The morning sunlight slipped lazily through the hotel curtains,across the bed where Ariana lay,pretending to sleep.Liam’s warmth was beside her, his chest rising and falling in a slow, relaxed rhythm. His arm draped over her waist, anchoring her to him like she was something precious.But her mind wasn’t resting.It was calculating.The USB flash drive was tucked deep inside the zipped side pocket of her makeup pouch. She’d checked it three times before dawn. Still there. Still untouched.Still full of secrets.Secrets he didn’t know she knew.She felt him stir. His fingers brushed her waist gently as he stretched, groaning low under his breath. She quickly closed her eyes again, keeping her breathing calm.He turned to her, pressing a light kiss to her shoulder. “Good morning,” his voice was still thick with sleep.She turned her head slowly, eyes fluttering open. “Morning,” she whispered back, offering a faint smile.He studied her for a moment, then reached out and tucked a strand
The room was quiet.The kind of quiet that only came after a storm of passion,where bodies had crashed, hearts had bled open, and two souls had clung to each other like lifelines.Ariana lay still, her head on Liam’s bare chest, listening to the slow, steady beat of his heart. His arm wrapped around her, fingers moving in slow, lazy circles against her skin, tracing patterns only he understood.The air was thick with heat and the soft scent of sweat and skin.Liam’s breath was warm against her temple. “You okay?” he asked quietly, his voice hoarse from earlier whispers and groans that still echoed between the sheets.She nodded slowly, her fingers splayed across his chest. “Yeah.”He tilted his head to look down at her. “Did I hurt you?”“No,” she whispered. “It wasn’t like that. It was… it was good.”His lips curved slightly, but there was a seriousness in his eyes. “Just good?”She smirked. “Okay. Amazing. Are you happy now?”He chuckled softly, the sound rumbling beneath her cheek.
Liam didn’t speak. He didn’t have to.His arms wrapped around her like a shield, like a man afraid of losing something he wasn’t even sure he deserved. Her head was on his shoulder, her fingers laced with his, but the silence between them was thick with everything left unsaid.He turned his face into her hair, breathing her in like she was the only truth he trusted."I know you don’t trust me,” he murmured, voice low and rough. “But I’ll wait... fight... bleed, if I have to. Just don’t shut me out, Ari.”Ariana slowly tilted her head up to meet his eyes. Her heart ached with the weight of everything. But in that moment, her walls cracked,not for surrender, but for connection.She leaned in.And kissed him.At first, it was tender,like a thank you, like forgiveness inching its way in. But it deepened quickly. Her mouth opened to him. She tilted her head, pressing harder, hungrily. Desperate.Liam groaned against her lips, his hand moving to cup her jaw. His thumb brushed her cheekbone
Ariana was still holding the folder her name printed boldly across the last page when a soft knock startled her.She froze.Quickly, she shoved the file back under the couch, heart pounding.“Ariana?” Liam’s voice came from the other side of the door. Calm. Low. Familiar.Too familiar.She inhaled deeply, forcing her pulse to slow, and walked to the door. When she opened it, he was standing there, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a paper bag.“I got food,” he said, lifting it slightly. “But first, you should call your dad.”She blinked.“My dad?”“It’s been two days,” he said gently. “He’s probably wondering why you’ve gone quiet.”Her heart skipped.Two days.Two whole days of being drugged, chained, and nearly blown apart. And her father didn’t even know.She forced a smile and nodded. “Yeah. You’re right.”He stepped aside and let her move past him, toward the bed where she picked up her phone. Liam sat across from her, silent, letting her have this moment.She dialed.It
It was morning already,Ariana stirred, her body still sore, but no longer trembling. She blinked into the light and slowly turned to the side the chair beside her bed was empty.He wasn’t there.Of course not.He’d walked out last night to answer a suspicious call in hushed tones and hadn’t returned for nearly thirty minutes.But he came back.She closed her eyes for a second and replayed the look on his face when he turned and caught her peeking. That split second of panic. Guilt. That wasn't the look of a man making a regular call.The door creaked.She opened her eyes.Liam walked in, looking like he hadn’t slept at all. He wore a simple black tee and dark jeans, and his hair was tousled in that effortless way that made her stomach flutter, even when her head screamed danger.“Hey,” he said softly, walking to her side. “You’re up.”She gave him a sleepy smile. “Barely. What time is it?”“Just past seven.” He held out a cup. “Tea. Herbal. Nothing too strong.”Her fingers brushed his
The car ride was silent.Ariana curled in the back seat,while Liam drove her body wrapped in his jacket, her mind still spinning from the events of the night. The smell of smoke clung to his skin. Her skin. Her soul. Her body ached in places she couldn’t explain, and her heart hadn’t stopped racing since the moment that man called Liam, Logan.He hadn't said a word since they left the underground building.Neither had she.He drove her straight to the private hospital he trusted, somewhere away from the city noise,clean, white walls, silence, safety.An hour later, she was lying on a firm hospital bed in a private suite. A drip fed into her vein, and the sting of disinfectant still clung to the cuts and burns on her body. She was cleaned up, bandaged, examined. The doctors said she was lucky — no major injuries, just exhaustion, minor bruises, and psychological trauma.Liam sat beside her.Elbows on his knees, hands locked together, his jaw tight like he was biting back a thousand thi