by Rosanna Leo
“Please don’t call me that. I prefer Kate.”
“Of course, you do. It’s much more sensible. So it’s settled, I can call you Kate.”
Momentarily bested, she crossed her arms over her chest, noting how his gaze followed, and how her nipples hardened in response. “What do you want, Doyle?”
“To know your price.”
“What price?”
“Really? You wanna play games with me?”
“You’re one to talk about games. Besides, I’m not playing any. I just don’t understand your question.”
“Ms. Callender, everyone has a price. Now, I’ve been very patient, but I want to know what it’s going to cost me to remove you from my casino. The sooner you tell me, the sooner we can finish this.”
Did he seriously think she could be bought? “I don’t have a price. I’m not doing this so you’ll pay me off.”
“I don’t believe you. People don’t do anything unless they think there’s a payoff somewhere down the line.”
Something in his face paled. What did he mean? Granted, with his money, he’d probably met some mercenary characters. Still, it made her a little sad to see poor little rich boy act so jaded about the world. “I’m not sure how to make it clearer, Liam, but I’m not even slightly interested in your money.”
They stared at each other, and she could tell he was analyzing her as much as she did him. Once again, his gaze dipped down to her breast line and back up again. “You just called me Liam. Careful. Next thing you know you’ll be under my sheets.”
A tingle of raw sensuality worked its way up her spine. His amazing scent filled her nostrils as her mind wandered. Dammit. She had fantasized about them together in a few moments of weakness the night before. She shifted on her feet again, suddenly desperate for a toilet. He’d turned her insides into a roiling cauldron of something very bad for her peace of mind. “It just slipped out, Mr. Doyle.”
He chuckled. “Something else is going to slip out if you don’t get to a bathroom. It seems you’ve had no breaks since you got here this morning.”
“Stalking me now, are you?”
“And if I have been watching you? What would you say to that?”
His tone had changed, the playful lilt gone. The whisper that remained spoke of seduction, of repressed carnality and greed. He may have meant to tease her with his words, but hearing them with such voracity made it hard not to react. Her throat seemed suddenly dry, and she realized something about this man. With him, there were only three options: fight, flight or submit.
She prayed she still had some fight left in her.
“Never fear, sugar,” Liam said with a shrug, his voice once again lightening with mischief. “I just wish my own team worked so hard.” He motioned to a set of doors. “Be my guest.”
Shoot. She shouldn’t have had that extra-large coffee on the way to the protest, but she’d needed the pick-me-up after her failure to do the right thing at the bank. But to use Liam Doyle’s private bathroom? “I don’t know.”
“It’s cleaned daily, Kate. I haven’t even used that one yet. No evil Liam cooties in there.” He eyed the clock on the wall. “Look, I don’t mean to rush you, but like I said, I have visitors coming and if you’re not planning on answering my question, we might as well call it a day.”
“Okay, fine.” Muttering her thanks, she shuffled to the washroom and closed the door behind her, almost slamming it with relief. She made sure to lock it as well. What if he had a hidden camera in here? What if Liam Doyle was a crazed serial killer who lured unsuspecting women into his bathroom of death? Not finding any lethal traps lying about, she adjusted her clothing and attended to business.
After washing her hands, she couldn’t help but notice all the personal items in the room. For an office bathroom, he sure kept it well-stocked. “Geez, does the dude live here?”
Next to the black marble vanity stood a storage cabinet with clear doors. Through the doors, she spied plush wash cloths, several spare sticks of deodorant, body wash and shampoo. Oh, and a bottle of the Kors cologne she loved. Unable to resist, she opened the door and pulled out the cologne bottle, bringing it to her nose.
Liam’s scent, so up-close-and-personal, made her weak in the knees. Head spinning, she shoved it back into the cabinet and closed the door.
Taking a few extra minutes to compose herself, she planned her next move. He wanted to buy her off, but when she’d joined New Horizons, it was because of a higher calling. Mere money, even piles of it, wouldn’t sway her from trying to help people like herself. She needed to convince him a payoff wasn’t possible in a way that showed him why what he was doing was wrong.
Just as she had her speech prepared in her head, she opened the bathroom door, and heard voices in the outer room.
“Oh, damn.” She’d taken too long and now she had to excuse herself in front of his visitors. He probably had the freaking Queen out there. Or her naughtiest relative anyway.
She took a tentative step into the hallway, but what she heard made her stop in her tracks.
“You swore you’d bring her this time.” Liam’s tone was heart-broken, guarded.
A woman responded. “I lied. I had to. You wouldn’t see me otherwise.”
Heavy steps sounded from the room as Liam paced. “And you ask why I haven’t forgiven you. Why I’m skeptical. There’s always an excuse with you, Bridget. Always some reason why I can’t see her. You’re keeping Michelle away from me. It’s emotional blackmail.”
“Liam, don’t be like that,” the woman replied in a hurt voice. “I’d never do that to you.”
“You’ve been doing it for six months,” he said in a deceptively quiet voice, the kind that dripped danger. “I haven’t seen her in six whole months. I used to see her every fucking day. How do you expect me to feel?”
Oh, shit. Kate didn’t know what she’d gotten into here, but she needed to get out. She’d stumbled into a very private moment, and she didn’t think Liam would thank her for listening, even though she hadn’t meant to.
And yet, for some reason, the pain in his voice made her want to stay. Who was this woman, Bridget? She couldn’t remember reading anything about his marital status.
“Liam,” Bridget answered. “What do you expect me to do? Your fancy lawyers hound me. They say my own flesh and blood would be better off with you.”
“She would be.”
“It’s time for you to move on. Andy and I are trying to make a go of things. He wants to be there for me and for Michelle. He knows he sucked as a father, but he’s back on track now. He’s given up that woman, and he’s sorry. I know you’re hurt, but we don’t need you interfering, trying to play Dad with our daughter!”
“She was my daughter too!”
“No, Liam. She never was, and you know it. Look, I appreciate you being there for us when Andy was away, and I appreciate you stepping in as a father figure for Michelle. I know you love her, but if you do, you have to give up this insane demand for sole custody. Andy’s her real dad, and he’s getting tired of hearing her ask about you. You need to let us be a family.”
“So I don’t get to see her ever again?”
“No. You don’t. I’m sorry, but that’s how it has to be.” She sighed, but then her voice changed and Kate heard a soft cry. “Please, Liam. Please stop punishing me.”
Swallowing her queasiness, Kate figured she’d better get out before she heard anything else. She’d already heard too much. She didn’t want him to think she was eavesdropping on purpose. Quietly, she turned the corner and entered the main room.
Bridget’s head popped up in surprise. “Who the hell are you? Another lawyer?”
Liam looked at Kate and his pale face turned red. “Um, no. This is Kate Callender. A…friend.” He shook his head, as if mystified at his own hasty description of her.
Kate didn�
��t have a chance to react. She was too busy staring at the floor so she wouldn’t embarrass Bridget as she wiped her tears away. She seemed genuinely upset, and as much as her tears worked on Kate’s natural sympathies, she couldn’t forget Liam was standing just a few feet away, hunkered like a wounded animal, struggling with his own demons. She didn’t know which of them was the true injured party, both oozed uneasy vulnerability. What on Earth had happened between them?
Kate gritted her teeth and headed for the elevator. “I was just leaving.” She looked back at Liam. “I’m sorry I interrupted your visit. It wasn’t intentional.”
“Kate, wait. We weren’t done.” The tired tone in his voice made her want to offer him emotional triage. Great. If there was anything Kate loved, it was a man with heavy baggage. Not that she was interested in him or the size of his suitcase.
“You might as well stay,” said Bridget. “Liam and I are finished anyway.” She turned to him. “Please stop sending Michelle gifts and please call off your hounds. You need to stop trying to control this situation. It’s not yours to control. If you ever loved Michelle, you’ll let her have her real father back.”
Liam didn’t say a word. He just stared at the floor as if he wanted to burn a hole in it.
Bridget passed Kate, picked up her purse from a side table and pushed the elevator button. She continued to avoid Liam’s gaze as she waited for the door to close.
Kate stared at her shoes, and then at Liam. He was white, no, grey, in the face. “Liam. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” He lifted his head, beaten and exhausted.
Stop punishing me. Bridget’s words haunted her. Kate couldn’t deny there was a part of her that wondered if Liam had a punishing side to his character. Surely he’d trampled a few people on his rise to the top. He’d warned her himself he didn’t forgive and forget.
She needed to make her exit now, before she made him feel any more awkward, and before he made her feel more…whatever that turmoil in her stomach was. It was bad enough she’d seen him at such a private moment, she didn’t need to make things more complicated. She pressed the button to summon the elevator.
In the uncomfortable seconds that followed, Liam walked over to the kitchen counter and fingered the little girl’s coloring book. He began to tear the pages out of the book, one by one. Each rip made him look darker, more despondent, more desperate. By the time he’d torn ten pages out, his lips had pressed so tight they were almost blue.
She wanted to hate him, but right now she couldn’t.
The elevator door opened.
Kate froze. Get in. Get in. Don’t come back.
The door closed again.
All of a sudden, Liam Doyle wasn’t a big, bad casino owner. He was just a man who hurt. And it was in her nature to try and take the hurt away.
Moving quietly, she made her way over to the counter and stood next to him. His cologne wafted over her again, making her want to close her eyes and dream. She touched a hand to his sleeve and then pried the desecrated book out of his hands. He started, as if shocked she was still there.
“Do you want to talk?”
He frowned, his mouth opened once or twice, but no words came out. She knew how she must appear. A few minutes ago, she’d been the harridan he’d been trying to bribe away from his property. Now, she probably sounded like bloody Mary Poppins. She should offer up a goddamn spoonful of sugar while she was at it.
When he didn’t answer, she pointed to the strawberry pastries. “Are those from the restaurant downstairs?”
A fraction of his professionalism returned. “Chef Jean-Claude made them special for me.”
“They’re beautiful. I bet a box of six costs as much as my rent.”
He looked at her for a tense moment and then cracked a sad smile. “Would you like one?”
“No. I mean, I’d love one. I could probably swallow them all whole, but I’m gluten-free and trying hard to be sugar-free.”
One side of his mouth twitched, and a dimple showed under his stubble. Those husky dog eyes still seemed so sad, though. “Why am I not surprised? Well, does your gluten-free, sugar-free diet mean you can’t have coffee?”
“Probably, but a girl’s gotta have some pleasure.”
“Have a seat, then. I’ll make some.” Once again, he gestured to the cushy couches, but this time added, “Please.”
She could have made a crack about how his servants should be making his coffee, but she didn’t. This time, she just offered him a smile, and sat down.
Chapter Four
Liam glanced a couple of times at Kate as he prepared the coffee. She ran her fingers over the couch’s leather upholstery as if she’d never sat on Italian leather before. Maybe she hadn’t. It would explain why she was perched at the edge of the couch, as if afraid to mar it with her presence.
“How do you take it?” he asked, pouring a black one for himself.
“Fully loaded, please.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “What was that about sugar-free?”
“What? I’m not a martyr. Besides, coffee with no sugar is a deal breaker. Of course, if you have any Stevia root in those cupboards, I’d take that instead.” She raised her head and watched him work. “So, I take it Bridget’s your ex?”
He brought the two mugs over, setting them on the pastry tray. “Yeah. We were together for a couple of years.”
“Married?”
“No. Thank God for small mercies.”
She picked up her mug and took a demure sip. He imagined the hot, sweet liquid warming a path down her throat. Despite the emotional upheaval of the past ten minutes, he imagined dragging his tongue over her. Jesus Christ. Get your shit together. She licked her lips, snapping him out of his funk.
Her staring at him made him feel uncomfortable but consoled at the same time. He didn’t think anyone had ever inspired that feeling before. She seemed to consider her next words carefully. “Tell me about her. Were you happy together?”
He ran a hand through his hair, experiencing a familiar sense of unease. “We didn’t have a typical relationship. We’d been friends for some time, ran in the same circles. When her husband took off with another woman, I was there for her. After a while, it just seemed convenient to sleep together.”
“So she wasn’t your grand passion then?”
He grinned. “No. I guess I always knew she wasn’t over Andy, but I fooled myself into believing their relationship was done. He’d married her and then decided he wasn’t quite finished sowing his wild oats. Even started divorce proceedings. He left her just as she realized she was pregnant.”
“Charming.”
“Yeah, I thought so too. Anyway, Bridget accepted my help, and it seemed to make sense that friends could be lovers. I convinced myself I cared more than I did, and she swore she wanted nothing more to do with him.”
“It didn’t bother you she was pregnant with another man’s child?”
“At first, I just thought I could give her some support. Once she started showing, I got excited. I told myself we could be a family. Looking back, I realize a part of me really wanted to be a dad. I never had much of a family life, you see. I guess I craved stability, or at least liked the idea of giving it to someone else.”
As soon as he spied the look of empathy in her eyes, he forgot about the hostile circumstances in which they met. He was just appreciative having her there, showing some kindness.
“I treated Michelle like my own. Bridget was grateful, but gratitude isn’t the same as love.” He scratched his chin. “For a while, we had fun playing family. But as much as I loved that little girl, her mom and I couldn’t fake it very long. The chemistry just wasn’t there. We argued over stupid things. Made a lot of mistakes. But I held on for Michelle. Trust me. Staying for the kid never makes it better.”
She sighed, as if s
he understood completely. “What happened?”
Liam sucked in a breath. “My job kept us apart. I work a lot of nights and after a while I realized I was staying longer and longer at the office. I was right in the middle of making plans for this place and life was hectic. When I did give myself a day off, she purposely kept away, as if to punish me.
“Then one day she went out with friends and left her cell phone behind. It rang, and I answered, thinking it might be her calling home. It was Andy. I saw his name on the display. As soon as he realized it wasn’t her on the phone, he hung up.”
He stared at his coffee mug, wishing he could drown in its dark depths. “I accused her of seeing him behind my back. She didn’t even deny it. Andy had said he still loved her, that he was sorry, and that he wanted to be a father to his child.”
Kate’s face turned down. “That must have been horrible for you.”
“It was a fucking nightmare,” he admitted in a quiet voice. “I love that little girl with all my heart. But at the end of the day, Michelle’s not my biological daughter, even if I was there when she was born.”
She shook her head, but said nothing.
“I don’t even have words to describe what I went through. I’ve been in a very dark place since then. The only thing that keeps me sane is my work.” And no matter how much his doctor suggested he reduce his hours, working less meant more time to think about what he’d lost.
“And now you want custody?” She spoke in quiet, tentative tones.
“Can you blame me?”
“Not really, but sole custody? They are her parents.”
“I don’t trust them, either of them. I don’t trust Andy not to hurt Michelle later on. That bastard turned his back on his daughter when she needed him most, and if he thinks I’ll just step aside so he can do it again, he can go fuck himself.”
Kate frowned, and he could see his words struck a nerve. “But…”
“There are no buts. As far as I’m concerned, she’s my little girl. She always will be. I know having a casino owner as a dad isn’t exactly ideal, but I did my best. Even had a nursery set up in my last office so I could be with her while I was at work sometimes. I changed her diapers. I took her to the park on weekends. I bottle-fed her and held her in my arms. I did more for her than her own flesh and blood father ever did. Ever will. I love her. I can’t just turn that off.”