Page 32 of Because of Liam

Chapter Twenty

Rolling out of bed,I drag my ass to the kitchen. Skye is sitting at the counter holding a cup of coffee and blowing on it before she takes a sip. When she sees me, she puts it down and walks to the coffeemaker and pours a cup for me.

“Thanks, sis.” I feel like I have a hangover even though I didn’t drink yesterday. I didn’t sleep much. Liam’s words are seared into my mind. He dreams about fucking me? In every way possible? When I did finally fall sleep, I dreamed of him and the way his body pressed into mine.

I look back toward her bedroom. “Logan didn’t sleep over?”

“No, he has an early shift today. He left with Liam right after he brought you home.”

She waited for me to say something, but I said nothing.

“How was the hockey party?”

I snorted. “It was a testosterone slash slut fest. These two girls tried to get me into a threesome with them.”

Skye laughs at that. “Only you, River.”

“If I ever tell you I’m going to a party with Becca again, please lock me in my room and throw away the key.”

“I can’t believe she left you hanging without a ride again. And why can’t she find guys who have cars so she can let you drive?”

Becca has two rules. She only dates guys younger than her, and she never drinks if she’s with a guy. Ever. If she’s on the prowl for a hookup, she’s sober and in control. There’s a pattern to how Becca behaves. It didn’t register at first, but of late and the longer I know her, there’s more to Becca than meets the eye. I don’t really know all the details about her life, but I know enough and what I know isn’t good. Despite all appearance to the contrary, Becca is a good friend, but she keeps her past under lock and key. She has allowed little bits and pieces to escape here and there, but as soon as I try to get her to open up, she shuts me down. I can respect that. I so can respect that.

“Becca is a cougar in training. She only goes after freshmen and most of them don’t have a car on campus. And she knows I have you to bail me out.”

Skye looks at me over her cup and I know she’ll ask me something I don’t want to talk about.

“What’s going on with you and Liam?”

“Nothing, there’s nothing going on.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “Thereis a lot going on. Maybe you two haven’t acted on it yet, but you can’t say there’s nothing going on because it’s clear for anyone with eyes that as soon as the both of you enter the same zip code there’s a whole lot happening.”

“There’s nothing—”

“Why are you denying it? It’s not like you to see something you want and run from it. If it were anyone else, you’d be all over him. Is it because he’s Logan’s brother? If so, you don’t have to worry about it. We’re good with it.”

“First of all, I don’t want Liam. Second, why are you and Logan talking about me?”

“You want him just as much as he wants you.”

“No and no!”

“As soon as you come into the room, his eyes are all over you. He tracks you around like a heat-seeking missile and he always asks about you.”

“He asks about me?” I’m surprised.

“He asks about you in very indirect ways.”

“Like what?”

“Like he’s asking me questions about me, but they really are about you.”

“Can you be a little more specific?” I say, irritated.

“Like, ‘What are the Devereux girls up to today?’ or he’ll make a comment about whatever we’re talking about, but he’s really fishing for info on you.”

“Where’s all this talking taking place?”

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