Chapter 5

Liam

I remember everything. Like how the day had smelled like rain and the air smelled like tobacco when my father called to tell me he wanted to remarry. A decision I never expected after his divorce two decades ago. When he first told me, I thought she was just another gold digger looking for a way to bleed him dry.

"She is only after your money, dad!" I would constantly say.

But he went ahead and organised the engagement party anyway. So I met her once, Triana Robert. And I knew instantly that her daughter was Liana Robert. The one I always bullied in high school.

Hell no! I was going to stop this in any way that I could. Liana was a pathetic student back then, and I was more than certain she wouldn't be any different now. Just intimidate her and she will convince her mom to leave my family the hell alone.

That was my plan. Until she walked into the Engagement party, looking like a goddess. Her hair was styled longer and silkier, framing her face in a way that made her lips look fuller and her cheekbones sharper. The dress hugged every fucking curve she had grown into since high school, dipping low enough in the back to show the delicate line of her spine, swaying with every step like she knew exactly what it did to the room. To me.

I clenched my drink so hard the glass threatened to crack. She wasn’t the trembling girl I remembered. The way she held her chin up, the flick of her wrist as she adjusted her shawl was all different. And then she turned, catching my stare.

I approached, intending to cut her down with words, but she beat me to it.

That night, I didn’t sleep. Not after my father announced we’d share the mansion for a month " to bond as siblings." What a joke that was. Because every time she passed me in the hall, every time she leaned over the sink, water gliding down her wrists as she washed dishes, my hands itched to mark her skin, to see if she’d still sound so smug when my name wasn’t the only thing leaving her lips.

Her nipples tight and hard as lies escaped her mouth, "I don't want this."

Yeah, right. She could keep telling herself that lie but I knew it was only a matter of time before she broke and I would hear her moan my name like a prayer.

What the hell is wrong with me? I thought. Liana Roberts? The same girl everyone bullied in high school for looking scrawny and being the bottom of the chain in school? Now she is all I can think about? I scoffed at myself, running a hand through my damp hair. Maybe I just needed to get laid. That had to be it. It had been weeks, months, even, since I’d had anyone in my bed, and the frustration was clouding my judgment. That was the only logical explanation for why my mind kept circling back to her.  

The sharp rap on my door interrupted my thoughts. A maid slipped inside, setting down a small bag on the bed. 

"Miss Liana’s belongings were asked to be brought here," she murmured before disappearing. 

I glared at the bag. Of course. The universe was determined to throw her in my path. Fine. I’d handle this with maturity. I’d call her here, tell her to take her shit and find another room, preferably on the opposite side of the mansion, and that would be the end of it.  

I strode into the bathroom, turning the shower as hot as it would go, hoping the scalding water would wash away the images of Liana bending over the sink, water dripping down her collarbone. But no amount of heat could erase the way her hips had swayed earlier, or the way her mouth had curved into that infuriating smirk when she’d countered my verbal jab at the party. By the time I stepped out, skin flushed and muscles tense, my irritation had only grown.  

I grabbed a towel, barely securing it around my waist as I yanked the door open, only to collide with something warm and soft. The scent of lavender hit me a second before I registered Liana stumbling back, her towel far too small and loose, slipping dangerously as she lost her balance. 

Instinct kicked in. I twisted, taking the brunt of the fall, my back hitting the hardwood as she landed on top of me. For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. Her breath came fast, her chest rising against mine, her lips parted in shock. My gaze dropped. The towel had slipped further, revealing the soft swell of her breasts, nipples peaked against the damp fabric. Fuck. The heat of her skin seared through me, and I felt myself harden beneath the towel still barely clinging to my hips.  

Her eyes widened as she felt it, her breath hitching. Then she scrambled up like I’d burned her, but I was faster. My hand shot out, fingers wrapping around her wrist as I pulled her back down, pinning her beneath me. 

“Did you do this on purpose?” I growled, the words rough against her ear. 

Liana’s breath hitched, her pulse fluttering beneath my fingers. “No, Tim told me to pick the first room in the A wing,” she insisted, her voice trembling.  

I chuckled, low and humorless. “The A wing is on the opposite side of the mansion, sweetheart. This is my room.” Her eyes widened, lips parting in a gasp that sent a fresh surge of heat straight to my cock. I pressed closer, letting her feel the hard length of me against her thigh. “Still going to pretend this was an accident?”  

My hand slid down her side, tracing the dip of her waist, then lower over the curve of her hip, the softness of her inner thigh. She shuddered, but didn’t pull away. “Liam,” she breathed, her voice strained. “We’re supposed to be...”  

“Step-siblings?” I finished for her, my fingers brushing higher and teasing the damp heat between her legs. “Then why are you this wet for me?” I dragged my thumb over her clit, slow, deliberate, and she arched against me, biting her lip to stifle a moan.  

Her body betrayed her, hips lifting into my touch even as she shook her head. “Stop...”  

“Stop pretending,” I murmured, dragging my lips along her throat. “You’ve always been mine. High school, now, it doesn’t matter.” My fingers pressed deeper, and she gasped, her nails digging into my shoulders. “You’ll always come apart for me.”  

I pulled away abruptly, leaving her panting and flushed, her thighs trembling. As I stood, I towered over her, watching as she scrambled to her feet, clutching the towel to her chest. Her lips were swollen, her eyes dark with desire and frustration.  

“Get out,” I said, turning my back before I could change my mind. The door slammed behind her, but the scent of her lingered, taunting me.