Escaping Reality (The Secret Life of Amy Bensen #1)(56)

He closes the distance between us and pulls me to my feet. “You want me to tie you up again.”

It’s not a question. Embarrassed, I look down. His finger slides under my chin, lifting my gaze to his. “Don’t be shy. It’s just you and me, baby.

Nothing we do goes beyond us. Nothing you tell me goes beyond me.”

I wish that were true, but the more I know him, the more I know he will go after whoever is after me. And they will go after him. “Yesterday you were…different when we, ah…”

“Yesterday you didn’t need me to force you to let go. You were already relaxed. Today, you’re on edge. Why?”

I shut my eyes a moment. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t want to be alone.”

“I’m good at being alone, Liam.”

“I don’t want you to be good at being alone. You aren’t alone anymore.”

“It’s too early for you to make promises like that.”

“No. It’s not. This thing between us isn’t going away, but I’ve had more time in life to figure that out and you’re afraid to count on me and us.

We’ll get by those things.”

“You’re so confident.”

“About what I feel for you, yes.”

“About everything.”

“Not everything,” he assures me. “You have this deer-in-headlights look sometimes that I’m sure means you’re going to run. Run to me, Amy, not from me.”

I wish I could promise him I would. Instead, I glower. “You are going to be late.”

He doesn’t budge, and the look on his face tells me he notices how I’ve avoided a promise I might not be able to keep. “Come with me to my meetings. There’s a restaurant and shopping strip nearby you can hang out at, or I’ll get you an office to work in.”

My heart squeezes at his protectiveness. “I have a doctor’s appointment you insisted on, and yes, I have work I’ve neglected that I’ll end up not doing. Stop worrying about me. Your new design has you talking about this project all the time. You’re passionate about it now. Go make it happen. Then you can stay here with me for a while.”

“I keep telling you. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yes, you are. To your meeting so I can make my doctor’s appointment.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“It’s two blocks. I’ll walk. Go to your meetings, Liam.”

“I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He runs his hand down the lavender silk blouse that matches my new lavender shorts, and I feel his touch in every part of me. I do not want him to go.

“Just seal the deal.” I kiss him.

His hand goes to the back of my head and he slants his mouth over mine, deepening the kiss and leaving me breathless. “I plan to, baby,” he assures me and sets me free, grabbing his briefcase and heading to the door. And I know he’s not talking about the building. He’s talking about me and him, and that sets me in action. I need a plan. A way out of this mess once and for all. No more waiting on someone else to make it go away.

That hasn’t worked.

Today I have a mission. Answers.





Chapter Seventeen


I’ve barely stepped out of the doctor’s office when Liam sends me a text. How did the doctor go?

As well as any appointment that requires you stick your legs in stirrups.

And? he replies.

And yes, I got a sample package of pills. It is 7 days before I’m protected.

I can have a lot of fantasies in 7 days. What are you doing now?

Headed to walk by those properties and then do some research at the library.

What research?

Don’t you have a meeting?

Yes dear, he jokes. I have a meeting. I’m actually being called back in now. I’ll be tied up for a few hours but call me if you need me. I’ll answer.

He’ll answer, I type.

I stick my phone back in my purse and head for the bank. My stop is disappointing. There has been no further deposit and I worry now, though it hadn’t crossed my mind while Liam and I were together, that I might have missed a message at the apartment. I find the door free of any plain white envelopes and consider knocking on Jared’s door, but decide the mailbox is a better option. A private note would not be left in a public place. Not one that I wouldn’t find before anyone else. I don’t think I was given a key to the mailbox. I’ll have to stop by to get one from Meg.

I’m about to turn back to the elevator when my door opens and a big, burly man exits. I scream and I am pretty sure my heart ceases to beat for a good sixty seconds. The door behind me opens and I whirl around and run straight at Jared, who grabs my arms.

“Whoa. Sweetheart. Easy. What’s wrong?”

I blink up at Jared and my hands are all over his t-shirt that covers his rock-hard chest when they should not be, but he is the closest thing to safe I have right now. I turn in his arms and glare at the man in the front of my door, who has on some sort of overalls and sports a beer belly and some tools, and isn’t quite as scary as he was a moment ago. “Why are you in my apartment?”

“Ms. Bensen?” he asks.

“Yes. Who are you?”

He chuckles. “You know people don’t normally get excited to see me, but I don’t usually send them running into another man’s arms either. But hey, maybe that explains why I’m not dating. I’m scarier than I thought.” He holds up a key. “I changed the locks like you ordered.”