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Was he going to stay the night here with me, too?
Somehow, the thought intrigued me, but I shook it off. His gaze bore into mine like he could read my mind and I turned mine to the floor, breaking eye contact with him just in case my emotions were written all over my face.
I left the room and retreated into the bathroom. As quickly as I could, I changed into the pajamas, feeling the soft fabric against my skin, still grappling with the uncertainty of what was to come. I took a deep breath before I went back into the bedroom where he was sitting in the armchair by the window.
I climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. Liam stood up and approached me, and I sucked in a heated breath. I gazed up at him, hoping for something that I shouldn’t want.
In that fleeting moment as he looked down at me, an intensity in his eyes hinted at the possibility of a kiss that threatened to take my breath away. My heart quickened with anticipation, and I found myself yearning for him to do exactly that. However, to my disappointment, he simply smiled, a touch of something I couldn’t quite read in his expression.
Did he think I was attractive? Did he even want to kiss me, or did he just see me as some charity case that he’d taken in for the night?
I didn’t know.
“Goodnight, Kelsey,” he said, his voice low and almost tender. My disappointment must have flickered across my face, but he didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, he pulled the blankets up even tighter around me and tucked me in. Then, he turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the silence.
He stopped in the doorway and looked back over his shoulder. I held my breath.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he whispered, and there was the slightest hint of a threat to his tone. “We’ll talk then.”
A shiver raced down my spine.
“Goodnight, Liam,” I murmured, my voice shaking just the slightest bit. He nodded once and left, and I let out the breath that had seemingly been stuck in the back of my throat.
I was going to have to nail down the details of my story tonight if I wanted this mission to be a success.
I closed my eyes, listening to the soft sounds of his footsteps fading in the distance. The door clicked shut and instinctively, I knew he’d left the suite.
My chest rose and fell with relief, but something else pulsed deep inside my core, over and over again until I couldn’t ignore it any longer.
Desire.
CHAPTER3
KELSEY
As the morning light filtered through the penthouse windows, I stirred awake in the comfortable bed, the memories of the previous night playing like a movie reel in my head.
I’d mettheLiam Shelby, the infamous Murphy family consigliere, and he’d taken me under his wing.
Now, I could use him to infiltrate the Murphys, find the evidence I needed, and the lot of them would be locked up for the rest of their lives.
This was my chance and I had to take it.
A knock on the bedroom door interrupted my thoughts, and Liam’s voice called through.
“Morning, Kelsey. Sleep well?”
I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Liam opened the door and stood in the doorway, his soft gaze meeting mine.
“Yeah, thanks,” I mumbled, suddenly very aware of the way my pebbled nipples were probably showing through the fabric of my silk pajamas. I gripped the blanket and pulled it up, covering myself as quickly as I could.
He offered a half-smile. “Good. Get ready. I’m taking you out for breakfast.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said quietly, and he shook his head.
“I’m not taking no for an answer, now go get ready,” he answered definitively, and I gazed back in his direction, assessing him.
For some reason, his expectation of my obedience bothered me.
