Page 216 of Between Secrets and Obsession

“She’s gonna look so goddamn sweet underneath me,” he continues in labored breaths. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed those perky nipple piercings.”

Standing and meeting his eyes, I grit my teeth and drive my fist in his gut. Over and over until I grab his throat and squeeze.

“You’re supposed to be my friend, you asshole.” I seethe, pushing my thumbs into his windpipe. “Talking about my girl like that makes you the biggest douchebag in the world.”

Tyler fights back, trying to loosen my grip, but the adrenaline pumping through my blood fuels my rage. I curse at him when he brings his knee up and drives it into my groin, making me drop to the ground.

He falls with me, sucking in air as he tries to catch his breath. I climb on top of him, throwing fists to his face, but he holds up his arms and blocks me. In one swift movement, he drives into my waist and flips me over, landing on my side. Tyler grabs my arm and pulls it behind my back as he pushes his knee into my ribs and other arm.

“Goddammit,” I hiss when he yanks my arm harder.

“You fuckin’ done?”

“Fuck you,” I spit.

Tyler releases me, then stands as he chuckles. I look up as he shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest. The asshole was purposely pissing me off.

“You’re ready.”

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

MADDIE

The last forty-eighthours I’ve been lost in my head about this damn fight. We’ve been counting down the days for weeks as Liam has trained and prepared, and now the day he leaves is here. Time flew by so quickly and honestly, I’m scared of what could possibly happen. Things never seem to go the way they’re supposed to, and while Tyler has explained to me several times how ready Liam is, it doesn’t make me feel any better about the situation. I understand the consequences, and it’s much more than him just getting his ass kicked.

Tonight, I can’t sleep. I’ve been tossing and turning, and eventually, I roll over and look at the time on my phone to see it’s just past three. I’ve laid here with my eyes closed, counted to one thousand backward, but nothing is helping me get my mind off Liam leaving in the morning.

We’ll say our goodbyes, and he'll get on that plane and not return to me. Just thinking about it nearly brings me to tears, but I try to hold it in, something I’ve gotten really good at doing. Liam knows I’m upset regardless of how much I’ve tried to stay strong. Our future is literally in his opponent’s hands, and the unknown of what could happen drives me insane.

Eventually, I drift off, but it seems like only an hour passes before I’m being woken up by Liam. He nuzzles into my neck, and I smile at the way his lips brush against my skin.

“Morning, baby,” he whispers, and I turn to face him. “I have to get ready to leave in a couple of hours.” His voice is strained and sad.

“Morning.” It doesn’t matter that my eyes are burning or that I’m exhausted, I get up too because I want to spend every minute I can with him before he leaves. After I brush my teeth and pull up my hair into a messy bun, I go into the kitchen where Liam is standing shirtless, filling up a mug with coffee. I lean against the counter and watch him, memorizing the way he looks right now. Glancing over, he catches me gawking and smirks. All the training he’s done the past few weeks has really done his body good.

After he takes a sip, he sets down the mug and walks over to me, then wraps his arms around my waist. I sink into his strong body, not wanting him to let me go, but our moment is interrupted when a throat clearing behind us grabs my attention. Turning around, I shoot daggers at Sophie.

“Coffee.” She points at the machine we’re blocking like she’s a caveman coming to claim hers.

I laugh, trying to ignore her. “I’m busy.”

Liam kisses my forehead, then we pull apart. Sophie goes to the fridge and grabs the creamer, pouring it into her cup. She releases a sigh and smiles after she takes a sip.

Tyler and Mason enter the kitchen, chatting about the upcoming events. It’s then I realize Liam’s and my morning alone is short-lived. I don’t know why the hell they’re all up so early anyway. It’s as if the smell of coffee brewing summoned them all.

Mason volunteers to cook breakfast, and I can’t help but obsess over the fact that we only have mere hours left. Time isslipping between my fingers and there’s nothing I can do about it. Feeling chilled, I grab a hoodie from my room, and as I’m walking into the kitchen, I overhear Tyler talking to Liam.

“After the fight, you’ll more than likely need to go to the hospital,” he tells him.

Liam asks why, and Tyler continues to explain that he’ll probably be messed up in some way and will need medical attention because he’s not going to walk away unscathed. Tyler says he’ll probably have broken ribs, black eyes, and be bruised. The visual my mind creates causes me to shiver with fear.

I sit next to Liam at the table, and the anxiety slowly takes over. It scares the shit out of me that something bad may happen, and he’ll return injured. As if he notices, he places his hand on my thigh and tries to calm me. Mason finishes cooking and sets a plate stacked full of French toast in the middle of the table along with a jar of Nutella and bananas. Sophie grabs the syrup and plates while I grab the silverware, then we all sit.

As we eat, I try to push my worries away, but it’s no use. My emotions are starting to bubble over. No one brings up the elephant in the room although we all know what’s coming.

Tyler and Liam will leave for Vegas, and no one knows what’s going to happen or when they’ll return. The air is thick as we chat about randomness. Once our plates are clear, we thank Mason for cooking, and although I offer to help clean up, Sophie says she’s got it. She gives me a small smile and tells me to go spend time with Liam instead.

Liam grabs my hand as we walk to the bedroom. After we’re inside, he shuts the door, then slams his lips against mine, kissing away all my thoughts. He cups my face, bracing us, and pours all his emotions into me. I wrap my arms around his bare waist and hold him as close as I can.