Chapter 1

"Nice party Naomi's throwing, huh?"

Annie spun around to see none other than Liam Court standing there, a big smirk on his face. She ran a hand through her hair, nodding her head, and preparing to turn away. But Liam grabbed her arm, pulling her back, and pulling her close to his body. She looked away, not wanting anybody to see her with him.

"Stop," she ordered, stepping back from him.

"What is your problem?" Liam asked.

"You keep hitting on me," she told him. "It's not going to work like this. Naomi is one of my best friends, and you're just a—"

"Yeah, I get it, I'm a player, and I used to date your friend. She and I are over, and this hasn't stopped you from sending me signals back," Liam said, cupping her cheeks. "Annie, I know you want me."

"You're cocky," she said, rolling her eyes and pushing him off of her. "Somebody is going to see this and get the wrong idea, so would you stop touching me?"

"I'm returning the signals that you sent me!" Liam cried. "Why did you kiss me over the summer?"

Annie sighed and told him, "It doesn't matter why."

"I'm ready to do this," Liam promised her. "I was there for you after the hit and run, and I'm still here for you now. We're friends. And it has been months since Naomi and I broke up, so I don't see why you and I can't happen. I want to be with you."

"You're just saying that," Annie mumbled. "You use girls. Any girl that you chase after is always just some waste of your time that you drop after a while, and I don't want to be another one of those girls, Liam, I just can't be. I would rather be just your friend than nothing to you at all in a few months, or maybe even days, for all I know."

"I get that I have a record of being bad when it comes to relationships, but you're not one of those girls, Annie. You're never going to be," he promised her, taking both of her hands.

"I can't. It's never going to be right. You're still Naomi's ex," she said, staring at the floor. "I don't think I'm in the mood for a party, so I think I'm just going to head off—"

"Didn't you come here with Silver and Adrianna?" Liam asked. "They're not exactly in the mood to leave the party. Ade is having a very good time with Navid, and I think Silver has found herself some new guy. Don't kill their girl time. Let me drive you home."

"I'm not going to let you drive me home! There's always some trick up your sleeve," Annie said, shaking her head.

"No tricks at all," Liam guaranteed. "I'm just trying to be a good friend. Have you forgotten that I care about you?"

She gave in, nodding her head, and then following Liam to his car. The car ride to her house was slow and quiet, but it felt like the silence was needed. Annie didn't have anything to say to him. Well, at least anything that would make the situation easier for both of them... because part of her just wanted to tell Liam how she felt about him, and then to enjoy that feeling of Liam's lips against hers. The first kiss they had shared over the summer was perfect. It was so perfect that Annie didn't want to talk to him for months. She was hoping that she would hate it, and whatever attraction she had towards Liam would just go away already. But it was still there, and she couldn't get rid of it. There she was, sitting in his car while he drove her home, and all she could think about was ripping his clothes off.

"We're here," he announced, unlocking the door for her. "It's a late night. I'll walk you in."

She wanted to tell him that it was a bad idea, but truthfully, she didn't hate the sound of a few more lingering moments of being near him. So, she let it happen. He got out of the car, opening the door for her as well. He gave her a hand to help her out, and they walked in silence towards the door of her house. She reached for the key from her purse, and unlocked the door, slowly stepping outside. She turned to face him. It was time to part ways already. She knew she needed to let go.

"Thanks for the ride," she quietly said, scratching her head.

"Yeah, any time," he said with a sincere smile. "Good night."

"Or maybe you could stay," she suggested.

"You would want me to?" Liam asked.

She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head and responding, "No, sorry about that. I do think it's best that you go. It's really late already. Good night."

"Night," he said, accepting her decision.

She shut the door. He stood there for an extra moment, sighing. She was gone. A surge of disappointment rushed through him, but he finally lost the stubbornness, and decided to just give it a rest for the night. He began walking back to his car. Barely. Just slow steps. One, two, three... part of him still hoped that her mind would change, that door would open, and he'd see her chasing after him for once. But it wouldn't happen. Annie was too good.

But it did happen. The door opened, and there was an apprehensive look on her face. He turned around, hearing the sound of the door. His gaze locked with hers for a moment, and she simply mumbled, "Liam..." She said his name, and he walked right back to her. Whatever effect she had on him was purely horrifying. He was afraid of the effect she had. What was she doing to him? He had never been like this. He had never been the one to run after the girl every time. They always came to him. But he couldn't help it. His heart hurt when he gave up on her. He needed to go back to her every time.

Back at her doorway, their eyes met one last time, before Liam leaned in, his whole self feeling hungrier than ever before. The kiss they shared equaled his passion, devouring the small girl with all the lust he had for her. He picked her up, carrying her in his arms, their lips not separating for one second. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and her hands were looped around his neck, kissing him as hard as she could. Their emotions were at their peaks, and they couldn't deny the attraction in what was happening. Liam kicked the door behind him, and carried the tiny girl up the stairs. Fumbling into her bedroom, he practically threw her on the bed, jumping on top of her.

Their breaths were so unsteady, but their heartbeats were in sync. Their noses were touching as Annie began to unbutton Liam's flannel shirt, revealing his chiseled chest. Beverly Hills guys were definitely hotter than most average guys... and she took a moment to appreciate that fact by taking a long, good scan at his muscular body. Licking her lips, she pushed the flannel shirt to the floor, and pulling him back on top of her. Her head was now resting on the pillow. He pulled her back up so she was sitting up again, and dragged her blouse over her head, tossing it onto the floor. Liam found the clasp of her bra, about ready to unhook it. He saw a look of worry on Annie's face, but reassured her of his feelings with one more kiss. Then, her bra dropped down, and his lips met the new skin exposed on her body.

"Are you sure?" Liam asked in a quiet tone.

"Yes," she answered, pulling him back on top of her, and their lips met again.

...

The next morning, Annie's heart was pounding when she woke up. Her arms were wrapped around Liam's naked body. He was fast asleep. She sighed, sitting up in bed. She reached for her phone, checking the time. 9:01 AM. Thank god her parents were away for the weekend. Her only hope was that Dixon has found some girl to hook up with that night, and didn't make his way home yet.

"Liam," she whispered, shaking his body. "Liam!"

"Mm, I'm up, I'm up," he said, his eyes groggily opening. He smiled when he saw her. "Good morning," he said in his groggy tone, taking her arm and pulling her in for a raw kiss. She didn't even mind that both of them had a bad case of morning breath.

"No, no, we can't," she stopped him.

"Yeah, was three times last night good enough?" Liam joked, smiling at her. "What is up with you? I'm happy right now."

"Last night was—" she began.

"Amazing? Perfect? Sexy?" Liam finished for her with a cocky smile. "I could say that it was the best sex of my life."

"Glad to know that, and I can't lie to you, because it did feel right, and felt so good," she admitted, sighing, "but that doesn't replace the fact that we shouldn't have done it."

"We shouldn't have? Annie, there's nothing going against this except you saying we shouldn't!" Liam cried. "Naomi and I broke up, the complications from my life are finally gone, and we're in a good place. The universe is saying this should happen, but you keep saying it shouldn't."

"I just don't know how I feel about this, okay?" Annie told him.

"Then let's talk about it tonight," Liam said with a smile. "Do you want to go to dinner with me? I mean it, for real. We can figure everything out. 7:00?"

Annie smiled back at him and said, "Alright, okay. 7:00 it is. But I still think you should get out of here right now. We haven't figured out what we're doing yet, and the last thing I need is Dixon asking me questions about it, so..."

"I get it," he told her, and pecked her forehead. "I'll get out. See you tonight for dinner."

He put his clothes back on before cracking the window open, and crawling out. Annie watched carefully as he did, sighing happily. Liam Court asked her out for dinner? She couldn't believe that it was finally happening between them. Maybe it was the start of something really amazing. What if Liam was the one she was meant to be with? She had already found out how good it felt to have sex with him, and to kiss him. Imagine if she could have that every day for the rest of her life... She would love it.

Finally getting up from bed, she put her clothes back on, slowly walking out of her bedroom. She heard the sound of plates clattering downstairs, which could only mean one thing— Dixon was home. Her hope was that he hadn't come home until early this morning, or that he hadn't come up to check on her. Sighing, she made her way downstairs.

"Pancakes? I didn't know that you could cook," Annie commented with a laugh, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"Nah, I got these from iHop this morning. That party wore me out," Dixon said, scratching his head. "I got you some."

"Really? Thanks," she said with a bright smile, getting herself a plate. "I get that you didn't want to cook this morning. With mom and dad gone, plus that insane party that Naomi threw..."

"Yeah, it was pretty crazy," Dixon agreed. "I mean, I got back last night, though. You left earlier than I expected."

"Well, I wasn't in a party mood anymore," Annie explained.

"Oh, so you were more in a Liam mood?" Dixon muttered under his breath.

"Dixon, I heard that," Annie said, sighing. "Okay, so I guess you know..."

"Of course I know. I was looking everywhere for you at the party when I was ready to leave, but you weren't there. When I went home, I had to make sure you were here, too. It might have been like 3 AM, so I was hoping that you were sleeping, and you were, but you weren't alone," Dixon explained. "I really wasn't expecting to see you cuddled up to a very naked Liam."

She ran a hand through her hair and told him, "Look, I wasn't expecting it, either. It sort of just happened."

"That's a line that everyone uses," Dixon scoffed. "I mean, I'm alright with it. I'm alright with you, but with him? He can be a pretty bad guy. He's done a lot of regrettable things."

"Haven't we all?" Annie said, raising her eyebrows. "I was in a hit and run! We have all done plenty of things that we regret, and Liam is no different. He still looks at me the same, despite the fact that he knows everything that I've done."

"He looks at you as another girl he's doing to screw," Dixon warned her. "He's already screwed you over emotionally, and now he's cashing that in. He got what he wanted by sleeping with you. Now he's done. He's my friend, I know that, but I also know the type of guy he is, and I just don't want my sister getting hurt."

"I don't need you to watch out for me. Liam doesn't think of me that way, I know he doesn't," Annie told him. "He didn't just ditch me after we slept together, he stayed. He wanted to stay. And he asked me out for dinner. He told me he has feelings for me, Dixon. I don't believe that he's using me."

"Yeah, well he can be pretty convincing," Dixon argued. "Fine, whatever, you can keep hooking up with him. But he's the type of guy who stands girls up. When you get hurt, don't say that I didn't warn you."