Chapter 2: Falling into the Wolf's Jaws, A Fake Act Turned Real

Sia Thubron yanked his shirt open, shoved him back against the headboard, then climbed onto the bed herself. She pulled out her phone and started snapping "intimate" selfies of the two of them. Click, click, click-she fired off a whole burst, then sat up to scroll through the shots. They looked close enough. That should work. "Come on, I'll take a few more…" Sia's eyes flicked over him, mischief sparking. "…some spicy ones." She tugged the blanket up to cover his pants. His shirt hung open, and the blanket conveniently hid the waistband, leaving only his hard, defined eight-pack on display. The frame was shamelessly provocative. "Done!" Sia hopped off the bed, absorbed in reviewing the photos. She never noticed the man lounging there, watching her the way a wolf watched a lamb. Liam Hawksford sat up. His dark eyes pinned that audacious little woman. "That's it? Are you sure it's convincing enough?" Sia froze. She had been thinking the same thing. "Yeah… maybe not." "Want to make it more exciting?" His voice lowered. "More real." Sia tilted her face up at his devastatingly handsome features, curiosity winning out. "How real are we talking?" Liam's gaze sank. A surge of anger flashed through his eyes, only to be swallowed by something deeper, darker. He got to his feet, stepped to her side, and plucked her phone from her hand. "Make the act real." His thin lips curved lazily. Make the act real? "No, no, no, no. Absolutely not!" Sia flailed both hands, rattling off refusal after refusal as she backed away. Liam's eyes swept over her. She had practically delivered herself to him, yet she was suddenly playing coy. And he had to admit, in a moment like this, that push-and-pull worked far too well. His stare turned dangerous, as if it could strip her through the fabric. Sia instinctively covered her chest. He was tall. Standing in front of her, he blocked most of the light. Backlit, his outline looked even more mysterious, and those cool, fathomless eyes felt like the deep sea, tugging her in. How had he gone from letting her do whatever she wanted to… this? He was supposed to be a paid tool. So why did it feel like she was the one about to be carved up? Wasn't the customer always right? Then why did the way he looked at her feel so terrifying? Liam strode in, yanked Sia into his arms, then turned and pressed her against the wall. A clean, forceful pin. His crisp, icy scent rolled over her with an oppressive presence. Those dark, burning eyes locked on the little woman in his hold, like a predator toying with its prey before the bite. "You already undressed me," he murmured. "We already lay in the same bed. Why can't we?" He cut her a sidelong look, his handsome face calm and wicked at once. Then he caught her wrist and started pulling her toward the floor-to-ceiling window. "The view's better here. Should satisfy your need for 'exciting.'" His warm, powerful palm closed around her wrist. Sia's small body shivered as if electricity had run through her. "N-no… no!" She tried to wrench free. Her pale face twisted tight with panic. The grip on her wrist was like an iron clamp. She couldn't break it, couldn't even find the words to explain. Fear tangled her tongue until she sounded like she was stuttering. "If you try anything, I'm not paying you! I'll sue you for assault!" Sia forced herself to glare at the ridiculously handsome man and blurted out her threat in one breath. Liam's eyes narrowed, dangerous and sharp. His gaze fixed on her flustered face. "You climbed into my bed yourself. You took my clothes off. If anyone's suing, it's me." He paused, leaned in closer, and stared straight into Sia's eyes with a night-dark intensity. "I'll sue you for breaking and entering…" His lips curved. "…for lusting after my body, and forcing yourself on me." The wickedness in his smile was unmistakable. Sia felt like thunder had exploded over her head. What was wrong with him? Her, forcing herself on him? With her slight frame, how would that even be possible? Just because he was handsome didn't mean he could be shameless! She was so furious she almost laughed, and in that instant, his domineering mouth stole hers. His lips captured her slightly parted ones and took, deep and unrelenting, tasting her like he meant to claim every breath. "Mmph…" A foreign sensation spread through her limbs and bones. Her first kiss… Behind her was the cold, exposed glass. In front of her was a burning wall of flesh. The next day, Sia woke to sunlight stabbing into her eyes. She blinked awake, then a wave of discomfort crashed over her, like her whole body had been run over. She shot upright as if spring-loaded. Her gaze flicked to the transparent floor-to-ceiling window. Then she threw back the blanket and looked down at herself. When her peripheral vision caught the man sleeping beside her, her heart dropped, missing a beat. Last night… last night… The moment she remembered how he had bullied her, heat flooded her face. Those amber, clear eyes clouded over, heavy with a congealed gloom. She grabbed the pillow behind her, half wanting to smother him with it while he slept. No. If she woke him up, she'd be even worse off. Fine. She would treat it like getting bitten by a dog. Sia slid out of bed, moving as quietly as she could. She picked up her bag from the carpet, and suddenly her phone started ringing inside it. Her heart leapt into her throat. She yanked it out, swiped the alarm off, and immediately muted it. Thank God. That bastard didn't wake up. She gathered her clothes from the floor, dressed in a rush, and fled like a thief. She had to get out before the Thubron family found her. She had to take her mother-in-law and leave. In her frantic escape, Sia never noticed that when she grabbed her phone, she had accidentally pulled out the only bill in her bag. After she rushed out of the hotel and raced to the hospital, a nurse told her her mother-in-law had been picked up early that morning by her family. She was too late. Sia trembled with rage. She turned on her phone and dialed Eva Thubron. The call connected. Eva's thin, smug voice sliced through. "So Sia Thubron finally decided to call. If you want your mother-in-law safe and sound, come back to the Thubron family and marry like you're supposed to. Otherwise, that old woman won't live much longer." Half an hour later. Liam woke. His long lashes lifted, revealing eyes as black as ink, sharp with a blade-like glint. He turned his head. The space beside him was empty. His sleep had always been light. Yet he had no memory of when that woman left. He raked a hand through his messy short hair and pushed himself upright with one arm. The blanket slid down, revealing bronzed skin with a healthy, tempting sheen. A row of bite marks on his shoulder stood out far too clearly. Liam lifted the blanket and caught sight of a dark red stain on the white sheets. In the next breath, he looked away and swung his bare feet to the floor. The moment his foot touched the carpet, a flash of green near his toes caught his eye. That was… A green bill. Liam's eyes narrowed. He reached down, pinched the banknote between long, elegant fingers, and lifted it. Fifty. Liam Hawksford, five times in one night. Ten dollars a time. Heh.