Page 48 of Sinfully Yours

She drops onto the couch beside me, one knee tucked under her. "What?"

I lift the glass slightly, like changing the angle might somehow reveal a hidden shot of bourbon. "Chamomile tea."

Her expression stays infuriatingly neutral. "It's supposed to be calming."

I scoff, eyeing the mug like it personally offends me. "I just admitted that my ex nearly destroyed me, and your response is tea?"

"Do you want me to spike it with something?"

I take the mug with a muttered curse and bring it to my lips. The first sip is warm, slightly sweet, and entirely unhelpful. I lower it, leveling her with a look. "I hate this."

Ava curls up on the opposite end of the couch. "I know."

I take another sip, despite myself.

Ava watches me carefully, her fingers tracing the seam of a pillow. "She really hurt you."

It's not a question.

I swallow hard, setting the mug down. "Yeah."

She nods slightly. "I'm sorry."

I don't know what to do with that. With the quiet way she says it, like she actually means it. Like she's trying to understand the parts of me I don't want her to see.

So I do the only thing I know how to do.

I deflect.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

Ava snorts through her nose, a half-laugh that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "No."

I cast a sideways glance at her, letting my gaze trace the sharp determination in her expression, the way she sits—poised, unshaken, despite everything.

And that's when it really hits me.

I could lose her.

Vanessa isn't just playing games. She's warning Ava, circling her like prey, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And I know—God, I know—that if I don't put a stop to this, it won't end here.

Because Vanessa doesn't forgive.

And she sure as hell doesn't forget.

I shift forward, setting my elbows on my knees, trying to ignore the way my chest tightens at the thought of Ava being dragged into this any more than she already is.

She notices.

Her voice is softer when she speaks. "Liam."

I glance up. And for the second time tonight, I realize I'm completely gone.

Because she's not just under my skin anymore.

She's in my blood.

I let something slip tonight. I let her see me break—just for a second. I gave her pieces of the truth, laid them bare between us, and now she's looking at me like she wants to pick them up and put them back together.

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