickly shot up from the table and locked with mine.
"You have a brother, right?" he asked, severity in his tone, and I weakly nodded my head in reply. "Liam could never save Jenna. He couldn’t keep her from leaving him just like his parents, and then me and my family. From what I can gather, your brother isn’t protective of you. In fact, from what Liam has told me, it seems like he doesn’t care for you at all.”
"That’s not true," I tried to defend Mase, but my heart wasn’t in it. He had left me alone with our father for such a long time, never returning my phone calls even when I would leave him messages with tears streaming down my face, my sobs breaking up my words as I pleaded for him to come home. I didn’t even know if he was listening to them, but I called anyway, holding out hope that he would hear them and come and help me. But he never did, not until that night.
"From what I know about Liam, he wanted nothing more than to be a good brother," Ant continued, dismissing my protests. "Seeing how your brother treated you must have made him angry because you had a brother that just didn’t care."
"He does care," I answered more forcefully, feeling protective of my older brother. Who was this man to criticize him? He hadn’t even met him before; he only had Liam's word. Mase may not be the best brother at times, but he was still mine.
"When Liam saw where you lived, I thought he was going to explode from the rage," Ant continued again, ignoring my protests.
"He spoke to you about that?" I demanded, feeling my body temperature begin to rise.
"Right after you arrived at his place, he came straight over to see me, which was a surprise in itself. He generally keeps us all at a distance; we have to be the ones to connect, but that day was different. He stormed in, ranting about your brother and where you lived and how it was unfair. Then he quickly stormed back out again before Ryan and I could say anything to comfort him. He didn’t even tell us your name, which is why we were even more confused when we found him mumbling it after one of his endless parties," he finished, obviously puzzled by his friend’s actions.
"I don’t understand why he would do this. I didn’t want to be taken from my life. I liked where I lived,” I shot back.
"You don’t get it. Ever since Liam reentered my life, he has never shown a genuine interest in anyone, but with you, it’s different," he answered angrily. "Ryan was right. He does look at you differently. He may not know it yet, and you obviously don’t, but you’re under his skin."
"I don’t want to be under his skin," I answered in frustration, getting to my feet.
"It’s too late," Ant huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What are you so upset about?" I demanded, annoyed with his attitude. He wasn’t the one who had a known playboy apparently lusting after him.
"You can’t change him," Ant warned. "His world is darker than any of us know. What he shows on the surface is nothing compared to what he keeps hidden underneath.”
"Lucky I don’t want to change him then," I spat back, turning from him and storming to the exit of the café, not slowing until I was three blocks away and entirely lost.
I huffed angrily and sat down heavily on a bus bench beside a man who smelled like a sewer had vomited on him. He had a beard so scraggly even a pirate would have been jealous. I felt his eyes on me, but I ignored him. Instead, I stared angrily out at the darkening street. I looked around for anything familiar, but I had no idea where I was and even fewer ideas of how to get back to Liam’s apartment.
After sitting there for a few more minutes, I begrudgingly pulled out the phone Liam had given me out of my pocket. I had accidentally picked it up with paint on my hands, so now half of it was covered in a bright orange handprint, but I didn’t mind. It made it look even better in my opinion.
I stared down at the screen, contemplating what to do as I felt the man beside me shift closer, the discomfort rising inside of me as I fought with myself on what to do.
Sighing, I went into my contacts and pressed one of the two numbers that were in my phone. I slowly brought it to my ear and closed my eyes as it rang. With every ring, I felt the urge to hang up, but I didn’t because I knew I had no other options. After the fourth ring, the line filled with his voice and I felt a mix of relief and annoyance wash over me.
"Freya," he asked hurriedly, and I could already feel a lecture coming on.
"Yeah," I replied sheepishly, looking back out at the last streaks of dying sunshine still trying to fend off the darkness.
"Where are you? Ant called and said you ran out on him."
"Of course he did," I grumbled, shifting the phone to my other ear.
"I’m coming to get you," he announced, and I held back my biting remark.
"Fine," I sighed.
"Where are you?" he asked as I heard him moving on the other end of the phone, keys clinking loudly.
"I don’t really know," I offered weakly, knowing exactly how he was going to react.
"What do you mean you don’t know?" he demanded. "It’s nearly dark, Freya."
"I’m at a bus stop," I offered.
"Which one?" He ground out as I heard the ignition of a car. I read out the sign, and I heard him curse under his breath before he complained about how far it was and that it would definitely be dark before he could get to me.
"I’m sorry," I said softly. "I can try and get back if I-"
“No,” he cut me off. "Just stay where you are."
"Okay."
"I’ll be there soon." I could sense that he was about to hang up the phone, and I felt a slight panic flutter in my stomach.
"Liam?" I said quickly.
"What?" he sighed, and I could almost hear him running his hands through his golden hair.
"I was wondering…would you mind…" I paused for a moment before shaking my head and dislodging the thought. I didn’t need him.
"What is it, Freya?" he asked in a more gentle voice, surprising me slightly.
"I was just wondering if you would stay on the phone with me?" I asked, glancing at the man beside me, feeling the shame wash over me. It only increased with every second of silence that stretched between us.
"Of course," he answered after what felt like an eternity, and I breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Chapter 16: That Is the Question
After he pulled up beside me on the curb, he just got out and opened the door for me without saying a word. When he saw the man sitting on the bench beside me, he muttered angrily under his breath and quickly pulled me away, pushing me into the car. He slammed the door on me before I could even mutter a weak thank you. Since then, the best I could get out of him was a reluctant grunt.
“Are you going to say anything?” I asked sheepishly as Liam sped through the streets of New York.
“I just…” he trailed off in an exasperated sigh, and I shook my head before looking out
the window.I looked back at him to say something but thought better of it when he seemed angrier than when I had last looked.
“At least I called you this time,” I offered, and the only reply I got was several mumbled words and his hands tightening on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. I let out an annoyed breath, and he glared at something in his rear-vision mirror before taking a corner a little too quickly. I returned to glaring out the window, too frustrated with his attitude to hold a civil conversation with him. The rest of the trip was silent and I didn’t try to break the silence again, so instead I shut my eyes and waited for the car to stop.
* * *
“We’re here,” he grunted, and my eyes fluttered open as they adjusted to the underground parking garage that must have been somewhere under Liam’s apartment building. I slowly unfolded my stiff body and stretched out, trying to take in my surroundings as Liam got out of the car beside me.“Thanks,” I mumbled at his back as I rubbed at the sides of my mouth to make sure I didn’t have drool running down my face. I was just about to open my door when it opened for me and Liam stood there impatiently, waiting for me to get out.
“Oh,” I stuttered, tripping over my feet as I tried to climb out of the car. Liam shot out an arm, catching me around my middle and causing my breath to catch.
“Hopeless,” he chuckled, pulling me up so I was pressed firmly against his chest. My heart stuttered for a moment before I quickly pushed away from him and searched the room for anything that would draw attention away from my flaming cheeks.
“Is that your motorcycle?” I gasped, pushing out of his hold and running over to the black motorcycle parked beside Liam’s sleek sports car.
“Yes,” Liam answered flatly, and I heard the door to the car slam shut before he made his way over to where I was.
“Can we go for a ride?” I asked excitedly, looking up at him.
“No,” he said, shaking his head and grabbing my wrist as I tried to climb on. I wasn’t having much success considering the handlebars were nearly taller than me.
“Hey, why not?” I complained as he wrapped his other arm around my waist and pulled me back from it.
“I am never taking you out on the back of my motorcycle,” he replied adamantly.
“Why?”
“Can you not argue for once?” he growled, pulling me over to the elevator.
“I just want to go for one ride,” I begged, trying to pull out of his grip.
“Freya, stop,” he yelled, and I froze at his raised voice. “I will not take you for a ride. You know how my mother died.” I was speechless as he turned his back on me and walked into the elevator, pulling me along behind him. I guess Ant had spoken to him about a lot more than just informing him of my storming out of the restaurant.
We were halfway to the penthouse when I finally found the strength to speak again.
“I’m sorry Liam, I didn’t think-”
“It doesn’t matter,” he dismissed angrily, glaring at the shiny surface of the elevator doors.
“I still want to ride the bike,” I whispered, feeling his temper throb against the walls of the elevator.
“Why can’t you ever just…I don’t know; be quiet?” he asked exasperatedly.
“I know your mom died in a car accident, but why does that mean I have to miss out on riding a motorcycle?” I challenged, and I felt him move beside me until he was towering over me, his golden eyes sparking with unrestrained anger.
“You aren’t going to ride it,” he growled, his face inches from my own, his hands resting on either side of my head. My heart beat erratically as I felt the heat from his chest through my thin shirt, and I wondered if he could feel how my heart reacted to him being so close to me.
“Why not?” I asked again, not able to mask my wobbly voice. However, he didn’t seem to notice and just glared at me until the doors to the elevator opened behind him, jolting us both from the bubble that was enclosing us. Suddenly, realizing how close he was, he took a few steps back before he stormed off, slamming open his door and disappearing inside the apartment, leaving me gaping after him.
Slowly, I pushed off the wall and followed after him, realizing my legs were a little shaky. I ran my hand down my face, trying to dislodge the conflicting thoughts swirling around my head.
“How did you get out of here?” I frowned, grabbing at the key around my neck as I turned back to lock the door.
“Lucy has a key,” he muttered from farther in the apartment, and I turned back to follow him.I almost walked into the back of him as he stood solidly in the hallway looking into the living room. Frowning, I looked around him to find Lucinda speaking with an older man and someone I never thought I would see in my life.
“Is that…Jazelle Ericson?” I murmured, and I was unknowingly moving closer to her when Liam’s arm shot out and pushed me behind him.
“Go out and get yourself another fangirl, Liam?’ Jazelle sneered, not looking up from the talon-like nails she was inspecting from her perch on the arm of Liam’s sofa. Liam didn’t answer her, but I felt his arm tighten around me, pushing me further behind him as I tried to get a better look.
“This one doesn’t seem like your usual type,” she mused, getting up from the sofa and balancing precariously on her towering heels. “Where did you pick this one up?” I felt Liam tense as I tried again to look around his side.
“Jazz,” the man at the bench said warningly, but I could only assume Liam’s attention was on the girl as she stalked across the room to us.
“Come on, Liam knows I’m just playing,” she purred as she ran her claw along Liam’s chest, causing Liam to tighten his already vise-like grip. I was easily distracted by the unsettling feeling growing in my stomach by the closeness of our bodies.
“Liam,” Lucinda warned, and I wondered what look he had on his face as Jazelle stood in front of him. Looking at her now, I wondered how she had kept up ‘America’s Sweetheart’ for so long. The short dress she was wearing gave me more of a stripper vibe than girl next door.
“Why is she here?” he asked in a voice that gave the illusion of calm on the surface, but I had been around him long enough to know he was close to breaking point.
“We have a date,” Jazelle smirked, crossing her arm over her chest until she was almost spilling over the top. “So why don’t you send your little plaything along.”
“Excuse me,” I hissed, pushing at Liam’s arm, but it wouldn’t budge. I was tired of her snide comments, and I wasn’t just going to let her get away with it.
“Freya,” Liam muttered under his breath, and I looked at him in confusion.
“How old are you, little girl?” She smiled, and I felt my blood begin to boil.
“Liam, Jazelle is here to fix the problem you created,” Lucinda explained as I continued to glare at the parts of Jazelle I could see around Liam’s body.
“I don’t have a problem,” Liam ground out.
“You agreed to this, Liam,” Lucinda warned, and I felt Liam’s back tense against where my palms were pressed to him, still trying to get free.
“No, you did, Lucinda. I don’t want to do this anymore.”
“I was promised if I agreed to date him he would at least pretend to be faithful for the paparazzi,” Jazelle complained, and I rolled my eyes before resting my head against Liam’s back.
“I never agreed to that,” he shot back.
“Well, your management did.”
“Lucinda,” Liam growled. “I don’t want this.”
“You already agreed to it,” Lucinda shrugged, and I felt a low growl start to build in Liam’s chest.
“What does this even get me?”
“It’s basic PR. The more popular you are as a couple, the more popular you become as individuals. Her fans become yours, yours hers, and so on,” Lucinda explained impatiently. “So just man up and go out on this date to show that all is well between the two of you.”
“No.”
“Liam,” Lucinda groaned.
“I’m not doing it, Luce.”
“Why, because you’ve got so many more pressing things to do?” Lucinda questioned, and I watched as she placed her hand on her hip impatiently, as if she were speaking to a petulant Davis.
“I’m taking Freya out,” he answered quickly, and for a moment the room was silent. I didn’t move, my mind still trying to process his words, and then the room erupted. Lucinda was yelling at Liam, the man was yelling at Lucinda, and Jazelle was yelling at anyone who would listen. I was still too stunned to move, so all I could do was stare at Liam’s back as he stood silently in front of me.
“I did not come all this way to watch him go out with that,” Jazelle spat, pointing a claw at me.
“Come on, Freya,” Liam grunted before taking my hand and pulling me in the direction of our rooms. I stumbled along behind him, still trying to understand what had just happened as Lucinda glared at him. The other man was still talking angrily to her, but she didn’t appear to be listening anymore. I looked back just before we disappeared down the hallway and saw that Jazelle was watching us with her beady black eyes, her perfectly blonde hair slightly frazzled around the edges. Then the room was hidden from view as Liam moved us quickly down the hallway and slammed my door closed behind us as he pushed me inside.
“Liam,” I complained as I finally pulled my hand out of his grip.
“Get changed,” he ordered, and I just crossed my arms over my chest as he glared at the closed door.
“Freya,” he prompted, turning back and noticing I hadn’t moved.
“What?”
“Get changed, we’re going out,” he nodded at the bed, and I looked over my shoulder and was speechless for the second time in five minutes.