Liam closed his eyes for a moment, like he needed to collect himself.When he opened them, the heat lingered, but it was softer now, layered with something more cautious.
“Jesus, Morgan,” he said, his voice threaded with frustration and uncertainty.“I’m trying to do the right thing here.”
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words.“Are you putting me back in the friend zone?”I tried to keep my tone light, but there was a hint of vulnerability beneath that I couldn’t hide.
He huffed out a strained laugh.“That’s what Ishoulddo,” he said reluctantly.“This could get complicated.We work together.We have a business relationship.If something goes wrong…I don’t want to screw that up for either of us.”
His words weren’t dismissive.They were real, thoughtful, and laced with the same frustration and desire I felt.I could see the internal tug-of-war in his eyes, and I understood where he was coming from.This wasn’t just aboutus.He was a business man who’d invested millions into my father’s company, and I was adult enough to acknowledge that neither of us could predict what could potentially happen between us in the future.
I nodded, even though a small ache bloomed in my chest.“I get it.I do.It’s confusing.”My voice softened.“I’mconfused.As much as I want you, the work stuff makes it tricky.”
I saw the relief on his face that I wasn’t angry or hurt.He cupped my cheek gently, just his fingertips, like he was afraid that too much contact would pull us right back into the spiral.“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said quietly.“And I don’t want to mess up whatever is happening between us.”
He didn’t elaborate on that, but we both knew that our attraction, connection, and chemistry was off the charts and clearly not something we could ignore, no matter how hard we’d already tried to do so.
“I don’t want that either,” I replied, my hands resting on his chest, not ready to break the connection just yet.
“Let’s just…slow this down,” he suggested.“Figure it out without rushing.”
“Okay,” I agreed, knowing it was for the best.
I started to move off him, and he helped me back into the passenger seat.His hands stayed on me a moment longer than needed, sliding from my waist to my hips in a way that felt reluctant, like he was fighting the urge to pull me back onto his lap.I didn’t take it as rejection.I recognized his restraint, the kind that told me he wanted more but was trying not to rush whatever this was between us.Because other things were at stake.
“Are we good?”he asked, and the concern I heard in his voice made it impossible to doubt his good intentions.
“Yeah, we are,” I murmured, giving him a smile.
His eyes dropped to my lips for a beat, like the idea of another kiss was still too tempting.“Yeah, we will be,” he said quietly.“We’ll figure this out.”
His words were meant to reassure, but I didn’t think either of us really believed getting through this andfiguring things outwould be that simple.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Liam
By mutual agreement,the following Monday at the office we were back to being professional, no mention of what happened in my car Saturday night.And even though I’d been the one to establish that “let’s slow things down” suggestion, I fucking hated it.
Parker and Samuel had joined us for that morning’s meeting, and Morgan sat across the conference table from me, facing the screen she’d set up for her PowerPoint presentation as she talked through the new product launch schedule for the next few months and her marketing ideas, her tone all business.Her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, bringing my attention to her pretty face and features.She wore a navy blazer over a white blouse, looking every bit the competent marketing director.Polished, confident, and well put together.
Despite my best intentions, every time she spoke my eyes drifted to her lips, remembering the taste of her mouth when she’d leaned across the console in my car and kissed me.Of how she’d climbed onto my lap like she belonged there.How goddamn hard it had been to pull back instead of following her upstairs and losing myself in her for the rest of the night.
Driving away had been the hardest decision I’d made in years, even if it had been the right thing to do.We had this investment deal hanging over us, the launch timelines, the whole business partnership.Screwing that up wasn’t an option.Neither was hurting Morgan again with a rash decision that was based solely on lust and desire.
“…and for the influencer rollout, I was thinking we could tie in some user-generated content to build buzz before the official drop,” she said, pointing to the slide on the screen.
I nodded in agreement, as did Samuel.“Sounds solid.What about the timeline for the beta testers?”I asked.
She dove into the details with enthusiasm, outlining the various phases, but I was only half listening.My thoughts kept circling back to her.To us.It wasn’t just the physical chemistry, though that mutual attraction was impossible to ignore.It was the connection we had made during our sushi dinner when we talked about our families, and how comfortable I was with her when neither one of us had our guard up.It was the way she’d look at me after our conversation in the car, understanding in her eyes when I said we needed to slow down.There had been no drama.No demands.That kind of maturity drew me in deeper and made me wonder if she could be something more.Something real.
And just like our first night together, that possibility scared the shit out of me.
I was quickly realizing that Morgan Starling wasn’t someone I could handle with detachment like I was used to.She was already so much more than that.She represented a possibility.A risk.A door I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to open and step through.And if I was honest with myself, I was afraid of what might happen if I did.
My last relationship had imploded because I hadn’t been enough.Ivy hadn’t said it that way, but with distance came clarity, and I knew that was truth.She’d been lonely.Neglected.Relegated to whatever scraps were left after twelve-hour days and the nonstop grind of Wall Street had drained every ounce of energy I had.She’d gotten the rushed, distracted version of me.A quick dinner here and there, half-assed conversations while I constantly checked emails, cancelling plans because work always took priority.And romance, well, that became non-existent because I’d been too exhausted to nurture that part of our relationship.
So, she’d sought affection elsewhere.And yeah, I knew that decision was wrong and on her.She’d lied, cheated, and shattered what trust we had.She should have talked to me instead of jumping into bed with someone else.
But I wasn’t completely innocent in creating the cracks that had formed in our relationship before she’d strayed.I hadn’t listened.I didn’t notice her unhappiness.I hadn’t shown up the way a partner deserved.I should have seen the signs before it all blew up in my face.So, upon finding her with another man, my anger had been tangled up with guilt because I hadn’t been blameless in the situation.
