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She paused as if hoping he’d jump in and reassure her again. Liam held his tongue and tapped his chest to remind her he could take whatever she had to dish out.
“I’m attracted to you, and that’s making me uncomfortable, because you’re my boss and I shouldn’t be having those sorts of feelings for you.”
He’d been expecting something along those lines and wished she wasn’t so damned miserable about feeling that way. “See, that wasn’t so hard. I like you. You like me.”
“And nothing can happen between us.”
“If that’s what you really want.” If that was the case, he would respect her decision. But nothing would convince him to like it.
“It is.” Her expression closed down. “I made a mistake once, and I promised myself I’d never do anything like that ever again.”
“You are too hard on yourself. Everyone screws up. You shouldn’t beat yourself up about it.”
“That’s what my best friend tells me.”
“Sounds like a smart friend.” Liam dropped the subject. Asking her to confide in him would only cause her to shut down, and he didn’t want that to happen. “What should we do after dinner? We could watch a movie. Or there’s board games stored in the front closet if you think you can best me at Monopoly or backgammon.”
“You don’t really want to play either of those, do you?”
“Not really.”
“I suppose if you were entertaining clients, you’d go out to a bar, or if you didn’t have the energy for that after a full day of skiing, you’d sit around drinking scotch and smoking cigars.”
“Something like that.” Neither of those activities sounded like much fun while his thoughts were filled with Hadley’s soft lips yielding beneath his and the wonders of her generous curves pressed against his body. Gripped by a fit of restlessness, Liam pushed back from the table. “You know, I think I’ll head into town and grab a drink. Don’t wait up. It’ll probably be a late night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Eight
Hadley sat in miserable silence for several minutes after the front door closed behind Liam, cursing her decision to push him away. Was it fair that doing the right thing made her unhappy? Shouldn’t she be feeling wretched only after acting against her principles?
With a disgusted snort, Hadley cleared the dessert dishes from the table and set them in the sink. With a lonely evening stretched out before her, she puttered in the kitchen, washing the plates and wineglasses, wiping down the already-immaculate counters and unloading the dishwasher.
None of these tasks kept her thoughts occupied, and she ran her conversation with Liam over and over in her head, wishing she’d explained about Noah so Liam would understand why it was so important that she maintain a professional distance.
After half an hour she’d run out of tasks to occupy her in the kitchen and carried Maggie upstairs. The baby was almost half-asleep and showed no signs of rousing as Hadley settled her into the crib. For a long time she stared down at the motherless child, her heart aching as she contemplated how fond she’d become of the baby and realized that the end of January was fast approaching.
Soon she wouldn’t have to worry over Maggie’s welfare. Liam would find another nanny. It shouldn’t make her heart ache, and yet it did. Hadley began to pace the comfortable guest room. Once again she’d let her heart lead instead of her head. Nor was it only her charge who had slipped beneath her skin. Liam had skirted her defenses as well. Earlier that day she’d accepted that Liam wasn’t Maggie’s father, but yet he’d demonstrated a willingness to step up and raise his niece, and that said a lot about his character.
Hadley stopped to peer out the window but could see nothing but fat white flakes falling past the glass. The day she’d driven up the driveway to the ranch house, she’d never dreamed that the crush she’d developed on him a decade earlier might have been lying dormant all these years. Born of hero worship and adolescent fantasies, it shouldn’t have survived all the life lessons Hadley had learned. Her guilt over the role she’d played in Anna’s accident, her poor judgment with Noah, the financial consequences of choosing the wrong career. All of these should have made her incapable of acting foolishly.
So far they had.
But that was before Liam Wade reentered her life. Before, she couldn’t think about the man without longing to fall into bed with him, ignoring all consequences for the chance to be wildly happy for a few hours.
The baby made a sound, and Hadley went to make sure she was still asleep. Over the past week, Maggie had grown more vocal as she slept.
Hadley settled a light blanket over the baby, knowing she was fussing for no good reason. She still couldn’t calm the agitation that zinged along her nerves in the aftermath of turning aside Liam’s advances during dinner.
“I should have just slept with him,” she murmured, the declaration sounding unbearably loud in the silent house. Then at least she’d have a good reason to regret her actions.
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” a low male voice said from the doorway.
Startled, Hadley whirled in Liam’s direction. Heat seared her cheeks as she spotted him lounging against the door jam, an intense gleam in his half-lidded eyes. “I thought you went out.”
“I did, but it wasn’t any fun without you.” He advanced toward her, his intent all too clear.
When his arms went around her, pulling her tight against his strong body, Hadley stopped resisting. This is what she wanted. Why fight against something that felt this right?
“Kiss me quick before I change my mind,” she told him, her head falling back so she could meet his gaze. “And don’t stop.”
