“I swear to God,” she said, “if you have plans to kidnap me, you need to rethink right now, because you are going to regret it.”
Liam laughed as he opened the passenger door.
“Noted.” And then he helped her into the seat, one hand on her arm and the other cupped gently above her head to protect her from the door frame.
She slid onto the leather seat.
The interior smelled like him.
Everything smelled like him.
Then Liam leaned in.
Her breath caught in her throat.
His face was inches from hers, close enough that she could see the flecks of gold in his eyes, the tiny scar above his left eyebrow, and the way his mouth curved slightly at the corner.
His hand reached across her body for the seatbelt; the movement brought his chest close to hers, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off him and the steady rhythm of his breathing.
Her cheeks burned.
Her heart hammered against her ribs.
“I’m not a child,” she managed, her voice coming out tight and strained.
“I can fix a belt.”
Liam didn’t move.
He didn’t speak.
He just looked at her.
The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.
“What?” she finally asked.
His mouth curved into a smile again.
“You look cute when you’re angry.”
The words landed softly.
Intimately.
Against every instinct, against every part of her that wanted to shove him away and scream, Isla felt the heat crawl up her neck and flood her face.
She was blushing.
Blushing
She could feel it.
She wanted to die.
She wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole.
Liam pulled back slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.
Then he shut the door.
He moved around the front of the car and slid into the driver’s seat.
The engine turned on, and he pulled away from the curb without another word.
Isla stared straight ahead at the dashboard.
Her heart was pounding.
The leather creaked beneath her as she shifted in her seat.
She clenched her hands in her lap and refused to look at him.
“This is a one-time thing,” she said.
Her voice was almost steady. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Don’t try to make it a routine.”
Liam was quiet for a long moment.
“Do you hate being in the same space as me that much?” He asked.
“Yes.”
The word came out too fast.
Too sharp.
It hung in the air between them like something ugly.
They looked at each other.
Just for a second.
Then she turned toward the window.
“Too bad,” he said quietly.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“We’re going to have to spend the next few days becoming familiar. For the shoot.”
Isla’s head snapped toward him.
“You seem excited about that. Even though you said you didn’t orchestrate it.”
“Would it be a crime to say yes?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“So you did orchestrate us doing the shoot together.”
“No.” He shook his head, and there was something almost genuine in the way he said it.
“I didn’t orchestrate that. Honestly. I was surprised they picked you.” He paused, his thumb tapping once against the steering wheel.
“But yes to wanting to be in the same space as you.”
She stared at him.
The words didn’t make sense.
He didn’t make sense.
Isla snorted.
“What, are you collecting enemies now? Building a harem of people who can’t stand you? Is that your thing?”
Liam laughed.
A real laugh, full and warm, the kind that crinkled the corners of his eyes and made him look even younger.
“Something like that.”
“Ridiculous.”
“Relax,” he said.
“Just relax.”
The silence that followed was different.
Less hostile.
Several minutes passed.
The campus gates appeared in the distance, the stone pillars lit up with security lights.
“You know what? Let us call a truce,” Liam said suddenly.
“What?”
“Just…temporarily. For the shoot. It’s exhausting, fighting with you all the time.”
Isla blinked at him.
“I’m not interested.”
“What do you want, then?”
She didn’t bat an eye.
“I already told you. Stay away from me. I hate the attention that comes with being around you.”
His fingers tightened on the steering wheel.
Just once.
A quick, reflective grip that made his knuckles go white before he relaxed them again.
Finger by finger.
He looked at her briefly, long enough for her to see something shift behind his eyes, something she couldn’t read, and then his gaze returned to the road.
Liam didn’t say anything else.
Neither did she.
The rest of the drive was silent.
Not the comfortable kind.
The kind that sat between them like a wall, cold and unyielding.
Liam pulled up to the dorm entrance and put the car in park, the engine still humming.
Isla reached for the door handle.
“Thanks,” she said, and stepped out before he could respond.
She shut the door and turned toward the building.
She could see the security guard inside, half-asleep at his desk.
Behind her, the engine revved.
She didn’t turn around.
Just kept walking.
The car roared away before she reached the doors, tires squealing against the pavement.
When she finally did look back, the only thing left was the fading glow of taillights disappearing around the corner and swallowed by the dark.
Isla stood there for a moment, the wind pulling at her hair.
She thought about the way Liam’s hands had tightened on the steering wheel, the way he had gone quiet after her answer, and the way he had looked at her just for a second as if she had hurt him.
Hurt
“Hurt?” She scoffed.
“Liam and that words don’t fit in the same sentence. He is the Star QB. Campus king. He doesn’t get hurt.” She told herself firmly.
But the thought followed her inside up the stairs, down the hall, and into her room.
It followed her into bed, sat on her chest, and stared right at her until she was almost asleep.
Isla wondered if she hadn’t been harsh on him for no reason.
She pulled the pillow over her head.
“Get out of my head.” She groaned.
Jonna mumbled something in her sleep that Isla couldn’t make out.