“I’ll go. We can meet for dinner when you’re not so busy.” She made a move to stand.
“Lorelei, this is the best surprise I’ve had in weeks. You’re here now—please don’t go. Join my friends and me for dinner. Then I’ll finish the work on my laptop while the movie is on and after it’s done I’ll drive you home.”
“If you’re sure…”
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She smelled of flowers and sunshine, and he had to resist turning her face so he could ravage her mouth. As it was, the tiny, intimate gesture lit a flame in the pit of his stomach. Maybe he should tell her to go, come back when he was more in control. “I’m sure.”
Her cheeks had turned pink when he pulled back and only a noise at the other end of the room prevented him from trying to deepen her blush.
Jason had set a steaming casserole dish on the table and called out that the meal was ready. Liam escorted her to the table as Helen slipped back into the apartment.
“Jason’s an excellent chef. He used to work at a top-end hotel. He’s experimenting with Mexican tonight.”
“Wonderful, it will be like eating at home. My mother is Mexican and it’s pretty much all she cooks.”
“Hear that, Jason? You’ve got an expert in the house.”
“My cooking speaks for itself,” Jason called back.
Liam led her to the seat next to his. As he sat, his leg brushed against hers, setting off another avalanche of desire. Her eyes widened and her tongue peeked out from between her luscious lips. Ten minutes ago he’d been starving. Now all he wanted was to carry her from the room and feast on her voluptuous body. Except this relationship wasn’t about sex; it was about finishing Marcus’s damn book. His stomach rolled but he forced a smile onto his face and dug into the food on his plate.
The meal started quietly. David seemed nervous about blurting out the wrong thing. Helen seemed annoyed there was another woman there, and Jason seemed overly concerned about Lorelei’s opinion on his dishes, asking several times if they were authentic enough.
When Lorelei told them an amusing incident about her first trip to Mexico, it broke the ice, and after that his friends warmed to her. She teased David about his quirky habit of smelling each forkful of food and handed out easy compliments to Jason, who then begged to know if she had any secret recipes she was willing to divulge. By the time dessert was on the table it was as though she ate dinner with them every night.
The ease with which she fit into his life sent a chill through him. He couldn’t get comfortable, because once she found out about his deception it would be all over. Honest women like Lorelei didn’t stay with frauds like him. A burning sensation in his chest made eating the last few bites of dinner impossible.
“Can I help with the dishes?” she asked Jason as David and Helen finished eating and headed to the sofas.
“No, it’s okay. I’ve got them,” Jason said.
“Nonsense, it will take half the time with two of us. Then you can watch the whole movie next to Helen.”
Amazed at the rapport Lorelei had managed to develop with the normally reserved chef in so short a time, Liam grabbed a couple of dirty dishes and followed them into the kitchen.
“Thanks, Lorelei.” Jason grinned at her and the megawatt smile she gave him set Liam’s teeth on edge.
Liam put the dishes down on the counter with more force than he intended. The clatter caused Lorelei and Jason to jump. Was his chef flirting with his…his what? He clenched his jaw before he could say something he regretted.
“Don’t worry, Liam. Jason and I can get the dishes. Why don’t you go back to your computer and we’ll call you when we’re ready to watch the film?”
He lingered a moment longer, watching Lorelei and Jason work together in the kitchen like an old married couple. The flame of jealousy was as intense as it was unwanted. He didn’t have time for this.
…
Liam stopped his car in front of her apartment building and shut off the engine. He wasn’t driving the old Ford anymore; this was a newer model Toyota. It was almost one o’clock in the morning and the street was deserted. One movie had turned into three, and the group had laughed and joked until Helen had fallen asleep on the sofa, her head on Jason’s shoulder.
“What happened to the other car?” She broke the silence that loomed between them. Liam seemed deep in thought, as though weighing the pros and cons of his next action.
“It died, and as it had a ‘do not resuscitate’ bumper sticker, I let it go. At least with this one I can be fairly sure I’ll get to my destination.”
“It’s still not quite you, though, is it?” Maybe Liam was one of those men who weren’t all that into cars.
“What kind of car do you see me in?” Liam raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t know. Something sporty, a Mustang maybe?”
“Hmm, never really considered myself a Mustang man, but for you I’d try anything.”
The dimple was back. God, she loved that dimple.
“I’d rather you were true to yourself. I’ve had enough lying in my past relationships to last me a lifetime,” she said.
The dimple disappeared.
“I have to go back to Washington this week, but I should be back by Friday night. Can we get together then?”
She tried to hide her disappointment at another whole week without him. “The fundraising gala I’ve been organizing is Friday night. It’s my first foray into the San Francisco charity world. I’m a bit nervous. Would you…would you like to attend? You don’t have to donate, but it would be nice to see at least one friendly face who isn’t paid to be there.”
Liam hesitated. “If you’ll be working, I don’t want to distract you. We can meet up on Saturday.”
“No, really. I’d love it if you would come. Everything is all set up. The Chairman of the charity is flying in from New York and will be doing all the speeches. I’m kind of on probation. If this doesn’t go well, if we don’t hit our target donations, I may be out of a job.” She thrust the thought aside. She didn’t want to think of her work issues now. Not when Liam was inches from her, looking like he might kiss her any minute. Her body tingled all over, anticipating his touch.
He gazed into her eyes, still undecided.
“Okay, I’ll come, but only to be with you. Galas aren’t really my thing.”
“It’ll be fun, I promise. Oh, it’s a black-tie event, so you’ll need to rent a tuxedo. Is that okay?” Actually, the thought of seeing Liam in formal attire would keep her going all week. He had the height and build to really make the suit sexy. He’d be like James Bond without the license to kill.