Page 5 of Liam

“Same here, lovely Renee.” The guard violently whispers something to Sam that he made sure I couldn’t hear before leaving the condo.

The baby starts to cry loudly, taking my attention away from the little byplay I witnessed. I’m guessing that the guy wasn’t supposed to see or speak to me. I try to ignore that I’m here as a dirty little secret. Well, at least I have something to make for dinner.

Chapter 5

Liam

“The kid is not mine,” I say to my investors in an emergency meeting. They called it overnight when they saw the lovely media reports and asked for it to be scheduled first thing in the morning. Danielle thankfully made it happen by nine so I could get this over with. I tried not to check out the stories because either way it came out, it was all a lie.

“How can you be sure?” Leman asks arrogantly.

I huff because my private life is only for me. “All I’m going to say is I don’t even know the woman.”

“Maybe it’s your brother’s baby,” Erickson suggested. He’s a little more levelheaded and a bit younger than the other investors. He came up from a family fortune, but also a wealth of family scandals as well. He more than any of them would know what I’m going through.

I’ve been thinking the same thing. He’s off killing people in secret missions as a mercenary. Ironically, he’s got his own mercenary beating down my door in his stead. We’re not close because we’re both busy, but I can’t call him yet to tell him about his offspring. And his woman is at risk of being mine. I swear I want her so badly that I can almost forget that she’s fucked my brother and had my nephew. God, I need to stay away from her.

“It’s very possible. I can’t talk to him yet, but the woman hasn’t mentioned him.” It’s because I refuse to even let her say more than a handful of things. The more she talks, the more I want to pin her to the wall and fuck her. I grumble, thinkingabout her with my brother. Fuck, it takes all I can to push that vision out of my head.

“Enough. I’ll be dealing with all of it in a matter of time. You don’t have to worry about it. It’s not like the company is going to fail because rumors are flying around that I have a son,” I remind them. If anything, I can buy them out and wing it on my own.

“I suppose that’s true, but the sooner you get to the bottom of it, the better.” I’m thoroughly warned. “Bastard children are terrible for your image and your bottom line. Marry the gold digger after a prenup.”

“I will deal with this matter on my own, Johnson.” My temper only gets worse by the second.

“Keep us informed, please,” Erickson adds with a hint of sympathy in his voice.

“Will do.” I hang up the phone, then sit back in my chair and rub my hands over my face. I scroll through my emails,magicallyhoping the answers will be there.

Hours pass, and I finally get myself together. Since I’ve been out of the office or filled with thoughts of Renee, I’m going to have to work late. After drafting several proposals on new properties, I decided to call it quits. I glimpse at the clock, and it’s already past eight at night. I spent the entire day away from her. It’s the first thought in my head when I see the time. How is that possible? I thought I washed her away from my thoughts by lunchtime.

When I get to the condo, no one seems to be around. Maybe Renee’s already sleeping with the little man. I pull a note off the fridge.Dinner is in the refrigerator.I don’t know how tofeel about the fact that she made me dinner, too. This situation is getting too cozy for comfort.I take out the plate covered with plastic wrap. Lifting the wrap off the plate, the delicious aroma of roasted chicken hits me. Damn, she can cook, too. What was my brother thinking?

I warm up the food, pull out a stool, and eat at the breakfast nook. By the time I take the last bite, I’m ready to punch my brother in the face. He has this catch, and he leaves her to run around the world. Maybe he doesn’t know what he’s lost.

I wash my dishes; then I head into the bedroom to check on her. She couldn’t leave because my men have the condo locked down. I open the bedroom door as quietly as possible. She’s sleeping sweetly on the bed with one hand tucked under the pillow, and one hand stretched out on the bed. She’s perfect. I move in closer and lean in to take a better look at her. She sighs slightly, rolling over in her sleep. The blanket shifts with her movements, revealing her ass covered in a pair of panties.

I hear the crib mattress make noise and lift my head to see the little one in there staring at me with a smile. “Mama,” he coos. It hits me in the gut. I creep out of the room as fast as I can. No more close calls.

Chapter 6

Renee

I’m stuck in his large condo, forced into hiding because someone let it slip that he has a love child. My face is plastered all over the paper like a tart, claiming I’m after his money.

I can’t believe how quickly things got out of hand. The press were on us as we pulled out of the parking garage. He was able to keep them out of the building, but the damage had been done.It’s been three whole days since I’ve seen him. The only reason I know he’s been at the condo is the dinner I made him is gone when I wake up. Every morning, I check the trash to see if he angrily tossed it, but he didn’t. I smile to myself knowing that he ate all my cooking. It’s one of the few things I can say I’m good at.

Even with that little victory, something has to give. We need to talk because I can’t do this. I feel like I’m in limbo and for what? I got a message from my boss at the hair salon that I’m fired, which really sucks. As soon as I tell him the truth he’s going to toss me on my ass. While I’m out trying to find another job and going through the cash she gave me, he’ll probably hunt down his baby mama.

She’s so pretty. It’s no wonder he slipped and knocked her up. They might get back together for the baby’s sake. It burns in my gut knowing that little fact. She came into the salon all the time even when she was pregnant which is not considered safe. Everything on her was fake, but I tried not to judge. Now, I’m way past judging. That chick dumped her adorable baby in my lap.

The baby is asleep, so I grab my Kindle and start a new read. I’m halfway through the sexy scene when the front door opens. Shit. I tuck my kindle under the cushion and stand up. He’s early today. I’m freaking out. I brush down my jeans and push my hair back. He steps into view, then stops dead in his tracks. His light blue-gray eyes penetrate my soul.

“You’re home,” I coo. I can’t believe I just made a bigger ass of myself. Can I come off anymore pathetic? His eyes run laps over my body. I look down and realize that I’m hardly even dressed. They picked up some of my clothes while they were at my place, but it wasn’t everything. I only had on a loose tee shirt and a pair of boy shorts. Yes, I can be more pathetic. I look as if I’m trying to tempt him.

“Yes. It looks to be that way. Did you miss me?” he asks, dropping down his briefcase. “Because…I’ve missed you.”

“What?” I stammer. Liam swiftly moves to close the distance between us.

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