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“Technically, we slept together that first night. We woke up in the same bed, remember? And we did it again recently.”
“You know what I mean,” I say pointedly.
“Okay, we’ll stop talking about marriage. For now. But I have no idea how to get you to trust me. I’ve never done this before.” He looks pensive. “I wish I could change my past. I wish I could go back in time and not be that guy you described. Hell, I wish I could go back in time and treat you the way you deserved from the beginning. Even then I think I knew you were the one. I just fought against it because I was scared.”
He reaches across the table, taking my hand in his. And I’m so aware of the irony of this situation. I’m the one who wants commitment. Who doesn’t want to be another notch on somebody else’s bedpost.
And now that he’s offering it, I’m petrified.
“Tell me who hurt you,” he says softly.
“What?” I blink at the sudden change in direction.
“What makes you so afraid of relationships?”
“I’m not afraid of them,” I tell him. “You’re the one who avoids relationships.”
“And yet you’re the one putting obstacles in our way. And I don’t think it’s because you don’t want me. The chemistry between us is unbelievable. And I don’t think it’s because you think I’m lying either. It’s because of you. Something in here.” He touches his chest over his heart. “And I want to know because we can’t let it stop us.”
“This is not how I saw tonight going,” I admit to him.
He tips his head to the side. “What did you think we’d be doing?”
“Having hot sex as soon as you walked in the door.”
His jaw twitches. “That was on my mind, too.”
Our gazes clash. I feel heat suffusing my skin.
“But I’m not here just for sex, Sophie. I’m here because I like you. I enjoy spending time with you.”
“I know,” I tell him. “And I want that, too. I just don’t know how to stop this feeling inside of me.” I touch my own chest. It’s so tight.
“How about we take it slow?” he says softly. “Let’s clear the table, put on some music, and we can take a look at the work you talked about.
The submission. I can’t believe I forgot about that. “You remembered.” Thank goodness somebody did.
“Of course I did. It’s important to you.”
I feel another rock in the wall between us crumbling. The wall I built because I wanted to protect myself. There are a few gaps now. Created by his kind words. His flowers, his lunches, his reactions to Derek still being married while sleeping with Meredith.
He’s so right. I’m the one who’s fighting this when I thought it would always be him. I want to believe him. I need to.
It’s just going to take time.
“I’ll make us coffee,” I suggest. “Then we can work here at the table if that’s okay?”
“That’s more than okay,” he says. “And I’ll make the coffee. It’s the least I can do to thank you for dinner.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
SOPHIE
I get to see another side of Liam tonight. First of all, he wears reading glasses – something I never knew about him. And damn if he doesn’t look hot as hell with them on the bridge of his nose as he leans over the report I’ve printed out.
He’s taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves so I keep sneaking glances at his strong forearms. Who knew I’d have a thing for those too?
He also can’t stop touching me. He’ll be talking about profit and loss one moment, then he’ll cup my jaw and lean forward to kiss my brow the next. Then he’ll take my hand, turning it over so he can trace the vein on my wrist, his fingers circling the inside of my elbow which apparently is a huge erotic zone.
