by Trisha Grace
Judith’s eyes got even bigger.
“I know you wanted to prove yourself, so I didn’t mention anything. Liam isn’t in charge of the gaming side of the business. If you want, I can intro—”
“No. You’re right. I want this to be entirely on my own merits.”
Back at GS Inc., Judith’s stepmother had spread the rumor that Judith had only gotten the chance to work on the game due to Harriet’s respect for her dead father.
Liam stood up from the desk with a grin.
“You’re in?” Helena asked.
“No way.” Judith watched as he brought his laptop over and sat next to Helena.
“I need the name of everyone on that team.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Judith came around the table and bent to look at the laptop’s screen. “Wow.” She scrolled down on the laptop. “You’re good. Him. Ronald was a creep to Helena.”
Liam frowned at Helena when Judith said that.
“Technically, most of the guys there were,” Helena said. Even some of the married ones. “GS Inc. seems to attract the worst guys.”
Judith nodded. “Agreed.” She continued clicking on the laptop. “Him. Him. He was on the team too.”
Liam shifted closer to Helena after glancing at the relatively untouched food. He stretched his arm over the back of her chair, then reached for a slice of apple. He bit off half of it and fed her the other half. He dragged the mini-pyramid of sweets closer. “Did you try any?”
She shook her head.
“Try one. Cassian said the restaurant flew the pastry chef in from France.”
Helena reached over for a mini eclair and popped it into her mouth.
He leaned over and gave her a peck on the hair. “I’m sorry. I get engrossed when I’m working.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. Jude and I were supposed to be working too.”
“Supposed?”
“We ended up gossiping—about you.” Judith shifted the laptop back toward Liam. “I’ve pulled the profiles of everyone on the team. Even mine.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Helena said.
Judith gave the screen another glance. “We really do work crazy hours.” She shook her head and returned to her seat. “We really should have a union.”
Liam made a face.
“You disagree?”
He shrugged a shoulder and turned his attention back to the laptop.
“Is he going to just ignore me?” Judith asked Helena.
“Do you want something else to eat?” he asked as he cupped his hand over Helena’s hair. “We can order food in.”
Helena hadn’t noticed until now, but Liam’s tone softened whenever he spoke to her. She shook her head. “This is fine. Jude?”
“I’m not hungry.”
Liam nodded once, then turned his attention to Judith. “Unions can be tricky. If they’re not handled properly, they may end up impeding the progress of an industry. Look at the education system.”
Judith crossed her arms. “But bosses won’t change unless they’re forced to.”
“Maybe.”
“I’ll go through the logs of their online activities and see if I can find anything. If you need something, just let me know.” Liam picked up his laptop and strode off after she nodded.
“He’s head over heels in love with you,” Judith whispered.
“Be careful about the whole union thing,” Helena said. “That’s one of the reasons why your stepmother threw you out.”
Judith drew a deep breath through her nose.
“And she’s been using it to keep you unemployed.” Probably to force Judith to come begging her for forgiveness.
“Speaking of which …” Judith chewed on her lower lip. “I hate to ask this.”
“What is it?”
“I’m a little short on my rent.”
“How much?”
“Three-fifty.”
“I’ll Venmo it to you.”
Judith gave her a wry smile. “Thank you.”
“Don’t be silly. It makes me feel so proud of having been frugal and keeping to my budget.” Bobby had always made fun of her budgets. He always made it sound as if she was being too serious, thinking too much. Live a little, he always said.
She’d never budged on that, though. After all, her ever-adventurous Aunt Beth was one who stuck to her budgets too. That was how they survived on her parents’ insurance payout while her aunt put her career on hold.
Besides, Helena didn’t just have to take care of herself, she had to take care of Nigel—and Bobby—too. Unlike Bobby, she didn’t have a rich grandfather she could run to if she didn’t have enough money for her rent or food.
“And if you’re serious about letting me stay at your place …” Judith continued.
Helena nodded slowly. “Nigel’s old enough to find his own place.” She’d given her situation with Nigel and Bobby some thought.
While Liam had locked himself into the mansion, she had shackled herself to Nigel and Bobby. Perhaps it was time she cut the shackles off and stopped enabling her brother.
“I can take the couch.”
“I kind of promised Liam he could have the couch.”
“I can sleep in the tub. Honestly, I can sleep anywhere as long as I have a roof over my head.”
“When is your lease up?”
“End of this month.”
Helena nodded. “Pack up. We’ll see how it goes.”
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
Helena laughed softly. “Don’t worry. I have several prospective clients lined up too.”
“I’ll pay you back.”
“I know.” Helena wasn’t worried. She had a safety net for six months—eight if she was extra careful—of expenses saved up. “Your pitch will go great. You’ll get a job soon.”
Judith nodded. “If that fails, I could always learn how to hack into Harriet’s accounts and steal back all the money she stole from me.” She pointed her finger at Helena. “I know someone who knows just the guy.”
Helena laughed. “He did say he could empty my bank account in under a minute.”
“Perfect. We’ve got a plan B.”
Helena’s phone buzzed. She looked over at it and winced slightly when she saw who texted her.
“Bobby?”
Helena shook her head. “Priscilla. I’m a terrible friend.”
Judith winced. “So am I. I told you I’d let her know we were busy, but I completely forgot.”
Helena picked up her phone. “She’s asking if I’m free for lunch.” Her lips curled. “She says she needs some girl time.”
“Don’t I understand that.” Judith checked her phone when it buzzed. “She asked me too. If we can do something that doesn’t cost anything,” she said as she typed on her phone, “then I’m all in.”
Helena laughed and typed a reply. When?
Liam went through the online activities logged in GS Inc.’s system. Nothing seemed amiss. All the developers were too busy with work to do anything too frivolous during their time at the office.
“Found anything?”
Liam looked up and found Judith standing next to him, her bag slung on her shoulder and her iPad in her hand. He shook his head.
“Sometimes everyone’s too busy to even check their email,” she said.
“That appears to be the case.”
Judith nodded.
“Jude barely remembers to eat sometimes,” Helena said and put her hand on the back of his chair.
“I’ll see myself out.”
“I’ll send you the final sketches by the end of this week.”
“Thanks.” Judith gave her a hug. “Stay safe. Bye, Liam.”
He covered Helena’s hand with his when she dropped hers from the back of the chair to his shoulder. “So you two did end up getting some work done?”
“We did.”
He looped his arm around Helena’s waist and pulled her onto his lap.
Helena yelped.
“I overheard something,” he said as he caged her in with his arms. Seated on his lap, she was face to face with him.
“And you’re holding me hostage because of that?”
His lips curled. “Is Judith having money troubles?”
“Her stepmother kicked her out of GS Inc., and Harriet is doing everything she can to make sure that no one else will hire her.”
Liam nodded slowly. “I could lend her the money.”
Helena laughed softly. “It’s three hundred and fifty dollars. Not thirty-five thousand.”
“Does she do that often?”
“No. She would never have asked if she wasn’t desperate.” She brushed back the lock of hair that had fallen over his forehead. “Don’t worry. I’m not that rich. People don’t hang around me to try and cheat me out of my money.”
“And you have enough money?”
“As long as you don’t empty my bank account.” She tipped her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t even think about putting money into it, either.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
“Good.” She hooked her hands around his neck. “She might become my roommate. That’s if I decide to throw Nigel out.”
“But the couch is still mine.”
Her lips curled as she nodded. “Will you help me throw out Nigel’s stuff if I decide to do that?”
“My pleasure.”
She grinned. “How much longer will you be?” She jerked her chin toward his laptop.
“You can order dinner now.”
Helena looked over at the screen and frowned. “Whose log is this?”
“Ronald.” Liam had checked Ronald’s logs first. When nothing jumped out, he continued with the rest of the people on the team before going back to Ronald.
“Incels.”
“It seems to be a forum of sorts.”
“Discord is an online chat that gamers use. I’ve seen Judith use it. She always goes through it to read what people are saying about the games they’re playing.”
“So Incels is a game?”
“You don’t know what that means?”
Liam shook his head.
“Involuntary celibates. They blame women for not sleeping with them.”
A corner of his lips hooked back in a smile, but Helena wasn’t laughing. “Wait. You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
Liam tried to wrap his head around the idea.
“I saw it on the news,” she continued. “There was a driver who drove his van onto the sidewalk and killed a bunch of people. That guy called himself an incel.”
He pulled his laptop closer to the edge of the desk. He searched out the incel chat on Discord and scrolled through it.
“This is insane.” Helena shook her head as Liam scrolled through the posts.
There were thousands and thousands of hateful comments about women. The men rated women as if they were nothing but objects created to fulfill their sexual desires. They talked about taking whatever they wanted from them, which seemed to be a thinly veiled way of justifying rape.
Helena put a hand over her mouth when they found a comment about rallying men to mass rape women. “Do they think talking like that about women will get them laid?”
Liam closed the laptop, disgusted with all he’d read. “Why don’t you go work on your sketches for Judith?”
“I think I need a shower.”
He brushed his thumb across her lower lip. “Up for a suggestion?”
“Like watch you hack into the site and expose the true identities of these idiots to the world? Then watch you drain their bank accounts?”
Liam laughed. “You can be a scary little thing.”
“Stop calling me little.”
He wrapped his arms around her and tugged her closer. “I’d like to teach you how to punch right.”
“Why? You think I might need it?”
“I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure you won’t need it, but I have to be realistic. I won’t be able to be by your side every second of the day.” As much as he wanted to, he doubted Helena would appreciate being suffocated by him. “I want you to be able to protect yourself when you’re out with your friends.”
Helena’s eyes slitted. “Did you actually get any work done? Or were you eavesdropping on us the whole time?”
“Not when you two were whispering.”
She leaned closer to him. “Those were the juiciest parts,” she whispered.
“You can keep your secrets.”
“Really? You don’t want to know everything about me?” She hooked her hands around his neck.
“I would. If I want to know something, I’ll ask.”
Her lips curled back. “You always know just what to say.”
He laughed. “That’s a first.”
She laughed with him, and a soothing warmth curled and settled in his chest.
“So? Should we start my boxing lessons?”
He shook his head. “I like having you here.”
She frowned.
“Here, in my arms. I don’t feel like moving.”
Helena’s lips flattened into a thin line. “Am I the first person you’ve ever dated?”
He hesitated before answering, “Yes. Does my inexperience matter to you?”
“Inexpe—” Her eyes widened. “No.” She dropped her gaze. “I’m equally inexperienced.” She bit down on her lips again. “Does that matter to you?”
“Why would it?” He ran a knuckle along her jaw just because he could. “May I ask why?” He had locked himself away, but she hadn’t. “I can’t imagine your aunt is strict about your dating.” Aunt Beth sounded like she would be the complete opposite.
“She definitely encourages me to go out and have fun.” She shrugged a shoulder. “It just isn’t me. I know it’s the twenty-first century. I know people jump into bed on the first date, but struggle to say ‘I love you.’ I don’t have any issues with other people doing that, but it just isn’t me.”
He nodded slowly.
“Is that weird?”
“No, I love that. I love everything about you.”
She pursed and released her lips. “And I love everything about you. I love you, Liam Black.”
He blinked, then opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn’t find his voice. I love you. No one—not even his mother—had ever said that to him.
She watched him intently as she waited for him to react, and he was trying.
Trying and failing.
Helena swallowed hard. “I was going to say it, but I wanted to find the right moment.” She paused, then continued when he didn’t say anything. “When you told me to go talk to Bobby, when you—”
He hooked a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forward while he tipped his head back to meet her lips. Every nerve in him flared to life. He’d never felt more alive than he did at this moment.
“Say it again,” he said when their lips parted.
Helena smiled. “I love you.”
“And you’ll marry me?”
She straightened and stuck her index finger out. “You haven’t actually asked,” she said. “Also, haven’t you seen Frozen? I can’t possibly marry someone I just met.”
“I haven’t, so that rule doesn’t apply to me.” He took one of her hands. “Helena Shaw, will you—”
She put her hand over his mouth. “I can’t. It’s too soon. You should get out and meet some people.”
“We had this conversation before. You want me to see other people?”
“No.” She pressed a hand to her face. “Ugh. This is so complicated.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” He pulled her hand down. “I love you. I want to be with you.”
“Marriage is forever—to me at least.”
“I can’t imagine a day without you.”
“For now.”
He sighed. “How can I prove that isn’t the case?”
“Time.” She cupped h
is face and ran her thumb under his eye, along his scar. “Is that too much to ask?”
Liam closed his eyes, enjoying her gentle touch. “You can ask me for anything, and I’ll give it to you.” He opened his eyes so he could look at her. “I’ll always wait for you.”
Her chest rose slowly. “This isn’t a no. I want you to know that.” Her tongue darted across her lips. “I want to say yes, Liam. I’ve never been reckless, never wanted to be reckless. I’ve never been tempted to be reckless. Until now.”
It wasn’t a yes, but it was enough—more than enough. “So if I keep tempting you, you may end up saying yes?”
“In time.”
“Time. How much time are we talking about?”
“I thought you said you’d wait.”
“It’d be easier to know a time frame.”
“I’m not going to make it easy for you.”
He nodded slowly. “Fine by me.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and played with the ends of her hair. “I have one condition.”
“You and your conditions.” She nodded. “What is it?”
“Tell me again.”
She chuckled. “I love you.” She leaned forward and pressed a soft peck to his scar. “I love you.”
“Will you tell me that every day?”
“Every day.” She looked down at her hand as he ran his thumb across her knuckles.
He lifted her hand and planted a soft kiss on the back of it.
“Now can we start our boxing lesson?”
Chapter 21
Helena rubbed the sweat off her forehead on her shoulder, on the white T-shirt she’d grabbed from home. She hadn’t thought boxing would be so difficult, but her arms were tired and she was panting just from punching air.
“Again.” Liam stood next to her. “One, two, one.”
She shot her hands out.
“Good.” He moved in front of her and held his hands out, palms facing her. “Aim for my hands.”
“What?”
She dropped her arms.
Liam curled his hand around her wrist and pulled it back up to her face. “Keep your hands up.” His hand returned to the previous position. “Go on. Use your knuckles. Hit through your target.”
Helena dropped her hands an inch, and Liam’s brows drew together. “I don’t want to hit you.”