I study his face, contemplating walking away because I’m so frustrated. Instead, he grabs my hand and pops a brow, looking cute as hell. I’m weak because when he gives me that look, it’s impossible for me to stay mad at him. When I shrug, not wanting to give in right away, the corner of his lips tilts up in a smirk. “Are you hungry? I can make you something. Or we can order food.”
I suck in a deep breath, then nod. “You know the way to my heart, don’t you?”
He grins. His hands fall back to his side, and it seems as if I got through to him, for now.
“How about pizza and a movie? I’ll even let you pick one of your girly rom-coms.”
“Now you’re just trying to bribe me,” I tell him matter-of-factly, shaking my head at how easy it is to let him back in.
Liam chuckles. “Is it working?”
“I guess. But I’m gonna find a super cheesy over-the-top romance just to make you suffer.” I plop down on the couch and search through Netflix. I don’t bring up the Mercedes or his trip out of town for the rest of the night, though my curiosity nearly eats me alive. Even though he’s sitting as far away from me as he possibly can, at least he’s not acting like a dickhead. But regardless, it’s hard not to take it personally when he lashes out at me.
It’s been almost two weeks since Liam bought that luxury vehicle. He still hasn’t admitted how he can afford it or where it came from, regardless of how much we’ve pestered him about it. We’ve all silently agreed just to let him be because he’s like a vault. He’s not budging, and we don’t want everyone tense around each other.
The school year has finally come to an end, and I had to return to my on-campus apartment to make sure I didn’t leave anything behind before turning in my keys. While I’ve been living at Mason and Liam’s house since the end of November, I decided a few months ago to move in permanently. It feels too much like home to leave.
As I’m folding a pair of shorts, there’s a knock on my door. I tell whoever it is to come in, and Sophie enters with a smile. “What are your plans this afternoon?”
I turn and look at the huge-ass pile of laundry on my bed, then back at her. “Dunno, thought I’d maybe bury myself in these clothes.”
“And Liam’s clothes,” she adds, walking over and sitting on the bed next to me. She pulls a pair of his boxers out of my basket.
Scoffing, I dig through my gigantic pile and notice he’s mixed his clothes with mine again. “That bastard!”
“I think he needs his ass kicked for that.” She chuckles, grabbing one of his T-shirts.
“Agreed,” I say, separating his stuff from mine. “Has he said anything to you, Soph? Mentioned anything about Vegas or gambling?”
Immediately, she shakes her head. “No. I thought maybe he gave you a little hint or something.”
“Nope. Not a damn peep. Mason heard anything?” If anyone knows, hopefully, it’d be his best friend.
“Mason has no idea. We’ll get to the bottom of it. The Corrigan sisters have a mystery to solve,” she says with a smile and crosses her legs. I snicker, knowing just how relentless Sophie can be. “So what are your plans this summer?”
“Getting Liam to finally admit he’s madly in love with me, pierce my nipples, and save up for a car,” I say with a smirk.
“Madelyn!” She laughs at me, grabbing socks and pairing them.
“What? Well, I’ve done one of those things already…” I lower my gaze because she’s about to scold me.
“You. Did. Not.”
Bringing my eyes to hers, I shrug and smile. “Wanna see?”
Sophie laughs, shaking her head at me. “Surprised I can’t see them through your tops now.”
“Well, I’m wearing padding so they can heal. They said it can take six months for some, but others say only a month, so I’m hoping it’s the latter.” I got them done after my recital, and they’re healing fairly quickly.
“Why? So you can flaunt them around Liam?”
“Obviously.” I snort. “One of these days he’ll crack,” I joke.
“Alright, so you’ve done one out of three so far,” Sophie says. “You want to buy a car?”
“Yeah, I can’t rely on you guys all the time, so I might start teaching more classes to earn some extra money,” I admit, hating that I have to bum a ride anytime I need to go somewhere. It’s almost as bad as living back in Utah and having my parents take me everywhere. “The owner told me they were looking for someone to teach the extra baby ballet and tap dance classes over the summer when I mentioned possibly searching for another job. I might take her up on it. Or sell my V-card for a ton of money instead.” I get up and grab some hangers from the closet, then hand some to Sophie.