Chapter 10

On days when Annie didn't have alcohol management sessions, she ate her lunch alone in the tiny courtyard at the heart of the rehab facility. Even on a scorching day, the high brick walls and towering palms kept the temperature relatively cool. Normally, she looked forward to it as the highlight of her long and monotonous day doing clerical work in the offices or library. As an untrained, unpaid employee there was very little else she could do. The teens there for rehab weren't just occasional partiers like herself. These kids were extreme substance abusers, so her interaction with them was kept to a minimum for her safety and theirs.

Today, however, even the peaceful solitude of the courtyard failed to brighten her mood. Since the fight with Liam, the busywork had kept her mind occupied. Now, with no appetite and nothing but her lunch to keep her mind focused, her thoughts automatically drifted to him. The night before, he'd called and instead of answering, she'd stared at the phone while it rang and urgently flashed his name. She had counted the seconds, alternately hoping for and dreading the voicemail chime. When the alert tone had finally sounded, she set the phone aside, message unheard. Sighing, she put her half eaten sandwich back in the bag and brushed breadcrumbs off her capri cut jeans. She still hadn't checked her voice mail or called Liam back and until she figured out what she wanted to hear, she'd continue to live in ignorance.

The further she got from the argument, the more confused Annie became. She'd hoped that with time the sadness would fade and she could feel good about being angry. But as she played the fight over and over in her head, her emotions continued to be as erratic as a pinball machine. One minute she was angry and humiliated, feeling like a total moron for believing that Liam had actually enjoyed hanging out with her.
The next, hot tears blurred her vision as she vividly remembered they way he'd defended her at the lawyer's office or the way he'd so patiently and carefully taught her to surf. A part of her that was growing smaller as time passed entertained the ridiculous notion that he'd made the whole thing up. But why? Why would he lie to her?

In what was now becoming a familiar routine, she sighed and groped blindly in her purse for her phone, wondering if this time she'd actually have the guts to listen to the message. Somehow, the small device had slipped out of the inside pocket where she kept it and soon her nose was buried in the bag searching. From the very bottom a shrill ring emanated and bluish light illuminated the outline of her planner. Perfect timing.

"Hello?" she said without checking the caller ID.

"Annie?" a familiar voice asked. She froze, Liam all but forgotten. Clutching the phone tightly, she fought a sudden wave of nausea that threatened to relieve her of what little she'd eaten.

"J-Jasper," she stammered. Skin flushing hot, than cold, a shiver ran up her spine. Common sense urged her to hang up immediately and it took effort to remember that contact with her ex had all been part of the plan. Struggling to keep her voice steady she put her very real surprise to good use. "Wow. I…I wasn't expecting to hear from you."

"You texted me," he reminded her with forced levity.

"Right. I know," she said, giving herself a mental shake. Rehearsing this conversation with Silver had been so much easier. "I guess…I guess I wasn't sure if you'd want to hear from me."

"I was…surprised," he admitted. "It's been awhile."

"Yeah, I was grounded," she replied, adding much more bitterness than she actually felt. Jasper had always enjoyed commiserating with her. "Seriously grounded. I didn't even hear about what happened until two weeks ago. Then it took me another week to work up the courage to send that text. I almost didn't, but…I just had to know you were okay."

"I'm fine," he assured her with obvious bravado. "No thanks to that loser, Court."

"T-tell me about it," she agreed, reminding herself of how irritated she was with Liam at the moment so she could make this believable. The part of the ruse she'd dreaded the most was making him out to be the villain. "I thought he was a good guy, but clearly he earned his reputation. When I found out what he did to you I just…I couldn't be around him anymore."

"I always said you were too smart for the West Bev bourgeoisie," Jasper sniffed his disdain and Annie was grateful not to be speaking to him in person. She could roll her eyes at him in peace. "You know I've…I've really missed you."

"I miss you, too," she forced the words out, praying they sounded less strained to his ears than they did to her own. Time moved slowly as the conversation continued, bit by painful bit. She brought him up to speed on her confession and the resulting sentence of community service at the clinic. Far too easily she fell back into the role of cynic and misanthrope as their rapport reverted to old patterns. Carefully, she steered the conversation away from the trial in case Jasper started to feel comfortable enough to let the truth slip. She didn't want that reveal to happen until they met in person. By the time her lunch break was over, she was thoroughly disgusted and eager to end the call.

"Listen, I have to get back to my slave labor, but…I'd really like to see you," she said, trying to sound hopeful.

"That'd be great. How about Friday night at the Pier?" he suggested, unable to mask his eagerness. Annie thought quickly. The Santa Monica Pier would be packed with people, very public. If Jasper caught on to the plan there would be far too many witnesses for him to do anything drastic – not that she believed he would, but better safe than sorry.

"That would be perfect," she replied, wondering how she'd convince her mother to unground her for the evening. "I'll see you then."

"Bye, Annie," he said and then with a soft click, he was gone. Relief flooded through her immediately and her shoulders slumped. Stowing the phone back in her bag, she flexed aching fingers that had clung to the phone in a death grip for the entire conversation. For a moment, she sat in stunned silence. The plan was working. An uncontrollable smile lit her features as her mood brightened considerably. She might actually be able to save Liam – and herself in the process – whether he liked it or not.

In a parking lot tucked away in a residential neighborhood of Brentwood, Liam waited for Annie beneath the paltry shade of clump of palm trees. Across the street, the rehab facility in which she was serving her community service looked more like a small private school than a clinic for teenage drug addicts. The sturdy red brick building was surrounded by a matching six foot wall. While the architect had spared the razor wire, only slightly less conspicuous electric fencing extended three feet higher than the brick. Wrought iron gates kept passerby out and inmate in while providing a glimpse of meticulously manicured landscaping. More wrought iron barred every visible window. The only way in or out was by use of a card reader at the front gate. Even then, a small guard station just out of sight behind the wall monitored those trusted to come and go as they pleased.

Leaning against the hood of his car, Liam cursed the heat wave raging through Southern California and tried to make the most of the shade. Whatever happened to sunny and seventy degrees, he thought darkly as he stared at the entrance and tried to ignore the knots of anxiety in his stomach. Once again, he'd broken the rules, barely waiting for his mom to leave before sneaking out of the house. With his conversation with Teddy playing over and over in his head, he'd made up his mind to tell Annie the truth. Last night, he'd called her, but much to his non-surprise she hadn't answered. So, he had to settle for Plan B: forcing a confrontation. He took it as a sign that luck was with him when the only parking spot in the lot had been right next to her car. Provided he didn't freaking melt first.

As he waited, he tried to plan his apology, wanting it to be perfect, but he knew he was facing an uphill battle. Admitting the lie was all well and good, but he'd still lied. All but ruining the easy honesty that had developed so naturally between them. Coming clean didn't mean Annie had to forgive him, nor did telling her how he really felt guarantee she'd feel the same no matter how badly he wanted it.

And he did want it. He wanted her. Talking to Teddy had forced him to face just how hard he'd fallen for Annie. Despite all his stupid plans to keep her at arms length, she'd snuck in and he didn't want to let her go. Even if it meant they'd only be together for the rest of the summer. Even if they both had their hearts broken in the process.

A rare breeze blew down the street and Liam closed his eyes, savoring the miniscule relief from the heat. When he opened them again, the iron gate was ajar and Annie was leaving the facility, her attention focused solely on the contents of her purse as she dug for her keys. Anxiety flared and rolled through him like a wave as he silently watched her approach. No more planning, he was out of time.

After a cursory glance for traffic, she started across. In the middle of the street, she noticed him. Their eyes met and she froze, her hand still in her purse. Liam held her gaze, his heart pounding, and tried to discern whatever was written there. They might have stayed like that all day if a car hadn't turned onto the street and honked its horn, shaking Annie from paralysis. Briefly, he thought she might turn around and he'd have to find some way to follow her into the clinic, but then she lifted her chin and purposefully finished the cross. The closer she came, the easier it was to read her emotions.

She was pissed.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped, clearly not suffering the same loss for words he'd been struggling with. Barely looking at him, she jabbed her key fob and the locks popped on the Vue.

Half formed apologies fell apart as his brain revolted in protest at being thrown into this moment too soon. He fumbled with an answer as he leveraged off the hood of the GTO. "I-I need to talk to you."

"A smart person would have gotten the hint that I'm not interested when I didn't return your call last night," Annie quipped, wrenching the door open and sliding into the driver's seat. Liam caught the door before she could close it and rested a forearm over the frame.

"Yeah, well I think we can both agree that smart is one thing I'm not," he said, falling easily into the sarcasm with a raised eyebrow. Bantering he could do. It put off telling the truth.

Still gripping the handle, she huffed and stared through the windshield. Stifling heat sluggishly escaped from the car and he wondered how she could stand it as she refused to look at him. "You said all you needed to the other night. I get it, okay? I don't need a refresher."

Liam scoffed and shook his head. The other night he'd felt so utterly transparent that deep down he'd held on to the belief that maybe she had seen right through him. Clearly, she hadn't. "No, Annie, you don't get it at all."

"Okay, so explain it to me," she demanded, jumping from the seat and slamming the door shut so fast his fingers almost got caught. She shoved a finger at his chest. "Explain to me what I didn't understand about you hating it here and being sick of the drama and sick of me. Tell me just exactly what I don't 'get' about that."

"Annie…," he bit back a frustrated curse, catching her hand and refusing to let go when she tugged. God, it was hot. They were going to end up screaming at each other because of the heat alone. With a sigh, he released her . "Can we just…go somewhere else and talk? Please?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. My mom is still monitoring the mileage on my car and she knows exactly when I finish my shifts and how long it takes me to drive home," she explained. "So, you've got five minutes to tell me what you want and then I'm gone."

"Five minutes?" he repeated with a snort of disbelief. Not that he deserved any favors, but putting a time limit on what was sure to be one of the most important conversations he'd ever have didn't do much for his chances of success. Well, screw it then, he'd give her the Cliff's Notes version. "I'll do better than that. How about five seconds?"

"Fine," she tilted her chin defiantly and folded her arms.

"Fine," he repeated, smiling grimly. Bracing both hands on the roof of the Vue, he trapped her between his body and the car. Her eyes flitted from one arm to the other and they were close enough that she had to crane her neck to look him in the eye, but she held her ground. He spoke carefully. "I lied. I'm sorry. And the only thing I regret about that kiss is that it ended."

Even outside on a public street, the stunned silence was so thunderous Liam could have heard the unseen guard across the street if he so much as sneezed. Much to his satisfaction, Annie could do little more than stare dumbly as her jaw dropped. Evidently, he'd shocked all that anger right out of her. Finally, she stammered. "W-what?"

Another breeze lifted the hair on the back of his neck and as suddenly as it had flared, his anger faded. He closed his eyes briefly and looked away, strangely relieved that the truth was finally out there even if the confession had been anything but what he'd imagined. "Everything I said the other night, from the moment you brought up the trial, was a lie and I am so incredibly sorry. I don't hate Beverly Hills. But even if I did, it wouldn't matter because…I don't want to leave you."

"Then why did you say it?" she demanded, but her voice was small. Tears began to pool against her lashes and he hated himself for putting them there. "Why did you pick out the one thing that would hurt me the most and…Why did you lie?"

"Because I'm an ass," he said, with total sincerity. The breeze made her hair dance and he trapped a lock, wrapping it around his finger. This part was easier if he couldn't see the pain in her eyes and he stared as if mesmerized at the sun glinting off the auburn strands. "And because it's hopeless. I'm not just being fatalistic. You said it, I'm screwed. See, if the courts don't send me away, if by some miracle I beat the assault charges, my step dad is shipping me to military school as far from him as possible. I'm gone, either way. That's why I lied. That's why I don't want you going after Jasper. It's not…I'm not worth it, Annie."

"Don't say that," she begged in a whisper.

"It's true," he insisted gently, able to look at her now. She'd dropped her gaze and a tear trailed down her cheek. For the first time in weeks he touched her without second guessing. Cupping her jaw, he lingered over the delicate softness of her skin before brushing the tear away with his thumb.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, and her lips tickled his palm. Lifting wet lashes, she looked at him with wounded eyes that cut him so deep he couldn't breathe.

"I don't know," he admitted, his heart pounding against his ribs even though being honest with her was suddenly easy again. "I should have told you that first night, but you were so happy to see me and I…I was happy, too. You made me forget that no matter what I did or how I felt, I'd have to say goodbye.

"But then I kissed you. And everything changed," he dropped his hand and pushed away. The parking spaces were close and he had very little room to pace, but he did it anyway. "I kissed you and I started the lies and let you believe I regretted it when I would do the same damn thing if I had to do it again."

"You would?"

He stopped, a few feet away from her. The corner of his mouth curved just enough to hint at a smile and he looked at her over his shoulder. Something that looked a lot like hope flickered in her eyes, but he ignored it, focusing instead on the lips he couldn't get out of his mind. He wanted to know if they tasted the same. "Oh yeah. I would."

"Why?"

God, she was going to make him say it. He almost laughed. Well, she deserved the whole truth. He'd broken his grounding, driven all the way over here and nearly melted under the scorching sun to give her exactly that, so why cling to pride now? Taking a few steps closer, he forced himself to look her in the eye. "Because I've been daydreaming about those lips since you pulled me into that stupid fountain. I can't stop thinking about you. I don't even want to try. I just…I want you, Annie."

There. Finally, he'd confessed everything. The anxiety, however, didn't fade. The ordeal was only half finished. Whatever the truth had made Annie feel, he couldn't discern it from her guarded expression. If she really considered getting involved with him as a complication they didn't need, she could still break his heart. Suddenly, it seemed like a very distinct possibility.

Of their own accord, his feet started backtracking toward the GTO. Swallowing, he shoved his hands in his pockets, whatever burst of courage had possessed him to confront her like this fading fast. "I think my five minutes are up."

"Liam, wait!" she caught up with him at the front of the car. Before he could respond with a single syllable, she stood on her toes and pulled him into a kiss. Shocked, he merely stood there, rooted to the spot.. Then the relief he'd been craving washed over him as their lips moved together. All he knew was the release of the vice gripping his heart and the sweet taste of her mouth on his. The part of him that still resisted couldn't believe what was happening and screamed at him to stop. Obviously, he needed to explain again what a lost cause he was, how hopeless they were because if Annie really understood she'd never be kissing him now. Then she slipped a hand around his neck, threading her fingers through his thick hair and raking her nails over his skin. With a muffled groan, that small part of him vanished.

"What…was that?" he asked when they separated and he reveled in the ability to play with her again. His eyelids fluttered open and she was still right there, an impish smile on her slightly swollen lips. "I thought I was a complication."

"I lied, too," she admitted with a shy grin, and kissed him again. No longer willing to stand passive as she did all the work, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her body flush against his. She squealed in surprise as her feet nearly left the ground. "I like your kind of complication."

"I thought I only got five minutes," Liam teased.

"I'll give you ten," she murmured, both her hands in his hair now, pulling him back for another scorching kiss.

"How about twenty," he suggested, pressing her against the car as he planted open mouthed kisses along her jaw.

"Oh, let's call it thirty," she gasped, her hands fisting his t-shirt when his lips returned to hers.

"You know…there's got to be road construction. Somewhere," he mused, gripping her hips and lifting her easily onto the hood of his car. Now, nearly at eye level, her knees pressing lightly against his lower ribs, she smiled at him lazily while he traced her mouth. His eyelids drifted shut as he kissed her again, the sensation of her soft flesh against his addicting.

"Detours can be very confusing," she whispered, her lips brushing his as he hovered so close they were breathing the same air. "And I have a terrible sense of direction."

"And people call me a delinquent," he teased. Annie laughed and hearing it banished the rest of Liam's doubts. "I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you the truth."

Her fingers danced around the open collar of his shirt before slipping around his neck. "I didn't make it easy for you. And you're right. There are a hundred reasons why we shouldn't do this."

Liam's eyes darkened and the smile slipped. "Annie-."

"But I don't care about any of them," she declared, her gaze defiant even as fresh tears glistened in her eyes. Kissing him quickly, she buried her face in his shoulder, tight against him despite the heat. "I want to be with you. Even if I'm going to lose you anyway."

Closing his eyes, Liam wished desperately for a miracle, some way he could convince his step dad to let him stay. At that moment he would have made any deal with the bastard to be able to promise Annie he'd never leave her. The best he could offer, however, was a distraction. Kissing her shoulder, he worked his way over the bare skin of her neck and jaw before capturing her mouth once more. She melted into him, giving him everything and holding nothing back. Beneath the lush fullness of her lips and the wicked heat of her tongue, he tasted the edge of desperation. His fingers clenched at her hip, bunching the flowing fabric of her shirt in his hand. Forget her curfew, he'd make her forget that despair if it took all night.

Too wrapped up in each other to notice, a hulking, black Eldorado turned onto the quiet street without fanfare. The roar of the engine as it proceeded slowly down the block, did nothing to drown out the rush of blood echoing in Liam's ears. Even when the car slowed to a stop directly in front of them, he remained oblivious. Only seconds later, when the car sped around the corner, tires screaming in protest, did the noise register.

But he didn't even open his eyes.