With a large yawn, Lizzie stretched, her tiny fists pumping the air. I took it as a sign she heard every single word I’d said and she fully agreed.
I called the Lesley Banks store the next day but was told that Elle didn’t work that weekend. I didn’t have her number and could only hope that she was still happy to come over for dinner that night. I took a chance, and sent my driver, Costas, out to pick her up. It was a nail-biting wait to see whether he’d come back with her in the car, but when there was a knock at my door a little after nine, my heart leaped.
It was Eddie who opened the door, and in stepped Elle. I emerged from the lounge to see her in the hallway, wearing a blue dress, pinched in at the waist, showing off the beautiful curve of her hips. I went to her and kissed her cheek, once again inhaling the beautiful, fresh scent of her perfume. “Thank you for coming,” I said.
“Well, I guess I need to hear this big explanation,” she said, but I felt that her demeanor was less formal, less angry than it had been the night before.
“Come on,” I said, taking her hand. “Let’s go and have dinner.”
I’d asked the chef, Alain, to prepare something special. We walked onto the terrace at the back of the house to a table set up for two. I pulled out Elle’s chair, and she sat down, looking around. “What a beautiful place,” she said.
“I’m glad you like it,” I replied. “I can give you a tour later, if you’d like.”
Alain came and introduced himself. “Bonsoir,” he said. “Tonight we have pan-fried scallops with chili and arugula to start, and then buttered rainbow trout with sautéed asparagus to follow. For dessert, we have a cafe liegeois.”
Elle smiled. “It all sounds beautiful,” she said. “Thank you.”
He nodded and left, and while he went to get our starters, I poured out a glass of champagne for each of us. “If there’s anything you don’t like the sound of, then I can always get him to make you something else.”
“Are you kidding? I’m starving.”
I grinned. Tonight, Elle seemed like the girl I used to know, witty and funny. We didn’t talk about anything serious over dinner; she told me about her work in the store, and I filled her in with a little bit of how my own company worked. From the way she talked, I could see that she took her job seriously, but there was little passion behind the words. It made me wonder whether my idea might actually work.
After dinner, we walked in the garden for a little while, before the night began to turn cold. Elle shivered. It was nearly June, but spring seemed to have reverted back to winter over the last few days, and Elle didn’t have a coat. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, and we made our way back to the house.
“Is Lizzie asleep?” she asked.
“Probably not,” I replied. “She tends to settle when I go to bed. Right now, she’s probably being spoiled by someone in the house, most assuredly my butler, Edward. He adores her.”
“Doesn’t she have a nanny?”
“I’m interviewing some people on Monday,” I said. “I don’t want to have to hand Lizzie to someone new, but I have to be realistic. I’d love to be a full-time dad, but I think the shareholders might have a problem with that right now.”
It seemed like a good time to talk about my proposal. I led Elle to my favorite room in the house, one I hoped she would like, too. I opened the door and she gasped as she had ten years earlier when I’d led her into the library of the house I’d grown up in.
“This is stunning,” she breathed, as she looked around at the large expanse of bookshelves, on which sat thousands of books.
“When Dad died and Mom sold the house, I insisted that I take everything in the library,” I said. “And it’s become a bit of a hobby to start collections of my own. Look at this.”
I took her over to a shelf and showed her a set of particularly treasured tomes. “These are all first edition Emily Bronte,” I said. “Another one of my favorite authors. I think the British set the standard in the nineteenth century.”
As I watched her with an amused smile on my face, Elle leaned forward and inhaled. “I just love the smell of old books,” she said. “There’s nothing like it.”
She walked around a little, taking in the room, and I enjoyed seeing the delight on her face. The evening chill was far away, as there was a fire roaring in the hearth. Eddie always knew I liked to be in here. And I think he knew that I’d want to spend time with Elle in here, too.
When she walked back to me, I took her hands in mine. “Let’s talk,” I said, and I led her to the large leather sofa in front of the fire. Once there, I explained how, earlier in the week, the press’s reaction to Lizzie’s existence had meant trouble for the business. I didn’t bore her with talk of shareholder murmurings, and questions around my ability to keep the business going with the distraction of a new baby. However, I did explain how much something as seemingly trivial as having a baby in the house could ruin my reputation.
“Wagging tongues are sometimes all it takes to destroy an empire,” I explained. “I didn’t like it when my father drilled it into me, but perhaps he was right. The exterior impression counts for so much when it comes to my family and me, as much as I hate it. If people think I’m casual about women and children, then they also think I’m casual about business. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s unfortunately true. Especially working with the older companies. They still hold to their conservative beliefs and are not particularly inclined to partner with anyone that might seem to contradict the values they hold so dear.”
She understood, and I apologized for the way I handled things outside the bar. “But it made me think of an idea,” I said. “And I wondered if you’d consider it. The press thinks you’re my fiancée. Rather than having to go back and say you’re not, I wondered if you might continue to act as though you were, at least for a little while.”
With a look of mild terror, she pulled back and I smiled. “Don’t worry, it’s not what you think,” I said. “But when you told me about having to work for nothing but paying off bills, I knew I wanted to help. I want to clear your parents’ debt. I’m going to pay it off outright and clear their mortgage. I know you wouldn’t accept it as a gift, but instead, perhaps you’d like to repay me by staying here, and keeping up the appearance of being my partner, for a little while.”
I could see from the way her chest rose and fell that her heart was beating rapidly. It must have come as a great shock to her, with a lot to take in at once. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Why would you want that?”
“For many reasons,” I said. “Because I needed something to help me get through this tricky period, and unfortunately, I can count all the people I trust on one hand. You’re one of them. I don’t even trust my own lawyer with everything. And we can help each other. I need you on my side. I want you on my side. No contracts, no signed papers. Just an agreement between the two of us. I’ll call my banker in the morning and your family’s debt is wiped out forever. I’ll do that even if you don’t want to help me. But this way, I think we can help each other.”
“Wait a second. So you just want me to wear a ring and tell people we’re engaged?”
“It’s a little more than that,” I said. “I’d like you to move in here. It’ll look more official, and you won’t have to worry about the press. I’m not asking you to look after Lizzie. You’re not a nanny. You can come and go as you please and leave whenever you like.”
Elle blinked, and I could see that her mind was working overtime, trying to digest my offer. “How would I get to work every day?” she asked. “You don’t live near the subway and I don’t have a car.”
“How would you like to give up work altogether?”
“What?”
“This is the other reason I want you to do this. For you. So you can start building up your own designs again. No more working for other people. You’ve never had the chance to reach for your goals because of things that have held you back.”
She was silent. She gazed into the flames of the fire, and slowly licked her lips. “I don’t even know what to say,” she said, eventually. “That’s a lot to offer for me just agreeing to be your pretend fiancée.”
“That’s not entirely true. You don’t understand how much money is involved in the deals that I’m working on at this time. You, pretending to be my fiancée, would save me much more than I’d be paying, trust me. Some of these deals are very tricky and people’s perceptions need to be managed. It’s a lot to take in, I know,” I said. I reached for her hand again. “It’s not how I imagined a future with you might go.”
Elle turned to me. I was still holding onto her hand, and she looked at our entwined fingers. “You know, Colin said something to me yesterday that hit me like a shovel in the face,” she said.
“Oh?”
With her eyes on mine, she looked as though she might cry. “He said I’ve never been able to get over you.”
While my heart swelled at the words, I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t the time to brag. Besides, it’s not like I had any room to talk. Having seen her again after so long, I’d already realized that I’d never been able to get over Elle Evans, either. Instead of speaking, I leaned forward, pulling her close to me, and I kissed her.
She kissed me back for a split second, and then she broke away. There was a knock at the door at that moment, and I could have killed whoever it was, but when I called for them to come in, I saw it was Joanna. In her arms, she held Lizzie, who was bellowing lustily.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt,” she apologized. “But this little one is missing her daddy. She won’t settle at all.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, getting up from the couch. “Bring her here to me.”
I held Lizzie, placed her against my chest and rocked her. We sat together on the sofa, Elle and I, and I passed Lizzie over to her. I watched as Elle’s lips curled into a smile with Lizzie nuzzling into her, and within a few moments, Lizzie was quiet again.
“She likes you,” I said.
“I like her,” Elle replied. She lifted her head to match my gaze. “Can I take a few days to think about everything and let you know?”
“Of course,” I replied, relieved that she’d just agreed to consider my proposal.
21
________
ELLE
At home that night, after Liam’s driver had taken me home again, I got into bed and went over everything in my mind. I lay awake until the early hours of the morning. Colin was out with Brandon. The two of them were becoming more and more loved up by the day and I was pleased for my best friend, but I missed having him there to talk to. He was the one who made madness make sense.
I wasn’t going to get the chance to see him again for another two weeks, either. His new play was touring, and he was off to play in a small theater somewhere in the middle of nowhere, like Arkansas, or Iowa, I couldn’t remember which.
Mulling the situation over repeatedly, my mind raced back and forth. So much of Liam’s offer made sense. To be free from the huge mountain of debt and to see my parents get their lives back again, were gifts I’d never be offered twice. And to be able to quit working at the store and concentrate on launching my own line, too? The opportunities were like Christmas and my birthday, all rolled into one, and so much more besides.
But I couldn’t shake the idea that Liam would be buying me. That he’d have me do his bidding simply because he’d literally paid for it. It was at four o’clock in the morning when I realized, without Colin’s insight, why it bothered me so much.
It was because I didn’t want him for his money. I’d never wanted him for his wealth, or for the opulence of his life. I’d simply wanted him, and no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I still wanted only him. I wanted him to take me into his arms and tell me that he wanted me in the same way. But he hadn’t. Because he didn’t. Because this was a business deal, a mutually beneficial arrangement.
By Tuesday, I still hadn’t talked to him. I knew I was going to have to, sooner or later, but I kept putting it off. When he called me later that same day to see if I was okay, I knew that I needed to turn him down, face to face. I asked if he wanted to go for a drink, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, he sent Costas again, and I found myself in the back of a luxurious car once more.
In his beautiful house, I sat with Liam in the study and told him how I couldn’t take him up on the offer. He listened intently, allowing me to speak.
“I can’t take your money, Liam,” I said. “When we were eighteen, I felt that, while on paper we were from different worlds, we were on the same page, so to speak. Now, look at us. Look at where you are in your life and where I am in mine. To take your money would feel so wrong. Like I was someone you could just buy to do you a service.”
He nodded. “I know why it looks that way,” he said. “And no amount of me telling you that it isn’t like that seems to be working.”
Standing up, he reached for my hand. “Come with me,” he said. “There’s something else I’d like to show you.”
I trusted him, and we walked out of the library and up the huge, sweeping staircase. He took me to his bedroom, a sprawling space occupied by a large bed in the center with a beautiful crib next to it. There was a desk, a bookshelf, and walk-in closets that ran along one side. On the opposite side was a bay window, which overlooked the garden we’d walked in a few days earlier. I couldn’t understand why he’d brought me up there until he walked to the bookshelf and slid out one of the books.
When he placed it in my hands, I was shocked. “I recognize this,” I murmured. “It’s the copy I gave you!”
The memories of presenting Liam with my copy of Pride and Prejudice the night after we made love for the first time came flooding back. This book looked ten years older, though, that was for sure.
“I can’t even count the number of times I’ve opened this and read it,” he said. “It reminded me of you.”
And before I knew what he was doing, he’d reached forward, and gently stroked my neck. Then he ran his fingers under the chain of my necklace and pulled it out from underneath my shirt. “And when I see you wearing this,” he said, softly, “I realize that you want to be reminded of me, too.”
What an idiot I was, for letting him see the chain. But to know that he kept my gift, too, made everything better. He took my hands and slid them around his waist. “We might be entering into an arrangement that benefits us both,” he said, softly, “but don’t be fooled that there isn’t something undeniable between us.”
This time, when he kissed me, I didn’t pull away. His hands ran up my back, and I shivered at the sensation. His short, clipped beard tickled my lips, stimulating them. I felt his strong arms drawing me close and he held me in his embrace as I lifted my own arms and wrapped them around his neck.
God, he was a good kisser. He had such beautiful lips and a way of holding mine between his as he lingered with every kiss. His tongue glanced against mine, and it sent a surge of electricity pulsing through my veins. I found that I was holding on to him, clinging on for dear life, running my nails through his short, thick hair.
We’d been without each other for ten years, and there was no need for us to have to wait any longer. I certainly didn’t come over for this tonight, but now it was happening, I didn’t want to stop. His hands were underneath my silk shirt, glancing against my waist, before moving down and cupping my ass. “God,” he breathed as he kissed me. “You feel so good. I can’t tell you how good.”
Falling onto the bed, I let my shoes drop onto the floor with a thud. He was kissing me with urgency now, and I could feel that he was hard, and it made me groan. The noise made him stop and pull away. He looked down at me. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“God, yes,” I whispered. “I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I know I don’t want to stop.”
I felt so foolish for blurting out whatever came into my head, but when it came to Liam, I’d never been able to do anyth
ing else. I’d tried to resist him, but I couldn’t anymore, and he knew it. He began to kiss down my neck, hungrily and passionately tasting my skin, so that I felt as if he was about to devour me.
Ten years ago, we’d made sweet, slow love, as young adults who were shy and inexperienced. Now, we were older and wiser, and Liam for sure knew exactly what he wanted. He undid the buttons on my shirt and buried his head into my cleavage, kissing my breasts over my bra. I couldn’t help but watch his beautiful lips adore my skin, and I was reminded of what Colin had told me. If he has soft lips, so that it feels like kissing a rainbow, and you just want to stay there forever, then you know that there’s a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow.
Boy, was it like being kissed by a rainbow. And if memory served, the pot of gold was right there, too. I wanted it. I wanted him. And he wanted me, too. There was no denying that. The way he kissed me, touched me, ravaged me, made me surrender helplessly to him.
He sat up, leaning on one elbow, and I began to undress him, too, unbuttoning his shirt and opening it up. His chest was larger than it had been at eighteen, and he hadn’t lost his athletic physique. If anything, he’d bulked up over the years, and my mouth literally watered at the sight of his beautiful body. I ran my fingers over his nipples and moved further down, trailing over his belly, wanting to go even further.
There was an ache between my legs now, a throbbing that only one thing was going to quell. As if reading my mind, Liam undid the button on my tight black pants and peeled them down my legs. I was in my underwear, on Liam Wilde’s bed, and I could feel the chill of the cool evening air on the wetness of my panties.
He pulled down one of my bra straps and began to kiss my shoulder, working his way down to my breast. He held the cup of my bra in his hand, running his tongue over my flesh, just above the lace, before pulling it down a little, so that my nipple was exposed, and he took it in his mouth and sucked. It made me moan aloud and he responded by sucking me harder, licking my nipple, flicking his tongue against it and groaning.
FIRST LOVE_A Single Dad Second Chance Romance Page 13
