Page 55 of Just Between Us

“Here. Take a look.” She holds out a handheld mirror, and I take it.

Josie is an artistic genius. If I didn’t know better, I’d think the angry red marks on my neck really were vampire bites. I’d also believe the crimson streaks by my mouth are actually fresh, dripping blood.

Next, Josie instructs Liam and me to stand and face each other. While she’s talking, she opens both my palms, covering them in red paint. It’s cold on my skin, a stark contrast to how hot I’ve felt since Liam entered the room.

“We want Liam to look like he lost control,” Josie explains. “Liam, I hope that’s not a good shirt. Okay, Cassie, take your hands and run them down his chest. Really work him over.”

Blinking, I press my lips into a flat line and look at her. “Is this really necessary?”

“Yes! You want this to look realistic, don’t you?” Josie shoots me a mischievous grin. “Oh, and start at his neck, then work your way down. Don’t be shy.”

I can do this. Liam and I aren’t strangers. We’ve touched a hundred times by now. We’ve hugged, he’s carried me, I know what it feels like to have my body close to his. But this is different. Running my hands from his neck, down his bare, very sculpted chest feels intimate. Like I’m marking him. And we have an audience.

To make sure we’re on the same page, I lift a brow in question.Are you good with this?

A torrent of emotion flickers behind his eyes, the same push and pull they’ve held for weeks. I’m held captive by what I see, the war waging there. But then he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and he dips his chin in a singular nod.

Stepping closer, my breath hitches as I place both hands on either side of Liam’s throat. I can feel his frantic pulse against my painted fingers letting me know he’s not as calm as he looks. His eyes flare, lips parting when I boldly apply pressure at the hollow of his throat, but I continue, pausing at his clavicles for a fraction of a second. Then I drag my hands in a path over the hard, sculpted planes of his chest. The white cotton of his shirt bunches between my fingers, staining the fabric red.

Stepping back, I admire my work. It looks like a struggle, as if he caught his prey. And I think right now, I’m it.

A throat clears, snapping me out of whatever spell I’ve been under.

“Shit. That was so hot, like watching foreplay,” Josie says, fanning herself with both hands.

Penny snorts from the couch, but her cheeks are pink. “Josie, have some decorum.”

Liam remains quiet through all of this, but when his phone pings in his pocket, he pulls it out, frowns at the screen, and slides it back in his pocket.

“We should get going. Sheila said the bouncer called out tonight. Duty calls.”

I’m hit with a pang of disappointment. If Liam is bouncer tonight, that’s less time we’ll have to spend together.

The bar is already crowded when we arrive, a line forming outside. Liam and I part at the door as he goes into bouncer mode, checking ID’s. I head inside, overwhelmed at the sheer number of bodies packed in here. After a lot ofexcuse me’s, andI’ll just squeeze between you guys, I make it to the bar where Sheila and a man I’ve only seen but not officially met are busy mixing drinks.

I make eye contact with Sheila, and she waves me over.

“Hey, doll, have you met my son here? This is Jackson.”

Jackson, yes. That’s who this is. I’ve heard Penny talk about him. He’s one of her closest friends, and if I’m not mistaken, had a huge crush on my brother when he first arrived in Singing River. Hell, if my brother hadn’t met Penny, I’d have punched him for not giving this man a shot. He’s tall with light brown hair peeking from under a backward red ball cap, a deep dimple cut into one cheek. He’s adorable, all at each customer he serves.

He hands a cocktail to a girl in a cat costume and turns to me.

“So, this is the famous Cassie James. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

He sticks out his hand and I take it. “All good, I hope.”

“Only the best. You’re all he talks about. He’s obsessed with you.”

A guy dressed as The Joker grabs his attention to place and order, and I’m left reeling. The onlyheI can think Jackson could be referring to is Liam. But obsessed with me? That feels like an exaggeration. Then my mind goes to how he looked earlier when he first laid eyes on me in this costume, and I think, maybe? Possibly? I hope.

Without my friends here, and with Liam filling in as bouncer, I’m unsure what to do with myself. A seat at the bar opens up and before anyone else can, I grab it. I guess I’ll scroll social media to pass the time.

A new photo Penny must have just taken pops up. Josie’s two kids, dressed up to trick or treat. Her son looks just like her, blonde hair and blue eyes. But when I move to her daughter, I have to do a double take. I swear she favors me as a kid. Weird. Must be a recessive gene somewhere in Josie’s family.

Two women, a petite brunette and blonde with curves I’d kill for, squeeze in next to me to order drinks, and while they wait, I can’t help but eavesdrop.

“Did you see Liam at the door? He looks fucking hot,” the brunette says.