My heart settles down as I stare at the card.
What’s the worst that can happen? If he says no, then I’ll be exactly where I am now—with maybe a slightly bruised ego. But honestly, at this point, it can’t get much worse.
My heart thumps at the thought of dialing his number. My hands are still shaking from my fall and my ugly-crying so instead of calling, I turn the keys in the ignition and start the car.
His business card has an address, too. I’ll drive over and check out the building, and hopefully by then I’ll have worked up the courage to pick up the damn phone.
10
Liam
I think I’m seeing things. I squint as I stare at a car parked on the street as I walk toward the office. It’s parked across the road from my office with a blonde head sitting in the driver’s seat. She’s looking toward my building, and I can’t quite tell if it’s her.
Maybe I’ve just thought of Ashley so much this weekend that I’m seeing her everywhere I go. But as I walk toward her car, and I see her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, I know.
She’s gripping the steering wheel so tight it’s turning her knuckles… blue? Every step that brings me closer to her makes her features come into focus. She’s staring across the street, squeezing her hands along the steering wheel and chewing her lip as if she’s stressed out of her mind.
What can I say, I tend to drive women wild.
I grin to myself and then duck into a cafe near where she’s parked. I order two coffees and leave the change in the tip jar. The barista smiles at me, and within a few minutes she calls out my name. In that time, my eyes stayed glued on Ashley. She hasn’t moved.
I push the cafe door open with my butt and march toward her car. When I tap on the passenger’s side window, she flinches. Her head leans down toward me and her eyes widen when she sees me standing there. I nod to the door.
“Want to open that up?” I say it loud so she can hear me through the window.
She frowns but does as I ask. The door swings open and I kick it wider before sliding into the seat and handing her a coffee.
“Here,” I grin. “You looked stressed.”
Her cheeks flush. She puts a hand to her forehead and shakes her head. All I want to do is take her home right now. She takes the coffee and a hint of a smile appears on her lips. I glance at her fingers—stained blue—and I notice a scrape on her wrist.
“What happened to you?” I nod to her hand.
“Ugh,” she sighs, shaking her head. She takes a sip of coffee and moans as she swallows. My cock throbs. I watch every movement she makes with full attention, and my body reacts accordingly.
I shift in my seat to hide my semi-hard cock and grin at her.
“Bad morning?”
“You have no idea.”
“Is that why you’re casing my building like a bad undercover cop?”
My grin widens, and her cheeks flush again. She rolls her eyes and takes a sip of coffee without answering. I reach over and take her hand in mine, turning it over to inspect her cut. Her fingers uncurl in my hand and I hold her gently, glancing up at her face.
Her bottom lip is sucked between her teeth, and she’s staring at me with gleaming eyes.
“What’s the prognosis, doc?” She whispers. “Will I live?”
“We’re going to have to amputate.”
Her eyes widen in false shock and she shakes her head. “Is there nothing you can do?”
Oh, there’s lots that I can do.
A smile stretches over her lips and she giggles, pulling her hand away. “I fell off a curb,” she explains. “Scraped my hand up on the asphalt.”
“You seem to do that a lot.” I take a sip of coffee and nod toward her. “Fall over.”
“The first time was not my fault.” She shakes her head, arching her eyebrows at me. “That was all you, buddy.”
“You wish. I’m not the one that came barreling toward the door.”
Ash laughs but doesn’t answer. She sips her coffee and then holds it up. “Thanks for this. It’s nice.”
“See? I’m not as bad as you think.”
“How do you know I think you’re bad?”
“Everyone thinks I’m bad. Just most women tend to enjoy it a bit more than you do.”
She snorts and laughs, shaking her head. “That might be the most arrogant thing I’ve ever heard a man say, and that’s saying a lot.”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t like it.”
She shoots me a sideways glance and sips her coffee. I’m enjoying this. I nod to her hand.
“Why are your fingers blue?”
She blushes again and glances at me, shaking her head. Finally, with a sigh, she admits: “I crushed my purse when I fell over and broke a pen.” She nods to the back seat, where I see a big, crumpled-looking purse. “Ruined my favorite purse.”
“Wow, you are having a bad time.”
“Yes, and don’t make it any worse.” She frowns at me, but her lips still curl at the corners. It’s like she can’t stay mad, even when she’s trying to.
“How would I make it worse?”
“By making me feel like an idiot for coming here.”
Her lips fall open and all I want to do is tangle my fingers into her hair and pull her into me. She bites her lip again and my cock throbs. My hands are itching to reach out to her, and my whole body is screaming for her. Instead, I just clear my throat.
“I got the paperwork ready yesterday. If you come upstairs, I can introduce you to the team and we can talk about the position.”
Her eyes widen.
“I wasn’t sure what your salary was at the old place, but we agreed on two and a half times what it was, so we can discuss that upstairs. I have a first-aid kit, too.”
“You had me at ‘two and a half times the salary of my old job’.” She laughs at her own joke, scrunching her nose and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re serious? You’re offering me the job… even after all this?” She points to her inky, bloody hands.
“Very.”
I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. Maybe it’s just because she rejected me the first time, or maybe it’s the way she laughs, or the way she bites her lip.
Whatever it is, something about Ashley makes me want to be next to her. I want to be beside her, on top of her, inside her—I want it all. I’ll hire her, pay her whatever she wants, give her whatever job she needs or doesn’t need, just to hear that laugh.
She wouldn’t hook up with me after the awards ceremony, and she had no interest in being with me at the club. This is an unusual circumstance, but I’m a man who gets what he wants.
Right now, I want Ashley… and I’m going to make her mine, no matter what I have to do. She takes a deep breath and shrugs. Then, she flashes a smile at me and gets out of the car.
“Lead the way, boss.”
“I like the way that sounds,” I grin.
“You’re a dog.” I walk around the car toward her. The late spring sun is shining today, and it’s making her skin and hair glow. I come to a stop a foot away from her, leaning my hip against her car.
“You love it, admit it.”
“I stand by what I said: I liked you better from a distance.”
I take a step toward her, closing the gap between us. She lifts her eyes toward me and arches an eyebrow. My chest brushes hers. It’s electrifying. It’s like a string connects us at the navel, drawing me toward her and sending heat flooding through my veins.
Even through clothing, barely touching her, I’m rock hard. Her eyes hold mine as I lower my gaze to her, wishing I could suck those perfect lips between mine.
“Still prefer the distance?”
Instead of answering, she lifts a shoulder up in a half shrug and turns toward the building. I let her take a few steps, enjoying the view as she sways her hips from side to side.
11
Ashley
My heart thumps when I follow Liam into the bu
ilding. He holds the tall glass door open for me. I smile and nod, trying to hide how nervous I am. I hold my hands by my sides and follow him toward the elevators. My head is still reeling from being so close to him outside.
It’s like when he’s around, I feel braver, or sassier, or just… more me.
“We’re on the sixteenth floor.”
“Ah,” I say. I stare at the numbers above the elevator, shifting my weight from foot to foot.
I can feel him. His arm is a couple inches from mine, and we’re both staring at the elevator, but I can feel him beside me. I can hear his breath and feel the heat from his body pulling me toward him. He’s taller than me and standing next to him makes me feel… safe. Protected.
Proud.
Another woman comes to stand next to us, and she glances at Liam. She gives him a coquettish smile and her eyes linger on his biceps. My whole body stiffens.
Then, the elevator doors ding open and Liam’s hand drifts to my lower back. He motions to the elevator and flashes me his million-dollar smile.
A thrill runs down my spine. He doesn’t look at the other woman as she steps into the elevator, and I watch as she glances at him and then stands apart from us.
I’m embarrassed at how pleased I am about it.
It’s nothing—it’s a look, a touch on my back—but somehow, it makes me feel like the most special woman in the world. She doesn’t even register on his radar, and he’s made me feel like I’m his.
I like it… a lot. A lot more than I’d expect to like it. Belonging to a man isn’t something that I ever thought I would crave.
The other woman gets off on the sixth floor, and for the rest of ten floors up to the sixteenth, it’s just me and Liam in a confined space.
His presence is everywhere. His smell, his heat, his aura—it’s overwhelming. My mouth goes dry and I take a long, slow breath to try to calm my heartbeat down.
We say nothing. The silence is comfortable and suffocating at the same time. I wish I could say something clever, or funny… or anything, really. But my mind is completely blank. All I can think about is Liam’s body just a couple inches from mine.
The elevator doors slide open and I walk out. I glance at Liam, and he gives me a sly wink.
My heart flutters, and butterflies explode in my stomach.
He winks, and this is how my body reacts?! What the hell is happening to me?
My cheeks flush and I take a deep breath.
“Hi, Linda.” Liam smiles at the receptionist. He leads me to the far end of the office and points to a chair.
Sitting down, I fold my hands on my lap and try to keep my face steady. I need to get a grip—if I’m going to work here, I can’t be feeling this way every time I’m around my boss. I watch as Liam shuffles through some papers on his desk and finally makes a noise.
He pulls a manila folder out of a stack of papers and hands it to me.
“Your contract. Draft, of course. Have a look at it and let me know if there’s anything you want to discuss.”
I stare at the folder and then look up at him. I still can’t really believe this is happening. Flipping open the folder, I scan the first page of the contract. I skip over a bunch of legal jargon—I’ll have Stella look it over tonight—I find the section that discusses my salary.
It’s hard to keep my face steady when I see the number. He way overestimated my old salary. This isn’t two and a half times my salary at the construction company, it’s closer to four times as much money. My heart thumps, and I glance at Liam.
He’s grinning. “I wasn’t sure how much you make, so I googled typical PR salaries.”
“You were, uh… a little off.” I laugh nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “I probably should just sign this and run, but…”
“But you’re too honest.” He’s looking at me funny. He shakes his head and leans back in his chair, studying my face. “How far off was I?”
“A bit,” I answer. I glance back at the page.
Liam makes a noise and waves a hand. “Whatever. The commercial department already approved it.”
“That doesn’t sound like a logical business decision.” I grin at him. “Shouldn’t you try to pay me as little as possible? Isn’t this a non-profit?”
“Is that what your old company did? How did that work out?” He arches an eyebrow, and his eyes flick to my lips. Electricity zips down my spine and I shift in my seat.
“True.”
“Look, Ash—can I call you Ash?”
“Sure.”
“Ash, I want you.” My heart thunders against my ribcage, even though I know he doesn’t mean it that way. Liam spreads his hands wide and shrugs again. “I looked into you—you worked with some big name clients.”
“That was another life,” I sigh, shaking my head.
“Just because it was a while ago doesn’t mean it’s worthless.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “Look, my brother is running for mayor. This whole foundation was my parents’ brain-child.”
My eyebrows shoot up and Liam sighs.
“I wish I could tell you that I’m some saint, and that I want to give back. The truth is, I don’t want this. I want to run. I want to sprint. I want to carry my country’s flag at the Olympics and win another fucking gold medal.” He laughs bitterly. “But that’s not going to happen, is it? So here I am.” His eyes narrow on me. “And that’s the truth.”
A pregnant pause settles between us. I swallow, trying to absorb that information.
A part of me thinks that I should get up and walk out. Here is a man who doesn’t care about the non-profit foundation he’s running. He’s selfish, and conceited, and certainly isn’t the philanthropist that the media is portraying.
But his honesty keeps me glued to my seat. I sweep my eyes over his face—his sharp, green eyes and his high cheekbones. I take in the dusting of stubble and his strong jaw, and finally glance at his full, soft lips.
His face is open. He’s real. He’s telling me exactly who he is, and what he stands for.
It just so happens that he stands for himself… but does that really matter?
I spent so much time kicking myself for being with Randy—for being fooled by him. He made me think he was one person, and then turned into someone else entirely. He stole my will and my independence and my identity in the process.
Liam is still staring at me, being unashamedly himself.
Something clicks and I nod my head.
“I’ll have my lawyer look this over, and if everything is okay then I’ll send it through tomorrow. I can start the day after tomorrow, if you like.”
His lips twitch, and he dips his chin down.
We stare at each other for a long moment, and I feel a weight lifting off my shoulders. I feel strong and independent. It feels like a risk to work with this man—with all his power and fierceness and dangerous attitude—but at the same time, it feels right.
His honesty, his openness, his willingness to be himself is more important than anything else. I can work with a shark, if the shark is honest.
I can deal with a strong personality in a boss, if I don’t lose myself in the process.
If anything, working for him might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. His strength makes me stronger instead of breaking me down. He makes me want to stand up to him and be myself.
So, I nod to him and extend my hand. The moment our palms slide together, a delicious current of energy flows down my spine.
It doesn’t make me blush. It doesn’t make me look away.
It makes me sit up taller. It makes me more me.
A smile drifts over my lips and I inhale deeply.
“I’ll see you the day after tomorrow, I guess.”
“I guess you will.”
I can feel his eyes on me as I walk out of the office, but they don’t make me shrink down. My smile widens and I throw my shoulders back, all the way back down to my car.
12
Liam
I don’t even get to enjoy watching Ashley walk away, because my phone rings the minute she steps out of my office.
“Hey, Adrian.” I glance through my doorway and catch a glimpse of Ashley at the elevators. My brother starts talking, but I don’t listen until the elevator doors close and take her away.
“… so I’m going to need you to be there.”
“Sorry—bad line. Can you say that again?”
Adrian sighs. “Hungover again?”
Frustration flares in my chest. “No, actually. I’m at work. Hiring people, being a CEO. Doing everything that’s expected of me and more, so get off my dick, alright?”
My brother chuckles. “Congratulations. Welcome to adulthood.”
I take a deep breath, staring at the ceiling. Adrian must be able to sense my frustration, because his tone of voice goes from mocking to businesslike.
“I’m making a speech at the University of Denver tomorrow, and I need you to come.”
“Why do you need me?”
“United front, tight-knit family, all your good work with the foundation. The usual. Plus, the kids love you.”
“You mean you need someone to remind them that you don’t have a stick jammed up your ass?”
“Fuck off, Liam. Just be at the University tomorrow. Cheryl will send you the details. Did Mother talk to you about the anniversary party?”
“What, her and Dad pretending to renew their vows so they can peacock in front of all their jealous friends? Yeah, she told me about it.”
“We need you to behave, Liam.”
Frustration builds inside me until I feel like I’m going to explode. Behave? Behave?! What the fuck does my brother think I’m doing? This whole fucking charade is for his benefit!
“Look, once I win this election, we’ll get someone to run the foundation for you and you can go back to doing… whatever the fuck it was that you were doing before. Your trust fund will be yours to do whatever you want.”
Love/Hate: The Complete Enemies to Lovers Series Page 24
