Goose bumps scatter on my skin.
Or does he have filthy dreams?
Dreams … of me?
I don’t know what possesses me to get this close.
But a part of me wonders if there could’ve ever been something more.
If the Liam I knew is still in there, somewhere.
Because why else would he sleep here on this chair instead of in the bed with me?
Especially now that he’s got me where he wants me. Now that I’ve sacrificed my own freedom to keep my sister alive.
I swallow hard and let my eyes travel over his body. He’s taken off his shirt halfway through his sleep, allowing me to look at all the intricate details of his tattoos. He didn’t have these before he got into the car accident … before the almost drowning.
And it makes me wonder if he got them because of it.
Because there’s a drawing of a car on his arm and an ocean beneath it.
I look at his marred face, my hand instinctively reaching up to touch him.
The accident hit him harder than I anticipated. Harder than anything I could ever imagine going through. No wonder it’s gotten him so fucked up.
Suddenly, his eyes burst open and instantly connect with mine.
He quickly grasps my hand just before I touch his face.
I gasp in shock and jerk my hand away so fast I fall on my ass right next to the fire.
He sits up straight and looks down at me from his leathery throne. “Jas … You didn’t think I was asleep, did you?”
My eyes widen. “But you—”
A filthy smirk spreads on his face. “I know how to lay low.”
My nostrils flare. Guess he caught me being a creepy stalker. Fuck.
He gets up, shoulders broadening like a beast awakened.
“What were you doing?” he asks.
“Nothing,” I say, maybe a little too quickly.
He approaches me, each footstep resounding through the wooden walls of this small cabin. I cower into the corner with my eyes closed, wishing I never crawled out of bed because I don’t know what he plans to do with me … but it can’t be good.
But when I open my eyes again, all I see is a hand stretched out to meet me, along with a warm smile on his face.
Chapter 20
Liam
* * *
She seems shocked I’d even offer her a hand.
Maybe I’m a monster, but monsters can be kind too.