Page 53 of Hired By the Enemy
Wrapped up in him physically because his arms circle me, and even for the fast songs, we stay pressed against each other.
Wrapped up in him emotionally because I can’t look away from his face, trying to catalog his expressions and work out what he’s thinking.
Am I the only one feeling this way? Wondering how the hell we went from being lifelong enemies to this place where the idea of being apart from him is ripping at something inside me?
“Gee, Matthew, dancing really isn’t your thing, is it?” Paul taunts as he swings by. I immediately tense.
“Lucky he has me here to make him look good,” Liam says smoothly.
“Yes, you definitely make him look good,” Paul replies.
Liam waits until Paul is out of earshot before he leans down and murmurs in my ear. “You want to head back to the villa?”
I nod wordlessly.
As we walk back down the path, he threads our fingers together.
I take a deep breath, trying not to read too much into it. Trying not to overinterpret an innocent gesture. But I can’t help the hope ballooning inside me that maybe, just maybe, the way his grip has tightened on mine actually means something.
Once we’re inside, we both head straight to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Because that’s what I now do with my childhood enemy. I stand side by side with him at the bathroom sink, brushing my teeth. And I avoid his eyes because I don’t want my emotions to betray me.
This is the last time I get to spend the night with Liam. The last time we’ll be together. The last time we’ll have sex. I’m pretty sure that’s on the agenda tonight because it’s always on the agenda between us, but for the first time, I find myself wondering if I’ll be able to handle it.
“You really need to say something to Paul, get him to stop all that crap,” Liam says when we get back to the bedroom and start stripping for bed. I’m glad he’s spoken first, and while Paul isn’t a topic I usually want to think about, I grasp at it to distract myself.
“Yeah, I know I do,” I say. “It’s just difficult.”
“Why is it difficult? You’re the boss.” Liam steps out of his pants.
“I know I’m the boss…but it was so hard when I started out.” I unbutton my shirt slowly. “I had this idea for an app, and I had to pretend I knew what I was doing, that I was this confident man instead of this green kid who didn’t have a clue about anything.”
“But you did it, Matthew.”
“Yeah, I know I did.” It’s impossible to fully put into words how far I’ve come, yet I sometimes feel still as out of my depth as I did when I first started.
I look up to see Liam still watching me, and something about the understanding in his expression makes me continue.
“Fake it till you make it, right?” I say.
“What happens when you make it though? When do you decide to stop faking?” Liam asks quietly, his eyes not leaving mine.
“I guess I’m still figuring that out.”
“Well, I think as part of figuring that out, you need to make sure you’re not letting someone like Paul get away with treating you like this.”
Shit. Liam’s looking at me like he really cares about this, which is more than I can handle right now.
“It’s a bit strange to have you urging me not to put up with petty insults when you spent our entire childhood insulting me,” I comment. “Although I suppose I gave back as good as I got. You can’t quite do that when you’re the boss.”
“We were kids then, Matthew. You don’t have to put up with that kind of shit in your working life.”
I heave a deep sigh and climb into bed.
Liam does the same, rolling over on his pillow to study me.
I feel myself flush under his scrutiny.
“I’m sorry,” he says eventually.
