My eyes opened to Liam’s hesitant face. There was uncertainty there that said he was worried he might have overstepped. I let out the breath I had been holding. A ride would be okay. Especially if Noah was along. “I guess I could go for an hour or so.”
The smile that lit Liam’s face hit me right in the ovaries. He couldn’t just unleash that thing on the unsuspecting public. It was way too dangerous. “Awesome. I’ll come back to get you in a couple hours.”
“You don’t need to pick me up. I’ll just take—” I was about to say, “take my car,” but my car was currently being put back together by the man who stood in front of me.
Liam grinned. The tilt of his lips was more mischievous than anything, but the effect was no less devastating to my nerve endings. “Like I said, I’ll pick you up in a couple hours.”
My stomach churned, my body battling against the protections I’d had in place for so long. I reminded myself that I had ridden with Liam the other night. But that was an emergency, an override of my rules and boundaries to save the life of a tiny, defenseless kitten. If I rode with Liam today, I’d be putting myself at risk for no other reason than I wanted to experience an afternoon of adventure with him.
It was playing with fire. Liam could hurt me. I didn’t think he would, but you could never be one hundred percent sure of these things.Icould hurt Liam. Not me exactly, but if Garrett ever found out, my selfish proximity to Liam could cost him everything.
I closed my eyes against the swarm of guilt, but I couldn’t deny one simple fact: I wanted to go.
I opened my eyes, meeting Liam’s familiar gaze, the same one that said he was still examining all my pieces and getting closer and closer to figuring out where they went. “I’ll be ready.”
Liam’s shoulders sagged the slightest bit as his muscles relaxed. “Great. I’ll see you then.”
Taylor said nothing but squeezed my arm and gave me an encouraging smile. Then, they were gone.
* * *
My stomach wasin a million knots. Sweat trickled down my back. This was a bad idea. What had I been thinking, agreeing to this?
The state of my nerves had been made worse by the fact that I’d spent my break on Jensen’s laptop, devouring more articles about Bethany. I’d come across a small blurb in the campus newspaper about her reporting Garrett for domestic abuse. It sounded like no one had believed her.
God, did I know how that felt. To have the one person you trusted above all others betray that trust in the worst possible way, and then have no one believe it had happened. It was brutal. So, what in the world was I doing opening myself up to someone else, risking them betraying me like that? Some little voice inside told me that Liam would never do that, but maybe I was a total idiot for listening to that voice.
I paced back and forth in the small space for employee parking at the back of the Kettle. I’d texted Liam earlier to tell him to pick me up here. The last thing I needed was people seeing me getting into his car.
I tightened my grip on my bag as the familiar black SUV with its tinted windows pulled up. Liam shut off the engine and hopped out. I stayed put. Not even how handsome he looked in jeans, boots, and a ballcap could distract me from the sheer terror flowing through my veins.
Liam came to a stop in front of me. The smile he’d been wearing slowly slipped from his face as he took in my expression. “Tessa. We don’t have to do this. We can wait. There’s no rush. Or, I can call Taylor and see if she and Walker can come with us. We’ll make it a big group thing.”
My heart wanted to break at his kindness, his understanding, the way he never pushed too much. He seemed to be a master of gentle pressure. Enough to encourage me out of my comfort zone, but not so much that I felt bullied. “I’m scared.”
It was his kindness that let me utter that one truth. Liam crouched just a bit so that he no longer towered over me. “What can I do to make you feel safe?”
I wanted to throw myself into Liam’s arms and tell him everything, beg him to stand between me and anything Garrett could throw at me. But that wasn’t fair to Liam. And how was running to another man for help going to change anything for me in the long run? I needed to stand on my own two feet.Ineeded to be in control. “Can I drive?”
Liam straightened, surprise creasing his features. “You want to drive my car?”
I nodded.
He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “That will make you feel safer?”
I nodded again.
Our eyes locked as he seemed to try and understand why I’d make such a request.Who would put up with all my weird requirements and tics for more than a few days? Hell, more like a few minutes.
Liam tossed me his keys. “She’s all yours.”
My brows rose. “Really?”
Liam’s gaze met mine, a sincerity in them that nearly cracked my heart in two. “Whatever you need. Okay?”
“Okay.” The word came out as a whisper.
Liam clapped his hands together. “Let’s hit the road. There’s an eight-year-old boy back at the ranch who’s driving his grandma crazy asking when it’s time for his horseback ride.”
