A Casual Stroll Into My Ex (and His Mom) Chapter 2

My mom told me to keep an open mind about Liam. She said our parents knew each other, so it was a safe bet.

I rolled my eyes internally. Open mind? I know every inch of that guy. I'm sick of him.

I said, "Sure, sure," while secretly opening my phone to send Liam right back to the blocked list.

The next day, however, I got a call from an unknown number.

It wasn't Liam. Heavy bass thumped in the background.

"Hey, Chloe? Liam is trashed. You need to come pick him up from the Neon Lounge. VIP Room 19. Hurry."

Click. I tried calling back, but no one answered. They didn't even give me a chance to say no.

Liam, you absolute bastard. I cursed under my breath, threw on my puffer jacket, and drove to the lounge.

Liam was completely wasted. Empty beer bottles and shot glasses littered the table in front of him.

When I pushed the door open, I recognized a bunch of the guys. They were Liam's high school frat-bro buddies. Back when we were secretly dating, they were our cover story.

Seeing me, the guys erupted in cheers. "Hey, sister-in-law!"

I glared at them. "We broke up years ago. I'm nobody's sister-in-law."

They just snickered. The guy leading the pack shoved a plastic hotel key card into my hand.

"Look, we're a bunch of clumsy idiots. We booked him a room upstairs. We're leaving him in your capable hands!"

"I'm not taking him," I said, kicking Liam's shoe. He didn't even flinch.

Wow, he really is gone. I paused for a two seconds, an evil prank forming in my mind. "Fine. Help me carry him upstairs."

The guys laughed like hyenas. As they closed the hotel room door behind us, one of them actually poked his head back in. "Hey, you need us to run to the pharmacy for some... protection?"

I cursed him out in my head but smiled sweetly. "No thanks. Get lost."

The room fell quiet. Liam was sprawled on the bed, his collar unbuttoned, looking incredibly peaceful.

I turned on every single light in the room. I pinched his cheeks. Hard. He still didn't wake up.

Perfect. Time for revenge.

I pulled a bright red lip tint from my purse and lifted his shirt. I was going to draw a giant, ugly turtle right across his abs, post it to my story, and let the world admire the former homecoming king.

I leaned down, uncapped the tint, and started drawing.

Okay, there's the shell... there are the legs... wait, abs?

Why were his abs this defined? Shouldn't a guy's stomach be relaxed when he's blackout drunk?

I slowly looked up.

Liam's eyes were wide open, looking at me with a lazy smirk. "Chloe, this position is giving me some very inappropriate ideas."

My mind went blank.

He continued, his voice rough. "You like the view? I sculpted them just for you."

I tried to play it cool and stand up. "They're alright. My current boyfriend puts you to shame, honestly."

I didn't have a boyfriend.

Liam didn't argue. His long arm suddenly shot out.

Before I knew what was happening, my face was pressed flat against his bare stomach.

Warm, firm, and entirely too familiar.

"If they aren't that great, why were you staring so long?" His voice was light. "Chloe, you're just as stubborn as ever."

Crap. The red lip tint was now smeared all over my cheek. I pushed against his chest, but everywhere my hands landed felt electric.

He let out a low groan. "Don't move."

I froze.

Liam sat up, grabbing my collar. I don't know how he did it, but suddenly our positions were reversed.

I was flat on my back. He was leaning over me.

He used his thumb to wipe the red smudge off my cheek, chuckling. "Chloe, the only tough thing about you is your mouth."

I turned my head away, humiliated. "You faked being drunk!"

Liam buried his face in the crook of my neck. I could feel the heat radiating off him.

He laughed softly. "Feel that? If a guy is truly blackout drunk, certain things wouldn't be waking up right now."

I shoved at his shoulders. "Get off me!"

He effortlessly pinned both my wrists above my head with one hand.

He looked down at me, his dark eyes shimmering, his smile dangerously gentle. "I drank a lot tonight, Chloe. You know I'm capable of doing crazy things when I'm drunk, right?"

I knew exactly what he was like. His parents were workaholics who were never home. During high school, I was the one who took care of him.

We never crossed the final line, but the memories of what we did do when he was half-drunk still made my legs weak.

I struggled harder.

Liam let out a low laugh. "Relax, Chloe. I'm not going to do anything. Just stay with me for a bit."

He kept his word. He let go of my wrists, pulled the duvet over us, and laid down next to me.

He threw an arm over my waist. His breathing slowed until it was deep and even. He really fell asleep.

I finally relaxed, turning my head to look at him.

Even after all this time, looking at his face made my heart race. He was so incredibly handsome.

But you absolute jerk, I thought bitterly. Why did you have to cheat on me?