by Trisha Grace
“Is that all?”
“For now.”
“For now?” She laughed softly. “You’re very demanding.” She chewed on her lower lip. “I have a few demands too.”
“Go on.”
“You won’t hold anyone else like you hold me.”
He laughed. “Do you see anyone else here?”
“Is that what I am? The only choice you have since I’m the only one who’s in your life.”
“You’re my only choice, Helena, because you are you.”
Her brows puckered. “I don’t understand.”
“No one else could have strolled in here and done what you did.”
“And what’s that?”
“Made me care.” He leaned forward, but she pressed her hand to his chest, stopping him.
“I have more demands.”
He laughed once and sat back, relaxing against the back of the couch. “Okay, let’s hear them.”
“You don’t kiss anyone else.”
“Of course.”
“We’re opening every curtain in this place.”
“As you wish.” Kelly had started leaving all the lights on anyway.
“And we’ll find another place for you. I don’t want you living here anymore.”
He would go anywhere if she said she’d go with him. “Okay.”
Her brows rose. “Really?”
He nodded. “Whatever you want.”
“I want to give my latest drawing to Judith for her game.”
Liam sighed and ran his tongue over his teeth.
“Please?” She fluttered her lids, and he laughed.
“On one condition,” he said and looped his arm around her waist. “Kiss me.”
“Dinner’s almost ready!” Elias popped his head in, and Helena pulled away from Liam.
Liam closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m going to kill him.”
Helena laughed and jumped to her feet. “Give me fifteen minutes. I’m going to change.”
Helena smoothed down the peach dress she’d tried on in Liam’s study, then opened the door. The light in the hallway was switched on.
Liam was already outside, leaning against the wall in a black suit with a white shirt. “You look great,” she said.
Liam grinned when he saw her in the dress. “We’re burning that dress after tonight, because I’m not letting you wear it anywhere else.”
“Letting me?” She brushed invisible lint off her dress. “I’m going to wear this when I go grocery shopping.”
“Why go out when you can have groceries delivered?”
“I will now.” Her lips curled. “Not in these heels, though.” She walked over and hooked her hand in the crook of his elbow. “You’ll have to be my walking stick, just so I don’t end up tumbling down the stairs.”
“I got you,” he said, and they headed down the stairs together. “Can I ask you something?”
She nodded.
“How did you get to know the old man?” he asked as they moved toward the dark second floor. “I barely saw him when I was living in the mansion.” He looked over at her when she didn’t answer him. “Another complicated relationship?”
Again, the fact that her life was so entangled with the Eolenfelds worried her. The closer she grew to Liam, the more worried she got. She didn’t want to be another person who brought him pain; she would hate herself if she became that.
But how could she not when she was so tangled up with the Eolenfelds?
Helena pushed those thoughts aside. She didn’t know what would happen between her and Liam. She wasn’t sure where they would be a week or a month from now, but she was going to enjoy her date tonight. “Edward Eolenfeld was the one who destroyed my father’s business.”
Liam laughed in disbelief. “And you’re on good terms with him now?”
“I’m not trying to get my hands on his money.”
“That wasn’t what I was saying.”
“Do you want to know how this complicated relationship started?”
“How?”
“Bobby.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
Helena chuckled. “Right after I finished college, Bobby was bugging me to go on a round the world trip with him and Nigel. I said no, and we got into a really big fight. In his anger, he told me that I wasn’t really a good artist and no one would hire me. He told me the only reason I got my scholarship was because his grandfather set it up. I had no idea, and I was so angry. I didn’t want any of his money. He was indirectly the reason why my parents are dead and why Nigel is the way he is.”
With Liam leading her, Helena walked around with ease.
Though the mansion was largely empty, she was always worried she’d trip over or knock into something. There wasn’t anything to worry about now, not when Liam was holding her hand.
“I made a few calls and found out that Bobby was right. I drove over to the Eolenfeld mansion, ready to give Edward Eolenfeld a piece of my mind.”
Liam laughed again. “I’d have loved to see that.”
“You’d be proud of me. I really stood up for myself and called him all sorts of names. I told him he was heartless, that his only legacy would be that he had the most dysfunctional family and useless descendants in history.”
“He must have hated that.”
“He did.” It was no secret that Edward Eolenfeld was obsessed with leaving a legacy. He slapped the Eolenfeld name on galleries, stadiums, and theaters. He built an empire that he intended to leave to his children. He wanted the Eolenfeld name to go down in history as one of the greatest families in the world. “I told him that I’d pay him back every single cent and stormed off. Once I got a job, I made monthly payments to him without fail.
“About a year after that, he showed up at my apartment and said I was right and told me how impressed he was that I kept my word. He apologized to me and told me he would do everything he could to help Nigel. He got Nigel to go into rehab, and it worked—for a while. He even dropped by my apartment every now and then to check on Nigel. And the more he came by, the more I saw him for who he really was—a lonely old man. A poor old rich man. Edward Eolenfeld has the money to buy whatever he wants, but I think he realized he can’t buy the most important things in life.”
“Only you have a heart big enough to love such monsters.” Liam paused for a moment when they got to the second floor. Even from here, he could see the glow from downstairs.
Helena turned to him, but Liam only shrugged. He hadn’t checked on his brothers after coming back upstairs.
But they didn’t have to wait long to find out.
A string of fairy lights was twined around the stair railing.
“Wow.”
There were more fairy lights strung up around the living room, while red rose petals were scattered on the floor.
“They really went all out for you,” Helena said.
“I would’ve helped.”
“But you were busy trying to catch my stalker.” Helena didn’t understand exactly what Liam was trying to do, but he was essentially laying a trap for the stalker. “You don’t have to prove anything to me, Liam. You’re enough. You’ve done more than enough.”
Liam stopped halfway down the stairs, and since she was leaning heavily on him, so did she.
She tore her gaze away when he looked right at her with those scrutinizing eyes of his. She always felt exposed whenever he looked at her that way. Coupled with the suave suit he was in, Helena was worried she might actually swoon.
Liam took a step closer and pressed his warm hand against her bare back.
Helena sucked in a ragged breath. “Please don’t.”
Liam immediately froze.
“I don’t think I can handle you kissing me here. Especially not when I’m in these heels.” She already felt like melting at his simple touch.
He laughed softly, then leaned in and stole a peck.
She squealed and leaned back, but the hand on her back held her firm.
“I told
you—I got you.”
She smiled back at him.
They continued staring at each other for a moment before he cleared his throat and took a step back.
“Cassian says the food is really good.” He continued down the stairs at a slow pace. “There’s supposedly a three-month wait for a table at the restaurant they ordered it from.”
“Fancy.” She sighed with relief when she made it down the stairs without falling.
“You didn’t have to wear the heels if you’re not comfortable in them.”
“But they look so cute with this dress, and my sneakers really don’t go with it.”
“It’s just you and me. If you want to change out of them, I’ll go grab your shoes.”
She shook her head. “Maybe later, if my feet hurt.” They were already starting to hurt, but she wanted to look nice for him.
They strolled into the short hallway that connected the living room to the dining area. Instead of fairy lights, lit tea candles lined the way, along with more rose petals.
“I don’t think Kelly will be happy about having to clean this up.”
“Don’t worry about her.”
The wooden rectangular dining table that they had lunch on now had a white tablecloth spread over it.
On top of the cloth were more tea candles. A vase with a single red rose stood in the middle. Two plates of food, one at the head of the table and the other to the left of it, were set on royal blue placemats.
Next to the plate at the head of the table was a note.
Liam picked it up and smiled.
“What?”
He handed the note to Helena. Enjoy your dinner with your beauty, you beast.
“I’m not sure if I should laugh or be annoyed,” she said.
Liam led her over to where the food was and pulled out the chair for her.
She grinned and sat, while Liam shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
“I think they messed with the thermostat again. I’ll go check it.”
Helena took his hand. “It’s okay. I’m warm enough with your jacket.” She pulled the jacket closer. “Let’s eat.”
Liam cut a slice of steak, and Helena did the same.
She didn’t wait for Liam to try the food and switch their plates. Taking a deep breath, she put the piece of steak she’d cut into her mouth.
Liam’s brows puckered.
“You got me, right? If anything happens to me because of the food, you got me.”
Without a word, Liam put down his utensils. He cupped her face and drew her closer as he pressed his lips to hers.
He deepened his kiss when she gasped.
Once the surprise faded, she kissed him right back.
When they broke the kiss for a breath, he held her face close as he pressed his forehead to hers.
He looked as if he wanted to say something, then shook his head. “Let’s eat,” he said with a smile. “Before the food gets cold.” He gave her a peck on the forehead. “And yes, I got you.”
They chatted while they ate. Liam seemed to have hundreds of questions. Did she miss the luxurious lifestyle she had as a child? Where had she been? What had she seen? What did she like to do?
“Okay, my turn to ask something,” she said after answering his latest question.
Liam took her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles. “I don’t mind answering your questions, but not tonight. I love hearing you laugh. I like how lighthearted everything is. I don’t want to talk about my sordid past.”
She turned her hand over. “Then tell me about your life now.”
“You already know what I do.”
“How do you make things work when you never leave the house?”
“I have a personal assistant.”
“You do?”
“I’ve never met her. I just communicate with her through emails and texts. She does what I need and reports back to me the same way.”
Helena chuckled. “I’ve never heard of anything like that. What about meetings? Don’t you have those?”
“I don’t handle any of that. I oversee the firm’s online and computer security. All the coding for different projects comes to me before it gets passed. All that I can do from here.” He ran his thumb across her knuckles again. “Why hasn’t anyone tried to hire you or your friend? The two of you developed the most popular game.”
“It wasn’t exactly the most popular game.”
“Among women. No one has managed to penetrate that market like Flora.”
She arched a brow. “You know a lot about games for someone who doesn’t play them.”
“Killian is thinking about investing in GS Inc., but he says the latest update was causing the number of players to drop.”
“Of course it did. Jude had a great idea, and she was so happy when she got the chance to create the game. But once it was a success, her stepmother took the project away from her and handed it over to her stepsisters. Harriet Marcel made out that she and her daughters were the original creators and had allowed Jude to run with it because they pitied her.”
“Harriet Marcel, the owner of GS Inc.?”
She nodded. “The company should’ve gone to Jude after her father passed away, but her stepmother produced a new will and took it from her.” She made a face. “Killian shouldn’t waste his money on GS Inc. Harriet Marcel is going to run it into the ground. I may be biased, of course.”
They both frowned when there was a sudden crackle from what sounded like a radio. Music suddenly blasted through the dining area.
Helena jumped while Liam scanned the place.
After the initial shock, she laughed when she registered the song: Tale as Old as Time. “How are they doing this?”
Liam looked under the table and pulled out a wireless speaker. “It must be connected via Bluetooth or something, which means they are still around somewhere.” He stood, but Helena took his hand again, stopping him.
“Forget about them.” She got up and shrugged off the suit jacket, then hung it over the back of the dining chair. “Let’s dance.” She put a hand on his shoulder.
“What makes you think I know how?”
“I can teach you. It’s easy.”
Liam put his hand on her waist and tugged her closer, then started to move. It had been a long time, but he supposed it was like learning how to ride a bike. “My mother taught me,” he said when her brows flicked up. “She thought we were going to become Eolenfelds, and all Eolenfelds should know how to handle social events.”
Helena moved along with him. “She was a good teacher.”
“She was an actress.”
“She must have been beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you.”
Helena couldn’t help but smile as heat crept up her cheeks.
He pulled her closer. “You owe me something.”
She arched a brow.
“My condition for you to use your illustration.”
“We’ve already kissed.”
“I want you to kiss me.”
Helena hooked her hands around his neck and looked up at him. Her gaze roamed across his face and stopped on his lips. “Why does it feel so nerve-racking?” It wasn’t as if they hadn’t already kissed.
But she realized that every time she’d kissed him, it had been a mere peck.
That wasn’t the type of kiss he was waiting for.
Without the darkness around them, she could see—not just sense—his intense gaze on her.
Liam took one of her hands and pressed it to his chest. Under her hand, she could feel his heart beating wildly, just as hers was. “You have no idea.”
They stopped moving and just stared at each other for a moment. A moment Helena wanted to memorize.
Then, with a smile, she rolled forward onto the balls of her feet as she tipped her head back. Her lips had just grazed his when something shattered.
It was loud, and it sounded close.
She didn’t realize how close until
she felt Liam pull her against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her protectively as he swung her around.
“What the …”
Helena looked up and saw Killian’s and Elias’s slackened jaws. Elias glanced toward the window, then took off running.
She was still trying to process what was going on when Liam gripped her firmly by the shoulders.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He ran his hands down her arms and gave her a once over.
“I’m okay, I think.” She looked down at herself. She didn’t see any blood. When she lifted her head, she noticed the glass splinters on Liam’s shirt. “You? Are you hurt?” She started to brush the glass off him, but Liam grabbed her hands.
“Don’t. I don’t want you to get cut.”
“Are you hurt?” She tried to move around him, but he spun her around and nudged her forward.
“Stay away from the windows.” He led her back to the dining chair he had been sitting on. “Stay here.” He put the jacket back over her shoulders. “Stay with her,” he said to Killian. “I’ll be—”
“Please don’t leave me here.” Helena grabbed his hand. “I want to go with you.”
“Helena.”
“Please.” She held on to his arm.
Liam’s gaze roamed across her face, and he nodded.
“I don’t see anyone out there.” Elias came back into the dining area. “You guys all right?”
Liam nodded. “Pack your things. We’re leaving.”
“We?” Killian asked. “As in you and her?” He looked over at Elias and grinned.
Elias clapped. “Where are we going?”
Chapter 15
Helena stuffed her toiletries into her large tote bag along with a few changes of clothes. She wasn’t sure how much to pack since Liam hadn’t exactly said how long they were going to be away.
All that was left were her devices.
There was no more room in her bag, so she just carried them in her hands.
“That’s it?” Elias asked when he popped into her room. Liam had told Elias to stay with her while he grabbed a few things.
“I’m not sure how much to bring.”
“Everything. Hopefully, you guys won’t ever have to come back here.”
“I know you want him out of here, but this isn’t it.”