secret crush on my character. “Sure, we dated, and we did things that people who date do, but it wasn’t serious.” I admitted something a few blogs had hinted at. There was a reason our chemistry sizzled on screen and off screen it was just...meh. “It wasn’t real.”
“And this thing with Liam – it’s real?”
I fidgeted, dodging the question. “It could be. Maybe.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
I sighed with relief as someone knocked on the door behind her. I guess the doctor was tired of twiddling his thumbs. “Come on in!”
But the doctor didn’t peek his head in. It was one of the nurses, smiling warmly at me, then Leila, before she stepped inside the room. “How’re you feeling, honey?”
“Much better,” I said, forcing a smile. It wasn’t a complete lie, even though Leila’s accusatory glare said otherwise.
“Feeling up for a visitor?” The nurse shared a conspiratorial wink with Leila. Leila just gaped at her then barreled to the door.
“I swear to God, if that’s Charlotte Kent–”
Liam stepped in the doorway, holding a bouquet of daisies and a nervous smile. Nervousness looked good on a guy that was that hot and confident. It made him human.
It made me fall a little harder.
CHAPTER NINE
L eila stepped into the hall, corralling the impatient doctor. The nurse lingered, snacking on invisible popcorn like she was watching some sweeping romance unfold before her eyes.
Liam pointedly cleared his throat, flashing her a tight smile. She went bug-eyed and blushed crimson. She played it off by asking me some questions about my vitals before she squeaked out of the room, leaving us alone.
Even though my backside was covered, I pulled my covers tighter around me. Liam acted like he didn’t notice, but the faint curl upward of his lips betrayed him.
I decided to give him a hard time. “There’s nothing funny about hospitals, you know.”
His green eyes rounded, then faded as he winced. “I know. I mean, I wasn’t...” When he cautioned a look in my direction, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
My eyelashes fluttered in a way that denied innocence. “Me? Never.”
“Keep it up,” he warned ominously, holding the bouquet just out of my reach. “According to my Google Fu, Gerbera daisies are your favorite.”
I stuck out my tongue. “You can keep ‘em.” When he turned to the waste basket, I relented. “Don’t!”
He pivoted back to me, a full-on smile brightening his face. He presented them with a flourish. “M’lady.”
I accepted them graciously, bringing the rainbow colored flowers to my nose and inhaling deep. I gently grazed a fragile petal. “I’m pretty sure they’re the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
“I think I know someone that’s got ‘em beat.”
I knew he was talking about me, and it wasn’t some misplaced vanity. I felt his gaze, hot and electric. It stroked me like I stroked the flowers, like I was something to be treasured. That fuzzy warmth in my stomach wasn’t hunger, or at least, it wasn’t hunger for food. I hungered for love. To have something real. It was so overwhelming, so pathetic, that I cordoned off my heart. Turned the ice on full blast. It was easy because I wasn’t looking him in the eye.
“Stop looking at me like that,” I snapped.
“Like what?” he teased.
“Like you like me,” I said tersely. The moment I locked my eyes on him, my defenses melted like an ice cream cone in July. Sweet. Sticky. Messy. I scrambled to hide just how happy I was to see him. “What are you doing here anyway? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were stalking me. Again.”
His smile twitched, and I almost said ‘eff it and had the appropriate reaction to someone visiting you in the hospital...gratitude.
“Why won’t you let me be nice to you?” he said softly.
I put aside the flowers, tilting my nose in the air. “Because people aren’t nice to me unless
“And this thing with Liam – it’s real?”
I fidgeted, dodging the question. “It could be. Maybe.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
I sighed with relief as someone knocked on the door behind her. I guess the doctor was tired of twiddling his thumbs. “Come on in!”
But the doctor didn’t peek his head in. It was one of the nurses, smiling warmly at me, then Leila, before she stepped inside the room. “How’re you feeling, honey?”
“Much better,” I said, forcing a smile. It wasn’t a complete lie, even though Leila’s accusatory glare said otherwise.
“Feeling up for a visitor?” The nurse shared a conspiratorial wink with Leila. Leila just gaped at her then barreled to the door.
“I swear to God, if that’s Charlotte Kent–”
Liam stepped in the doorway, holding a bouquet of daisies and a nervous smile. Nervousness looked good on a guy that was that hot and confident. It made him human.
It made me fall a little harder.
CHAPTER NINE
L eila stepped into the hall, corralling the impatient doctor. The nurse lingered, snacking on invisible popcorn like she was watching some sweeping romance unfold before her eyes.
Liam pointedly cleared his throat, flashing her a tight smile. She went bug-eyed and blushed crimson. She played it off by asking me some questions about my vitals before she squeaked out of the room, leaving us alone.
Even though my backside was covered, I pulled my covers tighter around me. Liam acted like he didn’t notice, but the faint curl upward of his lips betrayed him.
I decided to give him a hard time. “There’s nothing funny about hospitals, you know.”
His green eyes rounded, then faded as he winced. “I know. I mean, I wasn’t...” When he cautioned a look in my direction, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
My eyelashes fluttered in a way that denied innocence. “Me? Never.”
“Keep it up,” he warned ominously, holding the bouquet just out of my reach. “According to my Google Fu, Gerbera daisies are your favorite.”
I stuck out my tongue. “You can keep ‘em.” When he turned to the waste basket, I relented. “Don’t!”
He pivoted back to me, a full-on smile brightening his face. He presented them with a flourish. “M’lady.”
I accepted them graciously, bringing the rainbow colored flowers to my nose and inhaling deep. I gently grazed a fragile petal. “I’m pretty sure they’re the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
“I think I know someone that’s got ‘em beat.”
I knew he was talking about me, and it wasn’t some misplaced vanity. I felt his gaze, hot and electric. It stroked me like I stroked the flowers, like I was something to be treasured. That fuzzy warmth in my stomach wasn’t hunger, or at least, it wasn’t hunger for food. I hungered for love. To have something real. It was so overwhelming, so pathetic, that I cordoned off my heart. Turned the ice on full blast. It was easy because I wasn’t looking him in the eye.
“Stop looking at me like that,” I snapped.
“Like what?” he teased.
“Like you like me,” I said tersely. The moment I locked my eyes on him, my defenses melted like an ice cream cone in July. Sweet. Sticky. Messy. I scrambled to hide just how happy I was to see him. “What are you doing here anyway? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were stalking me. Again.”
His smile twitched, and I almost said ‘eff it and had the appropriate reaction to someone visiting you in the hospital...gratitude.
“Why won’t you let me be nice to you?” he said softly.
I put aside the flowers, tilting my nose in the air. “Because people aren’t nice to me unless
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