Page 57 of Full Throttle 2
Liam sat upright in Colby’s bed, furiously typing away on his laptop while she lay next to him, gazing up lovingly at his side profile. She couldn’t resist the urge to cradle the side of his face.
Her touch got his attention. He glanced down. His forehead wrinkled from frowning. Worry lines etched on his beautiful face. “Hmm...are you okay? Do you need something?”
Colby sighed contentedly. “No. I’m just thankful that you’re here.”
His face softened. Gently, he caressed the side of her cheek. “Same.” Their moment of joy was quickly interrupted by the alarm on Liam’s phone. “Damn. I need to go back to my place, pick up a few things, and take a meeting.”
“You can’t take it from here?” Colby was being clingy.
Liam leaned in and pressed his lips against hers in a loving kiss. “Why don’t you come with me? We’ll have more spaceandprivacy.”
He was right, but Colby couldn’t leave. “I can’t. My dad won’t admit it, but he’s freaked out about what happened, and I need to reassure him that I’m okay.”
Liam understood completely why Colby would be so protective of her father. He couldn’t imagine losing a child to this sport and having another come so close to it.
Proving Liam’s point about privacy, there was a small tap on the door. Frustrated, Colby exhaled. “Come in.”
Lila breezed into the room carrying a breakfast tray with Mark trailing behind. He kind of bum-rushed Lila out of the way, and if looks were any indication, Lila wanted to do him serious bodily harm.
Mark didn’t care about Lila’s thoughts or feelings. They had been on the outs since their blowup at the hospital. He worked for Colby and decided the best course of action was just to ignore Lila. He asked Colby, “How are you feeling?”
Colby sat up. “I’m fine. Much ado about nothing.”
“Good. Then I need to?—”
“We’ll deal with that other thing later.” Lila glared at Mark.
Colby was curious. “What other thing?”
Lila looked at Liam, but he kept his face impassive. “Nothing important. Anyway, Uncle Cyrus made you breakfast and asked that I bring it to you because he didn’t want to see”—Lila used air quotes—“‘a man in my daughter’s room.’” Lila turned to Liam. “He said we were on our own as far as food.”
“Fair enough.” Liam laughed. “The man’s house is overrun with well-meaning people. He probably wants all of us out.”
Lila nodded. “Agreed, but I’ve got you. Since the entire Lockwood squad is here, I’m making breakfast. Although, someone else is going to have to make lunch, dinner, or DoorDash it.”
Liam thought Brian had mentioned something about Lila being allergic to the kitchen, so he was curious how breakfast might taste. He might need to stop off and grab something on the way to his place.
“Oh...” Lila turned back to Colby. “Uncle Cyrus said to eat everything on this tray.”
Mark piped up, inspecting the items on Colby’s plate. “What did he make? Is it healthy? Got to keep our girl fit.”
Lila couldn’t believe her ears. Was he serious right now?
The look on Liam’s face mirrored Lila’s. He was furious at Mark and wondered if he had made a mistake recommending him to Colby. Liam’s tone was terse. “Everything on that tray looks amazing, and I hope she eats it all.”
Colby glanced back and forth between everyone in the room. She didn’t like their energy and especially didn’t like how they spoke about her as if she weren’t in the room. Liam was being overprotective, and Mark was being...well, Mark. She tried to diffuse the alpha male energy. “Just sit it on my dresser, and I’ll eat it later.”
“Aren’t you hungry?” Lila asked concerned.
Colby lifted a shoulder. “Not right now.”
“It’ll taste better while it’s hot,” Lila said, cajoling.
All the talk about food and her weight was irritating. “Guys, when I’m hungry, I will eat. I’m not hungry right now. So, please, put the tray on my dresser.”
Lila didn’t want to embarrass her cousin in front of company, so she kept her thoughts to herself and followed Colby’s instructions by placing the tray on the dresser. “Fine. Let me know if you need anything else.”The moment I’m able to get you alone, we will have a conversation.
Colby felt a little guilty, so she softened her tone. “Thanks, I really do appreciate it.”