Page 8 of Point Proven
Running my hand down my face, a saddened smile crept onto my face. “Well,thisisn’t how I wanted it to go, but the children require treats.”
I slipped out of him, a shudder rocking his frame as he slowly pushed himself upright. Pinching my side, he offered me that lethal smirk, one that spoke of continued need and interest. “I’ll meet you upstairs?”
Grinning, I dipped my chin. “Press your knees to your chest and wait like that. I want to ram my cock inside you until you cum.”
“Yes, sir.”
With one last glance at him, I headed to the mischievous, conniving little shits. The faster they got their treats, the faster I could have mine.
Anddamn, did I want that treat sliding down my throat.
CHAPTER FOUR
SIMON
Splashing water on my face, I wiped the liquid from my cheeks as steam coated the mirror. I wasn’t sure how long I had been in the bathroom; thoughts had built up over the past two days since breakfast at the diner. It was evident Liam was hiding shit from me, and no matter what hints or probing I did, he dropped nothing.
He’d always been a private man, which was part of the reason our love had gone unrequited for so long. He kept to himself, which wasn’t a problem, but it did irk me that he refused to relinquish his past. Despite my devotion to him, my trust wavered when he didn’t feel comfortable telling me more. I wouldn’t force him to, but it hurt not knowing anything about his life before his time at the military base. He knew everything about me, but I hardly understood the nuances of him.
Even when I was being sneaky, I couldn’t get anything from him. If it was something to do with me, I just wanted him to tell me. I enjoyed making him laugh and maintaining my carefree attitude, but behind closed doors? When I stared at my reflection in the mirror as I did now?
The mask fell, crumbling to deepen the wrinkles on my forehead. The stains of my anxiety were more evident: theshadows under my eyes, the tightness around my lips, and the furrowing of my brows. While he had his demons, so did I, and I would carry them alone without adding to his burdens. If he couldn’t tell me his, then I needed to be strong for both of us—a perfect image of happiness he could rely on.
Running the towel over my hair one last time, I placed it on the hook, making sure the bathroom was organized before wrapping my hand around the knob. Twisting it, the door cracked open as my gaze landed on Liam.
Spread out on the bed, he was engrossed with his book as he lazily flipped through the pages. Hair sprawled on the white pillowcase, I grinned at the comfort exuding from him. While he’d carried the anxiety of that conversation for days, he seemed to be doing better… or at least, better at hiding what was troubling him.
“Damn. I’m out here showing cock, and you’re too busy reading.”
Liam dropped his book to his chest, peering up at me with those circularsluttylittle glasses. “You were in there forever. My apologies for filling the time with a hobby.”
“A cute hobby, as long as you keep wearing those.”
Tapping beside my eyes, I shuffled over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of briefs. Slipping them on with a pair of loose sweatpants, I gently closed the drawer before flopping onto the mattress with a sigh. Everything wastooloud, but I plastered that dumb grin on my face.
Raising my arm and pressing my head into the comforter, I glanced up at him from the unconventional angle as I trailed my fingers along his hip. “And it was my everything shower.”
He lifted his brows. “You’re fooling no one, Simon.”
“Fooling? I am cool, calm,sexy. But foolish?”
His expression remained unamused. “What’s wrong?”
Biting my lip, I shifted my chin down to stare at the wall across from us. Keeping the leisurely pace of my strokes along his skin, I made a mental note to fix the picture hanging on its surface. Crooked beyond belief, it wasn’t a big enough distraction from the voices in my mind. “I… Nothing pertaining to me?—”
“Your happy-go-lucky persona is chipping away, Simon. I can see behind your mask. So whenever youactuallywant to talk, let me know.” He grabbed his book again, opening it to block himself from my view.
“Then… how about it be true for you, too. You always brush it aside. I try to be happy, but you’re still sad. I try to talk to you, and you brush it away. I try to give you space, and you come back looking even… worse. I try… I try to hold you, and you shove me away. I try tobethere, but it’s like talking to a wall?—”
Snapping the book shut, his jaw feathered with mounting frustration. “Oh, God forbid I try to focus onyouand your injuries. You know? That you lost a leg? That, despite saying you’re fine after the fact, I know you aren’t. That this…,” he gestured toward me with his hand, “is all a front?”
“Godforbid I try to crack through that impenetrable fortress you maintain. And, regarding my leg, sure. I’m not okay with it, or what happened. Sure, it haunts me that you had to see… had to witness the impacts of that land mine, but you haven’t told me how it’s hurt youat all.”
“Because it isn’t about me!” he shouted. “Youare the one whose entire life changed because of that incident. Not mine. Mentioning my struggles on the matter is fucking insensitive, Simon!”
Pressing my palms into the mattress, I sprang upward, whipping around to look at him. “Insensitive? You act as if my life is terrible, but it’s not. Sure, I lost a part of me, but I’m damn lucky to still be here… that I get more time with you, Liam. Andyes, it happened to me, but your entire world changed too, and I want to know how it did if you’d just let me.”
“I’m not doing this.” Moving from where he rested, he went to push himself from the bed.
