Page 18 of Claiming My Cocky Boss

I paused for a second, taking in the sight of him in my cabin. Part of me had been looking forward to seeing Liam again, even though I wouldn’t admit it to anyone—especially not Tessa, who had spent all day teasing me about him.

“Good to know,” I said, walking over to him. “Need anything?”

Liam’s smile softened as he met my gaze, and for a brief moment, the tension between us melted away. "I'm good," he replied, but I could sense there was something unspoken beneath his words.

Daisy nudged my leg, reminding me that it wasn’t just the two of us in this cabin. With Liam here, everything felt different. And that scared me more than I wanted to admit.

After dinner, the tension still hung in the air like a thick fog. I busied myself in the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes while Liam sat on the couch staring at his laptop. His frustration was palpable, and I knew why. He couldn’t stand being out of control—being stuck here, unable to move like he wanted or do what he needed.

I stole a glance at him as I dried my hands on a towel. He hadn’t said much during dinner, but I could see the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure out how to keep things moving, even with his ankle restraining him.

“You good over there?” I asked, my tone lighter than I felt.

Liam looked up, his brow furrowed slightly as if he hadn’t heard me at first. “Yeah, just... trying to figure out how I’m going to manage all of this.”

“All of what?” I leaned against the counter, crossing my arms. “You’re supposed to be resting. Isn’t that the whole point of you being here?”

He let out a small, dry laugh. “Resting is great, but I’ve got work to do. I’m not exactly in the position to take a break.”

“Right,” I smirked, pushing off the counter and walking toward him. “Because clearly, you’re running a full-blown investigation from my couch.”

“I could,” he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “But I need help.”

“Oh, do you now?” I raised an eyebrow, feeling a smirk of my own starting to form. “And what exactly does this help involve?”

Liam gestured to the stack of papers scattered across the coffee table. “I’ve got notes that need to be organized, contacts that need to be listed out. It’s hard to focus with this ankle, and, well... you’re here.”

I looked at the papers, then back at him, my arms still crossed. “You want me to be your secretary now?”

“You offered to help earlier,” he said, shrugging as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m just taking you up on that offer.”

I let out a long sigh, shaking my head. “Fine. But don’t expect me to start taking orders from you like I’m one of your employees. I’ve got a real job, you know.”

Liam grinned, and I could see that spark of mischief in his eyes. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

I grabbed my laptop from the corner of the room, settling onto the other side of the couch as I picked up the first few pages of his notes. His handwriting was messier than I expected—scattered thoughts and ideas, all jumbled together like his mind was racing too fast for his hand to keep up.

“You’ve got a lot of stuff here,” I muttered, flipping through a few more pages. “And not all of it makes sense.”

“That’s why I need you,” Liam said, leaning back against the cushions with a satisfied look. “You can help me make sense of it.”

I shot him a sideways glance. “You’re lucky I’m feeling generous tonight.”

He chuckled softly as I started typing up his notes from meetings and phone calls, putting the contacts in a list and organizing them into something coherent. It wasn’t the most exciting work, but there was something oddly satisfying about it. Maybe it was the fact that I was helping him in a way I hadn’t expected to, or maybe it was just the quiet focus that settled over us.

After a while, I leaned back and stretched my arms over my head. “Alright, I think I’ve got it all organized. I’ve just emailed you the file.”

Liam looked impressed. “You’re quick. Maybe too quick. Better check for mistakes.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “I already checked.”

He laughed, and it was a genuine sound—one that softened the usual cockiness he carried with him. “Fair enough.”

We sat there for a moment in comfortable silence, the weight of the earlier tension still hanging in the background but less sharp than before. I had to admit that even though he could be insufferable at times, there was something about Liam thatmade him hard to resist. His drive, his focus... it was admirable, even if he drove me crazy with his bossy attitude.

“You know,” I said, breaking the silence, “you could always call that friend of yours. Have him take over for a bit.”

Liam’s expression shifted, something darker flickering in his eyes. “I could. But Derek would suck at it.”

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