Graham looks at us, confused. I don’t think he noticed Liam’s hostility. He probably wonders why I’m not yet in my corner. What the reason for the stalemate is.
Hot anger and poisonous disappointment spread through me as I suppress a nasty retort that is already born on my lips. Frustrated tears build behind my eyes.
I must stay away from the meeting. I can’t jeopardize it by giving Graham a piece of my mind.
I need to put my head down and wait outside. The success of the meeting is more important.
Fuck.
“Ms. Moretti is leading the presentation.” Liam’s stern tone cuts through the air. “I guarantee you’ll want to listen to her.”
Graham’s eyes jerk up. He stares at Liam for what feels like an eternity, before he nods curtly and enters the office.
Liam steps to the side to let me pass, and when I hesitate, he gives me a don’t-you-dare look, his jaw so rigid we might need to find a dentist after this meeting.
He stood up for me. He didn’t have to. But having someone at my back is… welcome. And confusing.
We’re after the same thing. And yet, while I try to outshine him, he’s helping me. Why?
I need to look more closely into Liam Stone when we get back home. Something doesn’t add up.
Something about him is more dangerous than my unfortunate reactions to his masculine energy.
He was right in the car. I’m fucking attracted to him. But he was also wrong. No way will I act on it.
Graham is muttering something when I enter the room. Both of his sons are barely hiding their smiles. Maybe not an entirely hostile crowd after all.
The tour, the tasting, and the hospitality were just a trial. A careful assessment of the enemy. That much was clear.
I still allowed that to lull me into believing this would be easy. I was wrong. That pisses me off more than Graham’s dismissal. A wrong assessment right at the beginning. What else did I miss?
I’m rattled as I try to connect the tablet to the projector in the middle of the table. The three sets of eyes watch me as I fail to plug the cable into the right jack. Shit.
A firm hand gently takes the cord from my hand and slides it into the right place.
“You’ve got this,” Liam whispers, his warmth spreading through me, steadying me.
You’ve got this.
You’re brilliant.
I guarantee you’ll want to listen to her.
He was about to punch Graham, which would have been a disaster. And yet I’m grateful for the gesture.
I don’t quite know what to do with his support. Or with his praise.
Scrutinized by a trio of businessmen who don’t really want to sell their business to our client, I push my mangled thoughts to the side.
Liam, with quiet confidence, sets up our presentation. Then he fills a glass of water and hands it to me.
“Show them,” he mouths.
And I do… I dive into the presentation we hastily updated on the way here. I stumble through the first two slides like a nervous student standing in front of a class for the first time.
Every time I look at Liam, though, his silent support is evident, infusing confidence into my words.
I don’t need him to fight my battles, but I don’t feel so lonely in fighting them with him by my side.
