He shrugged. “Sounds like something worth exploring.”
Another almost agreement. We were on a roll.
Seph stood up and stretched. “I’m going to leave you to talk through it. Advice though, whether you want it or not; I had a client who got married for a business deal. It didn’t work out how he planned.”
“What happened?” I imagined jail or something equally nasty.
“They fell in love and ended up with three kids.” He shrugged. “And given how close you’re sitting and that I saw Sophie sneak back into her room early this morning, I’m guessing you don’t hate each other that much. Be warned.”
“Why were you up at that time?”
Seph smiled. “Me and Lainey were having a late night chat.”
“Is she okay?”
He glanced out of the window. “So-so. We’ll talk about it later.” He disappeared out of the room, leaving me and Liam alone, which was suddenly not where I wanted to be.
He looked different this morning. His eyes had a glint in them that made me feel like the teenager I’d once been who got onto the back of bikes with bad boys. His hair was messier, his stubble thicker and there was a mark on his neck that I knew I’d left and he hadn’t bothered to try and cover it up.
The first round of sex had led to two more, the last one slower, mainly because we were both drained of energy by that point. He learned how to bend me, move me, make me orgasm when I didn’t think it was possible and by the final time I was screaming his name without caring that he took it as a victory.
But I hadn’t stayed.
I’d left his room and that was it. It was out of our system. We were now just business partners. And engaged.
“Here.” He dug in his pocket and put a box on the table.
I froze. Bile rose from my stomach.
“It doesn’t matter if you like it or not because it doesn’t mean anything apart from that we’ll be able to share that property. But what I do promise,” he opened the box, “is that I won’t screw you over. We’ll just ask a solicitor to add in the contract that if one of us wants to sell, the other has first refusal.”
“Done. And it will be purely business. Once it’s up and running, I won’t be out here all the time.”
“Neither will I. I still have shit going on in London and the States.”
I picked up the ring and studied it. Platinum. A solitaire diamond surrounded by smaller ones.
“My manager’s wife chose it.” His words were stilted. “I’m sorry if it’s not your taste.”
“Not some family heirloom then.” I realised what I said as soon as I saw his face turn to stone. “Shit, Liam, I’m sorry. It was a joke. A very, very bad one. I didn’t think.”
He shook his head and refused to look in my eyes. “I’ll send you a list of things you need to know about me. The sort of crap a fiancée would know about her man. You do the same.”
“Consider it done.”
“See if it fits.”
It wasn’t the first or even the second time I’d worn an engagement ring. The two I’d be given had been sold, the money donated to a charity that supported victims of domestic abuse. I’d never been in a relationship where I’d feared the other person. My partners had always respected me, and if they hadn’t, I’d moved on swiftly. Some people hadn’t been that lucky or in a position to make those decisions.
I put it on my ring finger and studied it. It was slightly too big, maybe by half a ring size, but I could wear it, get it adjusted when I got home.
“It’s pretty.”
“I’ll let Wes’ wife know. She’ll be pleased that you like it.”
“But you’re not?”
He shrugged. “We got everything out of our systems last night, like we said. This is all business.”
