Eden was floored by Liam's announcement, the butterflies in her stomach skipping out of control again while her heart jumped to her throat.
His half-empty bottle of wine didn't seem like a terrible idea now. Maybe a glass, half even, would do a fantastic job of calming her nerves because, quite frankly, her Evian water wasn't cutting it. But the last time she touched alcohol, she ended up in Liam's bed and pregnant with his child she's yet to inform him of.
To avoid making another catastrophic mistake, Eden picked up her water instead, her hand trembling slightly. "I don't think that's going to be possible."
"Why not?" Liam asked, his eyebrows shooting up. "You don't believe I can make you mine, Princess? You doubt me?"
The only person Eden doubted in this whole thing was her.
It would be so easy to give in to Liam, to be swept up in the excitement of possibility, to fall in love with the idea of 'what ifs' and allow herself to be consumed by
Sometime before lunch, the phone on Eden's desk rang. She knew it's Liam; no one else called her office line. She ignored it and stared listlessly at Isaac's place of employment, at his colleagues puffing away on Marlboros or maybe Stuyvesant's on the rooftop. Tormented beyond her limits by memories of her dinner with Liam last night, Eden finally gave in to the urge. She rifled through her purse, pulled out some notes and dashed to the breakroom, ignoring Liam's frantic calls behind her. She spent a good two minutes in front of the vending machine, unable to decide between her very limited options. The cigarette brand was important; she knew that much; it said something about one's social standing. She may not be the prettiest or smartest candle in the room, but she had class and grace and poise, and her cigarette choice should reflect all her shining qualities. She shoved the notes in the slot and pressed the corresponding numbers of her bra
Eden was still recovering from Liam's announcement when he stunned her again with more revelations of his big plans for their future. "I'm too old to be running around and meeting up in hotels, and I sure as hell won't be waking up in your dinky little house." "Excuse me?" Eden seethed. Did he just insult her house? Did he know how much money she's poured into her place, all that love and time? "My house is hardly little or dinky!" She said, dumping her fork on her plate. "I've worked very hard to do up my place. So for you to insult it, it's truly disheartening, Mr Anderson." "It's Liam. No more 'Mr Anderson'," he reminded her. "And I'm sorry, it wasn't meant as an insult. I should have said it's not as big as this place and won't be comfortable. This place is perfect." "Perfect for what? Perfect for who?" "For us, of course!" Liam groaned and impatiently ran his hand through his hair, his eyes narrowing in her directi
Eden didn't make it far at all when she heard Liam's rapid footsteps behind her, and in a heartbeat, he had her caged in his arms in a possessive embrace, and he crushed her mouth with his in a fiery, angry kiss. She matched his hunger and anger and excitement, and it wasn't long before they were entangled on the couch, totally intoxicated and enraptured with each other. "This is how good we'll be, Princess!" Liam kissed her neck, his hands running all over her body and down lower to her inner thigh, tracing a sensual line along her panty line. "Tell me you don't want me—" He teased her, running his thumb sumptuously on her through her underwear, his voice low and intense, his eyes heavy with the same yearning Eden was pretty sure clouded hers. "— And I'll let you go." He added as he leaned over and kissed her hard, igniting a swirling heat deep in her core. "I—Umm—" Eden tried to protest, but good Lord, his tongue in her mouth and his roguish
On their way to Eden's place in Forrest Creek, Liam reminded her about the company's plans to sign Lydia Edwards as Anderson Logistics' brand ambassador. "How soon can we secure that meeting?" He asked, giving her a sidelong glance. "I haven't had a chance to chat to her," Eden admitted as she stared listlessly outside the window, at the high-rise apartments zooming by. "And frankly, I don't like using my connections—" Liam closed his eyes and breathed in hard, trying his best not lose his shit. But Eden was seriously testing his patience. "Listen to me carefully, Princess." He said, gritting his teeth. "Your insanely high salary hinges on this meeting." "But that's marketing's job." Eden insisted, her mouth set in a stubborn line as she crossed her arms and stared straight ahead. "And you are in the marketing area, aren't you?" Liam pointed out. "How many times do I have to tell you talent sourcing has tried many times to secure a mee
The digital display on the dash said it's 8:15 PM. It's late. But not late enough for Linda to have gone home already. Liam's appointment with her was scheduled for the day after tomorrow, but he couldn't wait that long. He had to chat with her ASAP. She didn't sound too impressed when he called her, but she agreed to a thirty-minute chat. The building was nearly empty, and he wasn't likely to run into anyone, so he took the public elevator to Linda's floor. "Couldn't this wait? We're supposed to meet in two days," she said as she showed him inside. "Nice to see you too, Linda." Liam smiled and headed straight to the couch. "And no, it couldn't wait. I have news!" He spent the first ten minutes of their spur of the moment meeting, updating his therapist on his two romantic evenings with Eden. Normally he liked to sit up for their chats, but today he wanted to act like a real patient and get his money's worth.
The plan for Eden was to sneak into work very early, like the crack of dawn early, so she could return Liam's blazer without attracting too much attention, and maybe before he even came in because, after last night, she was confused as fuck, and needed a moment to work through her feelings and his proposal. But sometimes, even the best-laid plans can go awry, as Eden discovered. She overslept. And by the time she made it to work—dressed in a drab grey dress, her hair pulled back in a low messy bun—both the visitors' and staff parking lots were already packed to capacity, and the building was just as full. Trying to sneak into Liam's office was no longer an option. The seductive dragon was very likely already sitting on his throne, waiting for her to crawl to him and beg to be pleased, like he had last night. Boy, did he please her! She'd spent the whole night, tossing and turning, reliving every little moment on that couch, eve
There were many similarities between Eden and Zara. Like her, the head of HR wasn't the prettiest candle in the room, and she also had a questionable dress sense. But superficial qualities aside, they still had plenty in common. Zara was a young mom and a single parent, too. They'd chatted a few times in the elevators and corridors about their babies—both nineteen months old—and had even attempted a play date or two, but their conflicting schedules had put a brake on those plans. They weren't the best of friends. But other than Clara, Zara was probably the only other woman Eden is close to at work. Today though, Zara, sitting across from her in a sixteen-seater boardroom on the 35th floor, wasn't meeting with her as a friend and fellow member of the young Moms' Club. She had a tough message to deliver. After the usual standard check-in and confirming her mental wellbeing's well above average and her sanity meter was in the green range, Zara got to the heart of their chit chat. "
Still raw from her encounter with Lucy earlier and reeling from the warning she didn't see coming, Eden dreaded going back to the battleground, to the place where all the drama began, but she'd already missed out on three hours of work. Matthew's reports and minutes weren't going to type themselves. Gibby's training and handover session, too, wouldn't attend itself. With a loud sigh, she pushed her office door and stepped inside. Instead of being blown away by all the elegance surrounding her like she was earlier, Eden was suddenly filled with a rage so fierce if she didn't find something to distract herself, and if she didn't look for something to do, she was so convinced it would swallow her up. She glared at Liam's blazer on her desk, hating him a little. She knew it's irrational. But she needed someone to blame for her anger and hurt, and Liam was the perfect scapegoat. He should have left her broom closet the way it was, and he sh