by Stella Rhys
“God, Liam,” I moaned softly, finally opening my eyes.
And when I did, I saw Jenna.
I gasped, the breath snatched straight from my throat. My stomach went cold as I watched her stand there in the doorway, her shock flaming quickly into fury. Wet and glassy, her stare went from Liam to me. Her lip curled as she shook her head accusingly.
But before I could say a word, she was gone.
Chapter Eight
“Sash. Stop it. Sash – that’s gross.” Aria snatched the straw out of my mouth. I’d finished my coffee an hour ago but I was still chewing on the straw like a nervous wreck. “Girl, take my advice and just tell Liam about it. Jenna is obsessed with him. I think the fact that he’s sleeping with you makes her even more obsessed with him. She probably wants him more than ever now, so why would she ruin her own chances by telling a secret he asks her not to tell?” Hands on her waist, Aria cocked a sharp eyebrow – her signature “tell me I’m not right” look.
She was probably right. But I could hardly keep my thoughts in one place for long enough to respond. I was sleeping with my stepbrother. I had sex with him in his office, at his gym, and of all people, Jenna Pettit had caught me. Any minute now, she could be unleashing hell on my personal life. I couldn’t help but anticipate a flurry of texts from friends, family, coworkers – all of them alerting me to whatever dirty, nasty thing Jenna had written on my Facebook. She wasn’t the most rational girl in the world, and she was a big proponent of “difts” – or “doing it for the story.” So yeah, I could easily picture her airing out my dirty laundry for the entire world to see.
“Sasha, step out of panic mode. Please. I really don’t think Jenna will tell. It doesn’t benefit her and even if she did tell, who would believe her? She can’t prove a single thing. She’d just look like some scorned hook-up trying to start shit, which, let’s be real, has happened before with other girls Liam’s had sex with. And it’s never a good look for any of them.”
Solid point. Heaving a sigh, I leaned back on Aria’s tufted headboard. I’d slept over last night, half so she’d keep me sane and half so I could track Jenna. She had run out of the gym after walking in on me and Liam and she wasn’t answering any of Aria’s calls. I hoped that by sleeping over, I’d catch her coming back home from wherever she’d gone and beg on my knees for her to keep mum about what she’d seen. Aria and I had kept thousands of her secrets at this point – why couldn’t she keep the only one I’d ever had?
“Shouldn’t she be home by now?” I asked anxiously.
“Yes, but shouldn’t you be at work by now? Or at least answering Riley’s texts? It’s brunch. The bar’s probably slammed.”
“Shit.” I jumped out of bed when the realization hit me. We did bottomless mimosas and all you can eat moules-frites on Sundays. The wait for a table generally spilled out the door, and Riley once said she’d skin me alive if I ever left her alone during brunch again.
God, it was definitely shaping up to one hell of a stressful morning. I could hardly count the many ways in which I was screwed.
“Here.” Aria tossed my pants over and gave me a last pep talk. “Sash, just breathe. You’re going to be fine. I’m going to have a talk with Jenna, too, so we’re extra sure about things, but just remember that if the worst-case scenario did happen, no one would even believe her. Now be a good girl and go get your daytime drinking on!”
I exhaled a whooshing breath that blew the hair out of my face. “Yes. Fine. But what about you? You’re not coming today?” I wound my waves into a messy topknot. My eyebrows lifted as I watched my best friend’s cheeks flush to a rosy pink. I had to laugh and shake my head. “Let me guess – it’s A.J-related.”
“Maybe.”
“Nice. Just don’t let him toy with you. You know how those boys are.”
“Yeah, and yours is the king of them. Yet he’s still completely in love with you.”
The suggestion alone made my heart twist. Suddenly, it was my turn to blush. “I… yeah, that’s… doubtful.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know girl, I’m leaving,” I laughed hastily, rushing out the door to avoid Aria’s protests. It had been a stressful enough morning – I really didn’t need to overanalyze Liam’s feelings for me. Diving into a topic like that would force me to sit down and really think about what the hell I was doing. I mean was I expecting an actual relationship out of my affair with my stepbrother? How could I when I refused to let anyone know what was going on? There was no route that conversation could take without leading me to stress or anxiety, which I certainly didn’t need any more of this morning.
My heart was already beating fast by the time I got out of the cab in front of the bar. I pushed through the doors anticipating Riley’s wrath.
What I got instead was Liam.
“Hey!” It was the girliest, breathiest greeting to ever leave my lips. Probably because of how damned good his green eyes looked peering out from under that grey knit cap. Goddamn. His sexy mouth curled into a smirk the second his stare locked on mine.
“Let me call you back, A.J.” Liam hung up his phone. Sliding it into his pocket, he backed me out the door, into the little red vestibule we rented in the fall and winter to keep out the wind. My heart pounded as we stood together in the small space, Liam’s dirty little smile burning through me. I could practically see flashes of our filthy gym romp replaying in his eyes.
“Liam, stop looking at me like that,” I finally exhaled.
“Like what?”
“Like you fucked me from behind in your office last night. With the door open.”
“I was under the impression that I did.” Liam closed the gap between us as he moved aside for two older women coming in for brunch. They took one look at him and then me before giving a thumbs up behind his back. God, I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything without being reminded that I was sleeping with the sexiest man in Manhattan. It felt so good I had to keep reminding myself of the bad.
Number one, he’s your stepbrother.
Number two, Riley would kill you.
Number three, Jenna Petitt caught you two fucking last night and he still doesn’t know.
Looking up at that gorgeously wicked look on his face, I bit my lip, my chest grazing his with my every shallow breath I took in. “Liam,” I started quietly. “I need to talk to you about last night.”
“About how you didn’t come home?” Thumbs hooked in his pockets, Liam backed me into the wall. I resisted the urge to put my hands on his chest, but with his head cocked at me, I was forgetting how to breathe. “I told you not to make me chase you, Sasha. Who knows if that tight pussy of yours can take me fucking you angry.”
“Liam.” I bit back my grin, remembering I had an order of business to take care of before enjoying his company. “Listen, there’s something I need to tell you about last night and it’s kind of… embarrassing. You didn’t notice but I did and – ”
“Aria’s friend saw us.”
My mouth snapped shut. I stared up in shock. “You knew?” The heat that suddenly flooded my cheeks felt like it was going to drown me. “Wait. Liam, you saw and you… kept going?”
Liam winced as he ran his hand over the lower half of his face. “Ahh. Well, here’s the thing.” God, I hated that I had to find him sexy even when I wanted so badly to smack him. “There was a point where I thought I saw someone coming up, but I didn’t really have the capacity to think about anything but you, so I didn’t pay attention to it. I’m sorry, Sash. I… probably should have done something, yes, but you looked so unbelievably fucking sexy it would’ve been impossible for me to stop if the whole building caught on fire.” A devilish laugh escaped his lips and sent goosebumps up my forearms. Pissed, I tried rubbing them away.
“I’m mortified, Liam. How are not mortified?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I’m sorry, baby, I just…” He laughed – almost sheepishly. “I felt like I was in Heaven, Sash. I’ve been d
reaming about what we did last night for longer than I want to admit and your body was better than anything I’ve ever felt in my life. So yeah, a part of me somewhat knew that girl was there. But at the time, she was the last thing on my mind. There wasn’t much room in there for anything besides you.”
Fuck. I sucked my lower lip in, almost wanting to laugh at how easily bought I was. Liam laughed.
“What, you’re worried that she’ll tell people? Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“Alright.” Liam stepped closer to me as another group of customers walked in behind us. “And what if she does?”
“Oh, I don’t know. People will know that my stepbrother’s been inside me?”
He sucked in a breath. “Get me harder why don’t you.”
“Liam! Stop. It’s busy in there, I have to go in and help Riley.”
“Go ahead, I’ll watch. Always been a favorite pastime.”
“Stop,” I rolled my eyes.
“Really. My favorite’s when Joey Busch comes in and orders the Talisker, and I get to watch you go up on your toes and try to reach the bottle. Something about that look of concentration. Maybe the shirt coming up a bit. Gets me hard as a motherfucker every time,” he smirked.
“I hate you.” I shook my head at him, running my tongue along my teeth.
Liam winced. “Woof. That look, too. One of my all-time favorites.”
I bit my grin, wondering about all the times Liam had been watching me without my knowing. My cheeks flushed as I remembered the hundreds of times I gazed at him during a shift and found him already looking at me. I had always loved those moments. I could be weeded with a backed up kitchen and my servers fighting but all it took was a look in Liam’s direction for me to feel like I could breathe again. As much of a smart-ass as he was being, I peered up at Liam from under my lashes and smiled. “I’m glad you’re here, okay? But you gotta let me get to work,” I said softly, playing with the hem of his shirt. He leaned down to kiss me but I stopped him. “Not here,” I whispered.
“Fine,” he exhaled.
But as I reached for the door, I felt his arm quickly circle around my waist, his hot lips pressing to the side of my neck in a kiss. My mouth fell open and I closed my eyes, reveling in his touch for half a second before pushing into the bar and letting the din of the crowd surround me.
“Sasha!” Riley immediately shouted at me. I heard her sugary sweet greeting to Liam seconds after mine. “Oh! Hi, love! Got your seat reserved right here, babe! Boys coming?”
“They’re on their way.”
My back was turned to him, but I felt Liam’s eyes on me as I read tickets off the service bar. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to act normal as I poured Bloody Marys and mimosas. To my annoyance, my hands were trembling. Was it actually possible to feel sex in the air? He was a full bar’s length away from me but somehow, I felt hot and naked – as if Liam’s hands were all over me in front of everyone. I could feel the lust in his eyes and the filthiness of his stare. I loved it and hated it and the second I glanced at him, confirming the hot expression on his gorgeous face, I dropped the Prosecco in my hand.
“Sasha!” Riley scolded, snatching the bottle off the floor before too much spilled. “What is up with you? It’s gonna be a really long fucking shift if you keep spilling shit and moving slow!”
“Take it easy on her, Riles,” Liam said.
“Sh!” Riley pointed a playful finger at him.
God, this sucks, I thought as I realized all my regulars were watching the display. I swear half of them chose to sit at the bar instead of the tables so they could watch our ridiculous family antics.
“Here.” I turned to see Riley shoving a massive shot of whiskey at me. “Either this’ll help you or make you screw up even more but I’m willing to take a chance. Knock it back. Now.”
I didn’t want to deal with her nagging so I did as I was told.
“Good girl,” Riley said. “Ready to crush this shift?”
The liquor trickled down my throat and settled as a warm buzz under my chest. I tested myself with another glance at Liam. He was taking a swig of his beer, his eyes grinning at me over the rim of the glass. God. Still hot as ever but at least now I could breathe again. “I’m ready,” I answered Riley, mouthing behave at Liam before getting down to business.
I was thirty minutes into the shift when A.J, Max and a couple others arrived, drawing the usual mob of women giggly women around them. Good, I smirked inwardly. The less I can see him, the less distracted I am. An hour later, I had to laugh when Red, our new regular and queen of groupies, arrived to clash with the existing group of women trying to flirt with Liam and his boys. It was a full-on reality show in my bar and while Riley was pissed, I couldn’t help but find it deeply amusing.
“Something funny?” the new guest to my left asked.
I turned with a smile on my face but it fell like a brick to the floor when I saw who sat before me. Every muscle in my body tightened because there he was, utterly relaxed and grinning at me like he still owned me.
It was Ethan.
Chapter Nine
“Ethan,” I blurted, immediately stiff. I stared in pure shock. I waited for someone – Riley, maybe even Liam – to notice his presence and tell him to fuck off but no one did. I shook my head, realizing my ex had come at this hour for a reason. The bar was packed and he’d blend right in, especially since today, he decided to forego the usual sweater draped over some preppy, pastel Polo. There was even a baseball cap covering his lustrous hair. “Prince Charming hair,” my mom always called it. His glossy mane grabbed attention wherever we went, and so he treated it like his baby. Even went to the salon for highlights to further blonde the existing blondeness. The term metrosexual would look at my ex and think even he was overdoing it but today, he was all covered up, completely disguised – for the sole purpose of harassing me discreetly.
“Sash. You’re looking good as fuck. How are you?”
To keep appearances, I gathered myself and tossed a menu in front of him. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought I’d grab a beer and have a talk.”
“About what?” I asked. Despite my irritation, I poured the IPA he used to order. He grinned as he watched me do it.
“See? It’s still your instinct to please me.”
“Stop.”
“No. You’ve always been perfect wife material,” he murmured, shaking his head. “You really have. I never should’ve let you go.”
“It wasn’t exactly your choice.”
Ethan scoffed. “It should’ve been.”
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t know what’s best for you if you’re leaving me to fucking lust after your meathead step – ”
“Ethan!”
“What?” he smirked. “Is the asshole here?” He looked around. “Should’ve known he was somewhere under that mob of sluts.”
“Stop talking about my guests that way and stop talking about Liam. Period.”
“Why? I’m not afraid of him. If he wants to kick my ass, let him.” He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I’ll just press charges and sue for whatever his stupid fucking gym is worth.” I shook my head in disbelief as he grinned at me. God. The only thing worse than a coward was a smug one. “Shoot. That thought makes you worry, doesn’t it?” Ethan smirked. “What do you think then? Should I say hi, babe?” He feigned innocence as I tried to bluff and pretend I didn’t fear Liam’s reaction. “He’ll be happy to see me, right, Sash? Yeah, you know what, gimme a sec, I’m gonna go say – ”
“Ethan.”
Before I knew it, I was dragging him out of the restaurant and around the corner. Laughing, he let me push him into the alley where we took around shipments inside. “Still got it,” he grinned.
“Got what?” I snapped.
“The ability to read your mind and get you exactly where I want you. I wanted you alone and now I have you alone. Because you don’t trust that meathead not t
o beat the shit out of me. Think about how sad that is, babe. Spending all your days worrying about whether or not that idiot is going to fly off the handles and kill someone like he almost did to that poor kid, Walsh. I mean is that really the kind of man you want in your life?”
I didn’t answer. He was baiting me. He wanted to know if I was going to let him call Liam “the man in my life.” When I said nothing, he sneered.
“Or are we just never going to get closure on that?”
“On what.”
“The fact that you dumped me because you moaned your stepbrother’s name during sex.”
“I dumped you because of your reaction to it and it happened during sleep, not sex, but I’m glad you’ve probably been telling all your friends that version of the story.”
“Actually, I’ve been holding off on telling anyone that you said his name while you were in bed with me. It’s actually kind of embarrassing to share that your fiancée’s been lusting after another guy, let alone her fucking brother.”
I crossed my arms. I didn’t bother to make the “stepbrother” correction since there was a far more pressing one to me. “Ex-fiancée,” I said between my teeth.
“That remains to be seen.”
“I’m sorry?”
“That remains. To be seen,” Ethan enunciated. “Unless you’re under the impression that your stepbrother is going to suddenly fall in love with you and ask to elope, I can’t exactly imagine that you’re truly done with us. We are the real thing, Sasha. Whatever pipe dream you have about sucking off Liam is not only wrong as fuck but completely absurd.”