Of course Ginny had given countless apologies but her voice went soft when she first laid eyes on the man. Tall, dark and handsome would be the perfect way to describe him. He was easily over six feet with thick jet black hair perfectly coiffed. With matching dark eyes and a rather pale complexion he was a sight to behold. Upon seeing his broad shoulders and muscular arms and chest Ginny nearly drooled on the spot. But after bumping into him, she gathered herself up well enough and apologized one more time before walking off.
The man had been imprinted in her mind from then on. And as she had quickly figured out the insanely attractive man walked the same path every day. Ginny had started to make a habit of watching him down the street and every once in a while she would ‘accidentally’ run into him. By now she was sure he knew her intentions but she just couldn’t help it.
And now here she was, walking down the street with an armful of papers, ready to run into him again. Perhaps this time she would be brave enough to ask him for his name. Suddenly he came into view. Now it was time to act. Ginny averted her gaze and made a beeline for him. Just as she was sure she was about to collide with him there was a firm hand on her arm.
“We really should stop meeting like this.” The man chuckled lightly. Ginny was sure her face was beet red from embarrassment. Surely he had figured her out!
“Haha, yeah, I suppose I should pay better attention to my surroundings. It’s just so early I haven’t had my coffee yet so my brain is still waking up.” Ginny tried to laugh and lie her way out of the situation, suddenly very aware of how close he was to her body.
“Well perhaps we should change that. If you aren’t too busy would you like to get some coffee?” Ginny thought she was going to explode from the excitement bottled up inside of her. She tried to play it off as coolly as she could.
“That would be great. If you aren’t in a rush either.” Ginny mentally berated herself for how lame that sounded but kept steamrolling ahead, hoping to cover up her awkwardness with more words. “I’m Ginny by the way. All this time I keep bumping into you I never told you my name.” Ginny extended her hand and the man happily took it, shaking with gusto.
“My name is Liam.” They shared a small moment of just smiling at each other while shaking hands. It was a small moment, but it was a moment nonetheless. Ginny would take what she could get.
“Shall we? There is a wonderful little café just around the corner.” Liam pointed to a corner not even a half block away. Ginny nodded her head enthusiastically, perhaps a little too enthusiastically.
“That sounds great.”
They walked side by side to the coffee shop and when they got to the counter Liam insisted that she order first. Ginny got a vanilla latte, her secret guilty pleasure of a coffee drink while Liam got an Americano. Ginny went to pay for her latte but Liam refused to let her, saying that it was the gentlemanly thing to do. Just another reason Ginny could tell she was already falling in love with him. Though, Ginny would still never admit that she believed in love at first sight.
“So Liam, what do you do?” Ginny inquired as she sipped her latte. Liam added a single sugar packet to his Americano as he contemplated how to answer her question.
“I guess the best way to answer that would be to say that I am a businessman of sorts.” Ginny gave him a puzzled look.
“And what do you mean by that?” Liam was hesitant to expand on it any further, yet there was something about Ginny that made him feel at ease. The usually closed off and private man saw something in Ginny, something that he hadn’t seen in a very long time. It was a comforting feeling, almost familiar in nature. Perhaps that was why Liam didn’t stop the words from pouring out of his mouth. There was a connection between him and this girl, a connection he wanted to explore in more detail.
“My family owns the Langley Corporation.” Ginny thought she was going to spray her drink everywhere. The Langley Corporation was a family with money in the billions, and if this guy in front of her was for real he was likely the second son, William Langley, of the current CEO, Edward Langley. The whole ‘Liam’ nickname was likely a way to help keep his identity secret. The family had gained its wealth starting all the way back with the railroads, and through constant diversification with new ventures they had built a reputation of being the closest thing to royalty in the United States. Ginny almost couldn’t believe she was sitting across from such a ‘prince.’
“Are you really William Langley?” Ginny had to set her latte down for fear of another crazy revelation. Liam seemed rather perturbed by the question but answered it nonetheless.
“Yes, though I would prefer if you didn’t share that with anyone. I enjoy my privacy.” Ginny shook her head in understanding.
“No, I get it. It’s just a bit of a shock. It’s not every day that you meet a billionaire.” Even saying the word billionaire was blowing Ginny’s mind. Here she was, a nobody journalist, having coffee with the heir to the corporate throne. To say it was overwhelming would be an understatement.
“I appreciate your understanding. I just want to enjoy my coffee with my beautiful date.” Ginny felt her face turn red again from embarrassment; he was almost too much.
“You aren’t too bad looking yourself.” Ginny wanted to slap herself silly. Had she really just said that to the William Langley?! Shoot me now, Ginny thought to herself.
Liam chuckled a bit at her slightly awkward statement, but didn’t tease her about it, which Ginny was forever thankful for. Instead Ginny decided to shift the conversation back onto Liam and away from herself.
“So if you are from such a well-known family why do you walk around here every day? Wouldn’t it be better to just take a car or limo or whatever it is you drive around in?” Ginny questioned as she re-gathered her latte in her hands. Liam leaned back in his chair and smiled.
“I like to walk the streets and breathe in the … well, I guess ‘fresh’ isn’t the right word, but I like to breathe in the air of the city. I don’t like to be so isolated from the people around me. Besides, no one really knows what I look like so I can get away with walking around town unnoticed. Though, I will say I wasn’t planning to have near constant run-ins with a certain red headed woman.” Liam smirked and Ginny thought she was going to die again from embarrassment. Ginny sputtered for words, but there was really no defense for her blatant actions. “Don’t worry, I always enjoyed our little run-ins,” Liam half-smiled. Oh God, Ginny thought to herself.
“Heh, yeah, well anyways, what else do you do during the day besides get semi-harassed by me in the streets?” Ginny was determined to learn more about the secretive man in front of her. And damn it if she wouldn’t get the topic off of her semi-stalker behaviors. It was bad enough that the conversation had primarily revolved around that singular topic.
“Well I also enjoy Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain.” Liam stated.
“Those are lyrics to a song,” Ginny called him out on his tease. Liam only beamed back and her.
“You caught me, though Pina Coladas are delicious. I mostly just help out at the company doing boring business stuff like emails, memos, meetings and phone calls. It’s rather monotonous, which is why I love walking through the streets. Everyday something different can happen.” Liam eyes lit up as he talked about the near daily adventure of walking down the street and Ginny couldn’t help but smile along with him. His personality was infectious and the more they talked the more she came to like him.
It was strange Ginny thought, sitting here with a man that was essentially a stranger and yet feeling like there were old friends, or even old lovers. Ginny had never felt such an instant connection with someone before and it was exhilarating. There was an easiness to him that instantly drew Ginny in and talking with him was comfortable and pleasant. The entire hour they enjoyed their coffee there wasn’t a single moment of silence or awkwardness. The conversation flowed from one topic to another, covering things from life in the Big Apple, to their careers, to the minutest of topics such as
pet names and Ginny’s irrational fear of pool drains. There was just so much they had in common - it was uncanny the instant connection they shared.
Every time Liam’s hand brushed hers, whether intentional or by chance, Ginny could feel an almost electric charge pass between them. There was just something that lit a fire deep within Ginny and she was eager to fan the flames, if only to see how much they could burn. In the back of her mind Ginny wondered what about this man before her was so intoxicating, so captivating, that he nearly had her heart on the very first ‘date.’
The coffee date went as smoothly as it could have and ended with William and Ginny exchanging numbers. It was an afternoon Ginny was not likely to forget anytime soon. She had met an amazing man, who also happened to be an extremely hot billionaire. Things like that don’t just happen to people like Ginny. It was a day to remember and in that moment Ginny felt like she was on top of the world. There was nothing that could bring her down.
That night, after Ginny went home, she wrote about her experience, about her date with a billionaire. It was just too good of a story to pass up. Of course she changed both of their names but it was too much to keep to herself, so Ginny decided to write it all down. Since it was fresh in her mind Ginny wrote down in as much detail as possible the entire story of her first ‘encounter’ with the nearly perfect man. When she finished she looked it over and contemplated what to do with the piece of writing. Sure she could keep it as a sort of diary, but something pulled at her to do something more with it.
As a last minute decision Ginny decided to post it to a blog site. She didn’t think much about whether or not she would get any followers, but as a journalist Ginny just had a deep urge to report her experience, whether it was warranted or not. Perhaps it was the day and age of oversharing, but Ginny was compelled to throw her story in with the rest out there on the World Wide Web. It wasn’t like she was printing it in the paper. It was just a harmless and unassuming blog post, just a way for her to keep a journal of sorts. What could be the harm in that?
Chapter Two
A few days later Liam texted Ginny inviting her over to his penthouse for a home cooked meal. After a good solid ten minutes of extremely happy dancing - that took her around her entire apartment - Ginny responded with a calm, cool and collected: ‘Sounds good.’ She got the time and address and spent the rest of the day trying to decide on the perfect outfit. It couldn’t be too sexy because she didn’t want to give the wrong impression to him, but she didn’t want it to be too casual and blasé. It was a fine line she was walking.
In the back of Ginny’s mind she was worried that maybe there were going to be some expectations here that she hadn’t thought of. Was that why he was so interested in her? I mean, he was a Billionaire and could have any girl, so why her? Being a rich and handsome guy he surely had women falling all over him. Ginny didn’t want to be just some girl he slept with. Well, she decided, rich or not, that wasn’t what she was looking for. She had no intention of getting in the sack with him on a first date if that’s what he had in mind. Sure she was open to kissing and making out, but nothing more than that. If he tried to push her further then Ginny would know exactly what kind of guy he was. It was a little weird to go to his place on what was really a first date, but she somehow had a good feeling about him and decided it would be ok. Still, she had her fingers crossed that he was an upstanding guy though. All in all, she wasn’t too worried. She had done pretty well following her instincts.
After trying on dozens of outfits Ginny settled on a black cocktail dress - her standby “little black dress”. It was a solid choice since it was a respectable knee length but conformed wonderfully to her curvy figure. All that was left was to do something with her mess of red curls. Ginny had already donned some pale green and brown eyeshadow to highlight her vibrant green eyes and pale skin.
Pushing her hair together into some semblance of order in the form of a simple ponytail Ginny gathered up her purse and made her way out of her apartment and towards the street to hail a cab. It was a short ten minute ride to Liam’s apartment building. A door attendant greeted her and showed her the way to the front desk where she had to give her name and wait for them to contact Liam personally about his guest. Ginny had to wait about five minutes before she was cleared to go past the security guards and onto the elevator.
It was a bit overwhelming and Ginny was starting to second guess her choice to come at all. But when she finally arrived at Liam’s door her worries subsided. She knocked gently and held her breath, suddenly anxious to see him again. It was as though a dozen butterflies were dancing around in her stomach. In addition to the nerves there was a distinct case of the giddy jitters flowing through Ginny’s body. As her body practically vibrated with excitement Ginny could only wonder if what she was feeling were the first signs of love. Liam opened the door and smiled at her and Ginny could feel her insides doing backflips. Yep, that had to be love.
“Welcome to my home, come in.” Liam took a step back so that Ginny could enter the home.
To say it was luxurious would be an understatement. It was high end everything to the extreme. There wasn’t a single item or square inch of the penthouse apartment that didn’t scream pricy. At first Ginny felt incredibly out of place in such a fancy apartment. Liam seemed to sense her discomfort and brought her by the hand into the kitchen. The simple touch of his hand once more sent jolts of electricity coursing through her and Ginny couldn’t help but wonder what his rough yet gentle hands would feel like on other parts of her body.
Much to Ginny’s surprise there wasn’t a chef waiting for them. Instead Liam stepped into place behind the cutting board and finished up what he had been in the process of chopping, a red onion. His strong hands worked dexterously and Ginny’s mind continued to wonder how those hands would feel in more…private areas of her body.
“I just need to get this on before I can relax for a bit. It’s all about the timing with this kind of dish.” Liam made the last few chops before adding the onions to a pan on low heat with a bit of oil in it. Timing, indeed, Ginny thought.
“Would you like wine or beer?” Liam walked over to his fridge and pulled it wide open, revealing a decent selection of both high end beer and white wines as well as the good old favorites, Bud Light beer and Barefoot wine. He was prepared for any and all kinds of tastes and preferences when it came to his selection, it appeared.
“I’ll have whatever you’re having.” Ginny didn’t want to step out of bounds on anything and by putting it in his court she allowed him to set the standards.
“Alright then,” Liam smiled and pulled out a uniquely shaped bottle with a dark red liquid in it. It wasn’t labeled at all and that made Ginny nervous.
“What is that?” She eyed it as Liam pulled out two short glasses and poured a small amount of the liquid into each cup.
“It’s an age old family recipe for a kind of liquor that isn’t really made too often anymore. It’s a special mead made from red and black currants - and a few other things.” Liam handed Ginny one of the glasses. He held up his glass in a sort of ‘cheers’ motion and Ginny followed suit. “To a wonderful dinner with a wonderful guest.” Liam clinked his glass with Ginny’s and she nodded before taking a tentative sip. It was a burst of fruit and honey flavors backed with a strong alcoholic finish.
“This is delicious.” Ginny took another sip. Liam smiled, pleased that she was enjoying it.
Liam got back to work in the kitchen and in no time a full roast with all the fixings was set out on the table. There were potatoes, a variety of cooked vegetables, a delicious onion gravy and perhaps most impressive, homemade Yorkshire puddings. It was a full English feast, in keeping with his family’s heritage. Ginny was incredibly impressed with Liam’s cooking abilities. They far surpassed her own.
“Everything looks wonderful.” Ginny stated as her seat was tucked in for her by Liam. He seemed to be a gentleman in everything he did.
“Why thank you, I hope you
enjoy it.” Liam took his seat opposite of Ginny and together they partook in the feast.
Once the meal was complete and the dishes placed into the sink, Liam led Ginny over to the couch with a view overlooking the city. From their seats they could see the entire city spread out before them. It was a sight that Ginny was sure she would never see anywhere else. It was another reminder to her that Liam was more than just a well off guy, he was a freaking billionaire! That was with a “B,” she had to remind herself.
Liam sat down on the couch and beckoned for Ginny to join him. Without reservation she nestled up next to him, content to fit in the crook under his arm. It just felt natural to do so. For several long moments they just sat and watched the world beneath them turn. It was Liam who ended the comfortable silence between them with a statement that threw Ginny off a bit.
“You remind me of a woman I once knew and cared for deeply. You make me feel so comfortable so easily I wonder if you aren’t somehow connected in this world.” Liam caressed the side of Ginny’s face, and a look passed over his eyes that said so much more than his words did. There was an ageless yearning clearly painted on his face and a much deeper hurt underneath than perhaps even he knew about, she imagined.
“What was her name?” Ginny was curious, who was the man behind the money?
“Philippa.” An indeterminable look crossed Liam’s face then.
“There is more you aren’t telling me, isn’t there?” Ginny felt something stir deep within her, something she didn’t quite understand. But part of her subconscious screamed out at her. Was it a warning or a remembering? Liam looked long and hard at Ginny, as though debating what to tell her. With a deep sigh it was clear he had decided to go with the truth, whatever that entailed.
“Do you believe in vampires?” It was such an odd – and totally bizarre and out of left field - question that Ginny didn’t even know how to answer it properly.
GUNNER: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 4) Page 26
