Page 74 of The CEO I Hate

“You’re not upset about it?” he asked.

Saying no would be a lie. Therewasa small part of me that was frustrated Lyle got to waltz back in after everything, but I understood how optics could destroy a show before it even got to air. The future ofEnd in Firewas literally in the hands of the fans. And as aggravated as I was at what Lyle had done, I also understood what it was to protect something I loved.

It’s why I’d turned off commenting onHeart and Hustlewhen my ex had been trying to start a flame war. There were about a million ways Lyle had handled this wrong, and I couldn’t help being annoyed at him for it, but I also couldn’t truly blame him for wanting to come back. He felt invested in the show in a way I totally understood. In all honesty, I was actually a little excited to see what he’d bring to the table. I’d loved season one, after all.

“I’m not upset at you,” I said, becausethatwas at least true. And what other choice did I have? I wasn’t going to leave the show if I wasn’t fired.

“Good,” Liam grumbled against my thigh.

I stroked his hair. “It’s mostly the other writers I’m worried about.” Jerome and Kait and Tanya. “They’re going to have a tough time.”

“Paula’s already on it. We’ll make sure they’re supported,” he said. I ran my hands over his tense shoulders. Then I pressed a kiss to his head. With that conversation out of the way, Liam started to loosen up, and he flashed me a wicked grin. “Ireallythink you should join me in the water.”

“I don’t have a suit,” I teased.

“You’ve got a birthday suit,” he said. “Here, let me show you.” He popped the button on my shorts, looking up at me, waiting for me to stop him.

I didn’t, my body immediately reacting to his touch. God, I wanted Liam to eat me out right here on the edge of the pool. Judging by that look in his eye, he could give me my wish if I asked nicely.

He leaned forward and tugged the zipper of my shorts down with his teeth, darting his tongue out to lick along my lower belly. I shifted, lifting my hips enough to get the shorts down my legs, pulling themoff so they wouldn’t get in the way of Liam touching me. And he did, kissing me through my underwear.

I moaned, holding the back of his head.

He chuckled darkly. “Did you want something?”

“Just you,” I rasped. “Right there.”

Liam mouthed at me, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me to the edge of the pool. This was straight out of a fantasy. I felt like I was living in a reality that didn’t exist. I moaned again, louder, ready to tear my underwear off so he could touch me exactly the way I wanted to be touched when?—

Buzzzzz!

I vaguely recognized the sound of someone at the gate. If you didn’t have the code, you had to wait to be buzzed in.

“That’s the food,” Liam said, stopping.

Stopping?

“Food?” I muttered. What food? I didn’t need to eat. I needed Liam to eatme. He wasn’t actually going to stop, was he?

He laughed at the look on my face, then moved along the pool’s edge, lifting himself out of the water, his muscles rippling as the water sluiced off him.

I groaned, my head dropping back, my eyes focused on the sky. I was going to combust. Iwantedto combust. And this man wanted to meet the delivery driver?

“You should probably put your shorts back on,” he said.

My stomach flip-flopped. No. I wanted to leave them off. I wanted to take other things off. I wanted to lay spread out on that patio table while he fucked me senseless.

“Delivery driver’s waiting.”

Wait! He was makingmego get the food? I stood up, jaw hanging open as I stepped back into my shorts, pulling them up my legs. I was more offended by this than him giving Lyle the co-head writer position.

“This is very rude of you.”

Liam pecked me on the lips. “I can’t go out there dripping wet.”

I grumbled at him under my breath about how he didn’t seem to mind sendingmeout there dripping wet. He just laughed and smacked my ass as I passed.

In a huff, I marched down to the gate to gather the food. Liam had ordered Thai—and I had to admit, it smelled divine. When I returned, I left the bags on the large kitchen island, because the man was going to damn well finish what he’d started before I let him near the pad thai.