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Chapter Eighteen

“Arrogant son of a bitch!”He has me and he knows it. I’m too much of a hard-ass to back up from anything and I do love a challenge. Especially one that’ll leave Liam on his knees. An image of him kneeling, his head between my legs takes over my mind and try as I might to shake it off, it just won’t go away. Bad River, bad—bad River! I tell myself as if admonishing a puppy.

* * *

The stupid bethas been haunting me for three days. Three days I haven’t seen him but can’t stop thinking about it. Can’t stop thinking about his hand holding mine, his chest brushing my boobs, his smell, clean and minty and something entirely Liam.

I have to put an end to this and I have to do it now. I know Logan is at work, doing whatever it is cops do driving around in their cars. This is the perfect time to corner Liam into backing out of this stupid bet so I can stop thinking about it and all the things I’d like him to do to me.

River! Stop it! You are not helping! Stupid hormones.

I walk to his house and the garage door is open. The SUV is parked on the driveway. And he is shirtless. Shirtless and doing pull-ups on a bar hanging from the ceiling. He’s facing the wall and hasn’t seen me here yet—the black track pants he’s wearing hug his ass in the most delicious way—and I take a few seconds to admire his back and his arms, the way his muscles bulge and contract.

His hair is even longer now and brushing the top of his back. Long enough to grab on and hold on to when he lowers his head between my legs. Oh fuck! Fucking fuckery fuck! No, no, no, no, no. We are not going down that road. Again. Jesus! I need to stop thinking about him like that. He put all these dirty thoughts in my head. And they need out. Out. Out right now!

He drops to the floor, landing with more grace than I’d expect from a guy his size. He walks to a bench, picks up a towel, and rubs his face, neck, and chest before turning to face me, a smirk already on his face. “Did you enjoy watching me? I’m here every morning around this time.”

He drops the towel and grabs a water bottle from that same bench and I notice for the first time, the mirror attached to the wall and the rest of the workout equipment around it. Busted! I don’t bother with a denial and go straight to what I came here to do.

“We have to talk about this bet. It’s ridiculous. We don’t even like each other!”

He looks hurt for the briefest moment. I must be imagining things. I know he doesn’t like me. Something tightens in my chest at the thought of Liam not liking me.

Whatever. Barking up the wrong tree, River.

“The bet stays.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because is not a reason. I’m trying to be reasonable here. We have to be around each other because of our siblings. Maybe we can make this less annoying and weird and just act like polite strangers for a change.”

“But we’re not strangers, are we?”

“Well, yes, we kind of are. It’s not like we know each other well.”

He takes a step closer to me. “We will. As soon as you say that little six-letter word, we’ll get to know each other very well.”

“I’m never saying it. You must know that.”

“I know a few things. Your breath catches when I’m within touching distance and your nipples get hard when I touch you. I know your hazel eyes go deep brown when I talk dirty to you. I know you watch me when you think no one is looking. And I know you press your thighs together when I lower my voice, like this”—he lowers his voice and takes another step closer and points at my thighs—“and like that.” He smiles, not a smirk. A hungry, predatory smile. The smile of a hunter, just before he sinks his teeth in the prey.

I take a step back, engaging into a prey and predator dance when he circles closer to me. I stop. He stops, no more than three or four feet from me. I deny none of his words. I don’t confirm them either. I’m so taking the fifth on this one. He waits for my move and I have no moves right now.

“Can we please be serious about this? And act like adults?”

“I’m very serious about fucking you and thank goodness we are adults because the things I want to do to you are illegal in several countries.”

The smirk comes out now. The left side of his mouth a little higher, a dimple almost makes him look like an innocent little kid, but the look in his eyes betrays him. There is absolutely nothing innocent about it. And damn it if I don’t like it. I like the way he’s looking at me and that’s the very reason I have to put a stop to this. Because I know, I just know he could have me begging and I won’t do it.

I will never beg again.

But this is different.The voice tells me. I won’t beg ever again, I reply to myself.

“It will never happen, Liam. Give it up.”

“Never.” His reply is soft and even more intense because of it.