Leah's POV
I knew that look, that rhythm. I'd watched Lucas the same way once, peering through a door crack while I scrubbed floors, my hands raw and my heart bleeding for a man who'd never see me. The memory stung, sharp and relentless, a blade twisting in the soft parts I'd tried to kill off.
I meant to drive off, to escape before he noticed, but his head snapped up, eyes pinning me through the windshield. Shit. I rolled up the window fast, tires crunching gravel as I swung into the parking lot. My door was halfway open when his hands yanked it wide, and there he was - too close, too real.
"Long time no see," he drawled, leaning in, white shirt half-buttoned and chest still bare enough to make my pulse jump. That rough edge hadn't dulled, billionaire or not.
I climbed out, brushing past him. "Just here for some sardines. Feeding Sharbo. Then I'm gone."
He stepped into my path, broad and unyielding, a smirk curling his lips. "How about dinner instead?"
Heat flared up my neck, and I shoved his hand off me, irritation prickling my skin. "You're a bigshot CEO for a the largest listed company on the east coast now - why're you still playing thug?"
He didn't budge, just pressed me back against the car door, his frame towering, caging. "You know I'm a bigshot, so you know I don't take no for an answer."
My chest heaved, breath catching as he loomed closer. I felt his heartbeat through the air between us, steady and strong, and it dragged up every memory of him - skin on skin, tangled sheets, the kind of heat that burns you alive. I shoved at him, weak and half-hearted. "Do not come any closer, or I'll call the cops."
He snatched my wrist, yanked my phone from my pocket, and held it up, daring me. "Go on. Who're they gonna believe - you, the gang widow, or me, the bigshot CEO?"
I glanced at the crowd milling around the dock - too many eyes, too much risk to let the Lycan in me slip. He leaned in, breath hot against my ear. "C'mon, Leah. One simple meal. I'll give you my words."
I glared up at him, trapped between the car and his bulk, every instinct screaming to run and every nerve begging to stay. "Fine," I spat, the word bitter on my tongue. "Make it fast. I've got a very hungry shark at home to feed."
-
The dusk bled across Pier 16, a smear of gold and crimson that clawed at the edges of the top-floor restaurant where I sat. The view was the best money could buy - boats rocking on the water, lights flickering like dying stars - but it might as well have been a brick wall. I stared at the plate in front of me, the food steaming, fragrant, a mockery of appetite. My stomach churned, heavy with more than just the child I carried. Across the table, Liam chewed, his jaw grinding through each bite with a rhythm that grated against my nerves. He ate like he was starving, like the act could fill some hollow I'd carved into him. I remembered that first night, years back, when I'd cooked for him in his cramped little kitchen. He'd shoveled down every bite then too, his eyes bright with something I'd mistaken for gratitude. Now, that memory sat sour in my chest, a world away, a lie I'd told myself about who we were.
I pushed a sliver of fish across my plate, the fork trembling in my grip. The words clawed up my throat, jagged and unwilling, but I forced them out. "Is Talia okay?"
Liam stopped mid-bite, his fork hovering like a guillotine. He set it down slow, deliberate, his eyes locking onto mine - dark, unreadable, a predator sizing up prey. "I've already broken up with her," he said, voice flat as a blade.
I blinked, the shock hitting me like a slap. "Why?"
He reached for his wine, took a sip, the glass catching the light as he tilted it. His gaze never wavered, pinning me where I sat. "You know why. She secretly messaged your brother behind my back. She betrayed us."
The air thickened, pressing against my ribs. I did know. Lycidas' shadow loomed over everything - my brother, the snake, the one who'd bribed Talia with threats and promises. I'd kept it locked behind my teeth because she was his girl, not my mess to unravel. But hearing it now, the breakup laid bare, surprise snaked through me, tangled with a guilt I couldn't shake. My hand twitched on the table, and Liam reached for it, his fingers brushing mine - soft, too soft, like he thought he could still claim me.
"Don't worry," he murmured, "you won't see her again."
I yanked my hand back, the contact searing, a brand I didn't want. His eyes flickered, a flash of hurt he couldn't hide, and I hated how it twisted something in me. I swallowed, forcing my voice steady. "You shouldn't break up with Talia. She's a good girl. My brother… is very persuasive. He must have threatened her with your life. She didn't have a choice."
Liam's face hardened, the lines of his jaw sharpening. "She could've told me. She didn't."
His stare burned into me, a heat that crawled under my skin, setting my blood alight. I turned away, fixing my eyes on the pier outside - the water, the boats, anything to escape that gaze. My tongue felt leaden, but I made it move. "Liam, I want you to know… what happened last time, I shouldn't have let it happen."
He cut in, sharp as a whip. "You mean you kicking me out?"
I shook my head, the motion jerky. "No. I mean… the thing that happened between us."
Silence fell, heavy, suffocating. He didn't speak, but I felt it—the anger simmering beneath his calm, a storm waiting to break. I pressed on, my voice cracking like thin ice. "I've always seen you as my friend. A good friend, a close one. But I never wanted… that kind of relationship with you."
"But it happened," he said, the words clipped, final.