He’s still silent.
I glance up at Zara, who’s frowning at me from across the length of the living room. She raises her eyebrows, and I shake my head.
"Talk to him," she mouths before she leaves to give me some privacy.
I nod, turn to glance out the window and lower my voice. "I have feelings for you, Liam. I know I’ve never told you that, but you must have sensed it. And after last night, I can’t keep them hidden from you. What you did to me, how you made me come with so much mastery, how you treated my body like it was yours… It was mind-blowing. Now I know what people mean when they say ‘the world shifted.’ That’s what last night was, Liam. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I didn’t even think it was possible to be aroused so much, to come so hard that I swear, I saw stars. It felt like some kind of a religious rite of passage. And I’m sorry I left without waking you up. But I knew you’d talk me out of it. I knew you’d say or do something that would distract me. It’s why I left. Because I need a little time."
"How long?"
I blink. I hadn’t expected him to ask that. To be honest, I was sure he’d disconnect on me, or rage at me, or maybe, sic his lawyers on me. After all, we had a deal and I’m rescinding it.
"I… hadn’t thought about that."
"How long, Isla?" I sense the impatience in his voice.
"It’s difficult for me to put a timeline to this."
"So, you’re going to stay away for an indeterminate amount of time, and I just have to deal with it?"
"Y-yes?"
Silence again.
"This is our future, Liam. Our child’s future, if I’m pregnant."
I sense him shift his position.
"I wasn’t rough with you last night, was I? I got carried away in the heat of the moment. You make me lose my mind, and say and do things that are out of character. And if I hurt you, I’ll never forgive myself."
I swallow. "You didn’t hurt me. You were… dominant, demanding—"
"I hurt you."
"No, you didn’t. If anything, you showed me how much I like to be told what to do in bed."
"I know."
I hear the smirk in his voice a-n-d, there he is. The alphahole I know. It’s a relief to hear him speak in that smug tone. It’s so very Liam. It means he gets what I’m saying. I hope. Some of the tension drains from my shoulders.
"I’m here at Zara’s place."
"I know."
"What?" I frown.
He blows out a breath. "I know. I put a tracker on your phone."
"You what?" I swivel around to find Zara frowning at me. "What did you say?" I ask again.
"I put a tracker on your phone, Isla. It’s one of my quirks. I was kidnapped. I lived to tell the tale. I swore it would never happen to me or to anyone I love. I take precautions. I protect my own. Deal with it."
That arrogant jerkface.
"And what if I don’t want to?"
He chuckles; his dark voice shivers down the phone and all my pores seem to pop. My stupid pussy instantly clenches. My thighs quiver.
"Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to." He disconnects.