“I thought you would be relieved.”
“Yeah, I know, but for some strange reason I was worried instead. So, um, why did you stop coming?”
“Does it matter?”
“Indulge my curiosity.”
Those three words, echoing in her brain, made her throat thicken.Indulge my curiosity.Somehow, the way he’d said the words, they’d sounded dirty. Surely her frazzled mind made her imagine the heat in his eyes.
She blinked and the heat disappeared like vapor. “I’m sure you have more important things to be curious about.”
He cracked a smile, the first since he’d shown up. “You know, I gotta tell you, Kate. You’re a shitty hostess.”
She couldn’t help but grin in return. “I’m sorry. I’m not really prepared. You see, I gave the butler the night off and I forgot to defrost the canapés.”
“You really do think I’m an evil, rich dickhead, don’t you? That I don’t have a soul?”
“Not evil. I think I glimpsed your soul when you talked about Michelle. The rich dickhead part is still true, though.”
“Is that why you didn’t come back? Because you felt sorry for me?
Kate said nothing.
“I don’t want your pity, Kate.”
“Whatdoyou want?”
The moments the words left her mouth, she regretted it. It was getting hard to rein in a desire that she didn’t even understand. Yes, she felt concern for him, but right now, all she knew was a near-feral need. His looks and deep voice and even his arrogance turned her crank in such a way she knew from now on she’d compare every other man to him.
Still, he drove her nuts.
Liam seemed to have trouble finding his words. “I’m still trying to understand what I want. You’re not making it easy for me.”
Okay, so clearly she drove him around the bend a bit too. “What does that mean?”
He drew closer until their feet just about touched. He reached for her hand and she almost leaned into him. Almost, but not quite.
“Goddamn, you ask a lot of questions,” he said. “It means I don’t know what to make of you.”
Liam’s gaze dropped and traveled a hot path from her head to her toes, and her body responded to the visual caress. Already her nipples pebbled under her light shirt. To her horror, she realized she was practically leaning in for a kiss. The thought of him claiming her mouth had her weak in the knees.
Just when she suspected he wanted the same thing, he took a step back, but did not release her hand. “Look, sometimes my job requires me to act like an asshole, but I shouldn’t have been one to you when you were being honest with me. I’m sorry.”
Kate had no explanation for the barrage of sensations Liam caused all over her. His sensual voice made her ears perk up. His touch made her skin feel luxurious, like a warm, soapy bath. He might be less put together tonight, but was still just as much a feast for her eyes. She wanted to run her fingers over his washboard abs and fondle each plane and hollow. His stubble seemed a little thicker, almost a beard, as if he hadn’t trimmed it in a couple of days, and served to make him look more like a rugged lumberjack rather than a captain of Vegas industry.
His masculine beauty affected her the way a newly-discovered Van Gogh might affect an art collector.
She removed her hand from his and ran a shaky hand over her face, trying to rein herself in. “You don’t owe me an apology. I butted in where I wasn’t wanted. And I’m the last person who should be giving anyone advice.” Oddly comforted in his presence, she let her shoulders droop and sighed.
Liam put a finger under her chin. “Hey, what’s wrong? Tell me.”
“You really don’t want to know.”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t ask. I’m a rich dickhead, remember?” He grinned and slowly removed his hand from her face.
“Okay. Fine.” She paused to collect her thoughts. “I’m even worse. I’m a fraud. I lecture others about hitting rock bottom, and the truth is I’ve never done it myself.” She looked up, expecting to see him judge her, but saw only a new heat in his blue eyes. “My dad’s an addict, and I’ve been enabling him for years. I can’t seem to stop. I’m scared to let him go cold turkey. I’m scared to stop giving him money. I’m scared. I’m just scared.”
Liam gazed at her for a time, then moved his hand back to her face, sliding his fingers over her cheek. She fought the urge to close her eyes and luxuriate in his touch. After what felt like forever, he smiled and spoke.
