Chapter 94 Now I am really mad at that jerk.
I open my mouth a little, but nothing comes out. I completely forget what I was going to say.
A second later, I manage to speak. “Is it not obvious? You kick me out of your room. You yell at me at the restaurant. And you…”
“And I drove all over the place trying to find you. I fought for you, and I almost got a ticket just to make you smile.” He shrugs. “Yeah, I must have really hated you.”
My face gets hot. “That is why you confuse me. Thanks.”
He gives me a grin. “As long as you feel better.”
I really do. The way I feel when I am with him… it is so new and exciting. Being around him is such a wild ride it makes my head spin. I know part of it is because he comes from a completely different life than I do. But I do not hate it when he acts like a rich guy, not the way I hated Jordan. And that is why he is so different. We talk for a bit and finish our beers. Then he takes me to the guest room.
“The bathroom is through there. You will find everything you need… towels are in there too.”
I laugh. “Is there anything special I should not touch?”
He lets out a short chuckle. “No. Just get comfortable.”
We both smile at each other. Just as I am about to say goodnight, he gently pulls me into his arms for a quick, warm hug.
“Goodnight, Sophie.”
Before I can do anything, he takes a step back and closes the door for me.
It took me a long time to fall asleep. But once I did, I slept really well. I wake up feeling good. Breaking up with Jordan, running away, and being chased by those losers in the park all feel like they happened a hundred years ago.
I stretch in the bed and grab for my phone. My God, it is almost five in the afternoon. How long did I sleep? I am also not shocked to see hundreds of missed texts and calls from my mom.
I sigh and throw the phone aside. My mom and her worrying can wait.
The house is very quiet when I come out. It seems like no one is here. I walk around a little and see a sliding glass door in the wall of windows. It was too dark last night to notice it.
I walk over and slide the door open. Then I am completely stunned by what is outside. There is an infinity pool.
The golden afternoon sun shines down on the bright, moving water. A muscular body comes up from under the surface, making rings spread out across the pool. Hearing the door, he comes all the way up and pushes his wet hair back from his face. Shiny drops run down his wide shoulders and over his hard chest. He looks so handsome, like something from a dream.
“Hey.” He smiles at me. “You sleep late.”
I step outside and crouch down by the edge of the pool. “If your house had a rocket ship, I still would not be surprised.”
He laughs. His green eyes sparkle with happiness. I suddenly feel a pull deep in my chest. God, he is so good looking and magnetic… almost dangerous. No girl on earth could say no to him.
He swims over and puts his arms on the edge. “Want to come in?”
I swallow. “No, thanks.”
“Why not?”
“Well, for one thing, I do not have a swimsuit.”
He shrugs. “Take your shirt off and swim in your bra.”
I gasp at how bold he is. “No! Not ever, no!”
He makes a complaining sound. “What is the big deal? We used to swim together all the time. You have gotten really proper, you know that?”
Yes, we swam together a lot, that summer three years ago. Back then, I only saw him as a brother and a friend. But we have both changed so much since. Now just the thought of taking my shirt off in front of him makes me blush.
He holds a hand out to me. “Come on. The water is warm.”
I am still arguing with myself when he suddenly grabs the leg of my pants and gives a hard pull, almost dragging me off the edge.
“What the hell!” I catch myself and shout, “Let go of me!”
He starts laughing really hard and is about to say something when my phone buzzes. I pull it out and, of course, it is my mom.
“Sophie! Sweetheart, are you okay? God, I was so worried last night. Where have you been? How did Liam find you? Where were you two?”
I have to cut in before she asks more questions. “Mom, I am fine. I am at Liam’s place.”
“Oh.” She sounds relieved. “When are you coming back? At least talk to me. We can figure everything out together.”
“I need some time,” I say, pausing. “Alone.”
My mom goes quiet. I can tell she is falling apart, but she is not going to win me over this time with crying and begging. She worked with my father to send me away. I deserve some space.
Then someone else speaks on the other end. “Sophie, it is Alexander.”
I sit up straight without meaning to. “Yes. Hello, Mr. Thorne.”
Liam’s father has always scared me. He is nice to me, of course, but he is also a very powerful man that nobody jokes with. I have never called him by his first name.
“Your mother has been very worried. We are all glad to hear you are safe.”
I stumble over my words. “Yeah, I am fine… and I am sorry you had to fly back because of me.”
“My business trip was ending anyway. So, are you coming back today? We can all have dinner together if you want.”
I want to say no. But Alexander Thorne is not a person you can say no to. While I am hesitating, he speaks again. “Or if you want to stay with Liam for a few more days, that is fine too.”
I feel a little twist in my chest. Stay with Liam? But like… me and him alone? In his apartment?
I take a fast look at Liam, who is still standing in the water, watching me closely. But the bigger question is: would he even let me stay?
“Sophie?”
“That sounds great.” The answer comes out before I really think.
“Wonderful.” Mr. Thorne sounds happy. “Let me know if he gives you any trouble. Though I know he would not dare.”
I hang up. Liam asks right away, “Was that my dad? What did he say?”
“Well…” I feel a little nervous and try not to look right at him. “He asked me if I wanted to stay here for a couple of days. And I sort of said yes.”
The next few seconds are terrible for me. My heart keeps dropping as he stays quiet. God, what is he thinking? What was I thinking? Of course he does not want me to stay. I am such a fool.
Just as I am about to tell him it was a joke and save myself from the shame, suddenly..
“Ah!”
He drags me straight into the pool, making a huge splash. I choke on the water as I grab the closest thing I can reach, his arms.
“What the fuck!” I yell between coughs. “I told you I do not want to swim!”
He laughs hard and holds my waist tight. Now I am floating in the warm afternoon water with him, with both my hands on his wide shoulders, trying to catch my breath, looking down at him only an inch away.
His eyes are so beautiful, like clear green gems, sparkling with the golden sun. My mouth goes dry as he lifts his hand and runs his long fingers through my wet hair.
“Hey, Sophie.” His voice is soft like a summer wind. “You can stay. I am glad.”
I can not look away from his eyes. From the way he is looking at me, I know he can not either. The way we stare at each other, our breath mingling, everything feels like a perfect dream.
His hand cups my cheek and he slowly closes the space between us. My mind goes completely empty, and right at that moment, suddenly…
A loud bump comes from the door. Then the sound of loud talking and laughing pours into the house.
Liam pulls away from me right away. Something occurs to him and he curses, “Fuck. I forgot.”
I am still caught in the moment. “What? Forgot what?”
He looks angry. “There is supposed to be a party here. I forgot to tell them… hold on.”
He starts to swim away, but someone slides the glass door open before he can get to the edge.
“Wow, look at the happy couple.” A guy with red hair steps out and teases, “Who is this? Now Rossi is going to be pissed.”
A pretty blonde woman behind him makes a hissing sound. “Shut up, James.”
Then she walks toward Liam, pulls him up from the water, and wraps her arms around his waist. The way she holds him makes it clear they are close. Then she shoots me a nasty look.
“Enjoying your afternoon swim?” she says with a little laugh. “You should have waited for me.”
Liam does not say anything. But he does not push her away either.
Now I am still standing in the water by myself, and all of them are on the deck looking down at me. I look like a total idiot.
Liam has no plan to introduce me to these people. He grabs a towel from a chair and walks straight into the house. The blonde follows him closely. My whole body goes cold watching him leave. I can not believe he just left me here, without a single word.
What is wrong with him? Is he ashamed of me or something? He could at least have the decency to help me out and introduce me, not leave me in the water like this and make me look like a fool.
The whole group loses interest in me and follows Liam inside. Only one guy at the back looks over at me. “Do you need a hand?”
“No,” I snap as I climb out of the pool. Now I am really mad at that jerk.