“So what are you saying? You don’t want the baby?” I ask, glaring at him with disdain and heartache.He doesn’t respond and the silence between us stretches for what feels like hours. I watch as he turns his gaze away from me, looking at the floor, then back at me. He reaches toward me, takes both of my hands in his, and holds them tight.The intensity of my emotions causes the tears to well up in my eyes. I blink rapidly in hopes that they will stop, but they only become more uncontrollable. I let out a sob of anguish and drop my face into my hands. When I look up, Liam is watching me with wide, shocked eyes.“Oh, Lily…Come here, please.”He pulls me in towards himself and wraps his strong, comforting arm around me.“You are so important to me, you have become so much more in my life these past months. I need you.”His voice breaks slightly as he continues to rub my back and stroke my head gently.“ Truth is, I guess I want a family someday, but I have not dwelled on it that much. I don’
“Can we go in now or do you want to stand here staring at the door for a little longer?”He asks in his usual joking tone. I laugh and shake my head.“I want to stare at you if you don’t mind.”“On the contrary, I don’t. But I think you can catch a better view of me in my office.”He winks at me and I blush bright red before leading the way to his office, feeling giddy and happy, all worries from a moment ago gone in a flash. I sit on the couch across the room from his desk as he closes the door and comes to sit beside me.“How have you been?”He asks.“Not good. You didn’t call or text all weekend, no fair.”“You said you needed some time with your friend, Christie. So as hard as it was for me, I had to respect that and keep my distance.”“I needed time with Christie– doesn’t mean I needed time away from you.”“I’m sorry princess.”He says, inching his hand closer to mine. He locks his hand with mine and holds it tightly, giving it a reassuring squeeze.“I’m sorry I stayed away for so long
“Looks like it’s too late for that anyway. You’ve fallen head over heels already.”Christie laughs and gives me a quick peck on the cheek before she makes a move to exit the kitchen. I suddenly begin to feel very lightheaded and nauseous. A small, dull throbbing pulses behind my eyes and I feel like I’m going to be sick. That can’t be good. I’ve not been sick in ages yet suddenly, here I am feeling faint and dizzy. I try to shake it off and focus instead on preparing dinner but the feeling is so persistent, I find myself clinging onto the edge of the counter for support. The aroma, once inviting, now churns my stomach, and I clench my fists, fighting the urge to vomit.“Are you ok,babe?” Christie asks as she walks back toward me, concern etched across her face. She reaches down and squeezes my shoulder. I can hear the worry seeping through her voice. “Hey, breathe. Let me check you.”I nod, trying to calm my nerves, my breathing becoming shallower. Then, without warning, nausea takes
Lily“What’s up!” Christie asks from where she’s leaning against the kitchen counter watching me prepare dinner. I'm staying at her place for a few nights, as we catch up on the last few weeks. My mum is away on one of her business trips which we both know involves anything but business. My dad’s close friend, George, and my brother run the company while she enjoys the profits from it. Dean on the other hand is back off shore, only this time he's promised to be back in a few days.I have the constant conflict between myself and my mom to thank for his change of heart. With how much time he's spending at home now, he could be retiring soon from his service to the country, if he hasn't started considering it already.A smile crosses my face as I turn around to greet her with a grin. It's a near-permanent gesture these days. I mean, there's a whole lot to be happy about and by a whole lot, I mean Liam. He seems to be everything that's been missing in my life. It still amazes me how I've
“It’s the truth, Lily. I’ve got eyes for you only.”“Right.” She drawls.I tilt her head up so I can press my lips against hers properly. I pull back, smiling at the little blush rising on her cheeks and the way she closes her eyes and breathes deeply. “Now come here.” I say quietly, pushing her onto her feet. She wraps her arms around my neck as I pick her up easily, setting her on top of my desk.“What are we doing?” She asks softly, looking down at me. Her eyes are filled with wonder and I can’t help but smile at her adorableness.“You’re getting punished, while I’m gonna enjoy myself.” I say, running my hands down her sides and resting them on her hips. She tenses momentarily at my touch and then relaxes, leaning into me.“What for?”“For tampering with my artwork, and for not bursting into my office earlier.”“I simply helped you take out the trash in both instances. You don’t need to thank me.” She winks.There it is again, that mouth of hers. My favorite part of her.“Words lik
She raises a brow in response. “Twenty dollars?”My smile breaks into a grin. “You know that’s not possible. Twenty million.”“Fine. Add that to the rest of my purchases and have your secretary or whoever send an invoice to my accountant. I will expect to have it delivered to me as soon as you can—In person, if possible. I think I’d like that better.”Well, that went a lot faster and easier than I expected.“Sure!” I answer easily. “That won’t be a problem.”A smug smile appears on her lips as she sits up straight, another seductive look crossing her delicate features. “Now that that’s settled..” She says, getting up from her seat, almost knocking it over. I watch as she walks to the door and shuts it. She takes a few short steps towards me before she bends down and plants a soft kiss on my cheek. When she straightens back up she stares into my eyes. “How about we get down to business?” She whispers against my cheek.“Layla, I can’t—”“C‘mon. You’re not scared, are you?”“No. I’m not.
Liam…..THREE WEEKS LATER.“I must admit your collection is really beautiful.” Layla, another one of my biggest clients says as she gazes at the painting on the wall beside mine. Another one of those extremely wealthy clients that got their fortune from a late husband.“How did you get that?” She continues to stare, mesmerized by the beauty of the artwork.I smile. “Which?”“That’sPortrait of Paul Eluardaif I’m not mistaken, a vintage Salvador Dalì painting? How did you get your hands on that?” She asks again. This time her tone is more curious and she seems to be very impressed. It fills me with a sense of pride. The effort of both creating good art and collecting it, has cost quite a fortune, but it’s worth it when it gets the praise from the right people.“Let’s just say I go all out when I want something.” I reply. A smile plays at the corners of my mouth. From the sultry look that appears in Layla’s eyes, I know she’s read the wrong meaning into my comment so I quickly give her a
I nod, smiling shyly as he looks at me intently, his eyes softening, a light smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.“Even though you thought you were going to throw up after the ride on the Ferris wheel,”Liam chuckles.“I thought we agreed never to bring that up ever again?”“Did we?”“Yeah, we did. Since we’re going down that route, it was fun to see you all drenched to your bones.The highlight of my week in Paris.”I break off laughing and Liam joins me, throwing his head back and chuckling.“I guess we’re even then.”He turns back to looking out the plane’s window, watching theocean’s view below usand a comfortable silence settles between us for a minute. Then, Liam clears his throat lightly.“I really hope we keep this going, Lily. In one week, you’ve given me something I don’t think I can live without. Made me feel things I never thought were possible for me to feel again.”It takes a few seconds for what he’s said to fully register. When it does, I can’t help but blush furious
LilyAll good things must come to an end after all. Back to the chaos of reality, our jobs in general, and for me, my mom. We’re in Liam’s private jet and for the two hours of the trip so far, save for a fewstolenglances here and there, it’s been dead quiet. Not completely unexpected after our sex romp the night before.We had both woken up groggy from that onecoupled with the extra exhaustion from the fair, and it had taken everything for us to get out of the bed, let alone keep to our decision to travel.Liam stares outside his window with an unreadable expression on his face. Hisblueeyes are focused ahead and his mind seems afar off. He doesn’t react much when I nudge his shoulder,the silence between us becoming uncomfortable. Heremainslost in thought again, so I try to make conversation.“Hi!”I say cheerfully. His gaze snaps over to me, and the momentary look of surprise is followed by a forced smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.“You okay?”I inquire softly. Liam sighs, rubbing the