She was so surprised by his casual and blunt announcement she didn’t know what to say. She felt a burst of joy, which she quickly squelched. “That’s pretty presumptuous, isn’t it? Shouldn’t you have asked me?”
He put his phone down and smiled at her with that crazy dimple that only appeared when he was up to something. Loosening his tie, he stood and walked into her bedroom, stopping to pick up his bag on the way.
She followed him. “Are you going to answer me?”
“Yeah, I probably should ask, but even if you say no, I’m still staying.”
“Why?”
“Why what?” He was being deliberately obtuse.
“Why are you spending the night?”
He took off his jacket and hung it in her closet. “I want to stick close to you for a little while.”
She put her hands on her hips. “This has something to do with Phillips, doesn’t it? I saw you talking to him, and you and he both looked so serious. Something happened, didn’t it?”
He wasn’t at all reluctant to explain. “Phillips has been talking to Bale. The guy has a grudge against you.”
“Why? What did I do to him?”
“You didn’t do anything to him,” he assured her. “When you found the leak in his Detroit office, you embarrassed him. Somehow he thought you manipulated information to implicate people who worked for him. He was in charge of the operation there, but he didn’t want to take responsibility for the lack of security. He had to blame someone. In his warped mind you’re the reason people lost their jobs.”
“But that’s ridiculous . . . isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” he answered quietly. “Bale wasn’t being rational, so Phillips told him to take leave for a couple of months. He came back this morning, and he’s still pretty hot under the collar. Phillips hasn’t decided what to do about him yet, but his career might be over. Until this gets sorted out, I thought I’d stick around.”
He unzipped his bag and took out his shaving kit and a pair of faded boxers. While she stood watching, he stripped out of his clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. She tried not to stare at his bronzed muscular back. A minute later she heard the shower running.
Every thought running through her head only added to her confusion. She knew she had to keep her distance from him. It was the only way she could protect herself. But every time she got close to him, she wanted to throw herself into his arms. Sleeping together certainly wouldn’t help her move forward. Yet she still wanted to. She didn’t seem to know her own mind anymore.
She forced herself to stop worrying, undressed, and put on a short pink silk nightgown. It had thin spaghetti straps and was low cut into a deep V. Was she wearing it to entice him? Of course she was. And that was the very thing she had vowed not to do. Realizing the mistake she was making, she came to her senses and decided to change into an old T-shirt. Unfortunately, before she could do that, the door opened and there he stood, staring at her. He seemed frozen.
When he finally took a step forward, she walked around him and went into the bathroom. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, and tried to think of anything that would take her mind off him. Her thoughts rambled and she was suddenly wondering about Bale again. Had she gotten people fired? What had she done wrong? Liam and Phillips had seemed so intense back at the office, so they must have thought Bale posed a real danger. Why else would Liam be staying close?
She opened the door and came to a quick stop. Liam was in her bed. He’d stretched out on his back with his hands stacked on his chest and his eyes closed. His gun and badge were on the table next to her cell phone. The lights were out in the living room. She checked to make sure the door was locked with the dead bolt in place, and as she turned back, she looked at the sofa and shook her head. She should have placed a pillow and blanket on it so he would know that was where he was supposed to sleep.
She considered the sofa for herself but quickly rejected the idea. It was her bed and she was going to sleep in it. Decision made, she grabbed her body lotion from the dresser and walked to the other side of the bed. Sitting with her back propped against the headboard, she opened the bottle and squeezed a couple of drops into her hand.
“Liam?” She whispered his name the first time, shouted it the second time.
“Yes?”
“Are you asleep?”
The light coming from the bathroom was dim, but she could see his smile. “I was,” he said.
She rubbed the lotion on her arms while she studied him. He was one fine-looking man, she thought for about the hundredth time. That shouldn’t have mattered because it was a superficial reason for liking someone. Did she like him? Of course she did. She not only liked him; she loved him.
Allison put more lotion on her legs, and when she was finally finished, she smelled like a gardenia. “How many people worked in the Detroit office?”
“I’m not sure. Why?”
“Did I get them all fired?”
He didn’t open his eyes when he answered, “No.”
“You said Bale thinks I’m the reason people were fired. He isn’t wrong. I am the reason.”
He could hear the anxiety in her voice. He rolled onto his side and pulled her down next to him. “You shouldn’t be worrying about this.”
“Did I get them fired?”
“A few people were fired, but there have been problems with the Detroit office for a while, and it was going to close at some point anyway. Most of the employees are being transferred to other locations. What you did was find the source of a serious leak. The man they arrested put countless lives in danger. He insisted that Bale knew about it and encouraged him. We haven’t found any proof of that, but Bale’s pissed that it all happened under his watch and he feels backed into a corner.”
“But I was the one who—”
He wouldn’t let her continue. “Bale doesn’t want to accept any of the blame, and that’s why he’s blaming you.” He yawned. “You’ve had a long day. You should get some sleep.”
She didn’t know if she should address the fact that he was in her bed and shouldn’t be, or if she should just let it go.
Liam rolled onto his back, but this time brought her with him and held her cuddled up against his side. “Allison, I’ll keep you safe.”
“I know, but what if he—”
She raised her head and he gently pushed it back down on his shoulder and kissed her forehead before closing his eyes again. “If he tries to hurt you, I’ll kill him.”
NINETEEN
Allison slept until late morning. Liam was already dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt. His ever-present gun was on his hip. He looked relaxed. He’d rolled up his sleeves and was in the kitchen talking on the phone.
She put on her pink robe and headed to the refrigerator for a glass of orange juice, but as she tried to pass him he turned and saw her. His phone conversation stopped in midsentence. Putting his phone on mute, he took a step toward her and pinned her against the counter. Then, with his hand behind her neck, he pulled her to him and kissed her. She felt as though she were melting on the spot. He didn’t seem to be affected at all. As soon as he ended the kiss, he went right back to talking on the phone. She didn’t move for several seconds, waiting until she was sure her legs would support her. When she finally had the strength, she opened the refrigerator, took out a gallon of milk, and walked out of the kitchen. She made it to her bedroom door before she realized what she was carrying. Without a word she turned around and took the milk back. To his credit he didn’t laugh, but she knew he wanted to.
What had just happened? He had kissed her as though it was the most natural thing in the world and didn’t affect him in the least, and yet it had made her weak-kneed. Might as well face it, she told herself. Liam was a sophisticated and worldly man, and she was inexperienced and naive about such things as sex and romance. What meant everything to her was just sex to him. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t spelled it all out for her from the very beginning so there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding. Sex was just sex, he’d told her, and because he led such an unpredictable life, a long-term commitment to any woman wasn’t possible. The fact was, he didn’t like the notion of being tied down anyway. Her eyes were finally open, and as painful as it was, she had to deal with reality.