Chapter 311
Suzy couldn’t help but laugh. Her shoulders jostled as she chuckled, which accidentally jostled her wound. She winced with a sharp intake of breath, clutching her shoulder, but the grin never left her face.
"What are you laughing at?" Liam finally looked up at her, a hint of grievance and nerves flashing in his eyes.
Suzy shook her head. But seeing him look so compliant yet slighted only triggered her playful, mischievous side.
"I didn’t realize you were so forward," she teased. "Kissing me just because you wanted to."
Liam’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"I... I’m not..." He opened his mouth to explain himself, but considering what he’d just done, any defense felt entirely hollow. He bit his lip in frustration.
Trying hard to press down her smile, Suzy kept going. "Do you just kiss anyone then? Whoever you feel like?"
"Of course not!" Liam fired back immediately.
He was not that kind of guy! How could she even say that? Was that really how she saw him?
Feeling frustrated and a little hurt, Liam pressed his lips into a tight line and glared at her. But catching the flash of mischief in her eyes, he realized he was being teased.
"Alright, alright, I’m joking," Suzy said, gently poking him. "My bad."
Liam kept his lips pressed together, offering neither an "it’s fine" nor an "I’m mad." He just stared at her, the hurt in his eyes not quite faded, now mixed with a touch of sheer helplessness.
Suzy’s heart melted under his gaze.
"Are you really mad?" She tilted her head.
"...No," he mumbled. His voice was still subdued, but it had softened considerably. "I’m just not the kind of person you described."
Suzy flinched, surprised that this was what he was hung up on.
"Don’t worry, I know. I know you’re not like that."
Seeing her serious expression, Liam finally nodded.
"I don’t just kiss anyone," he muttered under his breath.
Suzy caught every word. "Mhm, I know," she said with a smile.
Liam waited patiently for a moment, but her follow-up never came. The topic had seemingly run its course.
A wave of disappointment washed over him out of nowhere, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint its source. He just felt an underlying sense of dissatisfaction—like having a piece of candy where the sweetness had dissolved, leaving him craving more. He wanted more than just this. Yet even though he recognized his own longing, he had no idea how to voice it.
Right then, a knock at the door shattered the fragile warmth that had built up between them.
Suzy snapped her head toward the door, thoroughly annoyed. Who is it? Talk about terrible timing.
The person with the terrible timing spoke up from the hallway. "Suz, are you in there?"
The visitor was Derek.
Seeing Suzy head off to find Liam, he hadn’t been able to sit still. After much hesitation, he had finally come over to knock on the door. He didn’t want another rival or competitor, so he needed to nip whatever was budding with Liam right in the bud. Even if Suzy found him annoying, he was willing to take the hit.
Suzy looked a little helpless. Honestly, she had guessed it would be either Derek or Thomas. But the odds had favored Derek. Thomas carried himself with the confidence of an official spouse and was usually quite secure in these situations.
Beside her, Liam’s expression shifted slightly at the sound of Derek’s voice, a complex mix of emotions crossing his face. It was Derek’s sudden appearance that reminded him of a crucial fact: he wasn’t the only one around Suzy. There was Derek, and there was Thomas. He couldn’t keep Suzy to himself.
She was a fickle, unfaithful woman.
"Suzy, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you not in there? I’m coming in." Derek knocked again as he finished speaking.
Suzy quickly stood up and called out, "Don’t open the door yet. I’ll be right out. Noah is still asleep, don’t wake him."
"Alright, make sure you come out soon." Derek’s voice carried a smug, triumphant chuckle. As long as he got Suzy out of that room, his mission was accomplished. He didn’t want to give those two too many opportunities to be alone; things could easily get out of hand.
The sound of footsteps gradually faded as Derek presumably headed back to the living room to play cards.
Having stood up, Suzy didn’t sit back down. She looked at Liam, who was still seated, and said softly, "I’ll head out first then."
Looking at the current setup, Suzy knew it would be difficult to push things any further between them right now. Sleeping with Liam at a time like this was out of the question. With so many people outside and a sleeping Noah in the room, the environment just wasn’t right. It would have to wait until next time.
She wasn’t greedy; taking things step-by-step was fine. At least Liam had initiated a kiss this time, which meant their relationship was making steady progress. That was enough for her, and she was satisfied.
With that sorted out in her mind, Suzy turned and walked toward the door.
Liam, who had been sitting, stood up as well. With a few quick strides, he caught up to her. Just as Suzy wrapped her hand around the doorknob, he lightly pressed his hand over hers.
Suzy looked up, bewildered. "What’s wrong?"
Liam stood close, their height difference fully on display. His frame cast a shadow over her, his gaze dark and heavy with a fierce undercurrent of emotion.
"You’re a bad woman," Liam said, his voice raspy.
A bad woman?
Suzy looked entirely innocent. It was the first time anyone had ever described her that way, and she found it quite novel. Then again, she really was a bad woman. What surprised her more was that Liam would actually call her that, his tone laced with a mix of resentment and grievance.
"Mhm, yeah, I am a bad woman," Suzy admitted it candidly. She gently pried his hand off hers and smiled. "And the bad woman is leaving now."
She looked at him, her pale, delicate face carrying a hint of allure.
Liam dazed for a moment. In that split second of distraction, Suzy had already slipped her hand free and gripped the doorknob again, pressing it down.
With a soft click, the door unlatched.
Suzy pulled the door open and was about to step out when Liam held her back once more.
"What is it? Don’t want me to leave?" Suzy teased.
Her smile, however, stung him slightly. The realization that once she walked out this door, he wouldn’t know when they’d get another moment alone... triggered an inexplicable, reckless impulse in him.
He used the momentum to pin her against the back of the door, taking care to avoid her injured shoulder. Then, with a tilt of his fingers against her chin, he lowered his head and covered her lips again.
Their warm lips met.
Suzy’s eyes widened in sheer surprise. She hadn’t expected Liam to kiss her again on his own initiative, let alone in such an assertive, territorial manner.
Before she could even process it, his tongue slid past her teeth. It was far more commanding than she anticipated, completely different from the tentative touch from before.
Suzy wrapped her uninjured arm around his neck, stepping up on her tiptoes to actively deepen the kiss.
Feeling her respond, only one thought flashed through Liam’s mind:
I’m trapped.
He was completely done for.