Liam left that morning with one last kiss and a promise that tasted too sweet to doubt.I'll call the second I land, he’d said, pulling me into his chest like I was the only thing tethering him to earth.“I hate that I have to leave right now,” he murmured against my hair. “But I need to fix this deal myself. It will only be a few days.”My fingers brushed his collar as I looked up. “You telling me the big boss couldn’t pull a few strings and skip it?”He grinned, kissed me again, longer this time. “Text me everything. What you eat, what you wear, what you miss. Especially what you miss.”“So basically... you want to stalk me through your phone.”“Exactly.”Then he was gone. A blur of cologne, lingering warmth, and an unspoken goodbye. The house–once filled with laughter, inside jokes, and tangled sheets, felt too quiet. Too hollow. Too much like it did before him.But we kept pace.He texted like clockwork. I sent him pictures of my breakfast and outfits he’d once half-undressed me f
The first delivery arrived just after noon.I was still in Liam’s house robe, flipping through TV channels like a bored house cat, when the doorbell rang. The housekeeper handed me a sleek, matte black package with my name etched in silver cursive across the top.Inside the box? A crimson dress–silk, scandalous, sculpted like a second skin. My breath hitched as I lifted it from the folds. It was unapologetically sensual, unmistakably expensive. Liam Black didn’t just pick a dress. He commissioned temptation itself.Tucked inside was a single note:“Dinner. 8 PM. Wear this.”I shook my head, already smiling like a fool. I should’ve known he wasn’t done making statements.Then came the second delivery.This time, a bouquet of red roses so deep in color they looked almost black under the light. The scent was intoxicating, wild. My phone buzzed just as I pressed the petals to my nose.Liam: Hope you’re not making other plans, sweetheart. I’ll be claiming all of your evening.I laughed, bi
Jay and I ended up at a sleek rooftop restaurant, velvet-lined booths, soft jazz threading through the air, and a view of the skyline framed like a painting.The kind of place where celebrities could breathe, eat medium-rare steak, and not worry about paparazzi lurking behind wine glasses. Jay said I needed this. A real meal. A moment to feel normal again. And maybe, he was right.Lunch started off light. We talked about music, travel, a dream he had where he accidentally officiated a wedding between two cats. He made me laugh, the kind of laugh that started in your chest and shook loose all the tension you didn’t realize you were carrying."You good?" Jay asked, swirling the straw in his mocktail. "Like actually good?"I nodded. "I think so. Just... adjusting.""Yeah," he said. "You didn’t exactly sign up for all this. But welcome to the circus."My phone buzzed on the table. I reached for it absentmindedly, expecting another meme from Sophia or Liam sending a naughty text. But inste
The grin on Liam's face didn’t fade the entire morning. It stretched from cheek to cheek like he’d won some silent victory, and even as we sat at the breakfast table, he kept flashing me smug little looks over his coffee mug."You know that look is annoying, right?" I said, reaching for my phone beside the toast.He didn’t respond, just grinned wider.My phone buzzed with yet another notification. I tapped it and my mouth dropped."Oh my God."Liam raised a brow. "What now?"I held up my screen. "I gained over two hundred thousand followers overnight. I’m at nine hundred and forty-something thousand now."He leaned in to look. "Huh. Almost a million. LA's new It Girl.""Stop," I said, laughing and trying not to let the nerves creep in. "This is crazy. People are saying maybe I left Mason's tour because my jealous billionaire boyfriend called me home. Others think I staged it for PR."Liam smirked. "They're not entirely wrong."I nudged his arm. "Liam."He chuckled and popped a piece o
The air inside the venue hadn’t cooled since the kiss. If anything, the heat had only grown thicker. Liam Black, the man known for calculated glances and cold detachment, had become someone else entirely tonight. Someone... touchy.He didn’t let go of my hand. Not even once.He whispered into my ear between tech presentations, his breath grazing my neck, making it nearly impossible to focus on anything but him. During speeches, he leaned over to murmur jokes only I could hear. Stolen kisses landed on my temple, my jawline, the corner of my mouth.Liam Black had entered full PDA mode, and judging by the stunned glances we were getting, no one had seen it coming.Not the press. Not the attendees. Not even me.By the time the event wrapped up, I could barely remember half the speeches or tech presentations. All I remembered was Liam’s presence at my side, the comfort of his touch, the way he kept claiming me without words.Back at the car, I thought we were heading home. My heels were re
The soft crackle of oil in the pan was the only sound in the kitchen as I carefully flipped the eggs. The smell of toast drifted up, mixing with the faint aroma of coffee.I wasn’t about to risk another surprise breakfast-in-bed from Liam. One look at his burnt pancakes last week had been enough. Kindness shouldn’t be put to the test like that.And after last night’s... marathon, I needed something hearty to survive the day. My body ached in all the best ways, but I wasn’t trying to tempt fate on an empty stomach. Coffee was non-negotiable, and anything remotely greasy suddenly felt like a love language.Sophia padded in a few minutes later, barefoot, wearing black oversized shirt. She looked unusually serious, eyes glued to her phone as she slid onto the kitchen island stool without a word."Good morning," I said.She blinked once, distracted. "Hey."Silence stretched. I served the eggs, then poured us both orange juice. She still hadn’t looked up."Everything okay?"Another pause. T