Arlene

The moment Liam’s lips pressed against mine, my breath caught in my throat. It wasn’t the kiss itself that startled me. I had expected something like this from him at some point.

It was the way he did it. Effortless. Smooth. Like he had kissed me a thousand times before and knew exactly how to steal the air from my lungs.

For a second, my hands stiffened against his chest, my brain scrambling to process what was happening. Then I remembered his words— Someone is watching.

I forced myself to relax, tilting my head slightly as if melting into the kiss, even though my heart was hammering wildly in...