CHAPTER 12
Jul 10, 2025
LIAM’S POV
I’d been drinking for the better part of two hours, trying to drown out the image of Kate in that black dress, trying to forget the way she’d looked at Nate with those dark eyes full of something that looked suspiciously like genuine affection.
The beer wasn’t helping. If anything, it was making everything worse, amplifying every emotion I’d been trying to suppress since the moment she’d walked into my life.
I was leaning against the kitchen counter, nursing my fourth beer and half-listening to Tyler ramble about some girl he’d hooked up with last weekend, when I saw them again.
Through the crowded living room, past the gyrating bodies on the makeshift dance floor, I could see Nate and Kate pressed together, swaying to music that was completely different from what was actually playing.
They looked… intimate. Real. Like they were in their own private world where nothing else mattered.
“Fuck,” I muttered, taking another long pull from my beer.
“What’s wrong, man?” Tyler asked, following my gaze. “Oh, shit. Is that your brother with the Ice Princess?”
“Don’t call her that,” I snapped, surprising both of us with the vehemence in my voice.
Tyler held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry, didn’t know it was a sore spot. They look pretty cozy, though.”
Cozy. That was one word for it. I watched as Nate’s hands slid up to frame Kate’s face, watched as she melted into his touch like she belonged there.
The rational part of my brain was screaming that this was exactly what I should have expected, that I had no right to feel the jealousy clawing at my chest like a living thing.
But when Nate leaned down and kissed her – really kissed her, not the perfunctory pecks they’d been exchanging for their audience – something inside me snapped.
The kiss was hungry, desperate, the kind of kiss that left no doubt about what both parties wanted. Kate’s hands were fisted in Nate’s sweater, pulling him closer, and the way she was responding to him made my vision blur with rage.
“What the hell?!” The words exploded out of me before I could stop them, loud enough to carry over the music and make several people turn to stare.
They broke apart like they’d been electrocuted, both of them breathing hard and looking dazed. Kate’s lips were swollen, her hair mussed, and she was staring at Nate like she’d never seen him before.
“Liam,” Nate said, his voice carefully controlled as he stepped slightly in front of Kate. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” I repeated, my voice deadly quiet despite the alcohol coursing through my system. “What the fuck are you doing? Making out with her in front of half the school like some kind of—”
“Like some kind of what?” Kate interrupted, her own temper flaring. “Like her boyfriend? Because that’s what he is, remember?”
Her words hit me like a physical blow. The way she said ‘boyfriend,’ with such conviction, such ownership – it made me want to punch something. Preferably my brother’s face.
“Right,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “How could I forget? The perfect couple, putting on quite the show tonight.”
“It’s not a show,” Nate said firmly, his arm sliding protectively around Kate’s waist. “And even if it was, it’s none of your business.”
“Isn’t it?” I took a step closer, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. The alcohol was making everything sharper, more intense, stripping away the careful control I usually maintained. “When my brother’s making a fool of himself over some—”
“Careful,” Nate warned, his voice turning dangerous. “Very careful.”
But I was past caring about being careful. The sight of them together, the way Kate had kissed him back, the possessive way Nate was holding her – it was driving me insane.
“We need to talk,” I said, grabbing Nate’s arm with enough force to make him stumble slightly. “Now.”
“Liam, what the hell—” Nate started, but I was already dragging him toward the back door, ignoring Kate’s protests and the curious stares of the other partygoers.
“Outside,” I growled. “Unless you want to have this conversation in front of everyone.”
Nate must have seen something in my expression that warned him I was serious, because he followed me without further argument. The cold night air hit me like a slap, doing nothing to cool the rage burning in my chest.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Nate demanded as soon as we were alone on the back porch. “You can’t just drag me away from my girlfriend like some kind of caveman.”
“Girlfriend?” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I know what you’re doing, Nate,” I said, stepping closer until we were almost nose to nose. “I know exactly what this is about.”
“Enlighten me,” Nate said coldly.
“You’re using her,” I said bluntly. “You’re using Kate to get to her father, to get access to his training methods. This whole relationship is just another one of your calculated moves.”
Nate’s face went pale, but his voice remained steady. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” I could hear my voice getting louder, could feel the alcohol making me reckless. “You think I haven’t noticed the way you’ve been researching Viktor Melnyk? You think I don’t know about the private training weekend he offered you? This isn’t about Kate – it’s about what she can do for your career.”
“You’re drunk,” Nate said, but I could see the guilt flickering in his eyes.
“Maybe,” I admitted. “But I’m not wrong. You’re using her, and she’s too blinded by playing girlfriend to see it.”
“Even if that were true,” Nate said, his voice turning cold, “it’s still none of your business. I can date whoever I want, for whatever reasons I want.”
“Not her,” I said, the words coming out as a growl. “Anyone but her.”
“Why?” Nate demanded, stepping closer. “Why do you care so much? You’ve been nothing but hostile to her since the day she arrived. You should be happy I’m taking her off your hands.”
“Because—” I started, then stopped, realizing I was about to say something I couldn’t take back.
“Because what?” Nate pressed. “Because you can’t stand the idea of someone else having something you want?”
The accusation hit too close to home, and before I could stop myself, my fist was connecting with his jaw. Nate stumbled backward, his hand flying to his face, blood trickling from his split lip.
