Marked Heart (Marked Heart #3) (14 page)

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A slow day at the shop gave Liv time to reflect on what took place between her and Braden at the cabin. While Penny worked on her sketches, and Jimmy setup an online ad for help, Liv sat there visualizing the lily on Braden's chest. Yesterday she was sad, heartbroken even, but today she wanted to be mad. The problem was, she wasn't sure who she should be angry with. Kieran for giving the tattoo, Braden for receiving it, or herself for letting it get to her.

The bell at the top of the shop door rang, causing Liv to sit up and take notice of who walked in the door.

"How goes it Jimmy?"

"Pat."

Looking him over, Liv thought Pat looked good, but not as good as he did before last week.

Without greeting him, she ordered, "Jimmy, go get the checkbook out of my office."

Jimmy gave Pat an almost delightful smile before turning and walking to the back.

Making his way over to Liv, Pat looked down on her with a questioning expression.

"What's up?"

Pat appeared disappointed as he replied, "Guess nothin' today."

Nodding, she put on her best smirk saying, "It's just that way sometimes."

Penny's voice interrupted their conversation as she informed, "Braden said text him back or he's coming up here," from her corner across the shop.

Liv started to smile at Braden's aggressiveness, then quickly caught herself as she glanced at Pat.

"Guess I can't beat those Caffrey's, huh," he remarked as he turned and walked out.

This was the second time since she'd known Pat, she blew him off for someone else.

Irritated because now she felt bad on top of the way she was already feeling, Liv stood up.

"Tell your brother, I'll have Jimmy kick his ass right back out if he comes in here."

"Are you serious?" Penny replied as if she wanted to laugh.

"Damn right I am!" Liv snapped, passing Jimmy on the way to the back.

Continuing to the office, she heard Jimmy say, "I couldn't find the checkbook."

"'Cause it's not in here," she said to herself as she stepped into the room and sat down.

Although it wasn't the worst day of her life, it was far from being a good day, and it sucked even more that there was nothing to look forward to.

~

There was no point in making pizza. It was just her. Sitting at her kitchen table, playing solitary, Liv sipped her drink. She tried listening to her music but every song only made her feel worse. Wondering if this was what her life was going to be like, solitary, her phone vibrated with a text.

B: Can I come in?

She tried to ignore his text like she had been all day, but this particular one gave her cause for concern.

L: No.

Waiting to see if he would text back, she wanted to check and see if he was outside. Did he really show up after she told him not to? If he was, something had changed. This was different.

B: Don't say no.

Liv felt a certain excitement in her curiosity as she hopped up and walked to the door.

L: Why?

B: I can feel you thinking about me.

That wasn't possible. Was it?

L: No.

B: Invite me in.

L: No.

Her breathing picked up along with her heart rate as she waited for his next text.

B: I have the key. I could come in anyway.

Refraining from making a joke about him kidnapping her, Liv held strong.

L: Go home.

B: No.

This was exciting her way more than it should have.

L: No?

B: I'm counting to 3.

L: So.

B: 1

L: GO HOME!

B: 2

Liv's stomach lurched in anticipation.

L: Braden.

B: Liv.

L: Stop.

B: I can't.

L: Please.

B: 1

Standing there staring at her door knob with her heart beating in her ears, she waited to see if he would really do it.

The door remained closed and locked. Disappointment set in. Liv started to open the door herself, then decided against it. She had called things off between them and it was the right thing to do. This was a test to see how strong her will was. They were bad for each other and if she opened the door, she would just continue to enable him.

Blowing out a loud breath, she turned around to get back to her game of solitary.

"I was at the back door."

Braden was there, in her house without permission. Liv had no idea what to say as he made his way towards her.

"You gonna get Jimmy to kick my ass outta here too?"

All she could do was lean her shoulders back against the door as her body called for him to come closer.

His hand molded to the shape of her hip as he rested his other on the side of her neck, whispering, "You don't have to pretend with me."

"We're not good for each other," she insisted, trying to let reason outweigh feeling.

Braden's lips drug across her jaw to her mouth as he suggested, "Let's be bad then."

Shaking her head, she replied, "That's not..."

"Don't argue Liv. This is what it is. It can be fast or slow but its real and I'm not letting go."

That was the last thing he said to her before she caved; before she broke down and gave herself away.

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Yesterday, when Liv refused to answer his texts, Braden called Seth hoping he had better advice than Charlotte and Auggie. He advised him to do something unexpected. He did, and it worked. Braden woke up in Liv's bed feeling her lips against his skin. It wasn't a melancholy experience like at the cabin. She was smiling and it was genuine.

She was a morning adventurer, exploring and staking her claim on him in the sexiest ways possible. A deep throaty laugh would spill from her lips every so often, one he had never heard from her before. He gripped the sheets, held onto her hair and even cursed out loud once at what she was doing to him.

Sliding up, she kissed the center of his chest and then his lips.

"You've been holding out on me."

Rolling onto her back, she questioned, "You don't remember? Highlighted on my kindle?"

"You know when my fifth grade teacher told me, 'reading is fundamental,' I really thought she was full of shit."

With a satisfied expression, she laughed.

Taking advantage of her good mood, he placed his arm around her waist and suggested, "So... Fairmont's?"

"No," she replied, but with a smirk on her face.

Braden wanted to question her answer but pulled her to him for a kiss instead.

As he wrapped his leg around hers, holding her to him, she offered, "You can pick me up at eight for The Dog House."

"Did you just ask me out on a date?" he questioned with a wide smile.

"No."

"No?"

"We're just going together."

"Like steady?"

Liv let out a laugh before giving him a kiss.

~

Sipping a beer in Charlotte's office at The Dog House, Liv kicked her feet up on the chair next to her.

"Are y'all going to move in together?"

"I haven't thought about it." Liv replied, before sharing, "Kieran and I did."

"Did you tell him about his tattoo?"

"I haven't thought about that either."

"Really?" Charlotte questioned with surprise.

"Okay, I've thought about it. But not telling him."

"Why not?"

Shrugging she informed, "I don't want him thinking its fate or something like that."

With a light smile Charlotte asked, "Did you ever think maybe it is?"

"That would mean everything that's happened between us is based on a lie."

Nodding, Charlotte replied, "I get what you're saying. Isn't it going to be hard on you, though? Keeping something like that from him. Don't you think he has the right to know?"

Liv gave a heavy sigh, saying, "It's only ink."

"Seriously? You know that's not true." Charlotte snapped as her office door swung open.

~

Braden's stomach felt tight and his head was already starting to hurt as he looked at Liv sitting there in the chair. When Pat called him, he thought it was going to be to tell him to come back to work. It wasn't.

He stepped in leaving the door open.

"Charlotte, can you give us a minute?"

She didn't appear happy about it but she got up and walked out, closing the door behind herself.

Standing up Liv questioned, "You got a problem?"

Trying to figure out how to tell her, he had the awful feeling that it wasn't going to end well. What was he supposed to do though? Pat said he was on his way to tell her. Not only that, he was going to tell her that Braden had known all along.

Swallowing hard, he started to confess, "The night Kieran died..."

Her face instantly fell into an unhappy expression.

"His phone was recovered."

Liv appeared confused as she shook her head. Obviously, not understanding why that was an issue.

"We went to the station and picked it up, so you wouldn't see it."

He could sense, she was starting to get the picture as she questioned, "Why is that?"

Shifting his eyes to the floor, Braden couldn't look at her.

Shoving him back against the door, she shouted, "Look at me! Look at me when you tell me!"

"He was seeing someone."

She stood there staring at him, her eyes lit up with anger.

"Who's we?"

"Liv, I..."

Her voice was slow and slightly frightening as she demanded, "Who is we?"

"Me, Auggie, Seth and Jacks."

With a short nod, she pushed him to the side, pulled the door open and stormed out.

~

Fury mixed with hurt in an almost blinding rage as Liv pushed through the swinging door into the main area of the bar.

Swiftly walking behind the bar, she gave Auggie a slight shove as she shouted, "Why?"

Charlotte turned looking past Liv at Braden as she questioned, "What's going on?"

"Yeah, what the hell?" Auggie questioned, looking down at Liv.

"I had to tell her."

Auggie's eyes narrowed as he scowled at his brother.

Before Charlotte could question what was going on again, Liv was in Auggie's face, "You knew Kieran was cheating on me!"

Liv heard Charlotte snap, "What?"

Focusing on Auggie's scowl, Liv shouted, "How long? Huh? Was there always someone else? How long did your lyin' ass cover for him?"

Running his hand down the front of his beard Auggie shook his head swearing, "I found out the night he died, like everyone else."

"Not everyone." Liv spit out at him before hearing Charlotte scold, "Augustus."

She had to get out of there and away from everyone.

Making her way out of the bar, she saw Penny and Seth walking in.

"Where are you going?" Penny asked with a curious expression.

Unable to look at Seth, Liv replied, "Sorry, beautiful, but your family has a real problem with the truth," as she continued out of the doors.

She was done and over this stupid town. She should have never come back.

"Liv, wait!" Braden called behind her.

Whipping around, his betrayal was the most hurtful.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

His voice was pleading as he replied, "I wanted to."

"But you didn't. You let me cry over him knowing. You knew."

He started to speak but she wouldn't allow it.

"I never should have come back here."

Reaching for her, he raised his voice fussing, "Don't say that."

She started to back away from him.

Grabbing hold of her, he swore, "I'm in love with you."

Shaking her head at him, that was what was hurting her the most.

Liv jerked out of his hold.

"Sorry about that, cause I'm not in love with you."

She was trying to hurt him. Hoping her words cut right through his heart.

"You're a liar."

Scoffing at him, she snapped, "I'm a liar because I won't tell you what you want to hear?"

"No, you're a liar because that's not the truth and we both know it."

"Wanting something to be true doesn't make it the truth."

"Denying the truth doesn't make it any less true, Liv."

"The only thing that's true about you and I is that the sex was hot."

"That's not all it was to you."

Braden was right. She was a liar. That didn't stop her though.

"The truth is, I wanted to get off and you were the only one here. You would have known that from the beginning had you asked why I wanted you."

She had to make him feel what she was feeling. Needing him to feel betrayed and hate the love he felt for her.

Without waiting for his response, she turned away from him. Pat happened to be walking towards her, giving Liv a sense of relief that she could get a ride home.

"Can you take me home?" she asked without stopping.

Instantly moving in the same direction as Liv, he assured, "I'll take you anywhere you want go," as he placed his arm around her shoulders.