by Martha Woods
Skylar Moore, with her big, blue eyes and bright smile, made him feel funny inside and he didn’t like it. Hiring her after she lied to him wasn’t going to happen. Admittedly, it wasn’t only because she lied on her application. It was mostly because of the instant attraction he felt.
“Goodbye, Ms. Moore. I’m sorry you traveled such a long way for nothing.” It was all her doing so he shouldn’t feel guilty. Yet slivers of guilt and remorse went through him when her face crumbled.
Liam quickly turned away before he did something stupid like tell her she could stay. “Show her out, Farah.”
His housekeeper gave him a disapproving glare which made his brows shoot up. So he was the bad guy for turning down a con artist? He scoffed and kept walking. This was the last time he would leave putting up an ad online to his housekeeper.
Before sitting down at his desk, he walked to the window to look out. He froze. There was Skylar Moore, marching to her car with drooped shoulders. Her posture screamed dejection and he felt terrible, which made no sense because he didn’t know the woman. She turned to lean against her car, giving him full view of her face. It was a lovely face, heart shaped and utterly miserable.
He watched her nibble her fingernails before she let out a breath and then wiped a hand over her face tiredly. He frowned, recalling the dark circles beneath her eyes, marring her slightly tanned, creamy skin. A journey from Florida was quite long. Had she slept? Where would she stay before making her journey back home? Why did he care?
Maybe he should give her that one week trial. “No, no, no,” he hissed. He would not be sucked in by a pretty face. Yet he found his feet moving toward the door. He let out a groan as he made his way down the stairs.
Liam passed Farah who wore a satisfied smirk. “I see you’ve changed your mind, sir. I knew you would.”
Liam scowled. “How do you - never mind.” He pulled the front door open. “Ms. Moore.”
Her head snapped up and her eyes met his. Even from a distance, the blue orbs mesmerized him. Muttering a curse because of what he was about to do, he stepped outside. “I’ll grant you that one week. If you’re no good, you’re gone.”
Her eyes widened and a smile stretched across her lips. Skylar rushed forward and stumbled on her heels. Liam moved suddenly to lend a hand but she steadied herself and glanced up at him with a blush.
“These insanely high heels might get me killed,” she muttered. She extended a hand, which he accepted. “We have a deal. You won’t be disappointed. I promise.”
Skylar abruptly pulled her hand out of his and frowned. He stared at her with interest. Had she experienced the same jolt of electricity he had? Or the feeling of sheer magnetism and attraction that seemed to course through his entire being? Liam blinked and took on his usual scowl. Nonsense. Certainly there was no electricity or magnetism. It was his imagination.
“I hope so.” He said. “I’ll help you with your bags.”
“Oh, no. I can manage. I only have a few bags.”
Liam ignored her and marched to her small tan Toyota. He was already angry with himself for being weak and giving in because of a cute, sad face. He was getting soft and he didn’t like it.
“Now what kind of man would I be to let the lady carry her own bags?” He turned to her expectantly and she jumped to open the back door. Immediately he grasped the small suitcase and overnight bag on the back seat. His brows shot up. “Wow, light traveler?”
Her cheeks turned crimson as she shrugged. “Didn’t really have much to carry.”
Hearing the underlying sadness echo in her tone, he turned to study her briefly before nodding and heading back up the stone steps.
They passed Farah who was smiling from ear to ear. “Your room is ready, Ms. Moore.”
“Please, call me Skylar or Sky if you wish.”
“Sky,” Farah said softly.
Liam eyed his housekeeper suspiciously. Farah was a lovely woman who he got on well with. He knew she was a peculiar one but he couldn’t ignore the satisfaction radiating off of her. It was like she was ecstatic to have Skylar here. Maybe he was reading too much into her reaction. It could be that she was lonely in the middle of nowhere and wanted female company. Perhaps his new employee would begin to tire of being so far away from civilization as well. If she lasted the week anyway.
He turned to her. “I hope you don’t mind being surrounded by nothing but trees, Ms. Moore.”
“Are you kidding? I love it. This place is perfect. Who needs civilization anyway?”
He couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his lips, which he quickly made disappear. He led her into a back room on the first floor. “This is your room for the time being, Ms. Moore. I hope everything is to your liking. Whatever you need, let Farah know.”
Skylar looked around. “Thank you, Mr. Conway. I really appreciate you giving me this chance. I can start right away. Whatever you need me to do.”
“There’s no need for that, Ms. Moore. Take the rest of today to get settled. You can start bright and early tomorrow.”
“Sure thing. Thank you so much.”
“You can stop thanking me now, Ms. Moore.”
“Right.”
Her face turned crimson again and he was annoyed by the fact that he liked it. Liam quickly made his exit and went in search of Farah. She was in the kitchen, rummaging in the refrigerator.
“Farah.”
Her head popped up. “Yes? Is Skylar settled in? She’s a lovely girl, isn’t she?”
He frowned. “I wouldn’t know. I just met the woman and so far I’m not impressed with her dishonesty.”
“Oh, come now, sir. She was desperate for a job. I for one admire her bravado.”
Liam grunted. “Sure. Let’s forget about my personal assistant for now, there are more important matters to discuss.” He lowered his voice. “Do you have anything to tell me about that arrow I showed you last night?”
“Ah, yes, the arrow. Where did you say you found it again?”
“In the woods, while I was… taking a stroll.”
Brown eyes bore into him and for a second he thought that she could see through his lie. But she smiled and nodded. “It took me a while to figure out the nature of the writing. You were right. They were ancient texts, very ancient actually. Sumerian to be exact.”
Liam stared at her blankly. “Okay.” Her words meant little to him. “I think I’ve heard the word before.” He shrugged. “I never paid much attention to history class and all that.”
Farah grinned. “There was an ancient civilization by the name of Sumer. It is said to be the first urban civilization in Mesopotamia. But I’m sure you’re not interested in all of that. You want to know what the writing on that arrow means.”
Liam nodded. “Yes.”
“Simply put, the writing means ‘destroyer of evil.’ I consulted with a cousin of mine who is very good with ancient languages.”
Liam continued to stare at her. Destroyer of evil? He wasn’t evil. Why would anyone want to destroy him? Sure, he was a wolf in the business world, but none of his rivals had ever tried to take him out before. He suppressed the alarm that rose inside of him. Deep down he knew what was going on. He didn’t want to admit it but it was staring him right in the face. A hunter was in Boulder Junction. He would have to warn the pack and every other shifter in the region. Bile rose in his throat. That meant confronting his old man; something he had been pushing back for weeks because he still hadn’t made up his mind about becoming leader of their pack.
Chapter 4
Skylar put on a bright smile and held up a cup of coffee as soon as Liam stepped out of his bedroom. “Good morning, Mr. Conway.”
Liam came to an abrupt halt. His brows shot up and he grunted in response. Taking the cup of coffee, he murmured. “Thanks and you don’t have to wait at my door.”
“You’re welcome and I know you always go downstairs first thing for a cup of coffee. Farah told me. That’s why I brought you the coffee to save
you the trip. It’s black and strong, one sugar, just the way you like it.” She beamed at him.
Liam eyed her. “Are you always so bright?”
Her smile stayed in place. “I suppose I am. If you don’t like it, I can tone down.”
His head tilted to the side as he studied her. Skylar’s toes curled in her shoes. Was his gaze always so intense? Or maybe she was just on edge because she was fighting the urge not to drool over her new boss. Did the man have to look so good, so early? He was dressed to work from home and his hair was still damp from his shower. That stubborn lock of hair was hanging over his left eye again and her fingers itched to sweep it out of the way.
“Don’t change on my account,” he said gruffly and walked off.
Skylar’s smile fell a notch. Clearly he wasn’t a morning person. It was okay, a lot of people weren’t. She followed him to a closed door which turned out to be his office. He stopped in front of a massive oak desk and turned to her. The sudden stop took her off guard and she bumped into him. He steadied her along with hand that held the mug of hot liquid and muttered a curse.
“You know, Ms. Moore, being my personal assistant doesn’t mean that you have to physically attach yourself to me.”
Skylar’s face paled and then turned bright pink in a matter of seconds. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Conway. I wasn’t-” She stopped when she saw humor shining in his eyes and a ghost of a smile on his mouth. Letting out a breath, she smiled. “I’m not the most graceful person in the world.”
“I can see that.” He motioned to a chair in front of his desk. “There was no official interview so I figured we could discuss a few terms this morning. Have a seat.”
She sat and watched him walk around to his winged-back chair. She couldn’t help noticing the easy grace with which his large body moved. She blinked, deciding that if she was going to last longer than the one week trial period, she would have to kill the attraction she felt to Liam or at least dampen it.
He sat and continued. “I’ll make it quick. I have work piled up that we need to get started on.”
“Of course.”
“Number one, your salary. I pay twenty five dollars per hour. Is that okay with you?”
Skylar’s eyes widened. She did a quick mental calculation. Was it okay? It was freaking awesome! Her eyes narrowed. That was almost double the average hourly rate for a PA. “That sounds great. What’s the catch?”
Liam smirked. “Smart woman. The only catch is my demand on your time. I will try my best to give you a regular eight or nine hour day and six days a week but you will end up working crazy hours some days for sure. Also, I will want you to travel with me on occasion. I think it’s only fair to compensate you for your lack of a decent social life while you’re under my employ.”
Her lips lifted. “Well, in that case, I agree. I don’t need a social life anyway.” She had bills to pay and, quite possibly, she might end up having to dig her father out of his gambling debts as well. So she would work around the clock with Liam if need be.
Liam looked like he wanted to comment but he didn’t. “Medical benefits also come with the job along with paid vacations, sick leave, and bonuses, assuming that you are still here next week, that is.”
Skylar reminded herself to keep her mouth closed or it would drop to the lovely blue carpet. Liam Conway sure was generous. Well, from what she had garnered during her research of her boss last night, he could afford it. He was a billionaire and was making more every day. She shrugged. “I will do my best to please you, Mr. Conway.”
Something flickered in his eyes and they seemed to darken but it disappeared before she could identify what it was. Did his gaze drop to her mouth or was it just her imagination? It had to have been all in her head.
“You can call me Liam.”
She smiled. “Liam. You can call me Skylar or Sky if you like.”
“Because of your eyes?”
“I beg your pardon?” She glanced at him, confused.
He cleared his throat lightly and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Does the shortened version of your name have anything to with the color of your eyes?”
Her heart constricted. “My mother started calling me Sky when I was a baby. She always said looking into my eyes was like looking at the sky.” She sucked in a breath and averted her gaze, willing her eyes not to fill with tears.
Liam allowed his gaze to roam her face before she looked back at him. “She was right.” When her wide eyes met his he said, “Let’s get to work.”
Skylar blinked. “S-sure.” Okay, she definitely didn’t imagine his sort of compliment. Her heart fluttered before her subconscious kicked in. Easy girl, he didn’t mean anything by it.
“First, what do you know about me and my business ventures, Sky?”
She hid a smile, satisfied with his use of her nickname. That was a good sign, right? “You are a self-made billionaire. You take your work seriously and your business is all about real estate. Oh, and you recently began buying out companies, revamping them, and selling them for hefty prices.”
He nodded. “Good, you did your homework.”
She grinned and pulled her chair closer. Catching a whiff of his masculine scent, she stifled a groan. Ignoring her attraction to Liam was going to take great effort. Somehow, she managed to stay focused.
By the end of the day, she had his daily schedule for the next few weeks organized. Being in his company for hours, she also learned more about his personality and preferences. He wasn’t much of a talker and he liked his space. So she made a mental note to try her best to be as quiet as possible. She snorted inwardly‒ she knew her quietness wouldn’t last long.
* * *
Liam eyed Sky from beneath his lashes. She was curled up on his couch, focusing intently on his laptop screen. She had slipped off her shoes and her red toenails peeked out from under her pants. Her hair had come free of its bounds over the course of the day and the silky, blonde curtain of hair framed her face. Realizing that he was staring, he shook his head and glanced at the time. It was well past nine pm.
“I didn’t realize it was so late. You can retire for the night.”
She glanced up and rubbed her eyes tiredly. “Oh, no I can work a little longer. I’m almost finished sorting through your emails.”
“Sky, stop. I don’t even remember seeing you eat anything.”
“I went downstairs for lunch while you were video conferencing with your business associates.”
He frowned. “That was six hours ago.”
“Mhmm.” She returned her attention to her task.
Rolling his eyes he got up. “For goodness sake, I know this a probationary period but I don’t want you to kill yourself trying to prove that you can do the job, Sky.”
“I’m fine. Really.”
“Don’t you want to go and call your family and friends in Miami?”
She glanced up and there was no missing the sadness in her eyes. He had seen it before. But like the last time, she quickly covered it up with a smile.
“I can make calls tomorrow.”
He sighed. “Well, I’m done working for the night and so are you. Let’s go.”
Her eyes flew back to him and they widened as she realized that he was heading toward the door. “Oh, okay. Just let me shut this down.”
He heard her soft footsteps behind him as he headed down the stairs. “You should eat something. I’m sure Farah retired for the night so feel free to help yourself.”
“Thanks. Can I get you anything?”
He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned, forcing her to stop. Standing on the step, she eye to eye with him. “No, I’m heading out.”
“Oh. So um, how did I do today? Any feedback will help me to be better tomorrow.”
Liam shoved down the smile that threatened to break through his serious demeanor at the hopeful look on her face. “Maybe I should wait until the end of the one week to give any feedback.”
Her face fell and then she smi
led. “Are you teasing me, Liam?”
He drew in a breath. Hearing her call his name did something to his insides. “Maybe.”
“Who knew you were capable of teasing?”
“I’m full of surprises.” Was he bantering? He never bantered. “Anyway, I should get going.”
She opened her mouth and closed it. He knew she was about to ask where he was off to at that time of night. He was glad she didn’t bother. He hated when people questioned him and he sure as hell didn’t want to talk about where he was going.
“Have a good night,” she said.
He wouldn’t. “You too. See you tomorrow.”
He could feel her eyes on his back as he walked out the door.
* * *
Heaving a sigh, Liam trudged toward the clearing of trees. There were cabin-like houses scattered about and the scent of wolves permeated the air. He shifted back into his human form and pulled the clothes from the small sack that had been tied around his neck.
Fully dressed, he squared his shoulders and marched toward the biggest cabin. It was the home he had grown up in. He should be happy to return home, most people were. But he couldn’t be, not when he knew he had his father to contend with. Since moving back to Boulder Junction, he’d only been to his childhood home twice and both occasions had been to see his mother and brothers - well, one of them, since the other seemed to hate him.
As he approached the cabin, wolves appeared from behind trees and bushes. They towered over him and he stopped to deliver a nod in greeting. They all lowered their heads out of respect for the future alpha of their pack, a title he was trying his hardest to avoid. He reached out a hand to affectionately rub the nose of a brown and white wolf that crouched before him. Liam smiled. It was his youngest brother Michael, the only one who didn’t see him leaving to make his own path in a life as a betrayal to the pack. Michael was carefree, loving, and accepting like their mother, and his only ally.