I hit reply on my phone,
The flowers are beautiful. Thank you. I can cook if you fancy it? A x
I hit send before I can change my mind.
“Done” I smile at Becca, and we both laugh.
“I’m so proud of you”
“Thank you, I’ll let you know how it goes”
“Duh!”
Chapter Twenty-Six
At 6 o’clock sharp reception buzzes my office to let me know he’s downstairs. My stomach is a flurry of excited nerves as I shrug my coat on in the lift, grateful that I chose a sleek, fitted red dress this morning paired with my favorites, Louboutin’s. I added stockings at the last minute, after seeing the chilly air rising above London this morning. I’d love nothing more than to wear my yoga pants and converse all day, but thanks to society that’s not acceptable in a court room. I stalk across the empty lobby, my heels clicking behind me announcing my arrival to Liam, who’s stood by the double glass entrance watching the world go by. Turning, his eyes travel down my body and I surprisingly find that I like it when he does that. I like watching him take me in, I find myself doing the same to him whenever we’re around each other.
“Amelia” his voice is deep and soulful, reminding me of the dirty things his voice made me do the other night.
“Liam” I’m slightly embarrassed.
He hooks my arm around his and heads us out towards the waiting car. I wave goodbye to our security guard before jumping in.
Once we’re in the car we and pull out into the London traffic, I turn my attention towards him. Finding him already gazing at me, my cheeks flush and I’m suddenly grateful for the early winter darkness to shield my crimson face.
“I…uh didn’t know what you wanted for food, could we swing by a supermarket to grab some ingredients?” I meet his ocean blues and he smiles that show stopping, all white teeth smile.
“Of course,” he signals to his driver to take us to the nearest supermarket in Notting Hill and he gets a brief nod from the older guy.
We get to the shop and Liam grabs a trolley, he looks cute being domestic. I can’t help but smile at him in his suit, his hair is in disarray from running his hands through it. My fingers itch to tug it again and I find myself pulling my bottom lip between teeth.
“Amelia” his deep voice cuts through my thoughts and I blink to clear my vision.
“Sorry, I…uh…” A knowing smirk spreads across his cheeks so I turn and walk further down the aisle. We grab some ingredients to make a Spaghetti Carbonara, a dish Liam says his mother always cooks.
“I better make sure I get this right then” I laugh, placing the items in the trolley. Liam swings playfully on the handle bars and I can’t help but laugh at him. He looks so carefree and oh so handsome. It’s a totally different persona to the one I met in my office.
“What?” he gives me that damned smile again and I can’t help but shake my head and look away.
“I’ve never cooked for a man before”
“What? No ex boyfriends good enough to cook for?”
I cover a laugh slightly with a cough.
“No, I wouldn’t have minded poisoning a few of them though” Liam barks a laugh and puts his hand to his chest to steady himself.
“Uh…about that” I take this chance to ask him the one question that’s been running through my head all week. After taking a deep breath, I turn to face him again, “I don’t know how this is supposed to work. Like…” I stop myself, not wanting to sound stupid with sentences I can’t form.
“What Amelia?”
God his gaze is unnerving, I’m sure he can read my mind anyway. It would be so much easier. No, it wouldn’t, he’d be able to see all the naughty thoughts you’re having. I fiddle with the jar in my hand absentmindedly before he pulls it from me, places it in the trolley and eyes me expectantly.
“I just…. Is this serious? It doesn’t have to be, but dinner seems kind of serious?” I manage to blurt out before turning and walking away. Grateful that my voice made it sound more like a question rather than an accusation. I hear him sigh heavily behind me, I chance a glance at him over my shoulder, just as he’s raking his hand through his hair. It looks hot as hell once he does. The loose chocolate tendrils falling slightly over his forehead makes him look a little gentler somehow but the aura of him being able to fuck you into next week oozes from his pores and he doesn’t even realize it. I’m trying to read his face for some kind of answer to my question, but he tilts his head back to look at me, his baby blues now as dark as the deep sea and I feel a pang of disappointment hit me. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything, why do I always fuck this up?
“Amelia. That brain of yours is giving me whiplash” he huffs “But I want you and I don’t want anyone else to have you. So, whatever that makes you then…yeah” My shoulders drop a little with relief, and I somehow feel better now that he understands. Whatever that makes you. More relief washes over me that Liam’s not quite done with me yet, I get to have more of him! I know we’ve been talking all week and its new and exciting, but I guess we’re both new to this.
“Okay” I say quietly, “Maybe we should spend some more time together?” I shrug in offer, wanting to know a little about the background of the chiseled, god who seems to want to creep into my bed every night.
“I’d like that” His eyes seem to have gone lighter now, the fluorescent lights of the supermarket shining down on him.
“Do you do this often?” I ask pointing between us, becoming aware that we are still in the supermarket
He scowls at me and I realize maybe that wasn’t the question I should have led with.
“No. I get what I want from a woman and then I never hear from them again. I’ve never stayed the night with them, and I sure as hell have never had dinner with them. I think we’re past the whole fuck buddies’ thing, don’t you?” he hisses that last sentence and I know I’ve pissed him off. I recoil a little, inhaling a lung full of air.
“What?... Why?” I’m totally lost. Why is he doing this with me then? And then it hits me. Realization sets in with that deep foreboding, weighing heavily in my stomach. The lump in my throat grows and I force myself to swallow past it.
“Can you promise me one thing?” I make sure to meet his eyes as I ask. He nods for me to continue.
“Promise me that you aren’t using me to get ahead with the company”
A flash of anger flicks across his face before he almost shouts loud enough for the whole of this side of London to hear.
“Fuck. NO Amelia! I just…” glancing around, he lowers his voice but holds my gaze again before he speaks “I don’t know how to explain this. I’m not fucking using you. Stop fucking assuming that I’m the bad guy!” he hisses. Staring into his eyes, I feel like I have no other option but to believe him. I search the blue depths of his eyes to see if he is lying. He looks so angry that I even suggested it. His grip on the shopping trolley tightens, and it reminds me of the way he had gripped the steering wheel a few weeks ago.
“Sorry…I just, you know how protective I am of Bellucci”
“What have I said about apologizing to me? I love that you speak your mind, but…why? What’s made you think that I’d come in a take it from you?” he throws at me, a hint of anger still in his voice.
“Well you did offer to” I spit back at him. Remembering the time before the merger that the Hadleigh group had proposed to buy Bellucci instead of merge with it.
“Yes. But we dropped it as soon as you declined” he grits
I know he’s right and my damned attitude is getting the better of me again.
“Fine. You’re right. I’m sorry, I’ve worked my whole life to build that company. I just feel very protective of it” I drop my gaze and take a deep breath before looking back up at him.
He eyes me for a second before sighing and reaching out for me to take my hand in his.
“I know, you don’t think I understand that? After everything I told you yesterday! Give m
e a fucking break!” he says softly, with the added curse word to get his point across.
I look at my feet, not wanting to see the hurt dancing behind his eyes. I hate that my paranoia always gets worse after a panic attack, it takes a few days if not weeks for it to subside to a normal level. Liam surprises the shit out of me by throwing an arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his side.
“You’re on par with my sister to be the biggest pain in my ass that I don’t want to get rid of. I want to see you more, I don’t want to go another week without seeing you”
Well shit. Every time I’m a bitch, he’s a fucking gentleman. I can’t compete with that!
“You’re too nice for your own good Hadleigh” I mumble.
“You haven’t seen anything yet sweet cheeks” he places a kiss to my cheek before releasing me.
“What do we do about the business side of things?” I frown, that seems to throw a spanner in our whole relationship, not a relationship thing.
“Don’t worry about that for now” he almost demands. All fight seems to leave me right there in the middle of the supermarket. I’ve wanted so desperately to let this all go. All the worry, the uncertainty. I like this, I like us.
“Okay. Thank you”
He squeezes my hand once before clearing his throat and glancing around. I’m suddenly thankful that we’re the only ones in the aisle.
“Can I ask you something?” he says, eyeing me warily.
“Of course,”
“I know what you told me the other night, but why are you so weary of people manipulating you?”
I take a deep breath and raise my eyebrows slightly before lowering them again. Liam’s gaze has grown serious and he’s looking at me intently.
“Wow, That’s a long story”
“We have all night. Was it an ex?”
“Not exactly. It was, is, my mother I guess”
Liam’s eyebrows raise in surprise at my answer. I don’t ever talk about my mother, it’s just a topic I avoid if I can. But knowing what I told him the other night after my panic attack, I don’t have much options to not tell him.
“Is your mother?” He studies my face intently furrowing his brow in confusion before smiling a little in what I’m guessing is sympathy, and support.
“You said is, is she still contacting you?”
“Ye, but its only letters. And my building is tight on security so I’m fine” I lie, not wanting to dwell too much on it. A hint of doubt glitters behind his eyes, alerting to me to the fact he knows I’m still not telling him the truth. “You call me straight away if anything changes” he demands, his eyes boring down into me like he could flip his lid any second. I don’t want to tell him about my problems, they’re my battles to fight not his.
“Okay” I say with a smile, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. That woman took enough of my life away, I don’t want her penetrating my future.
“Let’s get out of here” I smile and nod before we head to the checkout. Once we’re back in the car he pulls me against him so I’m leaning against his side, his long arm draped across my shoulder, and I want to burn this image into my brain, so I can look back on it when Karma digs her claws in again.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
We reach my flat, after swinging by Liam’s place for him to grab an overnight bag. I’d plucked up the courage to ask him to stay over, wanting to rectify the whole panic attack incident with a much nicer one. I had stayed in the car, but he promised to show me around soon. I didn’t care any less, all I knew was that Liam was staying the night with me, and that meant countless round of sex.
Liam busied himself in my kitchen after carrying the groceries up and insisting on helping me prepare our food. I’d given up half way through stirring the pasta, after he kept arguing that I was cooking the spaghetti wrong. How many ways are there to dump the spaghetti into a pan of water? I grabbed the bottle of wine we picked up, along with two glasses, and I watched him from my stool at the island. He looked good in the kitchen. His shirt sleeves where rolled to his elbows, the top three buttons of his shirt undone and the pretty floral piny wrapped around his midriff really accentuated the housewife look. A tea towel was draped across his shoulder, as he concentrated on not burning the pasta sauce. I can’t help but smile behind my wine glass, watching him move around the kitchen with great ease.
“Who taught you how to cook?” I asked before taking a sip of the wine.
Continuing to stir the sauce, he flicks me a sideways grin “My mother” his eyes move to meet mine and I realize that he might just be a mummy’s boy. A million questions burn into my head about his childhood, was it a happy one? Did he have many friends? I know about his sister, but does he have any other siblings? I huff at the memory of ever calling him a daddy’s boy, when now I can see that’s possibly far from the truth. I spend the next few minutes just watching him glide around the kitchen, the marble counter tops are littered with ingredients, but the smell of traditional Italian pasta fills my nostrils and my stomach rumbles. Liam notices and busies himself to cook faster. Once we’ve eaten in a comfortable silence and I’ve cleared the dishes we curl up on the sofa. Some nature program is rambling on, but all my senses alert me to how close I am to Liam.
“You’re a pretty good cook, I’ll give you that. What other secrets are you hiding?” I question, hoping he’s in the mood to share. His hand stills from stroking my hair and his chest inhales beneath me.
“What do you mean?”
“Where are you from?”
“Essex, I grew up there. But my parents have always had a place in the city, so we used to come here a lot. I moved here after I graduated and started at the company”
“Do you have any more siblings?”
“Nope, just my sister. Jess is younger than me and a royal pain. I then I have my nephew”
“How old is he?” I smile up at him, hopefully encouraging him to reveal more, loving hearing about his life. From the distant, ego maniac that was stood in my boardroom a few short weeks ago, he seems so different now.
“He’s three, his name is Arthur. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Not that I know of, but it’s possible my father has some that I don’t know about”
I feel Liam shift beneath me and decide to steer the conversation in a healthier direction.
“Did you always want to work for your father?” I lay my fingers across his broad chest.
“I guess. I never really thought about it you know? I always wanted to be a solicitor, the fact that he owned a company was just sort of a given. That’s why I invested and bought a few other businesses, some things I could call my own, he’s an arsehole to work with”
“David?” I question, secretly hoping he will give me some more dirt on him. The impression he gave me was always happy and professional, it was one of the reasons I had signed the deal in the first place.
“Yep. You have breasts. You’re not a threat to him”
I gawk in surprise, he’s a sexist?
“Is he stuck in the past like that?”
“Yes, I could say that you’re lucky that you’re merging with me and not him” he laughs.
“Big headed” I scoff before returning to the Tv. The fact that I feel the most comfortable and safe than I have in years doesn’t escape me. This man has gone from being the biggest headache I’ve ever come across, to the one sat on my couch, stroking my hair and telling me little snippets about himself. I feel guilty that I won’t offer him the same pleasure. I sigh, resting my head against Liam’s shoulder when his hand comes up and he turns my face gently towards his.
“What’s up?” his eyes twinkle in the low light of the lamp on the side table. The electric fire we lit earlier is casting a dancing light against his hair. I smile up at him, he seems to have that effect on me. I can’t stop smiling when I’m around him.
“Nothing” I give him a closed mouth smile, hoping that he will drop it. Chewing the inside of his cheek he debates
something with himself before deciding on an answer.
“There are only so many free passes I can give you. That was your final one” his voice is deep with authority and I know he’s serious.
“We’re going to be working together, it’s inevitable that we will find out things about one another soon enough. I will find out the things you don’t want to tell me. But you will, in time”
“What makes you so sure?” I argue, sitting up on the sofa and moving slightly away from him. Grabbing my wrist in his large hand he tightens his grip, but not to the point where it’s painful. My chest instinctively starts to rise and fall faster than is normal, and panic slithers across my chest leaving a trail of slime in it’s wake.
“You need this” he glances at where his hand is holding me. “You’re intrigued, I can tell”
I flick my eyes to where his long fingers circle my wrist before my attention is brought to the dampness growing between my thighs. How can I be turned on by this? Surely there’s something not quite right in my head.
Bringing his free hand up to my face, he forces my dark eyes to look at his light ones.
“Don’t overthink it. It’s perfectly normal to want to erase certain memories that you hate with similar ones that you can love and enjoy. You can turn a painful memory into something beautiful”
No truer words had ever been spoken to me before, and they ran around my head, bouncing between all the shitty memories I have.
“How can you tell?” I let my wrist relax in his hold, trusting him to hold me safe. Shifting closer to me, and bringing his eyes down to my level, Liam glances quickly between them and my parted lips.
“Your pupils are dilated, your skin is flushed, your breathing has changed. Much like everything I told you in my office”
Memories of the way he had spoken to me then, and the way he moved his fingers down my body set my skin on fire.
“You need someone to take the control away from you”
“No, I don’t!” I huff, without believing my own words. The idea makes my skin hot and cold at the same time, sending confusing signals to my head. I wanted this didn’t I?
Powerless (Power Series Book 1) Page 19
