Page 28 of The CEO I Hate (The Lockhart Brothers #1)

He blew out a breath and from the look in his eyes, he was reliving some of it.

“Other days, she’d start crying and nothing could make her stop for hours on end.

It made me feel so helpless. I was the oldest, the one my brothers expected to have all the answers, but I didn’t know how to fix her.

I didn’t know why some days, she’d be okay, and other days, she’d fall apart or check out completely.

I couldn’t figure out why us loving her wasn’t enough to make up for the fact that Dad was gone. ”

A thousand questions spiraled through my mind, but I kept quiet. I didn’t want to spook Liam when he was sharing something so deeply personal.

“Sooner or later, I grew up enough to understand it’s a lot more complicated than that.

But part of me will always feel like a failure when I can’t fix things, and it’s because of my mom that I feel that way.

I love her and I know she loves me, but that part of my childhood has left scars that’ll never fully fade.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that loving your family doesn’t mean being okay with everything they do.

And them loving you doesn’t excuse every choice they make. ”

I smiled softly at him. “Can I just take you back inside? You can start the speech over again for my parents. Maybe they’ll listen to you , even if they never do to me.”

He chuckled. “Parents are difficult. I know. And I also know you hated every minute of tonight, as you should have. But if it helps, I really do think that—in their own misguided way—they just want to know you’re okay. That you’ll be taken care of.”

“And I’ll appreciate that one day,” I grumbled. “Until then, I just want to go home and forget all about mortician Bill.”

Liam started the car. “I have a better idea.”

“What is this place?” I asked as Liam and I walked up to a nondescript brick building in downtown LA.

“You’ll see,” he said, nodding to the doorman who admitted us into a dimly lit venue that smelled of aged wood and smoky bourbon. The soulful sound of a guitar drifted across the darkened space as Liam led me over to a cozy booth, just big enough for two. Blue Dawn was printed on the coasters.

“A blues club?” I said, surprised. “You don’t strike me as a blues guy.”

“I contain multitudes,” he murmured softly in my ear, making me shiver. To try to collect myself, I focused on the performer stepping onto the low-lying stage accompanied by a couple of musicians. Her voice was rich and soothing, and my shoulders dropped as my tension relaxed.

Liam ordered us a round of drinks, and after the song ended, I clapped enthusiastically.

The woman signaled to her guitarist, and a new song started.

As she stepped back up to the mic, “I Put a Spell on You” echoed across the club.

It was slower and more sensual than the last time I’d heard it—at the Scarlet Parlor—and all I could think about was the moment I’d slid onto Liam’s lap and felt his heat and strength pressed up against me. The memory made me shiver. Again .

Liam held his hand out to me. “We should dance. ”

“Should we?” I glanced at the floor where a few couples swayed, tucked together so tightly it made my face flush.

He nodded, pulling me to my feet and leading me out to the floor. My heart picked up its pace as he put a hand on my hip, tugging me against his chest. I let out a shallow gasp. When I woke up tomorrow and realized this was all a dream…Well, it was really going to suck.

“I used to think slow dancing was overrated,” I said as we turned in a slow circle.

“And now?”

“I’ll keep you posted.”

He smirked, his brown eyes reflecting with bits of gold from the stage lighting.

I could feel his heart beating, strong and steady, where my forearm pressed against his chest. In his arms, the rest of the world melted away.

There was no one else, no responsibilities knocking at our door.

There was simply the two of us, giving in to the pull between us I’d felt for so many years.

As the song wound down, my hand tightened against his shoulder, already braced for the moment he’d pull away.

I didn’t want this moment to end. But it did, the singer’s last notes fading out into silence.

I wanted to catch them in my hand, hold Liam with me a little longer, but he shifted.

To my shock, instead of pulling away, he moved toward me.

Though I watched it happen in real time, it still surprised me when his lips met mine in a kiss.

I made a soft sound in the back of my throat, closing my eyes as I kissed him back.

His breath was spiced from the liquor, his hands warm as they tightened around my waist. He kissed me like he couldn’t imagine ever doing anything else, and when it ended, I held my breath, waiting to see if he’d turn and abandon me, like he always had before. But this time…

“Do you want me to take you home,” he asked, his voice a throaty rasp, “or…”

“Or?” I asked, almost breathless.

“Or…do you want to come back to my place?”

It was like fireworks had exploded in my head. “Your place,” I answered. “Definitely your place.”