At least her own job was rock-solid as long as she was with Liam. No way would the Chairman fire her when there was a possibility IWC Security would become a corporate sponsor. But neither would she stay with him just to keep her job. That would be despicable. No, if she had a future with Liam it had to be because they were in love.
“He assumed you would be like the rest. He should have told you sooner, and himself,” Mandy said. She blew her nose loudly and went in search of a fresh box of tissues.
Lorelei stared at her phone once more before putting it back on her friend’s coffee table. She’d thought she’d awaken this morning in Liam’s arms. Instead, she’d spent the night at Mandy’s place, listening to her friend bewail the loss of her one true love. Lorelei’s stomach dropped. Would she be singing the same sorry tune a couple of weeks from now? Even if she could get past his deception, Liam was way beyond her league. Perhaps she should cut her losses and save herself more pain.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming text. Her heart raced at the thought it could be Liam, not willing to wait until tomorrow. After all, he was probably used to getting what he wanted right away.
How did your party go? Are you with him?
Darn, it was her mom. How was she going to explain the change in circumstances to her? It’d be best to wait until she was sure where she stood with Liam. If she told her she was involved with a billionaire, her mother would probably start shopping for mansions.
Party went well. Am with my friend Mandy. Will call you later and explain.
She hoped that would hold her off, except a minute later her phone buzzed again.
Have you broken up with him? I checked credit card bill and the dating site refunded my money. Do you want me to sign you up again?
She texted the word “no” back to her mother and her fingers shook as she put the phone down once more. A cold chill swept down her spine.
That was odd. She hadn’t checked the site again after meeting Liam. In fact, she’d forgotten all about the architect guy she was supposed to meet. He’d probably sent her some message about why he’d missed their date. A flicker of suspicion entered her mind that Liam was responsible. He was, after all, an extremely adept hacker by all accounts. Though she was pretty sure she hadn’t mentioned any Internet dating site when they’d met. She shrugged off the nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. Just because he’d hidden his wealth and not told her his full name didn’t mean he’d lied about everything. And he said he had reasons…
“Mandy? Can I use your computer?”
“Claro. It’s on the desk.”
Her friend appeared a moment later, a box of tissues clutched under her arm, the pockets of her dressing gown bulging with used Kleenex.
Lorelei drummed her fingers on the desk while she waited for the laptop to boot up. If Dustin had been able to get a photo of Liam, or rather William, to load then clearly they’d missed something when they’d looked.
A half hour later Mandy stood behind her, peering over her shoulder at the computer screen. “We definitely know he’s not an uggo. Although what’s with all the facial hair? What about the bank account?”
“Oh, it’s huge all right. There’s a magazine article from four years ago when he made his first billion. The rest is mostly about papers he’s written or conferences where he’s been a guest speaker. On the gossip sites there’s only the one supermodel mention, that they know of anyway. He told me last night that when his brother died he looked at his life. Maybe he decided that shaving was going to be the start of a new him.”
The Internet search had unsettled her. She knew less about Liam now than when she’d started. There was no hint of the warm, funny man who had sat next to her on the bus, whispering incredulous suggestions about the lives of their fellow passengers.
“What does your gut tell you?” Mandy sat on the arm of the sofa and stared into Lorelei’s eyes so there was no hiding.
“I wish I knew. At the moment I just want to be with him. I guess I’ll take it one day at a time and try to get to know the real man this time.”
“Or maybe you already know him. The rest is window dressing.” Mandy shrugged.
“Díos mío, I hope so.”
“But obviously my man senses are off or I wouldn’t have gotten engaged to a dog.”
“Wanna burn more pictures of him?”
“No. He’s not worth the paper. Hey, do you have the number for that architect guy you were going to meet?”
And Mandy was back.
…
Lorelei jumped a foot in the air when the door buzzer blared out Liam’s arrival. She couldn’t believe she was having this reaction to seeing him again. After wiping damp palms on a tea towel, she checked to make sure she hadn’t dripped anything down her dress. With a shaky hand, she pressed the entry button.
She glanced around the kitchen with a satisfied nod. The enchiladas she’d spent all day preparing were under the broiler, crisping the cheese. A large salad sat on the counter, and a bottle of red wine waited, breathing, next to two large glasses. Her best dishes, the ones her mother bought her on her eighteenth birthday, to start her collection for when she got married, were on standby. Everything was perfect.
Pasting on a smile, she waited to hear his long strides come down her hallway.
Wait for him to knock, wait for him to knock.
She counted to three, then flung open the door. Who was she kidding? She’d never had patience when she wanted something. And she wanted Liam—badly. Two nights with little sleep hadn’t helped matters. She’d lain awake thinking of him, replaying every conversation, every touch. He’d deceived her about his name but never really lied to her. He’d never said he wasn’t rich. She’d assumed, based on his car and clothes.
And she couldn’t deny that despite everything, she liked him more than was possibly healthy at this stage, probably more than was healthy at any stage. She’d regret it for the rest of her life if she walked away now. She had to see if they could have a future together. Díos, she hoped they could because she couldn’t imagine any other man competing with Liam.
Okay, so you couldn’t wait to see him. Wait to kiss him. Remember last time!
When he caught sight of her standing at her door a smile creased his lips and the dimple reappeared. Screw waiting—what had that ever gotten her?
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as he approached. Flattening herself against the wall, she took a deep breath as he crossed the threshold. He smelled of warm spice, and heat radiated up from her lower abdomen. After he closed the door, he leaned against it, watching her, his eyes roaming up and down the red dress she’d bought during their sightseeing day.