Page 100 of Begin Again, Part 1

Maybe because it's dangerous. But Liam knew any wisecrack comment would agitate her even more. So he said softly, "because it's my job to make sure you're okay."

"I'm your 'job'?" Eden scoffed. "I wish everyone would stop treating me like some obligation they have to fulfil. Leave me alone!"

Liam gawked at her, stunned by her petulance. He should have left her alone. And since he'd confirmed she was sane and not planning to jump off the building, returning to the bar for a nightcap sounded like a good idea. But he couldn't bring himself to leave her alone. She may be a pain in the ass and elsewhere, but she was hurting, and he didn't understand why his heart ached so much at this knowledge.

Eden turned to glare at him. "You should leave."

"We'll leave together."

"Make yourself comfortable then, you'll be waiting a while." She shrugged and carried on staring into the distance.

For a while, only the soft howls of the light wind and the faint sounds of traffic ten stories below punctuated the silence.

Liam hated silences. He found them uncomfortable, and sometimes they came with expectations. Usually, for him to fill the void.

Not this silence. Eden seemed happy with her thoughts, and he was ridiculously happy to be in her presence away from Anderson Logistics' premises. This was the first time they were truly alone in two years, and he didn't realise how much he wanted this moment until now, even if she was still mad as fuck at him.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Eden said, looking over her shoulder.

Liam could only nod. Twice in one evening, he was struck speechless by her again. She was beautiful. Insane, moody, and feisty too. But still beautiful, especially when she smiled at him like she was now.

She wasn't allowed to smile anymore, he decided. He'd send a memo to HR on Monday declaring her smile a work hazard. He wanted no injuries on duty. Especially his.

One month in, Eden was already chipping away at his defences. The longer he stayed up here with her, and she carried on smiling at him like that, the more he ran the risk of slipping and falling for her. He couldn't allow that. Not when she already had so much power over his body. Giving her his heart would be suicide. He had to get a hold of his senses.

"Why are you standing there?"

"Just." Liam stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of heights?" Eden tilted her head as she gawked at him.

"I'm not!"

He wasn't afraid of heights, but he didn't think he'd stick to the boundaries she'd set if he came closer. She made it clear in his office that he shouldn't kiss, touch, or hold her. He was trying to respect her wishes. So he stayed where he was, a few feet behind her.

Eden clucked her tongue. "Tsk-tsk. The mighty Mr Anderson is afraid of something."

"I'm not afraid of anything!"

That was his second lie for the evening. He was terrified of a lot of things, and Eden was high up on the list. He was so afraid of losing his heart to her. Scared shitless that she'd take it and vanish again, and leave him worse off than he was when she disappeared two years ago. He couldn't allow that. He'd never allow himself to be that vulnerable again. At least not where Eden was concerned. He'd give her his body, no questions asked. But his heart was off-limits.

After a long pause watching her watch the stars and the moon float in the sky, Liam cleared his throat and said, "Now that we've established you don't want to kill yourself, can we head back inside?"

Her response was swift and adamant. "No!"

He glared at her. "Ms McBride, are you challenging a direct order?"

Eden made a point of looking at her wristwatch. "It's 9:30 PM. My shift at Anderson Logistics ended at 4:00 PM. I'm not on your time."

"You!" He scolded her. "All that sass will get in your trouble."

She giggled and returned her gaze to the sky. "I like it here! Up here, everything is perfect. The stars and the moon, and the sky are real. Everything is real."

"What's wrong?" Liam took a step towards her, ignoring the warning voice rumbling inside his head, screaming at him to stay away from her because nothing good would come of this.

"Is anything ever real?" she asked that same absurd question again, and the tears were back, along with her sobs. Liam forgot all his terror and ignored all the warning bells flashing in his head like strobe lights. He reached for her and held her while she cried.

She smelled soft and delicate. It was that same pretty scent he'd drowned in when they made out in the printing room. The same smell that had lingered on his sheets days after she left him. He'd asked Dave and the housekeepers not to touch his bed because he wanted to hold on to it for as long as possible. She smelled like the memory of their lovemaking, and all his anger surged to life again. His hurt reignited when he remembered how she crippled him, and he was still half the man he was because of her. And the only reason for her presence in his life was to fix him and nothing more.

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