67

LIAM

Nora’s breaths were soft, puncturing the quiet in the room. I could see the pulse in her neck throbbing against her skin, begging me to lean in and take a bite. She smelt like all the roses Mark liked to stuff her with. It was intoxicating.

Nora was quiet, her body rigid, as though she was trying her utmost best to keep her hands to herself. A small smile tilted the corners of my lips. She was so freaking cute and she didn't even know it.

But as much as I wanted to kiss her or even bend her over my desk, I couldn't. She was with Mark. And I hated that fact, but I couldn't be messing around with his girlfriend.

The morning at the café had been a mistake. A mistake that I loved, but a mistake nonetheless.

With a sigh, I pulled away from Nora’s trembling form, instead taking a seat on the edge of my desk. Right in front of her.

She clamped her legs tightly, squeezing them together. My eyes trailed the movement, but it bordered on workplace harassment, so I hurriedly averted them back to her eyes. She was watching me, but she didn't make any comments.

I cleared my throat, trying to hide the fact that my heart had literally leaped when our eyes jammed.

For all my exterior coolness, I was a sucker for this woman on the inside.

She had no idea what she had done to me. That she could get me on my knees for her in just two simple breaths.

But we had to get to business. As much as I wanted this woman in my life and my bed, I also wanted her to succeed. And if Anna was sending her up to my office to pitch a potential investment opportunity, I had to give her a shot.

“Let’s begin,”

She blinked at me before her eyes went wide. “Begin what?”

I raised a brow. “The AI company…”

I saw the moment it clicked that we were supposed to be having a business meeting. Her lips formed an ‘O’ and she straightened up in her seat. A smile threatened to break on my lips, but I bit down on the lower to prevent it.

I was supposed to be in full CEO mode. I didn't need to be smiling like an airhead. But I couldn't help it. Even the simplest things Nora did made me smile. Like how she was biting the end of her pen as her eyes skimmed the documents in her hands.

Shit. My pants felt tighter, and I shifted on the desk. Fuck. Why did I have to sit right in front of her?

She was oblivious to my current predicament, so I snatched a random file from my desk to hide my potential boner.

I cleared my throat, signaling her to get started. The faster we got this over with, the quicker she left. The last thing I needed was Anna to walk in to find me hiding a boner. She'd get suspicious and everything would crumble to shit.

“Sorry, I'm a little nervous,” her smile was self-deprecating. I wanted to tell her to never be nervous around me, but I was nervous too. I merely nodded.

“Yeah well, NovaTech has developed a revolutionary AI-powered diagnostic tool for the healthcare industry.” her eyes flitted from the document in her hands to mine. Their pitch was impressive. They've got a strong team, a clear vision, and a solid business plan. "We believe they have the potential to disrupt the entire medical diagnostics space.”

I nodded, urging her to continue. “We've done our due diligence, and the numbers look promising. With our investment, they'll be able to scale their operations, expand their marketing efforts, and further develop their technology.”

When she was done, I leaned back and crossed my legs at the ankles. “I saw. And what kind of return on investment are we looking at?”

Her response was swift. “We're projecting a minimum of 3x return over the next 5 years, with the potential for much higher returns if they continue to execute on their plan.”

I raised my brow. That was impressive. If NovaTech's technology has the potential to create a significant social impact, it could improve healthcare outcomes and save lives.

“That sounds like a good deal. But what about the risks? "What do you think could go wrong?” With deals like this, one can never be too careful. Nora looked to be in deep thought, weighing all the options. Her lips mouthed words, as though she was considering all possible risks.

“We've identified several potential risks, including regulatory challenges, competition from established players, and the need for significant further investment to scale the business,” a deep breath. “However, we believe that the potential rewards outweigh these risks.”

I could almost smile. My girl was learning fast. “What's the proposed investment amount?”

“We're recommending a $5 million investment in exchange for a 10% equity stake.”

I got to my feet, boner long forgotten. Nora impressed me with her ability to conduct research and understand business and risks.

“Alright, I'll consider it. Get me the detailed proposal and financial. I'll review them and get back to you within the week.”

The smile on her face was almost relieved. She looked pleased with herself, as she should be. I wanted to capture the moment and store it in my back pocket forever. But that would be too much, even for me.

Just as I contemplated my next move in this awkward tension, my phone rang, parting through the flood of emotions in the room.

I snatched it off the table. Carl.

He'd only call if there was something tangible to report. I glanced over at Nora. She was watching me with rapt attention, hazel eyes eager to know why I was so tense.

“Carl,” I greeted.

His voice was steady and certain as he said, “We found a link between this dude and Gemma Shaw,”

My blood ran cold. Carl had been looking into Gemma since she returned to Atlanta. He’d reported that she had been AWOL for a while. But if she was suddenly showing up on his radar, it meant one thing: she wasn't done with Nora yet.