جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

Liam's POV Breakfast with Ivy had left me wrecked.The way she laughed, really laughed, it was not that polite social smile she always gave the cameras, it kept replaying in my head like some broken record. I had said something stupid under my breath, and she cracked. She tilted her head back and laughed, soft and real, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe.That laugh should’ve belonged to me years ago. Instead, I had buried it under humiliation and stupid teenage pride.And now, every time she looked at me, all I could think was; Don’t screw this up again.Breakfast should’ve been the turning point between us.I had swallowed my pride, I told her things I had never admitted out loud in years. The apology wasn’t perfect, hell, it was awkward as sin. But it was real. And for one small moment, I actually thought she believed me.But Ivy Monroe will never let her walls crumble that easily.So now here we were, stuck in front of cameras for another magazine shoot, and she wouldn’t

Liam's POV My office was very silent. A little too silent in fact. Normally, I thrived in the quiet. But today, it just left room for thinking about one thing....... her. And that kiss. It kept replaying in my head like a song I couldn’t shut off. The way she froze, then melted in my arms, even if it was just for a second. The way she looked at me after, like she wasn't sure if she wanted to slap me or kiss me again. I already replayed it more times than I cared to admit. It was supposed to mean nothing, like she said. It should have been just heat, just a mistake. But Ivy Monroe had kissed me back. She could deny it all she wanted, bury it under that ice-queen act of hers, but I knew it. I felt it. I leaned back in my chair sighing as I dragged a hand through my hair. What the hell was this woman doing to me? The sudden sharp click of heels coming from behind my door pulled me out of my reverie. The door swung open without a knock. Bianca Winters. Again. Of course. She s

Ivy's POV The waves were louder at night, crashing against the sand like they were keeping score. I had slipped out here for air, my heels dangling from my hand, toes sinking into the cool sand. And for a moment, it was just me, the ocean, and silence. But of course, silence never lasted wherever Liam Calloway was. "Running away already?" His voice came from behind me, sounding smooth and infuriatingly calm. I turned, and there he was, with his shirt sleeves rolled up, his hair mussed by the wind, he was barefoot looking like he owned the whole damn beach. He looked too casual, too easy.... too him. "I needed space," I said, turning back to continue staring at the horizon. He stopped beside me anyway, close enough that his shoulder brushed mine. I could feel heat bleeding through the thin fabric of my robe. "You really hate me that much?" he asked quietly. The words knocked me off balance. Not because of what he said, but how he said it. There was no smug grin, no tau

Ivy's POV The first thing I noticed as I woke up was the fact that I was leaning on a hard surface. And it was not just a hard surface, it was a warm, comfortable and solid one. My heart slammed against my ribs as I opened my eyes. My cheek was on Liam’s chest. His arm was wrapped around my waist like it has always belonged there. I looked up and saw that my side of the bed was still neat. Shit. I was the one who drew boundaries last night, yet I was the one who’d rolled over. I had gone over to his side. My stomach flipped and carefully, I lifted his arm, slow like I was handling glass, and slid out of bed. My toes hit the carpet. And I hated how aware I was of the fact that the carpet was cold compared to him. I chanted in my head. Don’t think, don’t look. Just move. I finally made it to the bathroom and instantly locked myself in there. One look in the mirror and I almost groaned. My hair was a mess, my cheeks still pink. I looked guilty, like someone who had

Ivy's POV I sat stiffly at the little dining table in our suite, my untouched glass of wine glinting in the low light. The night outside was velvet dark, I was lost in my head while staring at the pool below that was still shimmering from where we had been earlier. I should’ve been unwinding, I should already feel relaxed from the swim. Instead, my chest felt tight, and my thoughts louder that ever. God, I hate this. I hate the way Liam’s words keeps replaying in my head, the way his laugh from earlier in the pool stuck like a thorn I can't ignore. And worst of all, I hate the heat that is curling in my stomach whenever I catch myself remembering the way he had looked at me earlier, like I wasn’t the "Plain Ivy" he once mocked. Like I was something else entirely. I really wanted to forgive him, to forget all about that damn nickname, but it was hard to let go of a grudge I had kept for so many years. The bathroom door clicked open. My head snapped up just as Liam walked o