A Second Chance (24 page)

‘
Still
, I think that you
’ve
simplif
ied
it horribly
.
’
S
he
shook her head
.
‘
L
oving people is important, Liam. It makes
a person
happy
.
’

‘I
’
m horrible at it
.’
H
e
was looking somewhere past her, his unseeing eyes far away as he added
,
‘I hurt
the
people I love every time I try to make them happy
.
T
hat’s
why I
’
ve promised myself
to
never make the same mistake
s
again. Never to make someone miserable
.
’

‘
You
’
ll be missing out, Liam
,
’ she whispered back, only marginally aware of her surroundings. They were close
now, his
face only inches away from hers, the darkness in his eyes hypnotizing in its intensity.

‘I
’
d rather miss out than cause someone else pain.’ He shrugged, finally getting a grip on his feelings. The wall of indifference went up around
him
again,
his
blank expression warning her that the moment was over.
Leaning back in his chair he put enough space between them to allow her heated skin to cool considerably.
‘
What
I
thought
we could do is just pretend
to
date a bit, until she finally gets it and moves on
.
’
H
is
voice
was
calm and devoid of any emotion
.
‘
S
ince
you would be living
with my sister, working
in my house
,
and
having
a say in
practically
all the decisions regarding my home, she can’t not believe that we are serious.’

‘
And
you thought of me, of course
,
’ she sighed, the pleasant fog
that had
surround
ed
her for the last half an hour
seeming
to lift, exposing her to her true feelings. ‘
I
’
m perfect for
th
e
role of
the
fake lover, right? Couldn’t decide on some hotter girl
,
though? Seriously, if you are to have a fak
e relationship
,
why not make
it
someone
fun? I
’
m sure that you know enough girls to be able to pick someone better than me
.
’

‘I don’t want anyone else
,
Jade
.
’
S
omething in his eyes
ma
de
her hold her breath as she listened to his words, coming fast like tumbling stones in an avalanche
.
‘
A
nd all this talk about people hotter than you has to stop. When was the
last
time you looked into a mirror? You are just
about
perfect
,
and you
very
well
know it. I thought about you because I can trust you
—
w
hich I can’t say about most women I know
.
’

‘
You
mean
that
they lust after you
,
right?’
S
he
smiled, still ridin
g her wave of invincibility. ‘
They m
ight
take it too seriously, the game? What makes you think I won’t?’

‘
Well
, I can only guess
.
’
H
e
grinned wryly, his eyes
crinkling
as he smiled into her challenging face
.
‘
B
ut you
don’t seem
very
much
into me, Jade. I can usually tell these things, you know
.
’

‘But I might with time
.
’
S
he
had
a
perverse need to push him even further, curious to find out how far
she could
go. ‘I might fall in love with you
or start lusting after you.
’

‘Don’t
.
’
The finality of h
is
short answer
sobered her
faster than any good night’s sleep or
aspirin
ever could
.
‘I
’
m only human after all. Don’t ever forget that, Jade. If you offer something, be prepared for me to accept
it.
’

Was
he telling her to keep her distance or letting her know
that
he would make love to her if she asked him? She didn’t dare to explore it any further, a delicious shiver running down her spine. Instead she smiled victoriously, her face
warm
with excitement.

‘
Tell
me more, about it
,
Liam
.
How
exactly do you plan
for
this to work?’

‘Simple
.
’
H
e
must have thought
about
this
for a while, his response surprisingly
quick
.
‘
W
e go out together, work on my house
,
and I show you off at the gala, that’s all
.
’

‘Oh yes, the gala
,
’ she repeated weakly,
image
s
of
cameras and a crowd of
well-dressed
people rising before her eyes. ‘I don’t think I can do it, Liam. Honestly
, I would only make you look bad, believe me. I am pretty sure you would fare much better if you hired an aspiring actress or some model for this job. They know how to pose, walk
,
and look decorative
.
’

‘You are very decorative
.
’
His
dark eyes
traveled
over her face
,
resting on her mouth
.
‘
V
ery
.
’
H
e
stared at her for a second before shaking off his sudden distraction and
smil
ing
again, his white teeth glistening
.
‘
A
nd
anyway, even if you manage to trip and fall or something, it doesn’t matter. I don’t care what they think of me, not one bit. And you shouldn’t either. Just as long as they get some photos of us together,
everything
will be good. My contract with Mel
has
eight months to go. I can’t really back out now and I
wouldn’t,
especially since Rob is lying in the hospital ready for his quadruple bypass.
’

He really cared for this man, she thought as she watched his face soften at the mention of Mel’s father.
No doubt
he filled
a bit
of the
father figure
role for Liam, something
Liam
must have been missing deep down. No matter how indifferent he seemed about his father’s absence, it must have hurt him more than he let on, hence his strong connection to this man whose daughter
caused
him so much trouble.

‘It sounds… so insane
,
’ she whispered, looking at him with trepidation. ‘I
’
m a horrible actress,
Liam
. Laura could tell you all about it
.
S
he used to say that you could read my face like an open book. Whatever goes on inside is right out here
.
’
S
he
gestured to her face, her eyes intent
on his
.

‘
Well
, I
wouldn’t
agree with
that
completely
.
’
H
e
shook his head, something in his eyes stilling her heart for a second
.
‘
Y
ou
did surprise me that one time, at Laura’s
party,
remember?
’

‘I don’t want to talk about it, Liam
.
’
Her heart skipped a bit
at the idea of him vivisecting the
past,
reminding her of the total humiliation that still
burn
ed
inside her each time she allowed
herself to go down memory la
ne.

‘I just meant, you can be pretty mysterious if you want to, that’s all
.
’
H
e
smiled, visibly taken aback with her negative reaction
.
‘
A
nd
for what it’s worth
,
it
’
s one of my best memories.’

She wouldn’t keep talking about it, she thought rebelliously, a treacherous blush spreading over her cheeks. If he hoped to make her agree to his plan
by reviving
her idiotic behavior from years ago, he was
off-track
. If anything, it made her want to get up and run until she was as far away as possible.

‘Listen
,
’ she started with an air of authority that
,
to her surprise
,
seemed to work. He watched her and listened, his face expectant and calm.
‘
If…
i
f
I do it,
you
’
ll have to guide me through it one step at
a
time. And if I mess it up, you
’
ve
only
got yourself to blame, remember that.’

She could tell h
e
was surprised
by
her easy agreement.
He
had
probably
prepared
himself
for her
to
fight his idea vehemently and had a bunch of arguments ready to sway her decision in his favor. But she was tempted, for many reasons. Mostly because it would give her a chance to show Brian and Veronica that she was not some pathetic, soppy
,
rejected bride
who
couldn’t come to terms with their betrayal. As low and cheap as it sounded,
proving to them that she had moved on
would feel good, even though the relationship would die soon. Dating Liam Latimer would certainly add some flair to her new life
;
imagin
e
their
surprise
at finding
her
on
his arm in one of those
trashy
society magazines that Veronica loved to collect.

You are a terrible liar
, a voice whispered in her head as she saw him smile and nod, a discrete wave of his hand materializing the waiter at their table as if charmed by magic.
He left a generous
tip that
earned him a huge grin and a polite escort to the door.

‘What now?’ she asked almost challengingly as they reached his car and she sunk into the soft, leather seat with a feeling of
déjà
vu. It was deceptively easy to get used to being with Liam
again
.