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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ashlyn
I held my phone out, my cheeks straining with the smile that had taken over my face. “Look at it! You made the front page of something for a good reason. Aren’t you proud?”
I sure was. Liam had spent on and off the past few days consulting with a local nonprofit that helped make low-income housing safe for children and the disabled. We had gone by for a donation press conference, but Liam had wanted to stay. He had tossed his suit jacket at me, rolled up his sleeves, and spent hours that day and the next making sure the house was ready for its new inhabitants.
It was enough to send my poor little heart into convulsions. And if the sweetness of his actions wasn’t enough, the man practically undid my will power completely when he rolled those sleeves up to show off toned forearms attached to big hands that held a hammer just as skillfully as he did an iPad.
Whew. My skin heated just thinking back to it. No wonder those pictures had been flying around online. “Why aren’t you more excited? This is huge. Let’s celebrate. Do you feel like going out? We could responsibly hit up Ardor or one of your other places.”
I knew that my voice had probably transformed into pure white noise at this point, but I couldn’t help myself. Finally, I had something good to focus on. Something good I could tell Cici.
“Not tonight. I had something come up.”
“Oh, okay. No biggie. Text me if you change your mind.” Ugh, my stupid heart, already singing its sad little song at having to go home to pop popcorn for only one tonight. I wasn’t sure when I’d started to assume that Liam would want to hang out whenever I was free. I clearly needed to put a hold on that stupid idea, because that wasn’t true.
We marched along in silence; every step he was wearing that look of frustration tore at my flagging happiness. I gripped his forearm, tugging him to a stop. “Hey, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
Yeah. Sure, now I was totally convinced. “Are you sure?”
“I said I was.”
Whew. I could actually feel the frost seeping from his skin into mine. I let go. The message was clear.
“If you need something, you have to talk to me. I can’t read your mind.”
“You’re not supposed to read my mind, Ashlyn. What we have is a respectable, professional relationship. We aren’t friends. We aren’t together. So back off.”
A lump the size of Mars was lodged in my throat. But still, I met his eyes. “And you think that keeping us in a professional relationship somehow entitles you to be rude to me?”
“Maybe,” he spat.
“Wow, Liam. Really? Where did the guy who ate takeout food on my floor go? Who acted like he gave a shit about me. Even if I am a lowly employee. Where is that guy today? Because I much prefer him to you.” I grabbed my bag, hating the sting of tears behind my lids. I needed to leave.
I heard the cursing behind me, the growling frustration. I rolled my eyes. If he wanted to be a dick, then I was going to let him. After all, we were just colleagues, not even friends. His words, not mine.
“Ashlyn! Shit, Ashlyn, don’t go.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m not going to sit here while you lie to me about what’s going on.”
Strong hands gripped my shoulder, and my feet actually left the ground as Liam crossed the office and swept me up into his arms. My arms automatically fell across his shoulders as he held me against his body. From here I could feel the steady but frantic beat of his heart against mine.
I gently ran my nails against the bottom of his hairline, drawing loose circles in the skin there. I hummed softly. I didn’t bother asking if he was okay. I could feel he wasn’t. For the first time in the week and a half I’d known Liam Macklen, I felt the polish, the smiles, the smirks disappear entirely. The man in my arms was hurt and angry. Not at me, but he’d turned to me for comfort. He’d stayed by my side all these weeks of chaos and conflict.
The very least I could do was let the man hold me when he so clearly needed somebody. It felt good to be needed like this. Even if it was a little scary. His hands were gentle on my back, smoothing the lines of my jacket over and over again as his breathing slowed, and I slipped down his body until my toes could touch the ground again.
“I’m sorry,” he said before I shushed him. The vibrating pulse of his phone on the desk sent him striding across the room once more. His shoulders slumped lower.
“I have to get this, Ashlyn. I’m sorry I was a dick, but I…” He held his phone up.
“I understand, Liam. Just text me if I can help.”
“That’s the thing. I’d really like it if you came with me. It’s—” he swallowed “—important that you understand how my family can be. Before you know anything else about me, you should know this.”
I tucked my hand into the elbow he offered, trying to ignore the fear that squirmed in my belly at his expression. The dark shadows that flickered over his features now. There was no trace of the playboy CEO here. Only a scared, worried man who looked at me like I might slice his heart straight from his chest. I held on tighter. “I don’t think there’s anything you can throw at me that’ll scare me away.”
