The Virgin Next Door (Stud Ranch 3)

“How do you know?”

She threw her hands in the air and shrugged. “I don’t know. They showed that movie, Irish Spring, the one that won all those awards, in the world cinema class I took in college. It was my favorite elective.”

Liam took another step back from her and raked a hand through his hair.

Calla didn’t know why he was so freaked out, but she kept going. “When I saw you at the bar last year, I thought you looked familiar. The more I thought about it, I finally realized who you reminded me of. Your mom. You look so much like her. When I googled her, I saw a picture of you two. You must have been a teenager when it was taken.” She smiled and lifted a hand toward him. “You had the most adorable floppy hair—”

“Stop!” he yelled. Calla flinched and her eyes flew open as he wrenched away. “What? I—”

“You fucking knew who I was? This whole time?” He looked at her and it was like his eyes were pleading for her to say no. But she wasn’t going to lie about something so silly.

“Yeah. I’ve known the whole time.” She shook her head. “I didn’t realize—” She felt completely bewildered. “Is it some big secret?”

“Yes,” he shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. “You’ve known,” he whispered, more like he was talking to himself than to her. “You’ve known all along.”

“That first time we had sex in the shower, you knew.” His eyes flashed and he shoved an accusatory finger in her face. “You lied,” he said. “You couldn’t believe what had just happened because, and I quote, you’re you. I asked you what you meant and you made up some bullshit about liking me laugh.”

Calla’s mouth dropped open. “It wasn’t your laugh. I said I like how you made other people laugh.”

“Bullshit,” he accused. “You saw me and thought, here’s me chance to cash in. Or at least get your fifteen minutes. Did you call the paparazzi in today?”

“I— Wha—” Each word cut off sharply and she finally threw her hands out in frustration. “I saw you and looked you up and thought: Huh, a celebrity. In Hawthorne. How cool. That was it. My entire thought process at the time.”

Liam shook his head. “You’re such a fucking liar.”

She sputtered but he continued, “You just happened to come work for Xavier when you went broke? Remembered how that billionaire you’d been stalking worked there and thought, huh, here’s me meal ticket!”

“How can you even—” She sputtered. “You were the one who approached me. I’d never even—”

“You know,” he cut her off, his face cruel, “let’s just fast-forward this little scene to the end. I’m sure as a fan of cinema, you’ll appreciate that. Come Sunday, I’m outta here.”

“Well good riddance!” Calla yelled back, her cheeks hot. “To you and Mack both.” It took everything she had not to put her hands to her stomach. God, she couldn’t imagine the things he’d accuse her of if she told him about the baby. She backed up out from underneath the stands.

“Anyone who doesn’t know me after sleeping with me for three months isn’t someone I could ever really care for.”

Liam scoffed. “As if you care for anything other than me bank balance.”

“You…” Calla reached down and grabbed a clod of dirt from the ground and hurled it his direction. He barely dodged it, but then he started clapping.

“Bravo. This really is the performance of the decade. Ma would be so proud. Too bad you’ll never get to rifle through her things. Or get anywhere near me billions.”

Calla’s entire body shook with rage. But then her shoulders slumped. She turned to walk away, not wanting Liam to see the power he had to hurt her. But no. Screw that. He thought he could just go around and carelessly shit on the people who lo—

She cut the thought off even as it formed. God, was it true? Did she love this selfish bastard?

The pain was almost enough to crack her in two.

“I let you in.” She hit her chest with her palm. “You and Mack. I let you both in. Like I never had anyone before. And then you both broke my h—” She stopped when she realized Liam wasn’t looking at her but had his face stubbornly set to the side.

“Goddamn you, Liam O’Neill.”

With that, she spun on her heel and strode back toward Painter. More determined than ever to win the prize money and be able to have control over her own future without ever depending on anyone else ever again.

32

BETHANY

Bethany thought the little bitch would never leave her damn horse alone for a single minute. But then Liam came by and of course Cal chased off after him like a dog in heat.