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“Nothing? You saved us! My employees, the farmers…me! Thanks to you, they're all saved!”
Isabella smiled. A smile filled with awe. Never before had she seen Liam this happy. He looked like someone who had all of his worries just fall off his shoulders. They had spent another three hours talking to Tom. Not that it was a pleasure, but it was necessary to land the arrangement that would save the company. The end result was better than Liam could ever have dreamt of. Tom had called his lawyer to have a contract drafted which would sell the company’s shares back at half the price that Liam’s former partner Mark had sold them for. His lawyer thought him mad, but Tom insisted, yelling at him with his favorite words—‘quiet’ and ‘idiot’.
“I assume there is no annual hunting party that he will be receiving an invitation to?” Liam smirked.
“Of course there is, but I highly doubt that he'll receive one.” She grinned back at him. “Will you be able to get the money in time to buy back the shares? This charade will only last until he realizes that the hunting party took place without him,” Isabella asked with a hint of worry. Liam nodded confidently.
“Ooooooh yes. Now that I am the sole owner of the company, the bank will have no problems loaning me the money for that. The company itself has a lot of equity and earning potential. Tom was just making it seem worthless by blocking all the sales. It was a fifty-fifty ownership which meant he could have just blocked me into ruin. And he pretty much did until you showed up.”
She was about to say something when she suddenly noticed all the city lights and the tall buildings that surrounded her. She had seen some parts of Philly at night before, but not the buzzing nightlife of a downtown metropolis. It was incredibly beautiful, especially for someone who came from a time where buildings where barely taller than trees, and lights, beside the sun, only came from candles and gas lanterns. Intoxicated by its charm, she walked straight past Liam to the edge of the sidewalk, taking in the view.
“What is it?” Liam asked, following her.
She looked up at the skyscrapers with eyes sparkling in awe, turning her head slightly toward Liam without changing the direction of her gaze from above. “All these lights. It’s as if a thousand stars were picked up from the sky and scattered across the city. It’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
It was incredible. Thousands upon thousands of lights, spanning across different colors, from street lamps, to buildings, traffic lights to cars, and even a huge clock from a distance; she was truly hypnotized. Liam’s eyes were captivated as well, but not by the city. He looked at her as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist.
“Beautiful indeed,” he murmured.
She turned toward him, catching his gaze. He stared at her so long and deep, her heart nearly stopped. A warm tingle spread from her stomach, coursing through every inch of her body. In that moment in time, what she felt was crystal clear as the night sky above—it was love. Liam took one step closer, then another, every step breaking the distance between them until he stood right in front of her. His hand brushed across her cheek and paused right beside her neck, gently tugging on one of her curls. An undeniable desire radiated between them, a desire she was willing to give so freely with everything a woman had to offer. As if he could read her mind, he leaned in, placing his face just inches away from hers, hearing each other's breath quickening. It was intoxicating.
“Isabella,” he whispered, ready to sink his beautiful lips onto hers. She leaned her head back as her lips unconsciously parted for him, inviting his kiss to help her ease that burning desire rushing through her veins, crawling under her skin. She could feel his sweet breath, inching closer, and closer, when a loud horn tore her back into reality.
“EXCUSE ME, SIR!” a voice shouted from behind her.
Both of them jerked around to find the valet driver frantically waving at them through Liam’s car window. Behind him were several cars waiting in line. Liam was barely able to tear his eyes from Isabella, but a second, more desperate yell from another driver finally did the trick. “Get out of way!” yelled a man leaning out from his car right behind his.
They both rushed over to the car. Liam fished out a few bank notes and handed them to the driver with an apology. The valet driver looked into his hand and seemed to be more than satisfied and gave them a nod, leaving them alone with the car.
They hurried into the car to move out of the lane and as far away from the hotel as possible. Isabella looked over to Liam, who caught her gaze with a quick, devilishly handsome smile. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. Instead he placed a hand onto hers. Her fingers perfectly slid into his, both hands gently held together. Although they were no longer standing in front of each other ready to let their desires run loose, the air around them still lingered with love and excitement. Good God, and if it was the last thing she would do…”I shall kiss him...” she whispered, not taking her eyes off the man who not only had awoken her deepest desire, but also the love in her heart.
As their car pulled around the corner, away from the Ritz-Carlton, a dark silhouette stepped out of the shadow of one of the hotel’s huge pillars. His blurry eyes stared down the street they’d just turned onto. And as quick as the shadow appeared, it vanished again, melting back into the darkness where it had come from.
