Crown Jewels (Off-Limits Romance #1)(83)

Before she goes, Lucy leans over the bed and grabs a pillow. I look up at her face as she props it behind me. I look down at myself, and that’s when I feel it— “My hair…”

She bites her lip. “You wanted me to cut it. Is that okay?”

I nod. I watch as Lucy tucks my sheets and duvet around me. I lean my head back on the pillow, shut my eyes. I feel heavy. I don’t like it.

“Dr. Burns said you can drop back on the Librium today. The IV’s gone.”

I look down. There was an IV? Christ—I’m such a fuckup.

I rub my eyes. “Clary. I…need…to go to Clary.” Now that I’m not drowning everything in scotch and whiskey—now that Lucy’s in the picture—I can’t let this shit go on.

“What about tomorrow? I don’t think Dr. Burns wants you to drive today.”

I nod. Too much trouble to explain I wouldn’t drive myself. Too much trouble to do anything but lie in bed and watch the light behind the curtains.

When I wake up on some other morning, my mind foggy with the haze of Lucy in the bed with me—her lips against her cheek, her laughter near my ear—I find her sitting cross-legged in a window seat, reading from a hardback book and sipping something from a brown glass bottle. I see her lips curve in a tiny smile. I notice Grey winding himself around her bare feet.

My eyes trail up from her ankles, over her bare calves, up her creamy, curvy thighs, which I realize are bare because she’s in a robe. With her knees crisscrossed, it’s ridden up a little.

Jesus Christ, she’s gorgeous. What is she still doing here?

I guess she feels my gaze on her, because her eyes flit over to me. When they find my face, they widen; her mouth breaks into a big grin.

“Hi there! You’re awake.”

“Seems so.” I push myself up on one of my elbows, squeezing my dry eyes shut for a second before I look around the room. It looks…normal I guess. There’s some flowers on a table in one of the corners. Red tulips.

I note an unfamiliar Macbook on another little table. And some lip balm on my nightstand.

“You’ve been a little out of it for the last two days.”

I blink at her, feeling dumb as fuck. A little? I don’t even remember day turning to night.

I swallow, sit up further, roll my—

“Fuck.”

“Your shoulder, yeah… How does it feel?”

I test it with a smaller movement, finding, “It’s okay.”

“Good.” She walks over to the bed, sticking her hands in her robe’s deep pockets. “Dr. Burns said it should be getting better.”

I nod.

There’s this moment when we’re staring at each other. Lucy looks a little shy. I feel like the best thing I can do is run. Goddamn, I’m so fucking embarrassed. I cover my eyes with one hand, hoping she’ll think the bright light from the open windows is hurting my head.

I feel her body indent the mattress. Followed by her arms around my shoulders, then her mouth against my temple. “Please don’t act weird with me. Don’t be shy and stuff. You’ve been a perfect gentleman and totally sexy lying around in only boxer-briefs. I’ve seen a lot of the crown jewels.”

I feel her cheek curve up, pressing against mine. She pulls slightly away, and I can see her smile is sincere. She wiggles her eyebrows, looking beautiful and teasing.

My eyes close. I don’t mean to, but they act on their own. I can’t fucking look at her.

“You can go at any time,” I hear myself say in a gruff voice. “I’ll be okay.”

Lucy hits my shoulder. I crack my eyes open. “Liam Clary. I can’t believe that you would pull that shit on me.”

“What? That I’ll be fine?” My temper breaks like a fucking ocean wave. I find I’m gritting my teeth, my pulse pounding in my temples. “I am fine.”

“I know you are. Do you think I’m here because I thought you’d die without me? I realize you’re a prince, Liam. There are people lined up out the hallway to take care of you and help. People who you know and trust. People who have signed their NDAs, so don’t worry. I haven’t let any of them in here because I wanted to be with you.”

“Making sure I stick around for baby?”

Lucy’s face darkens. Her mouth flattens, then she chews her lip. I wait for her to speak—or leave.





THIRTY-ONE Lucy





I’m not really surprised. I figured he would be embarrassed when he woke up. Someone like Liam—of course he would be.

I’m not a moron. I realize he probably sees himself as a cool, collected bachelor type. Despite the things he said to me in our brief time together, Liam is young and filthy rich and charming. I don’t know if I can trust the things he said about his feelings for me now that he’s sober, but I knew he’d be embarrassed when he realized that I’d stuck around and nursed him through his first few days of detox.

Logically, I know I shouldn’t be surprised or hurt.

And yet…

I sigh, and climb up onto the foot of his bed.

“You’re in a grouchy mood.”

“You think?”

I can’t help smiling slightly at him, at this grumpy Liam with short hair and a gorgeous, sullen mouth.