Chapter Forty-one

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This chapter is dedicated to averymarinoxo for her lovely votes and amazing comments. Thank you so much for your support.

You guys should go check her story out. You won't regret it. :)

Liam

I have never been this happy in my life. I didn't even know happiness like this existed. And now that I do, I'm terrified that it's going to go up in flames at any given moment. When I think of everything that could go wrong with us, I just want to keep her hidden away somewhere where no one can get to us. It's been a very long time since I had something to lose, and I now that I do, fear keeps me up at night. There are so many things I kept hidden from her. The more time that passes, the harder it's becoming for me to tell her about my past. I can't tolerate the thought that she might leave me when she hears what kind of person I used to be. And then there is the fear she might find out about the bet.

The fucking stupid, childish bet!

She's told me repeatedly how much she despises people who lie to get what they want, and that is exactly what I did. I lied to her face too many times to count. I never in my wildest dreams envisioned she would become my world.

I turn around to look at her again for the tenth time since class started, and it hasn't even been full 15 minutes. She is frowning and has her pen pushed between her lips as she listens intently, engrossed in the lecture. Her soft, plumped lips look even fuller like this, being toyed with the damn thing.

It's unhealthy how many times I catch myself staring at her. Whenever she is in the room, she is all I see. Sometimes the magnitude of what I feel for her makes me feel like I'm going crazy. Is it like this for everyone? How does anyone survive this?

Jess turns around suddenly and catches my eye. She smiles warmly at me and brings her phone out, then my phone buzzes on the desk.

You're staring again.

I frown and don't immediately reply because I don't know if I've made her uncomfortable with all the staring. Fuck! I need to learn to not be such a creep. My fingers hover over the letters, but before I start typing, another text comes through.

I like it, Liam. I like it a lot.

I turn around, and she beams at me. I feel that sharp, something in my chest, a feeling between an ache and pure joy.

You're beautiful. I can't help it. You don't know what you do to me, Jessica Grayson.

I watch as she reads it, and she sinks her teeth into her lower lip to hide a smile. And then the pen is back on her lips again.

You need to get that pen away from your lips. It's making me want to do so many dirty things to you.

I see her cheeks flush from here, and to my relief and dismay, she removes the pen and places it on her textbook. She then grabs her phone and starts typing.

You sure know how to melt a girl's heart and turn her on at the same time. Just to be clear, how dirty are we talking here?

I crack a smile. If I get into details right now, it will be a painful rest of the day for me. I can already feel myself throbbing at the thought.

Filthy. I want to take you somewhere later. If you're up for it.

She bites her lips again and brings the pen halfway up before catching herself and putting it back down again. A second later, my phone buzzes.

I'm up for anything if I'm with you.

I hate that I can't take her in my arms and kiss her senseless right now. It'll just have to wait.

It's a date then.

She turns around and smiles at me. I see her excitement, and I want nothing more than to always put that light in her eyes.

She, unfortunately, doesn't have a break in between her classes this morning, so I can't get my hands on her the way I want to. At lunch, I grab my tray and make my way over to her table. I know her friends don't exactly like me, but I need to be near her. I haven't touched her since yesterday. They'll just have to tolerate me.

"Hey, man. We need to have a talk." Elliot suddenly steps in front of me.

"What the fuck would we need to talk about?" I hiss.

I should kick his ass for the stunt he pulled at the anniversary dinner. The daunting way he looked at me as he held her in his arms flashes in my mind making me lock my jaws. I wish I wasn't carrying this damn tray right now.

"I have a little problem that I think you can solve." He says, and I look at him incredulously.

"What gave you the impression that I give a fuck about your problems?"

"Because if you don't, I'm telling Jess everything I know. And if she finds out about the bet, all the lies you fed her, she'll never forgive you."

This gets my attention. The immense fear that settles in my chest at the thought of her finding out is beyond anything I've ever felt.

"Good. Now that I have your full attention. Let's sit and talk." He gestures to a table before walking over.

"We need the place. Could you please find somewhere else to sit?" He says to a few freshmen seated there, attempting to sound intimidating. They nod, picking their trays up and scattering away.

What a dick!

He takes a seat, and I do the same.

"What the hell do you want, Elliot?" I get right into it.

"Five grand." He says, and my eyes widen.

"Excuse me?"

"I need you to get me five grand, and in turn, I'll keep your secret." He says with all seriousness.

"So, this is blackmail, then?"

"Look, Liam. I wouldn't have asked if I had other options. I got into a little bit of trouble with a couple of guys. I need to pay up before I lose a finger or worse. I need the money by tonight."

I take a calming breath. This asshole is a lot more fucked up than I gave him credit for.

"Why do you owe that much cash? A drug deal gone bad? Gambling? What?" I ask, and he looks around nervously.

"I don't do drugs. But I hook people up." He shakes his head, stopping himself. "Look, this is not for you to worry about. Just get me the money. I know you have it. Or I will walk there right now and tell her everything." He says, and I slam my hands against the table, making him jump with alarm and getting everyone else's attention.

"I'll wire you the fucking money, you piece of shit! Stay away from her. I mean it. Or I'll make sure you lose more than just a finger." I tell him, and I get up to leave the cafeteria, having lost my appetite.

Jessica

My heart is still thudding in my chest when Steff places a hand on my arm.

"I'm sure it's nothing serious, Jess. They probably had a bicker. You know Liam has a bit of a temper." She says soothingly, but it doesn't help my nerves. He looked really upset.

"I should go look for him," I say, standing up.

"Just text him. You barely touched your food." Jeremy says, but I want to see him. I need to know that he's okay.

"It's alright, Jer. I'm not that hungry." I give him a small smile. "I'll see you guys later."

My first instinct is to go look for him in the English building. He was in such a good mood in class. What the hell did Elliot say to get that reaction out of him? I hope it wasn't about me. I hate Elliot.

***

I head down the stairs and turn towards the left-wing. A figure appears to my right, and I jump a little, startled. When I see that it's who I'm looking for, relief washes over me. But an icy feeling immediately settles in my gut when I see his haunted eyes.

He steps closer silently regarding me, and I can't think of a better word to describe how he looks than smoldering.

"Liam?"

He grabs my hand and pulls me down the hall until we end up in front of a janitor's closet. He opens it and lets us in, closing the door behind us. As soon as I turn around, he pushes me against the door and takes my lips in an urgent kiss. He hurriedly licks into my mouth as his palms flatten against my breasts and squeeze. My fingers fist his shirt as he kisses me with such passion, pressing his hard body against mine. My knees immediately go weak, so I hang on to him for dear life.

When the bell finally rings, he pulls away and rests his forehead against mine, breathing harshly.

"What. Was. That?" I ask, between intake of breaths.

He sneaks his arms around my waist and pulls me to him.

"Me needing you." He says. "I need you."

"You have me. Always. You know that, Liam."

He holds me tighter, and I let him. It's been so good with us lately, and he has been feeling more secure. I don't know what brought this on. If Elliot had anything to do with it, I'm seriously going to kill him.

When we leave the closet, a few eyes watch us curiously. This probably looks bad, but I honestly don't care. Liam holds my hand, and he walks me to my next class.

"We're still on for later, right?" I ask, hoping his mood shift hasn't changed his mind about whatever it is he wanted us to do.

Liam lifts our intertwined hands up, and he places a tender kiss on the back of mine.

"Yes. I have something to take care of first, but I'll come to pick you up. Wear something comfortable." He says, and I nod.

I thought we were going somewhere I could have my way with him, and I feel a pinch of disappointment that it's not what he has in mind.

When we get to my class, he places a soft kiss on my lips.

"Later?" He says, and I nod.

He gives me a boyish smile before he walks away.

"I love you," I say after him, but I know he is too far away to hear it.

***

I'm glad to see that the weather has somewhat cleared up after it had been raining all day. I wait for Liam in my room while reading for a World History assignment.

My heart, out of the blue, does a weird flip in my chest. It's as if I can sense his presence in the house. I swing my door open and rush down the stairs. Halfway down, I hear his raspy voice.

How is it possible that we are that in tune?

Butterflies erupt in my stomach when I see him standing there in all his bad-boy glory, leather jacket, black jeans, combat boots, and all. His hair looks disheveled, letting me know he came here on his bike. He is so gorgeous it almost hurts to look at him.

He has the same look of awe when his eyes meet mine. I am just wearing a lilac chunky net sweater and faded blue jeans, nothing special at all.

Liam walks over to me and runs his fingers from my hair to the top of my chest.

"You look stunning. And your ass in those jeans..." His eyes shimmer. "You're going to get me in so much trouble."

I snort.

"I look like I belong in The Alps. You, on the other hand, you're the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome."

Liam looks bashful, which makes me chuckle.

"I'm sure you've already heard every compliment out there," I say.

He leans over and laces our fingers.

"It feels different coming from you." He kisses me softly, and my heart melts a little.

He pulls away all too soon and gazes at me for a few seconds before stepping aside. He offers me an arm, and I take it with a smile.

"We're heading out." He calls out.

"Alright. Have fun, you two. But not too much fun." Mom calls from the living room. "And take care. It's been raining all day. The roads are slippery."

"Yes, ma'am," Liam says, opening the door.

"Where are we going?" I ask once we're outside.

"You'll have to wait and see."

***

After we have been on the road for a little more than 30 minutes, Liam pulls over at what looks to be a bike shop. He helps me off as I gawk at the place. It's not too big, but big enough to be impressive. And it is hidden enough that you wouldn't just come across it if you didn't already know it was here.

"This is where I spent most of the last summer." He tells me. "Well, not here here. They hold races out back." He tells me, leading me in.

We are immediately greeted by two guys. Their face lights up as soon as we walk in as if they were expecting us. I don't have much time to admire the beautiful showpiece bikes before they are next to us.

Both boys look about our age and are both very handsome. But they are too buff for my liking. Their muscular, inked arms are basically glistening under the fluorescent lights.

"Damn! Now I know why you are tied down. She is a stunner." The taller one out of the two says, looking me up and down. "I'm Dawson. Dawson McCoy." He extends his hand, and I shake it nervously.

The other guy shoves him aside and whistles while checking me out.

I'm not even that dressed up. This is uncomfortable.

"You caught an Angel." He smiles at Liam. "If only she had met me first. You wouldn't have had a chance." He says with a laugh, and Liam playfully shoves him aside.

"Jess, this is Ryder. A natural flirt." Liam says to me, and Ryder scoffs before taking my hand delicately and kissing it.

"Boys, don't make the girl uncomfortable. What did I say about being cheesy?" A tall brunette makes her way to us, and she is tattooed like the rest of them. I don't know why, but looking at them makes me think of a Wolf Pack. They look the part.

Could I be more out of sorts?

"Hello, Jessica. It's so great to finally meet you." She smiles and pulls me in for a hug.

She knows about me?

"Good job on taming this guy here." She points at Liam. "We thought he was a lost cause until we saw him last time. He was quite literally a mess without you." She smiles fondly at him but in a friendly way. I think I like her.

"He was such a bore," Ryder says. "And whiny. And snappy."

"You guys can stop now." Liam pulls me to him, and I see his cheeks flush.

Dawson wraps his arms around Kendra's waist and kisses her neck.

"Not while I'm here. Gross! Gross!" Ryder says, shuddering and shaking his head as if he just witnessed something obscene.

"Kendra's his sister," Liam explains, and I hear the laughter in his voice.

I can't help but notice how relaxed he is here.

"Was anyone gonna invite me to the party?"

We all turn around, and the first thing I see is long legs covered with fishnets. I follow the legs up, and they lead me to short lilac hair and exotic catty eyes. She is gorgeous.

"Lola," Ryder calls. "Shit!" He curses under his breath.

Lola. She is the girl I talked to over the phone that awful night. She walks straight up to us with a taunting smile. Liam has stiffened beside me, and it feels like everyone is holding their breath.

"So this is the Mrs.," She says, looking me up and down, scrutinizing every inch of my body in a way that makes me feel self-conscious. "Never would have guessed blondes were your type." She says to Liam. "I would have dyed mine for you. I still can. If you'll have me on the side."

"That's enough, Lola!" Liam says firmly, and she smiles deviously at him.

"Can you blame me? You're the best I've had."

This makes me gasp.

"Okay, Lo, let's talk outside, yeah?" Ryder grabs her hand and leads her away.

"Don't mind her. She's not as awful as she sounds." Kendra says, but my skin is crawling. Liam takes a hold of my hand, and I turn around to look at him.

His brows are furrowed, eyes filled with concern.

"I think it's time we have some real fun," Dawson says, breaking the tension.

"Yes!" Kendra excitedly jumps. "Let's go get dirty."

Liam smiles down at me, and I give him a smile back.

"What are we doing?" I ask as we make our way back outside.

"Dirt bike riding." He tells me.

My eyes widen, and I feel my excitement return.

"Like in the mud?" I ask, and he laughs.

"Yep. I hope you're not too attached to your clothes. They are about to get filthy." He says, and I'm reminded of his words in class.

I skip with delight. I've seen dirt bike riding on sports TV, and although I never thought I'd actually muster enough courage to get on a bike, it always looked like it would be so much fun.

Except for Lola, we all head to the trail. Liam and I take his bike, and the rest follow in Dawson's truck. When we get there, a few people greet us. I meet Ryder's girlfriend, Jane. Unlike her boyfriend, she is quiet and reserved, but we get along pretty well.

The boys are hilarious, and they make us laugh the entire time. Liam is also relaxed and playful. It makes my heart lurch with happiness to see him so carefree, acting his age. I briefly wonder why he isn't like this at school and realize that he feels comfortable here because these are his kinda people. And they are all so lovely. I find myself having a blast. But the real fun begins when we all get on the dirt bikes and get out on the trail.

At first, I'm terrified I'm going to fly off, and one of these bikes is going to crush my skull. But when I realize that that's not going to happen, I start to have fun. As the bike roars and jerks in the mud, I yelp and scream and giggle. The mud flies everywhere, splattering us, and I couldn't care less. I'm having the time of my life.

Dawson keeps chasing Kendra, and she howls with laughter every time he lurches near her. Jane is with Ryder, clinging on to him. My kind of girl. Although, I'm starting to think I may actually be braver than her.

After about an hour of pure fun, they say they have to get going. I'm surprisingly sad to watch them leave, but Liam sees how much fun I'm having, so we stay a few minutes longer. When I finally get my fill, we walk over to the grass area to rest for a while.

"That was so much fun!" I squeal, still high on adrenaline.

Liam smiles adoringly at me and wipes mud from the side of my jaw.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I loved your friends, too," I tell him.

"And they loved you." He says, pulling me towards him and wrapping an arm around me.

I lay my head on his shoulder and sigh contentedly.

"I feel like I learned so much about you today. I love everything I learn about you." I tell him, and he buries his chin in my hair, but he doesn't say anything.

The sky is starting to get cloudy again, and you can barely see the moon. Liam is quiet, but I don't think much into it. I just close my eyes, enjoying his closeness.

***

I know, I know, long chapter. But I still hope you enjoyed it. Make sure to read the next chapter. XX

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