Brigit’s glance at her was mild enough, Natalie sensed the power of her personality.
“It’s really turned lovely after that rain, hasn’t it?” Brigit directed her question toward Natalie with friendly politeness.
She doesn’t know who you are, a voice in her head shouted. If she did, she wouldn’t be so civil.
She recognized that Liam’s mother was trying to ease Natalie’s discomfort, but Brigit’s attempt had the opposite effect, for several reasons, one being that Brigit seemed perfectly comfortable with the idea of coming upon her youngest son while he was making out with a woman. Of course, Brigit had probably witnessed him dallying with countless females since he was old enough to date. Natalie was just another forgetful face in the ongoing stream of women that paraded across the stage of Liam’s life.
She’d hired him to do a job. One second, their arrangement had been going fine—professional, if tense—and the next she’d been melting beneath Liam’s kiss like a pieceof chocolate dropped on the pavement beneath a scalding summer sun.
“Excuse me,” Natalie murmured throatily as she threaded her way between Liam’s body and her car. She felt Liam’s stare tingling on her neck, but she got in her car and shut the door without another word. Casting a furtive glance at Liam and his mother, she turned her vehicle in the circular turnabout and drove off. Brigit looked a little confused, but Liam’s face looked fixed and somber. Undoubtedly, he was already regretting that kiss.
Why had Liam kissed her? Natalie wondered for the thousandth time as she locked up the office two nights later.
Once again, she was the last one to leave. Out of her two officemates, both attorneys, she was the only single one, and her work habits reflected the fact that she had no one to rush home to at night.
She did a mental eye roll when she realized she was feeling sorry for herself. It was a new thing for her, to mope about her single status or about the fact that she occasionally experienced feelings of acute loneliness. She’d had the recurrent feeling since her mother had died. Natalie didn’t like to consider that this mood had settled much more since last Sunday.
Since Liam’s kiss.
It was a beautiful August night. The sun had set, but its dusky pink afterglow lingered in the sky over Lake Michigan. Instead of walking to her car, Natalie strolled down Main Street toward the harbor, removing her suit jacket in order to better appreciate the mild breeze coming off the lake.
She had to admit the truth—that kiss had rattled her comfortable world. Natalie wasn’t too pleased about that. She’d obviously underestimated her ability to invite Liam Kavanaugh into her organized life and not be shaken up by his dynamic, volatile presence.
Somehow, the memories of how she’d felt under the influence of Liam’s coaxing mouth and knowing hands had crowded everything else out of her mind…including the reason she’d hired him. Her obsession to know more about the reasons for Derry Kavanaugh’s actions on the night of the crash had faded to the background during the past few days.
The realization made her want to call Liam. Why shouldn’t she check in for an update on his investigation? The longer she avoided him, the more it would seem obvious that his kiss had actually been significant.
She was digging in her briefcase for her cell phone when someone shouted her name. She looked across the street, her hand still jammed in her bag. Liam stood in the parking lot of Jake’s Place, a popular local restaurant and bar. He waved his hand in a beckoning gesture as she just stared at him for a moment, frozen in surprise at suddenly seeing the object of her chaotic thoughts.
“Hey,” he said pleasantly when she crossed the street and approached him. He wore a pair of jeans and an open-collared dark gray shirt. He stood next to a sleek, silver and black motorcycle. Natalie had no doubt it was his. Marc and
“It’s really turned lovely after that rain, hasn’t it?” Brigit directed her question toward Natalie with friendly politeness.
She doesn’t know who you are, a voice in her head shouted. If she did, she wouldn’t be so civil.
She recognized that Liam’s mother was trying to ease Natalie’s discomfort, but Brigit’s attempt had the opposite effect, for several reasons, one being that Brigit seemed perfectly comfortable with the idea of coming upon her youngest son while he was making out with a woman. Of course, Brigit had probably witnessed him dallying with countless females since he was old enough to date. Natalie was just another forgetful face in the ongoing stream of women that paraded across the stage of Liam’s life.
She’d hired him to do a job. One second, their arrangement had been going fine—professional, if tense—and the next she’d been melting beneath Liam’s kiss like a pieceof chocolate dropped on the pavement beneath a scalding summer sun.
“Excuse me,” Natalie murmured throatily as she threaded her way between Liam’s body and her car. She felt Liam’s stare tingling on her neck, but she got in her car and shut the door without another word. Casting a furtive glance at Liam and his mother, she turned her vehicle in the circular turnabout and drove off. Brigit looked a little confused, but Liam’s face looked fixed and somber. Undoubtedly, he was already regretting that kiss.
Why had Liam kissed her? Natalie wondered for the thousandth time as she locked up the office two nights later.
Once again, she was the last one to leave. Out of her two officemates, both attorneys, she was the only single one, and her work habits reflected the fact that she had no one to rush home to at night.
She did a mental eye roll when she realized she was feeling sorry for herself. It was a new thing for her, to mope about her single status or about the fact that she occasionally experienced feelings of acute loneliness. She’d had the recurrent feeling since her mother had died. Natalie didn’t like to consider that this mood had settled much more since last Sunday.
Since Liam’s kiss.
It was a beautiful August night. The sun had set, but its dusky pink afterglow lingered in the sky over Lake Michigan. Instead of walking to her car, Natalie strolled down Main Street toward the harbor, removing her suit jacket in order to better appreciate the mild breeze coming off the lake.
She had to admit the truth—that kiss had rattled her comfortable world. Natalie wasn’t too pleased about that. She’d obviously underestimated her ability to invite Liam Kavanaugh into her organized life and not be shaken up by his dynamic, volatile presence.
Somehow, the memories of how she’d felt under the influence of Liam’s coaxing mouth and knowing hands had crowded everything else out of her mind…including the reason she’d hired him. Her obsession to know more about the reasons for Derry Kavanaugh’s actions on the night of the crash had faded to the background during the past few days.
The realization made her want to call Liam. Why shouldn’t she check in for an update on his investigation? The longer she avoided him, the more it would seem obvious that his kiss had actually been significant.
She was digging in her briefcase for her cell phone when someone shouted her name. She looked across the street, her hand still jammed in her bag. Liam stood in the parking lot of Jake’s Place, a popular local restaurant and bar. He waved his hand in a beckoning gesture as she just stared at him for a moment, frozen in surprise at suddenly seeing the object of her chaotic thoughts.
“Hey,” he said pleasantly when she crossed the street and approached him. He wore a pair of jeans and an open-collared dark gray shirt. He stood next to a sleek, silver and black motorcycle. Natalie had no doubt it was his. Marc and
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