Talk about hiding his light under a bushel. Liam had been hiding the equivalent of the damned sun. Clark Kent had gone full sexual Superman, and she hadn’t been ready for it.
Who could have been ready for that? And who would’ve expected him to aim that kind of passionate fire power in her direction?
Everyone but you.
She couldn’t deny it now, though she’d been trying for months. Whenever she was asked—and she was asked all the time because for some reason, everyone in town had the wrong idea about them being a couple—she told people she loved Liam like a brother.
A brother, for God’s sake.
It was a convenient lie, and the only way she could think of putting a stop to the endless curiosity. The truth was, she couldn’t find the right way to explain their relationship without people getting the wrong idea.
They were more than roommates. They were best friends that spent all their free time together. He was the most important person in her life and yes, she loved him unconditionally. But they’d never dated. Never kissed. Despite everything they’d been through together, Dani had managed not to step on that landmine for years. Until now.
It had taken weeks of dreams, more than a year of abstinence and whatever temporary insanity had happened in that bathroom for that dam to break, and damn, had it broken. That wasn’t just a kiss. She’d basically accosted him and humped his leg.
How would she ever be able to look him in the eyes again?
A year ago, all that mattered was getting away from her ex and staying safe. Sex had done nothing but get her into trouble and leave her unsatisfied. It wasn’t worth what it cost her. She couldn’t let herself forget that.
Walking on shaky legs, she opened the top drawer of her dresser, pushing underwear aside until she saw the paperwork she’d put there earlier. It had shown up in her PO box a few days ago, and it was all there. A new last name. A new social security number and birth certificate. A new life.
The person she used to be—the shy nurse who put most of every paycheck into savings for a tomorrow that never came—that woman was officially erased from existence. Her lawyer’s attached letter reaffirmed what the documents were claiming, that her previous records were sealed, and she had nothing more to worry about. Sal would never find her. It was over.
As soon as she told Liam, everything would change again. But if she was going to be the bold new Dani Harris instead the meek Danielle Craver he’d met three years ago, she needed to start acting like her.
She’d tell him today. After all he’d done to help her, he’d earned that and so much more.
When she’d escaped Sal and turned to the only friendship left he hadn’t tarnished, she really hadn’t expected Liam to swoop to her rescue the way he had. He’d given her the greatest gift by simply believing her when no one else would. Without question or hesitation, he’d offered to take her to the police or kill the bastard himself.
After telling him she didn’t want him going to prison and that Sal had cousins on the force, Liam had made a few phone calls. Before the sun rose on a new day, she’d had a lawyer and several states between her and her abuser. Then they were in Arizona, living rent-free in the Sedona vacation home of a wealthy man Liam used to cook for.
It had been such a relief at the time that she hadn’t dared to question her good fortune. Then he’d told her he was staying with her until she got her paperwork in order and her safety was assured, and she’d started to worry that he might actually be too good to be true. People didn’t do things like that for each other. Leave their lives behind to help a friend without getting anything in return. Not in her experience.
But after a year of living together, she realized it was just his nature. He was always helping someone out of one jam or another. His personality inspired confidence, loyalty and yes, irritation because he loved to tease. If he believed in you, he gave all of himself without question. A nice guy who could kiss like the devil. A unicorn.
She’d never be able to pay him back. Not for any of it. He’d argued that he was a chef at the fanciest resort in town and didn’t need her to pay her half of the bills, but her pride demanded it. She’d been alone for most of her life and would be again. She couldn’t forget that.
She also couldn’t forget that though he seemed to be thriving here, he had another life in Texas that he never would have left if it wasn’t for her. His family had some land there. He’d had a career there and other people who depended on him, calling once a week to check on their prodigal son.