Page 18 of Adoration: Isn't What It Seems (Love Isn't What It Seems 2)

I thought back to a few hours ago while she sat there, with a lost look in her eyes. There was so much sadness and sorrow in those hazel eyes, it made me wonder what caused it. What caused a woman with fire burning within her to get so sad? Was it her ex-fiance? Another man? Although the background I got on her didn’t show her dating anyone.

My sanity and reason was slipping around this woman. I shouldn’t have insisted to her sister that Liberty remained working for me for the next six months. It was a sweet torture, but torture nonetheless, having her around me. Each hour around her, I wanted her more. The pull she had over me was overwhelming.

“What would help you, Mr. Caldwell,” she continued, bringing me back to the moment. I was actually relieved to see her fire back, her hazel eyes flashing at me. “...is to learn to say please and thank you in any language. But you could start with English.”

I heard Maxim’s laughter, but nothing mattered. When I gazed at this woman, it was impossible to tear my gaze away. I loved that she challenged me; she didn’t care about what I owned or who I was. Her eyes stared at me with a flash of defiance, but her cheeks were flushed, her breathing slightly hitched.

Hell, I wanted to drag her into my office and spread her across my desk. I wanted to bury my face between her legs and torture her with my tongue till she begged for mercy. I wouldn’t stop till she came all over my tongue and then I’d fuck her hard till she submitted fully. She’d only be able to think about me.

Damn it! The last thing I needed was to lust after her like some teenage boy after his first crush. She was fifteen years younger than me, better suitable for my younger brother.

I needed to get this fascination with this woman under control. As soon as she found out what I had done to her mother, she’d forever hate me anyway. The way I forced her mother to sell her company was unethical. When I went after her company, I told myself the end result justified the means. Now as I looked at the woman in front of me, I experienced slight regret at those means.

“Miss Smith, would you please bring me the progress report on Croatia?”

Liberty stared at me, her mouth slightly open, her hazel eyes enormous with surprise. An image flashed in my mind of her luscious mouth around my cock, her eyes raised to me and my cock was instantly hard as a rock… again.

Chapter Eleven

Liberty

“Miss Smith, would you please bring me the progres report on Croatia?” his voice was smooth, those blue eyes never wavering from me.

Completely unprepared for that kind of response, I couldn’t pry my eyes away from this man.

Did he just say please?I truly believed it was not in his dictionary.

Maxim nudged me. I quickly recovered, grabbing the report he requested and walked it over to Alexander. Handing it over to him, our fingers brushed and a jolt of electricity shot through my body.

What the-?

He slowly took it from my hands, his eyes locked with mine.

“Thank you,” he spoke softly and I felt heat rush through my body.

What was wrong with me? Just because he said please and thank you did not make him more appealing. It shouldn’t have. Yet, my heart pounded with excitement.

He slowly turned around and walked back into his office.

Raising my eyebrow, I glanced at Maxim as I walked back to him.

“What was that about?” I asked in a whisper. I didn’t want Alexander to overhear me.

Maxim winked at me and whispered back, “I guess he is trying to be nicer.”

“I don’t believe that,” I mumbled back. “He is probably up to something.”

“Why are you so paranoid about him?” Maxim’s voice was full of honest curiosity.

“I’m not.” My voice sounded undignified and defensive. “I just don’t trust him.”

“Him or people in general? I get a sense that you don’t trust many people,” Maxim commented in a low voice. “Is it because of Callen, the guy you mentioned in the elevator on your first day?”

It was a simple question, just honest curiosity, but it stirred up so many emotions.

Tilting my head to the side, I looked at Maxim pensively. He was right that I didn’t trust many people. How could I?

I had some serious issues of abandonment. I had no clue who my father was, he must have not wanted me. It was the only explanation I could think of why Mom refused to tell me who he was. To spare me the pain. Then everything that happened with Mom and the way things ended with Callen sealed the deal. It all hurt. I really thought Callen and I were perfect together, we had so much in common. I trusted him and he got another woman pregnant under my nose. I was so blinded by my love and trust. I could never repeat that again.

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