Page 36 of The Focal Point

“I want to take you somewhere nice,” I said instead. “And not as a thank you for the house. Not just, anyway.”

Despite the kiss, my pulse sped up again, waiting for her answer with bated breath.

I saw her swallow, expressions racing across her face so fast I couldn’t name them quickly enough. But then she took a deep breath, her chest rising with it. “Yes, I would like that.”

Letting out the breath, my smile grew to a grin that hurt my cheeks. “Fantastic. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at three-thirty. Does that work with your schedule? I know you have a big meeting.”

“I’ll make it work,” Bailey replied, a smile lighting her face.

“Perfect.” I paused, then crossed the small space between us again to plant another kiss on her mouth. It was just as short as the other but left me with a warm glow that remained even as I pulled away from the house and Bailey.

Chapter 14

Bailey

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“I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR you.”

I looked up from hooking my seatbelt into the buckle to find Liam grinning from ear to ear, and I had to laugh. “I bet you’re terrible at keeping secrets.”

He signaled to pull away from the curb outside of my apartment building. “Yeah, pretty bad. I mean, I can keep the secret, but the fact that I’m smiling like an idiot usually gives away the fact that something is going on. I get too excited.”

I laughed, shaking my head. Liam was many things—hot, funny, charming, and also incredibly adorable sometimes in the same boyish way as his smile and laugh. He was in some ways perpetually nine years old, and it was charming.

“Okay, well, now that I know something is happening, will you tell me?”

Liam was still looking over his shoulder, waiting for traffic to go by. “Nope. It’s still a surprise. I think you’re going to love it, though.”

“You’re lucky I like being surprised.”

He only chuckled as he finally pulled into traffic.

This was my first time in his car, an electric sports car. The engine was silent, and it was a little unnerving how quiet the cabin was. Compared to my old sedan, it was luxurious, with what I assumed were buttery-soft seats and a sleek interior that looked like something from a futuristic sci-fi movie. I wondered if that was why Liam had bought it.

“How did your meeting go?” Liam asked.

“Well, I hope.” My hands clasped in my lap, and I squeezed them together. “It was a bid for a big industrial project—my first, if we get it. I don’t know whether to be optimistic or not.”

I couldn’t even tell if I wanted the job. It was a big deal and would look amazing in my portfolio. But putting the necessary presentation together, I realized it was a much larger project than I had done before and so much more work. I was already working all the time—did I want to make it that much worse?

Because now, the possibility hung in the air that I would have someone to spend time with. Taking on his project would mean I wouldn’t have any extra time to spend with Liam. Did I want to do that? For the first time, the answer was probably not. For the first time, the thought of putting someone else before my career was appealing.

Well, it was a moot point until I got the job and took it. At the moment, it was all supposition.

Liam, however, smiled brightly at me. “You’ll get it.”

Then he put his hand over mine and squeezed.

For a moment, all I could do was look at his hand. As at the hospital, it was large and warm, engulfing both of mine. Before he could pull it away, I unclenched my hands and flipped one over, slipping my fingers through his. I didn’t know where the idea had come from, but it felt right.

Well, never mind the moment. It just felt right, like the kiss the day before. To say I had been surprised was an understatement. It had been the last thing I had expected, but suddenly, he had been so close I could feel the heat of his skin, his eyes glinting with a light that sent a shiver down my spine and set my stomach to tumbling and clenching with swirling warmth. My breath had hitched as my pulse sped up, and the world had stopped for a moment.

His mouth against mine had felt divine, warm, strong, and gentle at the same time, his chest under my palm solid. The flutter in my stomach had become a full-blown flurry of butterflies, a storm of excitement that had rushed to my head until I was dizzy.

I had never wanted him to stop. Instead, some part of me had screamed at him to take me into his arms and kiss me until I was entirely breathless—and maybe more. But he had stopped, respectfully, as was completely in character for him.

Fortunately, and unfortunately, I supposed.