“I think we both know it’s too soon and I don’t trust myself. But I would like to see you again. Can I call you?”
“Of course.” She dug in her bag and pulled out her business card.
She handed it to him and he held her gaze as he kissed each of her fingers. A soft glow infused her face and he had to force himself to stop there. Lorelei was pure temptation. And he was becoming addicted.
Chapter Seven
“You’re going out, again?” David had his arms crossed and looked like a petulant child denied a favorite toy.
“Didn’t know I had to clear it with you first,” Liam said. “Besides, it’s been a week since I last saw Lorelei.”
“Yeah, but you were away on business all week so we haven’t had a chance to hang out. I thought Cal was running the company while you wrote your book.”
“Something came up Cal couldn’t handle. I’d love to discuss it with you, but it’s classified. And thanks for your concern on the book. I got four chapters written while I was away.” What he’d written was garbage, but every time he’d thought of quitting, Marcus’s face would haunt him and he’d type some more.
“You only got back this morning. I thought we’d go see the new James Bond film tonight. Remember what they say, man, bros before—”
“Don’t even finish that sentence.” Liam shook his head. “What are you, a jealous girlfriend? Why don’t you go out and get yourself a woman? Then you won’t have to hang around here all the time.”
“Yeah, like I can just pick up a woman at a bar. I’m not you.”
“Feel free to get off my sofa and use some of the gym equipment in the next room. The number for my personal trainer is on the corkboard in there. I’m sure he can help you.”
“Whatever,” David said. “So this is your third date. Got protection with you?”
“What?” Liam paused in putting on his jacket.
“Third date, it’s when a guy gets laid, everyone knows that. You packing?”
“For your information I usually get laid on the first date. This thing with Lorelei is different. It’s research. I have no plans to sleep with her.”
Liam caught a glimpse of himself in the hall mirror and turned away. Even after a week he still wasn’t used to his new appearance. At least his skin tone had evened out and he didn’t need to either go unshaven or wear the dreaded makeup. And now that he knew how closely he resembled his alleged father, he wasn’t too enamored with the face that stared back at him.
He wondered what other traits of his father’s he’d inherited. Despite telling Lorelei he wanted nothing to do with his dad, he’d found himself doing a little investigating. If the gossip magazines were anything to go by, his mother wasn’t the only one to have fallen for Michael Donnelly’s charms. There was a string of broken hearts that could circle the globe. His alleged father was a class-A bastard and Liam had no intention of contacting him.
“You’re not going to sleep with her? Why the hell not?”
Liam had forgotten David was still in the room.
“Because she’s a nice girl and I don’t want to screw her up. She’s already going to be pissed when and if she finds out what I’m up to. I don’t want to damage her.” God, he hoped he could stick to his no-sex rule. Every night the past week when he’d gone to bed he’d imagined Lorelei there next him.
He grabbed a handful of peanut M&M’s and headed out the door.
…
Lorelei stared at the clock on her mantel, watching the second hand tick off the minutes until Liam showed up. It had been a long week without seeing him. When he’d called on Sunday morning to say he had to go out of town on business, she’d been deflated, sure she’d never hear from him again.
On the plus side of the week, a major donation had come in and the fundraising gala now had a fifty-fifty chance of succeeding. Dustin was claiming all the credit for it, but even he seemed mystified as to its source. There was still a lot to do, but she was feeling more confident. Now she could put work worries behind her and concentrate on Liam.
The door buzzer blared through the minuscule space, making her jump even though she was expecting it. She wiped damp palms down her skirt and cleared her throat, twice, before pressing the intercom button.
“Hello?”
“Hi, it’s Liam,” he said unnecessarily. His deep, silky voice had played over and over in her head all week. She was sure she’d recognize it years from now. Hearing him again released a swarm of butterflies in her stomach.
“Come on up. I’m in apartment twenty-nine on the second floor. Turn left out of the elevator.” She pressed the open door button and waited.
Lorelei so wanted to open the door and stick her head out and watch him exit the elevator, but forced herself to stay inside. Checking her makeup again in the mirror by the door, she pursed her lips and air-kissed her reflection. Mandy had convinced her to buy a more dramatic shade of lipstick, and she was amazed at how luscious it made her lips appear. Lips she hoped would soon tempt Liam. She jumped again when he knocked on the door. “Head, heart, then body,” she repeated under her breath.
Taking two deep breaths to try to calm her thudding heart, she opened the door. He stood in the hallway, a leather jacket hooked on one finger and flung over his shoulder. A cream button-down shirt and dark-brown pants completed his outfit. His eyes raked her up and down and she was sure he could see her heart pounding in her chest.
“Hi.” The word came out as a squeak.
“You look good enough to eat,” he said. His voice was husky, as though he too was battling a raging inferno inside him.
Lorelei stepped back to allow him to enter, and as soon as the door closed behind him she leaned forward and put her hands on his chest. He dropped his jacket on the floor and put his arms around her. Without waiting for him to decide whether he was going to kiss her or not, she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his. The hands at her waist tightened and he pulled her closer. She slid her hands up his chest and around the back of his head, threading her fingers through his thick hair.
She dragged in a deep breath before she passed out from the myriad sensations that were bombarding her brain. His spicy aftershave tingled her nostrils, sending shivers coursing through her body. A simple kiss had never affected her so deeply. When his tongue slipped into her mouth she thought she’d faint from the heat it was generating inside her.