Текст книги "Unsung"

Автор книги: Shannon Richard

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

She shut the door behind her before she flipped the light on, glancing at her reflection in the mirror as she set her clothes on the counter. It wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Sleeping on wet hair was never the best option, but she’d be able to pull it back no problem.

As for her eyes? Well, thank goodness she had sunglasses, ’cause those bad boys weren’t going down anytime soon. She turned away from the mirror, no use worrying about her appearance at the moment. She had absolutely no one to impress. She was long gone from that.

She made quick work, using the bathroom before changing into jean shorts and a sherbet orange shirt that was made of a thin cotton material. It hung loose past her waist and probably wasn’t the most flattering, but it was comfortable and as she was going to be spending a few hours in the car it would do just fine.

She pulled her hair up into a ponytail before she washed her face and brushed her teeth. Her pajamas were lying on the floor and she snatched them up before walking out of the bathroom.

Natural sunlight was streaming into the room now, the curtains pulled back from the window showing downtown Jacksonville in all of its morning glory.

Mel was sitting in the middle of the bed, her curls a wild halo around her head as she looked down at the phone typing out a text. She hit Send before she looked up, rubbing at her eyes sleepily. “How you feeling?”

“About the same.” Harper crossed the room to her suitcase, shoving her pajamas in among the other clothing wreckage. “What about you? You’re the one who had to deal with a crying mess all night.” She looked up, attempting a smile and hoping it would detract from the two beyond-puffy eyes she was sporting.

“Pshh, that’s nothing.” Mel waved her hand in the air. “Once I get some coffee, I’ll be just fine.”

“Coffee, oh, how I miss thee.”

“That sounded a little Shakespearean.”

“Stick around and I just might start spouting sonnets. It will be about how much I want a full fat, full sugar, fully caffeinated, piping-hot gift from the java gods with whipped cream on top…and a caramel drizzle,” Harper said wistfully.

“Yeah, I think you’re a few months away from one of those.” Mel said the last word around a yawn as her phone chimed. “I told Bennett to grab you a cranberry juice. He’s at the café now.”

“You’ve trained him well.”

“I have.” Mel nodded as she got out of bed. “I’m going to head across the hall and get dressed. Checkout is in an hour; that enough time?”

“I’ll be down there.” Harper pulled the zipper closed on her bag; she was already done with half her packing as it was.

She was also beyond ready to get home. She would’ve driven back the night before if she’d had her own car…or if she’d been in any state to drive. But as neither had been the case she’d just wallowed in her own misery in the hotel room.

God, she was pathetic.

“Hey.” Mel stopped in front of Harper and grabbed her arm. “It’s going to work itself out. It might be hard, but it won’t be insurmountable, no matter what happens. And like Grace and I established earlier, you won’t be alone through it.”

Harper took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. “I know. I just wish…I just wish I hadn’t messed up so epically with Liam.”

“You can’t change anything that’s happened, babe. All you can do is learn from it and move on from here. At least he knows now.”

“Yeah, at least he knows now,” Harper repeated.

She just wanted to know what he was going to do with the information.

*  *  *

The June sun was high in the sky and shining brilliantly when Harper walked out of the doors of the Brogan-Meyers Hotel. The Florida humidity wrapped around her like an oppressive blanket. Not only was she immediately pleased with her wardrobe selection, but she was happy she had pulled her hair up. There was nothing quite as uncomfortable as her hair sticking to the back of her neck.

The outside entrance of the hotel sat under a massive awning. Golden brown pavers covered the area, creating a circle that could easily fit four cars all the way around. In the center sat an enormous fountain with four mermaids playing in the water.

Even under the shade of the expansive awning, the sun was too bright for Harper’s sensitive eyes. She pushed her glasses down from the top of her head and settled them on her nose. Bennett had already grabbed her bags from the room and was currently at the back of the SUV parked at the curb. He was loading the bags while Mel went inside to finish checking them out. Harper would’ve waited inside with her friend, but she needed some fresh air before they loaded up in the car. Plus, the line of people had made her antsy.

As Harper rounded the car, she spotted Dale and Hamilton who were setting up their things in the third row of seats. Harper would have the middle to herself again. Maybe she’d stretch out along the bench seat and take a nap for the three-and-a-half-hour ride. Though, odds were her brain wouldn’t be able to stay quiet long enough to let her doze off.

“You got everything?” Bennett asked her as she walked up to him.

“Yup.” She nodded.

“I got you another juice; it’s in the cooler with some bottles of water. Organic apple this time.” He looked over at her and waggled his eyebrows.

“Ohhh, fancy.”

“You know it. That’s how we roll.” He stacked another bag into the trunk just as Dale stepped around to the back of the SUV.

“Did you seriously just say, that’s how we roll?”

“Yeah, you got a problem with it?” Bennett asked.

“No problem.” Dale shook his head. “Just didn’t realize how hip and cool you are.” The sarcasm was dripping from his words.

“You know, it’s a long walk back home, buddy.”

“Like you’d leave him,” Hamilton said, joining the group. “Mel wouldn’t let you.”

“Fair point.”

Both boys grinned before they grabbed bags from the rolling cart and started loading them into the back, allowing Bennett to take a step to the side.

His gray-blue eyes were uncovered and he looked Harper over with concern. “You feeling any better?”

“I think I’m about as good as I’m going to get for a while.”

He nodded, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against his solid body. He pressed a kiss to her temple before he pulled back, his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I’m not oblivious enough to not see that something is going on. I got your back, Harper. No matter what it is.”

“Make that two of us,” Hamilton said as he continued to load the car.

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Dale asked. He stopped and looked over at her. “Make that three of us.” He pointed to his chest. “I got your back, too.”

One of the few genuine smiles she’d felt in days turned up her lips, but a second later it was sliding off her face.

Hamilton’s gaze was fixed on a spot over Harper’s shoulder and he waved, calling out. “Hey! Liam!”

Harper spun around immediately, her heart now lodged in her throat as her eyes focused on the man crossing over to them, cowboy boots and all.

And dammit, she couldn’t stop herself from admiring the all. His jeans looked like they were made for him, and the V-neck of his green T-shirt was pulled low by the aviator sunglasses that hung from the collar, exposing the very top of his chest.

Even with his eyes uncovered, she couldn’t read anything in them. Between that and the set line of his mouth, she didn’t find anything promising in his expression.

“Were you staying here, too?” Hamilton asked as Liam joined the group.

“No, I’ve been staying with Logan. But I was wanting to catch a word with Harper before you guys hit the road. Is that okay?” His gaze focused on her, and for just a second she saw hope flicker through his eyes. But it was gone just as quickly and she was pretty sure she might’ve imagined it…or it was a trick of the sun.

“Yes.” She turned to Bennett, whose eyes were focused intently on her. “Ten minutes?”

“Take as long as you want. We’ll be here.”

She made a move to step away but Bennett grabbed her hand, making her stop and look back at him.

“Right here, Harper,” he said only loud enough for her to hear. “If you need us.”

“Thanks.” She squeezed his hand before she stepped away, following Liam. When they walked out into the sun he pulled his glasses from his shirt and slid them onto his face. He led them to a patch of green on the side of the hotel, heading for the black metal bench in the corner that was shaded under a massive tree.

They sat on opposite ends, as much distance between them as possible. The space felt forced…wrong.

All wrong.

Liam took a deep breath, letting it out as he rubbed his hands across his jeans. “I’m sorry about last night. I was a dick, and no matter anything that’s happened, you didn’t deserve that.”

“I…” Her brain went momentarily blank. “I, um…”

Nope. Nothing.

“I believe you,” he continued. “I believe the baby is mine…or ours really.” He stopped rubbing his hands across his jeans and reached up, running his fingers through his hair. “Wow, that sentence didn’t exactly seem real coming out of my mouth.”

“I know what you mean,” she said, finding her voice. “I was in denial until a week ago.”

“What was a week ago?”

“I finally took the pregnancy test, or tests really. And there were plenty of signs that I ignored…or tried to ignore.”

“How many tests did you take?” he asked, dropping his hands. Some of his hair fell across his forehead, and just like the night before she wanted to reach up and brush it back.

“Fifteen,” she said as she settled her hands on the bench next to her, tapping her fingers against the warm black metal. She needed something to do with her hands besides touching him.

“Seriously?”

“Five a day, three days in a row. And I think I was still in denial until my doctor’s appointment the other day. So really, coming to grips with this after about twelve hours is pretty impressive on your part.”

“So…this was only just confirmed?”

“Yeah.” She nodded slowly.

“And who else knows?”

“Mel and my other friend Grace.”

“So you haven’t told your parents?”

“No. The plan was to tell you first.” Yeah, she’d planned a number of things that hadn’t exactly happened. Hadn’t been close to happening.

“You should know my parents know.”

“They do?” Oh. Dear. God. They probably thought she was the worst person in the world. Well, maybe not the absolute worst…but pretty far up there.

“They travel all over the continent these days, so there’s no telling when I’ll see them again. It isn’t exactly information I want to inform them about over the phone. So I told them this morning, and my brother and sister found out last night.”

So his entire family knew. And none of hers did. She was going to have to change that very soon.

“How did they take it?”

“They’re all supportive. My parents are kind of used to unconventional at this point. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”

For a second her mind reeled, thinking that he had other kids from other women out there…apparently she was no better than he was last night. But then something clicked in her brain, making her heart twinge in pain. “Are you talking about Logan and his daughter?”

Madison had been the little girl’s name, and the image of the “M” tattoo on Liam’s arm flashed through her mind, the bird taking flight above it. He’d gotten the tattoo for his niece who passed away.

“Yeah.” He nodded.

Harper knew about Logan and his daughter, not only because it had been big news a couple of months ago, but because of Abby’s involvement in the whole debacle. It had almost ended Abby’s relationship with Logan, but in the end they’d found their way back to each other.

Maybe there was a possibility something like that could happen again…

“After Madison, they have a very different perspective on things.” The pain in his voice was palpable, not all that shocking as Liam and his family had dealt with an extreme loss. Death of a loved one was never easy…but the death of a child?

Unimaginable.

Yup, if his family thought that she was going to keep this child from Liam, they would without a doubt hate her.

“Liam, I swear I was going to tell you. If…if you believe anything, please believe that.” The desperation to fix this was clawing at her insides.

“I do. I believe that.”

Okay…well, that was something at least.

“So what about your doctor’s appointment? Was everything okay with the baby? With you?”

“They’re doing a complete blood workup, but those results won’t come back for a week or two. But everything they were able to check at the appointment was good. Well, for the most part. The nausea has been hard to deal with, so they gave me some medicine to help with that.”

“So you’ve had bad morning sickness?”

She couldn’t stop the scoff that escaped her throat, couldn’t help herself. “That title is full of false advertising. The mornings are actually the easiest. Afternoons are when it really hits the hardest. If it gets worse than what I’m currently dealing with I need to go back in. But as it is, my next appointment will be in a month.”

“Did they give you a due date?”

“January thirtieth.”

“And did you hear the heartbeat?” He shifted closer to her.

“No, not yet. It was too soon. That should happen at the next appointment.”

“I want to be there,” he said immediately. “I don’t want to miss it.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t want to miss any of it, Harper. I don’t want to screw this up.”

Her hands tapped out a faster rhythm against the bench. “I think I already took care of that. I messed up. Made this harder…and I’m sorry.”

“So, what do we do? What do you want?”

“I’d like to get to know you.”

The flash of frustration in his eyes was apparent, and he let out a bitter huff through his nose. “I wanted that six weeks ago.”

“I…I know. I wish there was a way to start over.” Her throat had to work hard to get those last words out, tightening around them.

“We can’t start over. Too much has happened.” His mouth made that hard stubborn line again. The finality in it clear as day.

So that was it. They couldn’t start over.

She turned away from him, looking over at a couple walking their dog on the opposite side of the little park. She closed her eyes hard in an attempt to block out the image of the people in front of her, but instead different images filtered through her brain.

Liam walking up to her at the bar. Liam pressing her against the wall as he kissed her for the first time. Liam singing to her, his voice resonating in her bones. Liam looking down into her eyes as he moved inside of her. As he consumed every part of her.

But that was over. Apparently there was no finding their way back.

So that was where they stood…the only way he was going to be a part of her life was through their child. That was just how it was going to be. Splitting holidays, one Christmas with, the next without. Meeting halfway so that Liam could have him or her for the summer.

People did it all the time. Shared their child.

This was how it was going to be. And she was just going to have to accept it.

Chapter Ten Catching Up

The next ten minutes were in no way easy for Liam. He was fighting with every ounce of his strength to keep his hands to himself, because all he wanted was to reach over and touch Harper.

It took everything in him not to pull her into his chest. Took everything in him not to wrap his arms around her, press his nose into that spot just underneath her ear, and inhale. Even now, the scent of honey filled his nose with every breath, testing his will.

As her eyes were his biggest source of insight, and her sunglasses currently covered them, he couldn’t be completely sure of her emotions. But she was fidgeting, something that until last night he wasn’t used to seeing her do. And for whatever reason she seemed just as confused and lost as he did.

He had no clue what to do about any of it. It was hard for him to get over how mad he still was at her.

She’d left.

Yes she’d explained it, said she was scared. And he got that, really he did, because he’d been terrified. But that didn’t change the facts.

She’d left.

The sting of waking up alone was still there, itching underneath his skin. And it had absolutely nothing to do with his pride. Hell, that had gone out the window about a second after he’d met her. After he’d seen her really. And it wasn’t like he’d regained it, either. Case in point his ridiculous love anthem that would be officially released to the airwaves in a few weeks’ time.

He tried not to cringe at the thought of it. Yup, the second that was out there, the only name for what he was would be a fool.

And then there was the fact that she’d waited so long to tell him about the pregnancy.

Okay…so she’d just confirmed it a week ago…and then the doctor’s appointment to really confirm it had only been a few days ago. Denial was a word she’d used in describing the time gap between suspecting and knowing.

And denial was a word that he was becoming fully acquainted with as well.

Because he really thought he could do it, really thought he could get through it all without making a bigger ass out of himself. And he almost did, too. Made it through the part where he programmed her number into his phone—and he was going to ignore the relief of finally having it. Made it through the appointment confirmation of her next doctor’s visit that he would be going to—and which was conveniently during a break of the Isaac Hunter tour. Made it through walking the short distance back to the hotel where her friends were waiting by the car.

But he couldn’t have things stay that way. Couldn’t let her leave like this. Because at the end of it all, he couldn’t walk away. He still wanted her.

They were ten feet from the car when he gave in. He pulled his sunglasses from his face, hanging them on his shirt, before he grabbed her hand. He was unable to ignore the relief that coursed through him at finally touching her. She came up short as she turned to look at him.

“You want to get to know me?” His hold on her hand tightened, and he closed the distance taking a step forward.

“Yes. I do,” she answered without hesitation.

“Okay, new rule: no barriers.” He reached up, pushing her sunglasses into her hair and revealing her eyes. She winced at the sudden brightness, but she didn’t look away from him.

What he saw first was surprise mingled in her eyes, violet eyes that he’d been unable to get out of his head for the last few weeks. But underneath the shock they were tired and sad…sadder than anything he’d seen on her face before.

Considering everything, that was saying a lot. He hated seeing that look there. Hated it.

“Like I said earlier, we can’t start over. It’s not possible with everything that’s happened. Certain things can’t be undone.” He let go of her hand, grabbing on to her hip and sliding his palm around to her back. His other hand moved to her face, cradling her jaw.

“Like me leaving.”

“There are a number of things, and that’s one of them.” He nodded slowly. “I wish I could forget that part. I really wish I could, but it happened, and it sucked something serious.”

“Believe me it sucked for me, too. I’m sorry, Liam. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell you that enough.”

“I know that. I do. And, though we can’t erase it, we can move past it. And even though we can’t start over, we can catch up.” His thumb brushed her cheek.

“And how do we do that?” Hope flickered in her eyes, a hope that was running through him as well.

“One day at a time.” He lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers gently, just a slow simple brush before he pulled her bottom lip into his mouth. His hand moved back, palming the base of her skull as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss.

She opened for him immediately, like she needed to taste him just as much as he needed to taste her. And then her hands were at his sides, tightening in the fabric of his shirt.

He didn’t care that they were surrounded by people, most of them strangers and a group of four that he had no doubt were watching their every move. Nope, he didn’t care in the slightest. All he was focused on was the fact that the woman in his arms was not only holding on to him, but kissing him like her life depended on it.

When he pulled back from her a minute—or two—later, they were both good and truly breathless. He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers.

“Despite everything that’s happened,” he whispered, “I still want you, Harper. That hasn’t changed.” Will probably never change. He moved just enough to where he could press his lips to her forehead.

She pulled back and looked up at him. “So how does this ‘no barriers’ work?”

“Honesty. We share everything personal.”

“So the exact opposite of six weeks ago.”

“Exactly. We talk. Every day. And at a minimum we learn three new things about each other daily.”

“Like what?” she asked, her mouth quirking to the side and giving him the first smile he’d seen on her face since finding her again.

“Like, I’m twenty-nine, have an older brother and younger sister, and I’m a musician.”

“I already know all of those things about you.”

“But I don’t know any of those things about you,” he said as he continued to move his thumb across her jaw.

“Okay, I’m twenty-six, an only child, and a massage therapist.”

“That’s interesting, both of our careers are dependent on our hands.”

Speaking of hands, hers were now climbing up his chest, something he had no problem with in the slightest.

“You have to go again,” she said as her fingertips brushed his collarbone.

“I hate Brussels sprouts, I have a slight fear of heights, and I hope our child has your eyes.”

Her hands stopped moving, her fingers now laying against the base of his neck. “Liam.” She breathed his name and he did the only thing he knew. He kissed her again, savoring everything about the taste of her on his tongue.

He didn’t want to say good-bye to her. Wasn’t ready for it. He’d just found her. It was too soon.

“We’re going to figure this out,” he said against her mouth.

“I know. No barriers.” She repeated the new plan.

“Exactly.”

When the SUV pulled away from the curb five minutes later—taking Harper with it—the only thing that helped the ache in his chest was the fact that he was going to get to see her in less than two weeks.

Let the countdown begin, and let it get to the end as fast as possible.

*  *  *

Liam’s deep, rich voice filled the tiny space of Harper’s bedroom while she unpacked and did laundry. As she had neighbors on all sides of her—some a little bit older who had never hesitated to complain—she had to listen to music at somewhat subdued levels. Though she was pushing the boundaries a tad bit tonight, her volume just a little louder than usual. The current song coming through her speakers was “Wild and Reckless.”

“Tearing down the road in the middle of the night. My only guide the glow of the moonlight…” she sang along.

It was Liam’s first big song and she knew every single word of it. Again, the fact that she hadn’t made the connection that he was Liam James was freaking ridiculous. How had she never Googled what he looked like before?

She still couldn’t believe how they’d found each other again, either. Because really, what were the odds? Slim, that was for sure. But hey, considering the fact that she’d gotten pregnant even with the use of all those condoms, maybe the odds were a little skewed.

She dropped the basket of laundry onto the bed and immediately put her hand over her belly.

But her getting pregnant was not an unlucky occurrence. It might not be the most optimal timing in the world, but this was her child…Liam’s child…their child.

He was going to be involved, and the relief at that fact was freeing. And then there was the added bonus that she hadn’t screwed everything up beyond repair.

I still want you, Harper. That hasn’t changed.

Those words kept repeating in her head, and that—combined with the low rich timbre of his voice crooning through her apartment—resonated through her body. The power that his voice had over her was scary as all hell, and the fear she’d felt all those weeks ago was still present, niggling at the back of her mind.

There was no denying the fact that she was in love with him. It hadn’t been some overwhelming rush of hormones six weeks ago. It hadn’t been just great sex…really great sex. It had been him. Liam James.

But there was no more running. She couldn’t. The future held a good amount of unknown that wasn’t comforting in the slightest, but wasn’t that life? There were no guarantees with anything…

She wished they’d had more time. Wished they hadn’t had to leave, and she had no doubt that Mel, Bennett, and the boys would’ve given her more time. But Liam hadn’t had the time. He’d needed to catch a flight to California, and he’d looked genuinely unhappy about leaving her. He’d wanted more time, too.

That hadn’t been a figment of her imagination, had it?

I hope our child has your eyes.

More words that kept repeating on a loop.

There was a lot of uncertainty coursing through her, but something she felt in her bones was that Liam James was a man of his word. So she was going to go with that, uncertainty and all.

At least the overwhelming anxiety that had been plaguing her for the last few weeks had lessened significantly. She guessed it was because of the truth finally being out there and all. Well, the truth being out there to Liam…she still had to tell her parents, a prospect that wasn’t in the slightest bit appealing.

But she didn’t need to worry about that tonight…that was on the docket for tomorrow.

She’d actually planned on telling them everything when she’d gone to pick Luna up that afternoon, but her father had been out at a farm checking on a sick colt. She couldn’t tell one without the other there…and really the thought of telling her mother alone was terrifying.

So yeah, she didn’t need to worry about that until tomorrow.

Her cell phone rang on the nightstand next to her, vibrating against the wood. Liam’s name flashed on the screen and she grabbed for the phone immediately, hitting the Accept button before even thinking about it.

“Hi.” Her heart was beating erratically out of her chest.

“Hey, I…” He trailed off for a second, the phone going silent. “Are you listening to my music?”

“Crap!” She dropped the phone into the pile of clothes before she practically pole-vaulted over her bed to get to the speakers set up on her dresser. Luna jumped up from her dog bed in the corner and started barking as Harper fumbled with her iPad. It took her a couple of tries before she was able to mash the Off button successfully.

Well…that had just happened.

“Luna, shhh.” She picked up the still barking dog and held her to her chest.

Luna let out a few more chuffs before Harper set her on the bed. The dog stopped barking as she spun in a circle, making herself comfortable on a throw blanket by the pillows.

It took Harper a second to successfully retrieve her phone from the still warm pile of clothing, and she heard Liam’s chuckle coming through the speaker before she even had it to her ear.

She cleared her throat before talking. “Sorry, I, uh…dropped the phone.”

“Yeah, I noticed that.” The smile in his voice was evident. “Luna not a fan of my music?”

“Wh-what?”

“She was barking.”

“Because I woke her up when I made a mad dash across the room.”

“Ahhhh, I see.” He chuckled again, the rich warmth of it settling low in her belly. “So, what are you doing?”

“Unpacking and washing laundry.”

“Well, aren’t you a party animal?” The teasing in his voice wasn’t helping with the erratic state of her heart.

“Yup. What are you doing?”

“Settling into the hotel.”

“Your flight was okay?” she asked as she propped the phone between her ear and her shoulder and started twisting a washcloth in her hands. Why was she so nervous? It wasn’t like this was their first conversation, yet she was barely able to think of what to say. Next thing she’d be asking him about the weather.

“Yeah, but I came to a conclusion.”

“A conclusion?”

“This whole catching-up thing is going to need to be balanced.”

“Balanced?” Or she’d just turn into a parrot and repeat the end of all of his sentences.

“Yup, I want an entire conversation where I get to ask you anything. You know way more about me than I know about you. And I’m at a disadvantage as a lot of information about me can be found on the Internet.”

This was very true. Case in point, the entire ride back she’d been regaled with interesting tidbits about Liam.

As it turned out, Hamilton was a huge fan, so he knew quite a few facts without the assistance of the World Wide Web. And fan or not, the vetting process on whether Liam was good enough for Harper began, and Dale had been more than happy to help out. The two must’ve looked up every ounce of information that could be located about the guy, and repeated it for everyone else to learn.

The only person in the car who knew about the pregnancy was Mel, but as they’d all been witness to Liam making out with her in front of the hotel, they obviously knew something was up in some capacity. Couldn’t exactly miss it, now, could they?

For the most part, Liam wasn’t much for being in the spotlight when he wasn’t on the stage; must’ve been a family trait as Logan was pretty similar on that front. Liam had dated a few semi-famous women—an actress or two, other musicians, a model—and those facts had all come with somewhat painful pangs. But as none of those relationships seemed to have been all that serious, she was able to breathe a little easier.

There was a part of her that had felt guilty about learning this information…like it was an invasion of privacy. But in the end, it was information that she was pretty sure he would’ve told her himself and really none of it was anything that was all that personal. It was observations from outsiders. She’d found out more about him within the first hour of meeting him than what the boys had pulled up on their phones.

“You Google me yet?” Liam asked, a shuffling on his side of the phone like he was moving papers around.

She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth…chewing on it as she tried to figure out how to answer.

“Honey, remember the new rule: no barriers.”

She dropped her lip from her teeth, smiling at the fact that he was calling her honey again. “I didn’t.”