This Is Where I Sleep (10 page)

“I’m fine. Don’t blame Jeremy for this. There are over a thousand guests in that hotel, with even more employees. You haven’t had any safety issues before. It’s not on him. Maybe it’s…” I trailed off with the realization that whoever had been after me for some time now had possibly found me in Dallas. Maybe this wasn’t about Li or his company, but about me.

I turned my head to look out the window, contemplating the issue in my head. Once again, I began to have doubts about staying with Liam at his home. I had kept my distance from my own family for fear of them getting hurt, and now my concern was turned towards Li and his family.

Liam must have sensed my hesitation because he tugged on my hand. “Hey,” he whispered. “I’m not having you stay anywhere else but under my roof. And you will tell me what it is you’re hiding. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me everything.”

I snatched my hand back and moved over, putting distance between us. This little moment started to feel too intimate. What got to me the most was that I started to tell him everything. I wanted to let him in, so I didn’t have to carry the burden alone anymore, but I couldn’t do that. It was my cross to bear. “I don’t need your help, Li. I came here to do a job and then move on. Just as I’ve been doing for years.”

He stared at me in silence, up until we arrived at his home. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the driver punch in a code which opened the huge iron gate. Liam’s gaze was still firmly planted on me, and I couldn’t look away. I wasn’t going to tell him what was going on with me.

“Sir,” the driver called from up front.

“It’s okay, Leo. I got it,” Liam replied, finally turning his head to open the car door. He held it open for me, taking my hand to help me out.

I bent and retrieved my suitcase from the driver and turned towards the house for the first time. I looked up at the huge mansion in front of me. There were at least three levels, numerous huge windows, and even the doors were made of glass. Since I was unable to see directly into the home, I could only assume that they were made with a specialized glass.  I noticed the stone siding around the huge door and lower portion of the house, while the rest of the siding was made up of a brownish brick. At first glance, one would liken the home to a log cabin style, but it was much too massive to fit that definition. I tilted my head to the side, took in the beauty of the home before me, and I got that feeling as if I was seeing something again. This house almost looked familiar. I knew I’d never been there, and Liam said he had it built only a couple of years ago. I had visited Li’s childhood home many times and this was not it. 

“Your home is beautiful,” I said, noticing the awe in my own voice.

He gave me that half-smile of his. “Thank you. It’s…” he trailed off, clearing his throat.

I knew he wanted to say something more, but I didn’t press him. I turned back to the house and looked again before I felt Liam remove the suitcase from my hand, and place his other hand at the small of my back to guide me to the door. Once inside, he turned on the light and the entire front portion of the home illuminated. The modern style decor and light grey colored furniture gave the home a comfortable, yet classy feel. 

“Laura’s sleep by now. I have her nanny stay over on the nights I have to work late,” he stated just above a whisper.

“Okay.”

“The room you’ll be staying in is on the second level next to mine,” he informed me as he closed and locked the door behind us, and ushered me towards the stairs. “There’s an elevator you can use to get from the first, second, third or basement levels.” He pointed out the elevator once we arrive at the second level. “I usually don’t use it late because it’s next to Laura’s room and she’s a light sleeper,” he said smiling. That smile did something to me, and I found myself having to look away. It was still shocking to think of Liam as a dad, but I could tell he loved his daughter with everything in him. Just like a father should.

“This is your room,” he said once we made our way down the hall. He turned and opened the door; inside there was a huge bed right in the middle of the room. “You have a fully-stocked private bathroom. He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder to the door behind him. “My room is right across the hall. I get up pretty early so when you awake you can head down to the kitchen. It’s on the first floor, make a right from the stairs and follow the hallway down. You can’t miss it. Goodnight.” He stepped closer, placing his hand around my waist. I looked up in anticipation of his kiss, but instead, he used his lips to gently caress my cheek as his hand squeezed my waist.  I felt his warm breath on my face, causing me to slightly shiver.

“Thank you,” I said as his lips were still on me.

A second later, he pulled back. “Don’t thank me. This should...” he stopped himself again and ran his knuckles along my cheek before pulling back. He jerked his head towards the room, and I obliged. “Go inside.”

Once inside the room, I closed the door behind me and leaned back against it trying to get my bearings. I’d been trying to keep as much distance between myself and Liam for a week, and now I was staying under the same roof. I sighed as I slipped off my boots, and grabbed my tablet and laptop. I figured working was the best thing I could do right now to get my thoughts off of Liam. I needed to get to the bottom of this case and get it over with, so I could move on. I reviewed the notes I’d been taking of the interviews we’d conducted, I scheduled a time for the next day to go visit the junkyard, and even with Liam’s offer to use one of his cars, I still made a note to visit another rental car dealership.

After a few hours, I started to feel the weight of the day, so I headed to the shower. I took my time in the shower, noticing the numerous different types of soaps, hair products, and moisturizers in the bathroom. For a split second, I wondered if Liam had this set up for other women he’d had stay over. I thought back to the look on his face as he’d stood in the doorway. My thoughts and feelings became scrambled as I remembered the tenderness in his eyes. My last thoughts as I drifted off to sleep were of the look on Liam’s face before I shut the door…it was a mix of want and something else that I still couldn’t quite pinpoint.

Chapter Ten

Coral

I woke up to sunlight streaming in from the huge bedroom window. As I stretched, I was surprised to find that I’d slept much later than normal, so I decided to postpone my morning workout routine. Since I was going to the junkyard today, I dressed a little more casual than normal, opting for a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a tan sweater, and a pair of lace-up sneakers.

After moisturizing and getting dressed, I fluffed my hair a little, happy to see the curly ringlets holding up well, and then grabbed my tablet and phone to head downstairs. I remembered the direction Liam told me to go towards the kitchen. Just outside the entrance I heard movement, and I stopped, rethinking whether or not I should go in, or try to quietly slip out before anyone noticed me. Unfortunately, my grumbling stomach had other ideas. It wouldn’t have hurt to eat before I left.

I continued to the huge kitchen, and the first person I saw was Laura sitting at the table, singing her ABC’s and dancing a little as she ate cut up blueberry pancakes off her plate. She stopped suddenly, turned, and looked right at me. I was struck by her resemblance to Liam. He couldn’t deny this little girl even if he wanted to. Her green eyes widened slightly, before crinkling a little as her mouth broke into a big smile.

“Hi,” she said cheerily and waving.

My heart strings tugged, and I couldn’t help but be drawn to her. “Good morning, Princess,” I smiled and waved back to her.

Her eyes got really wide with cheer. “My daddy calls me that!”

I raised my eyebrows. I didn’t know Li called her that. I’d just said it because it came naturally.

“He does?” I asked as I make my way closer, stooping down in front of her.

She nodded with excitement. “Yup! He says that all little girls should be treated like princesses,” she giggled. It was one of the best sounds I’d heard in a long time.

“Your daddy is a very smart man,” I told her, pinching the bridge of her nose, which caused her to giggle even more. The sound was infectious, and before I knew it, I had joined in on the laughter.

“What are you eating?” I asked, looking over at her plate.

“Pancakes.” She held out her little pink colored plastic fork showing me a piece of her cut up breakfast.

“Well, I’ll be!” I heard a familiar voice behind me and stood.

My lips spread into a grin. “Hello, Ms. Mary.”

“Coral Coleman. Girl, if you don’t get over here and give me a hug.”

Ms. Mary was Liam’s long-term nanny and then housekeeper in his childhood home. I hadn’t seen her in years. I moved to embrace her, and she squeezed me tighter than I had been hugged in years. It reminded me of the way my mother used to hug me after she’d gotten sick. As if she’d known her time with me had been precious. I hated thinking about that, so I pulled away and looked down at Ms. Mary’s dark chocolate colored skin. She was well into her sixties, but could pass for much younger. She was probably a good size sixteen but carried it well, and I could tell she still maintained her bi-weekly hair appointments because there was not a grey hair to be found in her relaxed hair as it rested on her shoulders.

“How are you?” I asked, looking down at her.

“Oh, I’m just fine,” she waved her hands, “Just cleaning up after this little Missy,” she said as she ruffled the hair on Laura’s head, causing another fit of giggles.

“So, I see Li still had you doing his dirty work,” I teased.

“Tuh, you know that boy can’t get rid of me. The truth is, he tried. Gave me a nice severance and everything after Laurence and I married.”

That wasn’t much of a surprise. Laurence was Liam’s father’s landscaper. I knew they’d had a thing for one another.

“But I still wanted to do something part time now that Laurence opened his own company with his two boys. I’m only here in the mornings, and it keeps me busy. You know an old woman has to keep herself occupied.” She laughed.    

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t see any old women around here.”

“Oh, Coral. You’re still as sweet as punch.”

I chuckled at that. There weren’t not many people in this world who would call me sweet.

Ms. Mary gestured towards Laura. “I see you’ve met Missy here,”

“Yes, I have.”

“My daddy said a friend needed help and is staying with us. Is that you?” Laura asked.

I knelt back down in front of her. “You’re one smart kid,” I said, proud of the way she put two and two together. “Yes, I’m your daddy’s friend, and I am staying here for a little bit. Is that okay with you?” I asked. Honestly, if she were to have any strange feelings about it, I would have had no problem packing up and leaving. I didn’t want to make anything uncomfortable for Li or his daughter.

She shook her head emphatically. “No. I think you’re funny, and I like your hair.” She reached out and rubbed her hand on one of my auburn colored curls.

“Thank you. I like your hair too,” I said, fingering a few of her blond locks.

“Good morning,” Liam’s voice chimed in breaking up the sweet little moment between Laura and myself, causing me to wonder if he witnessed the interaction between us.

I stood and turned to see a shirtless Liam in a pair of basketball shorts and sneakers. The air immediately rushed from my body. It was obvious that he’d just finished working out because his bronzed skin was covered in a sheen of sweat. I eyed the tattoo on his chest and the scar on his abdomen that still made my heart rate speed up. My eyes traveled up his pectoral muscles to his strong jaw and then his eyes, only to find that he was staring at me. His look was so intense I felt as if he was reaching out and touching me.

“Daddy!” Laura yelled. She hopped down from her chair to run into her father’s awaiting arms, where he swooped her up and planted a kiss on her cheeks.

“Good morning, Princess. Did you finish breakfast?”

“Yes. Daddy, today we’re going to the zoo and then to the library.”

“You are? Now, that sounds like fun.”

I unconsciously smiled at the interaction between Liam and Laura. His smile grew, and my heart did that stupid flip flopping thing again as I watched them.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

“There’s Anna now,” Liam told Laura.

“Yay!” she clapped.

“Come on, Little Missy,” Ms. Mary called out.

“Okay, Princess. Have fun and don’t bite the animals.” He kissed the top of her head.

Laura laughed as he put her down. “Daddy, I don’t bite!”

Ms. Mary grabbed her hand and exited the kitchen just as Li turned back to stare at me.

“She’s beautiful, Li.”

His smile widened. “She’s the best part of me.” His voice was filled with such emotion I knew it was the truth.

I cleared my throat, trying to move on from the moment. “Anyway, I’ll be stopping at the junkyard today where Larry’s car is, then I’ll go back to Bennett Industries to do a few more interviews, and then I need to speak with Jabari to get his help on the laptop and let him know I’m no longer at the hotel.”

He stared at me as he cocked his head to the side. I willed myself not to let my eyes drop down and stare at his washboard abs again. I almost managed it, but I was too tempted. The tattoo, the scar all reminded me of our history together. A history that was so entwined sometimes that I didn’t know where I stopped and Liam began. Soon I felt something cold and hard pressed against my back. I came back to my senses and realized my back was pressing against the white granite countertops. I looked up to see Liam’s face only a few inches away from mine, and his arms braced the edge of the counter on either side of me, effectively trapping me. That dark emerald color in his eyes had returned. I opened and closed my mouth a few times trying to form words.

“Wh-what are you doing?” I asked, trying to sound normal.

“I noticed you staring. See something you like?” The deep, richness of his voice rolled over me, and I almost let out a dreamy sigh. Instead, I bit the inside of my cheek and did my best to rein my emotions in.

“Liam, stop the bullshit and go shower. You’re getting your nasty sweat all over me.” My words were a lie. He knew it, and I knew it. Li’s sweat was anything but nasty, but I was not giving in again. We’d already gone too far.

“Hmmhm.”

I turned my head to the left seeing Ms. Mary had returned. From the smirk on her face, I assumed she’d watched our entire exchange. Years ago, she’d said how perfect Liam and I were for each other…no matter how much we’d insisted we were just friends. I could tell this little scene was only reigniting that same dream fairytale in her mind. It was time to extinguish those thoughts before they got too out of control.

Without turning to look back at Liam, I used my hip to bump his arm catching him off guard, and stepped out of his hold.

“Go take a shower. I need to go get a car from the rental place to use,” I said, trying to change the subject and forgetting all about breakfast.

He lifted his brows and smirked. “Care to join me?”

Before I could respond, I heard Ms. Mary’s laughter from behind me. “Some things never change,” she said as she finished putting the last of the pots from breakfast away. “I’m heading out now. My man is taking me out to lunch, and I want to make sure I look good for him. You crazy kids enjoy yourselves. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” She whisked out of the room, giving us one last look and laughing again.

As I stared behind Ms. Mary, Liam said, “She always said you’d be a hard nut to crack but to be patient.”

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Nothing. I’m going to shower and then we’ll go to my garage to see what car will best fit your needs.”

“Li—” My protest was cut off as Liam’s lips met mine. The kiss was brief, a parting kiss before he turned and made his way down the hall and up the stairs to shower.

“There’s green tea in the cabinets. I asked Ms. Mary to buy some this morning,” he called over his shoulder.

I was left standing there trying to figure out what the heck had just happened in the last fifteen minutes. I rummaged through the cabinets, found the tea, and made some before calling Jabari. Better speaking with Jabari about this case than going over this warped relationship between Li and I.