by Layla Hagen
“I want to see you tonight.”
“Your date with your grandmother was at lunch?”
“No, dinner. But I moved it earlier in the afternoon, because you said you’re free this evening, and I really want to see you.”
He changed his plans for me? Wow. I felt so important to him!
“How can I say no to that?” Holy shit, I wanted to jump up and down.
“Where are you?”
“I’m heading to the new store. UPS delivered a huge package today instead of tomorrow. They left it at the neighboring shop, and I don’t want to leave it there overnight.”
“I can be there in half an hour and help you carry it.”
“Mr. Harrington, you’re charming me. Just thought you should know. I’m already thinking about how to spoil you in return. I’d suggest a wrist massage, but that made me drop my clothes last time. Not sure what effect it’ll have on you.”
He laughed softly. “I’m game for whatever you want, Tess. I have some ideas of my own. I’ll share them with you...in person.”
I tingled all over at that.
“My phone’s battery is dying. See you soon.”
I still felt like jumping up and down as the call disconnected.
Grabbing my coat and bag, I bid our sales associates goodbye before practically running out of the store.
Chapter Nineteen
Tess
I was walking quickly, hoping to get to the fragrance store before they closed. It only took me fifteen minutes on foot to get there. The downside was that I passed my favorite ice cream shop, pancake stand, and waffle station on the way. This girl had little self-restraint, but today I was in a hurry, so it wasn’t even an option.
SoHo was so vibrant. The streets buzzed with visitors, New Yorkers and tourists alike. It had a different vibe at night than during the day, when everyone hurried from shop to shop. Everyone was more relaxed in the evening, enjoying a cocktail and dinner.
I headed straight to the fragrance shop, a very hip, artsy place where you could even mix your very own signature fragrance.
“I’m so sorry they dropped it off here,” I said when I came in. “I had no idea. It was supposed to come tomorrow.”
“It’s not a problem,” Deborah, the sales associate, said with a smile. She was a beautiful woman with silky black hair that was always braided on one side and big brown eyes.
She pointed to the corner where the huge-ass package stood. Luckily, it wasn’t very heavy, so it didn’t make sense to wait for Liam. Not that I didn’t want to watch him flex his muscles...buuut I could think of many other ways to do that. Much less clothing. Much sexier.
I managed to push it out to the street and into my own store without a problem. As I placed it on the floor, I noticed a few messages from Cole’s wedding planner. We exchanged quite a few emails and texts regarding wedding locations, and I did a little happy dance when I saw all the locations in the top five were available on the date we needed it. Now Cole and Laney just had to look at them and tell us which they preferred. I would totally go for the one that had a fountain at the entrance, mostly because I could imagine taking perfect pictures at the edge of it, maybe jumping in at the end of the party for fun.
Oh, no, no. No daydreaming about my wedding. That was just dangerous!
I’d just started unpacking the box when I heard a knock at the front door. I looked up with a smile, which immediately dimmed. I expected Liam, but it was Kevin.
“Hi,” I greeted as he stepped in. I’d really found him attractive? He seemed so insipid now with his gray eyes and blond hair.
“Hey. Saw you pass by the food truck. I called after you, but you didn’t hear me.”
“Oh...I was just lost in my own head, as usual, I guess.”
He looked around the empty shop before focusing on me. “Am I interrupting something?”
“I need to unpack this box.” I wasn’t in the mood to speak to him. Actually, I just realized I wasn’t in the mood for this so-called friendship anymore.
“You’ve certainly done well for yourself, opening up a second store so quickly.”
Something in his tone was off.
“Thank you.”
“Do you have time for a late dinner? Or a cocktail?”
“No, not really.” I didn’t mention Liam, because it wasn’t any of Kevin’s business. Instead, I just pointed to the box.
“Come on, Tess. You’ve wanted to go out with me forever. Now’s your chance.” He winked in a very self-assured way.
“Excuse me? This is my chance? Who do you think you are?”
I felt blindsided. The last time I heard from him was when he asked about his chances with that bimbo weeks ago.
“You kept sticking around.”
“What the hell do you mean?” Okay, now I wasn’t just blindsided but mad.
“That you were hoping I’d eventually give you a shot. Well, I’m ready.”
Oh my God, this man is beyond annoying. How did I miss this? I pointed to the door. “Out.”
He frowned, jerking his head back. “What? Why?”
“I have no interest in going out with you. Now or anytime.”
“Well, it’s not really going out. We could go in your back room if you prefer. You look like you need a good fuck.”
What. The. Hell? He’d just played that friendship card so he could have me on call for a quick lay? Sometimes I wondered how I was still so naïve when it came to the games men played to get someone in bed. Even after years of bad dates, the occasional asshole still managed to surprise me. I couldn’t believe this. I was so pissed.
“You can’t talk to me like that.”
“Come on. This is New York. What do you want, flowers?”
“I want you to get out and never contact me again. You’re an asshole.”
“Why are you being difficult?”
I clenched my fists at my side. “You’re treating me like shit, and I won’t have any of it.”
“Jeez, I knew you’d be high maintenance. That’s why I said no in the first place. Women like you always think they’re better than the rest just because they make good money.”
Wait a second. That was his problem? He couldn’t deal with my success, so he put me down?
“Well, then, I’m high maintenance, and you’re an asshole. Get the hell out of here.”
My face felt hot as anger coursed through me.
When he didn’t budge, I walked to the door, opening it for him.
“Out! Don’t text me again, and don’t you dare show your face at either of the stores.”
“I pity the idiot who thinks fucking you is worth putting up with all your crazy.”
He smirked right before leaving.
I wanted to call out “Fuck You” for the entire street to hear, but I didn’t need a bad rep before we opened for business. Instead, I shut the door violently before leaning against it. I was fuming, and I still had to finish unpacking. I ordered some office supplies so Skye and I could work from here. We also ordered desks from IKEA, because they had the fastest delivery times, but those hadn’t been shipped yet.
As I was taking out the supplies, I had an idea. I should put an “Opening Soon” sign in the window. That way, passersby would already know something new was coming here. The sign with Soho Lingerie was nowhere near done, but a teaser would still help. I was also going to put the link to our website, advertising that people could subscribe to our newsletter if they wanted to be notified when the store opened.
The sound of the door opening caught my attention.
If Kevin had returned...
But thankfully it was Liam. The corners of my mouth instantly lifted.
“Hello, handsome. The box wasn’t heavy, so I brought it here myself. Your carrying skills aren’t necessary anymore, but I can think of a few fun ways in which you can show me those muscled arms.”
Liam wasn’t smiling. Something was off.
“I saw a guy leaving the store.”
My good m
ood plummeted. “Yeah...”
“Who was it? Kinda looked like that taco guy.”
“It was him. Kevin.”
Liam put his hands in his pockets, cocking his head to one side. Was he avoiding looking at me?
“Do you see him often?”
“Actually, no.” I was in no mood to talk about Kevin.
“I don’t want you to see him anymore.”
I bristled. “What?”
“There’s only one reason a guy plays the friendship card with a woman who’s asked him out. He wants to get you in his bed.”
“You’re trying to tell me who I can be friends with?”
I wasn’t quite sure why I was lashing out at him when he was completely right. Perhaps precisely because he was right. He hadn’t even met Kevin, yet he guessed his intentions when I’d been completely blind.
Liam came closer until there were only a few inches between us.
“No, I’m telling you that I don’t want to share.”
I put my hands on my hips. “What exactly do you think, that I have you both on speed dial and call each of you for quickies? What is wrong with everyone today? What did I do for people to treat me like crap?”
My face was blazing hot. My eyes were burning.
His expression changed from cold to concerned in a fraction of a second.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” he asked, reaching out with both hands.
“Just what I said. I must be doing something very wrong. You come in with all these accusations—”
“Tess, baby. I wasn’t accusing you of anything. I just...I’m crazy jealous when it comes to you. I can’t help myself. Just the thought of anyone wanting you makes me sick. Maybe I’m wrong about the guy—”
“You’re not. That was what he was here for.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Apparently, he thought I was going to jump in bed with him if he snapped his fingers. Got pissed at me that I didn’t. I told him never to show his face around me again. I can’t believe I didn’t see through him. How could I be so stupid?”
Liam closed the distance, touching my waist with one hand, my face with the other.
“Tess, you’re not stupid. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”
I smiled a little, soothed by his touch. “Are you trying to charm me so I’ll say yes to whatever you have in mind?”
“I mean it. Most people I know just assume the worst of everyone before they even meet them. You don’t. I think that’s refreshing. The downside is that you’re going to give idiots the benefit of the doubt, but now you have me. I’ll be happy to get them out of your way.”
“Want to be my personal bodyguard?”
“Fuck yes.”
“Does that mean you’re going to want to vet all my friends? I have strong opinions about that.”
“Only friends you’ve asked on dates.”
“Well, problem solved. I didn’t ask anyone recently, and right now, I only plan on asking out a certain sexy-as-hell investor who also wants to moonlight as my own personal knight.”
He feathered his thumb up and down my temple, skimming his lips over my forehead. “I’m sorry about my outburst. I just thought about you with another guy and I saw red.”
I leaned into his touch, soaking up all that alpha thing he had going on. I loved it.
“You’re quite possessive,” I teased.
“With you, I can’t be any other way. I want all of you all the time.”
He kissed my temple before moving down my cheek. And right there in his arms, I realized that I always held a bit of myself back when I’d been dating. I didn’t know if it was because of my parents’ divorce or because my intuition had been on point with those other men. But with Liam, I also wanted all of him, all the time.
My heart was beating fast. I wrapped my arms around him too, burying my face in his neck. I took exactly two breaths before he burst out laughing.
“You’re ticklish there?”
“Apparently so.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He pulled back a notch. “No, you won’t.”
I wiggled my eyebrows. “It’s important information. I might need it. And now that I know, I likely won’t forget.”
He touched his mouth to mine before capturing my lips altogether. The kiss was electrifying. He moved his hands all over my back, and I felt hot at every point of contact. And when I pressed my hips into his and realized he was hard? I nearly jumped him right there in the middle of the store.
Reluctantly, I stopped the kiss.
“You think that’s going to make me forget?” I teased. “Because it’s not working.”
“I’ve only just started.” His eyes were playful, but that glint of desire in them was unmistakable.
“Hmm...well, I feel compelled to tell you there’s no couch here or any soft surface. So don’t tempt me too much.”
He threw his head back, laughing. “I wasn’t going to.”
“What’s the plan, then?”
“I only have one for tomorrow, but I can’t move it to today. I just knew I wanted to see you. I needed to.”
Oh, that gave me butterflies. I barely kept from pressing my palm to my stomach. He needed to see me? Could he be any more swoonworthy?
“So, since we’re here, why don’t you show me around SoHo? You always rave about it. I’ve been around plenty of times, but I want to see it from your perspective.”
“You want to explore SoHo with me?” I couldn’t explain why I was excited, but I felt it like a huge personal victory every time I convinced someone that SoHo was the very best part of New York City.
“I just want to spend time with you. Doesn’t matter what we do.”
Perfect. I could finish unboxing tomorrow. I’d only come here to relieve the neighbor of the huge package.
I grinned from ear to ear. “In that case, prepare yourself to get a very unofficial tour from yours truly. A word of warning: it’ll take forever, and at the end of it, you’ll have to agree with me that this neighborhood is the best in New York.”
“Demanding, aren’t we?”
“Oh yeah.”
He pinched my ass, and I pinched him right back.
“Fine, I’ll agree, but on one condition: you’ll say yes to anything I want once it’s over.”
I laughed, shimmying my hips as I nodded. “Your negotiation skills are a little too good, you know that, right?”
Chapter Twenty
Tess
The next evening, I was meeting Liam at an address he texted me, along with the instructions not to google it. To my astonishment, I actually managed not to snoop! I tried my best yesterday to make him tell me what we were doing today, but he didn’t give anything away. Since he went to so much trouble to keep it a secret, I wanted to be surprised.
The Uber brought me in front of a cute restaurant at the entrance of Prospect Park. The brick-and-wood facade was simple but beautiful.
Liam was waiting for me, gazing down my body slowly as I exited the car. The man didn’t even need words to make me simmer. One look and I was done for.
“Mr. Harrington, you look even more handsome than I remember.”
Taking one hand, he pulled me against him. Cupping my face, he touched my lower lip with his thumb. I opened my mouth slightly, sucking in a breath. He kissed me the next second, deep and wet, and I nearly climbed him on the spot. He lowered his hands down the sides of my body, resting briefly on my waist before sliding to my bottom. I smiled against his mouth, pulling back a little.
“You’re not even trying to hide your dirty intentions,” I murmured.
He palmed my ass cheeks, wiggling his eyebrows. “Why should I?”
“I don’t know. You were all about talking and getting to know each other.”
“The two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”
I laughed, tilting forward and kissing his Adam’s apple. “Good thing I have a similar plan. And I want to start by kissing you
.”
He groaned slightly. I loved that sound; it was so primal and damn sexy. He grinned before kissing my jaw, then each corner of my mouth before feathering his lips against mine. I shuddered, feeling that light touch all over my body, including between my thighs.
Ah, first rule of the game. Don’t reveal your intentions.
Lesson learned, Liam. Lesson learned.
I pulled back, holding a finger in front of me.
“Maybe we should just head inside.”
Liam pressed his thumb at the corner of my mouth, trapping me with his gaze. “Maybe I should just change the plan completely. I don’t feel like sharing you with anyone tonight.”
“No, no, no. I’ve never had dinner on the docs. I’m excited about it.”
Something flickered in his eyes. He took my hand, kissing it before leading me through a gate next to the building.
We aren’t going inside?
A wooden pathway snaked ahead of us between thick trees. A pair of servers stood behind a huge table on the side of the pathway. It was packed with picnic baskets.
“Hi, I have a reservation under Harrington,” Liam said.
The blond server nodded, handing him a basket. “The number on the basket is also the one for your blanket.”
“Thanks,” Liam answered. He carried the basket on one side, taking my hand in the other one and leading me down the wooden staircase. I had this ball of energy and happiness lodged in my chest, and I felt like I might explode if I didn’t let it out. I shimmied my hips, taking in deep breaths. The air was chilly, and I knew it was going to be one of those evenings where I needed a thick blanket to keep me warm.
Or I could ask Liam to warm me up. I was sure he wouldn’t mind.
I soaked in our surroundings, the pink-orange sunset and the yellow and red leaves. On the docs were ten glass constructions, like small greenhouses, spread around, separated by rows of pampas grass. Inside each one was a table for two and some cozy swings.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” I murmured once we were inside.
We sat down on the swing next to each other. It was warm inside from heaters, but Liam threw a blanket over me anyway. The swing was huge, more like a bench. We could even lie down next to each other and we’d fit.