60

NORA

Shit times a hundred.

Why did I think signing up for Mark’s silly idea was a good move? Liam looked like he'd just gotten off the elevator and had stumbled across a ghost. He was walking next to another manager whose eyes went wide when he spotted us.

But I couldn't care less about him and my job. All that mattered was this beautiful blue-eyed man staring at me like I had just shattered his entire world.

He looked just as good as he did in regular clothes on Friday.

Like Mark, his suit was tailored perfectly to his lean body, exuding an aura that screamed sophistication. But the way he looked at me was like he wanted to grab me and take me to the closest empty room, like I was the moon. His world revolved around him, that was what almost brought me to my knees.

But that look of longing quickly disappeared, replaced by a Stoic, indecipherable one. I was at a loss for words.

Was pretending to date Mark a bad idea? It was clear as day that Liam felt something for me, but was it enough to fight for me? To battle it out with his blood brother for a woman he'd met two months ago?

Mark was quick to break the silence that had ensued. “Brother,” he threw his hands up. “It’s so good to see you again,”

Liam regained his composure and tilted his head to the side a bit before shaking it and closing the space between us.

“Don't you have somewhere to be today?” Liam’s voice was smooth, but rough around the edges in a way that mesmerized me.

“Ah, yes. But I just wanted to drop in and show my girlfriend some love.”

“Girlfriend?” Liam glanced at me, his face still expressionless. “I didn't know you were dating my assistant,”

“You don't know everything about me,” I interjected, instantly regretting the moment the words tumbled out of my lips.

Liam made a sound in the back of his throat and I resisted the urge to swoon. “I see that now,” he said, a forced smile lifting his lips. “I've got a meeting to see to, you two have fun,”

Then he was gone, sauntering into the boardroom like the recent revelations hadn't bothered him in any way.

~

As one would expect, the meeting was incredibly tense. Liam was more prickly than a cactus and everyone was trying so hard not to piss him off.

But my nerves got the best of me, causing me to rap my pen against the table over and over again. It earned me several glares from the middle-aged man sitting next to me.

But I wasn't the only one bothered about something. Anna was also battling her issues. She was very distracted, her usually professional mood was gone, replaced by one I hadn't seen in her before. I didn't know enough about her personal life to say for sure, but it kind of seemed like something was up with her.

I made a mental note to check in with her later, but for now, I had my own problems to deal with.

The meeting had ended an hour ago and while I was sent back to my desk to organize the points I typed out on my computer, Liam wasn't back in his office yet.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was avoiding me. But I wasn't that much of a big deal that the CEO of this building would stall returning to his office because of.

I bit the end of my pen, shoulders deflating as my eyes locked into the huge bouquet on my desk. The ones from last weekend were nowhere to be found, so I assumed the cleaners had trashed them.

I sighed, running my fingers over the soft red petals. I tried so hard not to wish that they'd come from someone else, but I felt bad for the roses. I just didn't have it in me to take care of them.

“Oh Em Geeee. We heard the news, but we thought it was untrue!”

I looked up with a frown, a sheepish smile stretching over my lips as Rose came into view. This was the first time I had seen her without Anita and, for some reason, it made me a bit uncomfortable.

It wasn't that I did like Rose, it was simply that she was loud.

What're you doing here?”

She snorted a laugh. “Some building plan docs to drop off,” she showed off the files in the crook of her elbow.

“Are you allowed to tell me what's in there?”

She shrugged. “No idea, but let's push that aside. Who are the flowers from?”

My smile was tight. Not only was Rose loud, she was a full-blown gossip. I definitely couldn't tell her the truth, or that it had been the boss’s brother. If I did, I'd be strutting through the building with all eyes glued on me.

“Uhm, my boyfriend,”

“That is insane. We've never had someone throw a grand feature like this. These roses are beautiful,” she pouted, “just like me. Oh, what would I do to have flowers like this?”

Then an idea struck me. “You can have the roses,”

She paused and lifted a brow, but I saw the excitement brimming in her eyes. She reached out for it when I nodded, but she retracted her hands as though the flowers were poison. “I really shouldn't. These are from your boyfriend,”

I leaned in, reducing my voice to a whisper. “I have so many more of these at home, it's literally like I'm living in a rose bush,”

Her eyes went wide, “really? Your man must really love you.”

“He does, but I don't have room for any more flowers.”

Rose finally accepted the roses, a huge smile on her face as she abandoned the file she was holding to pick up the bouquet. “It would look so gorgeous on my kitchen counter,” then she whirled away after blowing me a kiss.

Problem solved. With a happy smile, I whirled around in my swivel seat, feeling victorious. I couldn't be the center of attention if there were no flowers on my desk.

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke through my moment of happiness and as my vision slowly returned into focus, Liam’s impassive face was staring back at me.

I shot up to my feet, a little embarrassed. But he didn't say anything other than, “Are you having fun?”

A blush crept up my cheeks and I bent my head forward to hide it behind my hair. I could've sworn I saw the ghost of a smile on his face when I glanced back at him.

“Just excited.”

“Mhm,”

A small silence ensued between us before he finally broke it. “Saw Rose dancing off with your flowers,” He lifted a brow. “Don't like them anymore?”

I shrugged, panic raising my heart rate. “I love the flowers. Just Uhm, Rose loved them more,”

He chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Nora, you and I spent several weeks in a room together. I saw what happened to the flowers Mark gave you. You don't like flowers, do you?”

If I was embarrassed before, I am more than mortified right now. Liam could see through me. Whether it was a result of our time together at the resort or something else, he could boldly say that he knew me to an extent.

What was I to say to his observation? He'd caught me red-handed. A small weird laugh escaped my lips. “He likes to bring them, and I don't want to be that kind of girlfriend who complains about stuff…”

“I don't know, Miss Parker, it's a little strange you can't talk to your boyfriend, isn't it?”

Without another word, he strolled into his office.