“That’s what you’ve been thinking about all day?” He turned those amazing brown eyes on her and heat invaded her cheeks. Okay, so imagining kissing him and running her fingers through his hair was what she’d really been wondering about, but the car thing was an easier topic to discuss.
“Yup. You seem to love your car so much. Having seen it, though, I think you must be delusional.” Which would account for why he seems to like me.
“Well, this isn’t my car. My car, which I do love, is in the, uh, garage. I borrowed this from a friend.”
“A friend lent you this?” The car didn’t look like it would make it to the end of the block.
“He’s not a good friend,” Liam added with a chuckle.
“So, where are we going? I didn’t know what to wear. I hope this is okay.”
He took his eyes off the road long enough to give her a thorough inspection. “You’re beautiful, as always. A friend recommended a new restaurant called Khara.”
“I hope it wasn’t the same friend who lent you the car.”
“No. It was a friend with taste. He said the sunset and the view of the bridge are spectacular. He’s a friend of the owner and has reserved us a prime spot on the balcony.”
…
Liam drove around for ten minutes before he found a spot to park, a block away from the restaurant. Really he should leave the car in the middle of the road and let the city tow it away. He had no idea where David had found the hunk of junk, but he’d obviously bought it to annoy Liam. God, he missed the Aston. He’d have to visit it tomorrow, run his hands over the sleek black lines, hear the engine growl…
“There it is, across the road,” Liam said as he spotted the elegantly scripted restaurant sign. The place seemed okay. Jason had recommended it as it was run by a fellow graduate of his culinary class, and he’d helped out in the kitchen when they were short-staffed.
Liam grabbed Lorelei’s hand and, after checking to make sure there were no cars coming, was about to step into the road.
“Wait, we can’t jaywalk,” Lorelei said. She planted her feet on the sidewalk and wouldn’t move. “There’s a pedestrian crossing just up the street. We can cross there.”
“Are you kidding me?” Liam was astounded that she objected to jaywalking. There was no traffic coming; it was safe to go. He would never put her life in jeopardy.
“Liam, laws are laws. You can’t simply decide which ones are convenient, and follow those. First it’s jaywalking, what’s next? Armed robbery?”
He opened his mouth to argue that there was no correlation between the two, but seeing the adamant flash in her eyes and her set jaw, he relented. Two minutes to walk up the road and back again for her peace of mind was worth it. She obviously had an issue with criminal activity on any scale based on her father’s actions. He sure hoped she never found out about some of his extracurricular activities, past and present.
The restaurant was charming, the serving staff attentive yet discreet, and the food as good as Jason described. A Californian take on Middle Eastern–inspired dishes, it was innovative and delicious at the same time. He was pleased when Lorelei ordered a full meal, even trying some of the items he’d ordered. Used to models and their picky eating, it was refreshing to find a real woman who could appreciate food.
She stirred a cube of sugar into her Turkish coffee, seeming distracted by something.
“Liam? Can I ask a personal question? You don’t have to answer,” she added quickly.
“I guess that depends on the question.” He put his cup down. His stomach knotted as he waited to hear what was on her mind. Personal questions were a minefield. It had been a fun day; he’d rather it didn’t end with an explosion.
“Now that you have a good idea of who your father is, are you going to contact him?” She stared at her cup, raising her eyes to his at the last word.
Any other woman and he’d have given her a sharp answer to mind her own business.
“No. He’s never shown any interest in me. Why should I contact him now? I don’t need him.”
“Maybe he never knew of your existence.”
“Oh, he knows about me all right. When my mother told him she was pregnant he offered to pay for an abortion. She kept me in the hopes he’d change his mind and marry her, but he didn’t. And after I was born she sued him for paternity and got an out-of-court settlement, provided she sign a confidentiality agreement never divulging his name, even to me. That’s all I know, courtesy of my grandmother, who said my mother should have taken the first offer.”
“But—”
“It’s not open to discussion, Lorelei. I appreciate your concern, but I’ve survived without a father so far. I think I can get by the next fifty years without one as well.”
Should he ask whether she was going to see her father once he was released from prison? If her mother was still in love with the guy, chances were he’d be back in her life anyway.
“Okay, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” She returned to stirring her coffee.
“You haven’t offended. It’s…well…it’s taken a lot of time to distance myself from my past. I don’t want to open that door and let it all flood back in and swamp me again.”
“Well, I hope one day you can let the gates open slowly so you don’t have it all so dammed up behind walls of reserve.” She put a hand out and covered his on the table. Her touch, so gentle and comforting, was the most genuine emotion he’d experienced in as long as he could remember. The now-familiar tightness in his chest increased as his heartbeat went into double time. He wanted to pull his hand away but couldn’t. It felt too good.
For the first time he thought of forgetting his promise to Marcus and getting out while he still could.
He paid for dinner and then drove Lorelei back to her apartment. She was quiet beside him, her fingers fiddling with her handbag, and his brain was too busy trying to convince his body that he should say good night and never see her again, that he couldn’t think of anything to say.
Lorelei deserved more than him. She deserved an honest, trustworthy man who would marry her and give her lots of babies. Not some bastard who was wasting her time just to get some romantic experience for a book he didn’t even want to write.
“Thanks for today. I had a great time,” she said as he pulled up in front of her apartment. “Would you like to come up for a coffee or something?”