Do I return to the Belvedere? Both my office and my apartment are there. My commute each day is one short flight of stairs. I live, work, eat, and play all within the walls of the Belvedere.
Rather than think about what comes next, I reach for Liam’s hand and take it in mine.
He shifts beside me, tossing his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to him. When he leans down to kiss the top of my head, my eyes drift closed, and a sigh escapes me.
That kiss in the foyer … Liam’s kiss, fabulous and hot, unexpected and intense, and oh-so-sexy-I-want-more, does far more than break the ice. It ignites the air between us.
A simmering heat swirls around us, an inferno that promises to erupt into something truly spectacular if I’m brave enough to fan the flames.
Despite what’s happening between me and Liam, there’s a hollowness sitting within my chest.
It’s a vacancy of emotion when it comes to my uncle.
My uncle sits at the heart of the human-trafficking operation operating from within the walls of the Belvedere.
My hotel.
My home.
Terrible crimes occurring beneath my nose.
I can’t believe my father was involved in such a despicable trade, but how could he not have been?
There’s one thing I hold onto. My mother may be bristly at the best of times, but there’s no way she’s involved.
I press my palm against my breastbone, trying to erase the painful ache welling up within me. So engrossed in my thoughts, I miss the moment when the car pulls up to a curb.
“You’re going to like this …” Liam hops out of the car and circles around to open my door.
His chivalry surprises me. He circles around the car while I awkwardly wait for him to open a door I’m more than capable of opening myself. Hand extended, the light in his eyes is bright, eager, and excited.
Why can’t I feel the same emotions?
Because this isn’t a date. It’s fake.
Our evening begins with a late dinner. I should call it a midnight meal, but this is New Orleans. We may not be the city that never sleeps, but we are the city that knows how to party all night long.
It’s nearly one in the morning by the time we finish and Liam pays the tab. Holding hands, he leads me out of the restaurant. With a bit of wine taking the edge off my anxiety, I feel much more comfortable than I did going in.
Easily twice my size, the alcohol barely touches Liam, while I wobble in my heels. Good thing he holds me tight against him for support.
I’m tired. More than a bit strung out and perfectly happy having the night end here, but it can’t. We have a job to do.
During the entire meal, Liam asked the waiter and waitresses to take our picture, shamelessly posting the whole thing to a social media account created hours previously with a bit of Mitzy Magic.
“Doing okay in those heels?” Liam glances down at my footwear. “Next stop is three blocks over, but I can get a car if that’s too far.”
In any other city, I’d be worried about walking around this late. Hell, I never do that alone in New Orleans. Somehow, having a man the size of Liam by my side makes all my concerns about drunks, muggers, and other unsavory characters drift into the background.
“I’m good.” My heels are reasonable, meant for a day at the office rather than clubbing all night. I’ve got several blocks in me.
With his arm looped around my shoulders, Liam leads the way. We stop where crowds gather around street performers. Liam snaps a few selfies, posting to social media. Each time, he tags me. Then he drops a few dollars into the till, and we move on.
This doesn’t feel like a job and soon I relax. I even laugh at a few of his jokes. He likes to make fun of himself and appears completely oblivious of the gaping stares he attracts from every woman regardless of age.
He’s a man on a mission with that phone of his, snapping pictures nonstop. We stand cheek to cheek. There are a few tentative kisses, pictures sent out to the world. He plays with the street performers, drawing larger crowds, and fills their hats with coin and cash. A natural performer, he never fully steals the show, but his gregarious nature is a natural force all its own.
“You ready for some dancing?” Liam scans the crowded street.
He’s perpetually alert, looking for threats, shielding me, and completely relaxed the entire time. Not that I’m an expert, but I see beneath the veneer. He’s a consummate professional, protecting me while getting the job done. The man is wired tight, ready to defend, or attack. There’s an undeniable lethality slumbering in his frame.
“Maria?” Liam wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me tight against him. “You’re daydreaming again.”
“Sorry.”
“You think too hard.” The pad of his finger taps between my eyes. “Need to breathe with me again?”
Oh, my lord, the thought of breathing with him is not what I need. We didn’t even touch, yet that moment felt as intimate as a kiss to me. All of his intensity? Focused on me? It was a mainline of sensation surging within me.
“Sorry, I’m good.” I shrug. “I’m a thinker, not a fighter.”
“Well, my secret source says you worked through the rainbow and are a force to be reckoned with. Krav Maga? I don’t know what I’m most eager to experience: taking you on the dance floor or sparring with you on the mat.”
“Goof.” I’m that secret source of his.
He’s being corny.
“And you’re sexy as fuck. It’s time we hit a club. I’m eager to get you on the dance floor.”
“I told you I’m no good. Two left feet. They’re only good at stepping on my date’s toes.”
“Don’t worry about my toes.” He glances down and taps the toe of his boot. “Steel toes. I’ll be perfectly safe. Besides, every woman looks amazing when they dance with me.”
“Because of your heartthrob looks?”
“No, because they’re the sexiest thing on the planet when they’re in my arms. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and there’s a reason for that. In my arms, you are perfection. Every male within sight of you will fantasize about taking you from me and claiming you as their own.”
“What do you mean?”
“The sexiest thing about a woman isn’t her looks, it’s the confidence she shows the world, but more than that, it’s the way the man who holds her looks her in the eye.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Luv, you’re amazing and beautiful, desirable and coveted. In my arms, you’re that and so much more. No man in his right mind will be able to keep his eyes off of you. Every one of them will envy me.”
“You?”
“Because I’m the one holding you.”
“Like I said, you’re corny.”
“I’m simply being honest.” He stares deeply into my eyes, and for a second, I almost believe him.
“Liam,” I place my hand on his chest. “You don’t have to pretend. Let’s just get through this night.”
He gives me a look, one I can’t decipher, then continues on without a witty comeback.
24
LIAM
It’s a dark night, darker than it should be. Or maybe, it’s my mood that’s bleak. I’m not happy operating without backup.