Page 117 of Begin Again, Part 1

"So?"

"You've wasted my time. I have a lunch engagement, and you're coming with me."

"What happened to Clara and Gibby?"

"Eden!" Liam gritted his teeth. "You keep forgetting I don't report to you. Now, throw that shit in the bin, and run to your office to get your handbag and phone and meet me by the elevator in five minutes."

"If I refuse?"

"What's that?" Liam groaned. "Refusals don't exist in my world. Clear your schedule for the afternoon. You won't be returning to the office."

They glared at each other for a few tense seconds before Eden gave in, grumbling under her breath as she fumed her way to her office.

Five minutes later, they were in his private elevator, speeding down to the ground floor. Downstairs, Liam held the car door for her and made sure she was comfortable in the back seat before he slipped in beside her. Seconds later, they were on the road, speeding away from the city centre to Green Point, a plush neighbourhood home to high-rise apartments and insanely priced penthouses.

They pulled up in front of a fifty-story high rise building, and Liam called the elevator to the top floor. As soon as they walked into the penthouse, Eden forgot her anger, her eyes growing as big as saucers as she took in the luxurious decor and furniture. She thought Liam's house in Willow Hills was straight out of Architectural Digest, but this place was in a league of its own.

"What do you think?" Liam asked from behind her as they gazed at exotic fish in the massive aquarium, taking up one wall of the living room.

"I closed the sale two months ago, so I haven't done much with it. But there are six bedrooms, three on this floor, and the rest upstairs, seven bathrooms, a gym, and a state of the art entertainment room," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Eden nodded, barely paying attention to his sales pitch because she still had no clue why he was trying to sell her a penthouse she could barely afford, even on her high salary.

Liam carried on, not in the least turned off by her silence. "It's big enough for a huge family, but cosy enough for a young couple with a toddler who runs everywhere and breaks things. We can turn one of the bedrooms into a studio, and you can paint watercolours the whole day—"

Eden sparked to life at the mention of a toddler running everywhere, alarm bells going off in her head. She pushed his arms away and turned to glare at him. "Mr Anderson, why am I here?"

"Liam," he said as he pulled her in his arms again and kissed her forehead. "From now on, it's Liam. I'll have to kiss you every time you call me 'Mr Anderson'. We'll make it our own kissing game."

"What is this?" Eden whispered, bewildered out of her mind. She felt like they were playing broken telephones, and nothing about the past seven minutes made any sense. "Why am I here, and where's the lunch engagement you spoke of?"

On cue, two housekeepers bustled in, and they began setting the table on the balcony overlooking Green Point's hiking trail and surrounding hills. One looked familiar, and it took Eden a few seconds to figure out why. She met her two years ago at Liam's house, before taking her walk of shame.

"That's Mrs Stone," Liam said, following her line of sight. "I believe you've met her before. She's here to help with lunch. And to answer your question, you are my lunch engagement."

"Unbelievable!" Eden fumed, slapping her forehead. "You tricked me!"

"Would you have come with me if I told you the truth?" he asked, winking at her.

As angry as she was with him, Eden was tempted to reach up and kiss his cleft, but miraculously found the strength to resist the urge.

"That's not the point!" She retorted. "Some of us have to work, you know!"

Liam was quick to point out, "you also have to eat. Our meal will be served in a few minutes. You're welcome to explore and decide how you want to do up the place. I have to make a few phone calls."

He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and backed out of the room. Eden glared at his back and sat on the couch, refusing to look around even though she was itching to see the upstairs rooms and the rest of the main floor. She leaned back in her seat, surprised at how soft and comfortable it was despite its modern look.

She closed her eyes, promising to only rest them for a bit. But when she opened them again, the sun was setting on the horizon, painting the sky in various shades of pink and red.

Eden reached for her glasses on the coffee table and put them on. Like her shoes, she didn't remember taking them off. She figured Liam must have when he covered her with the light throw blanket.

She sighed dreamily as she lay there, watching the view, silently wondering how closing her eyes for a second had turned into a century-long nap.

"You're awake," Liam said as he strolled in from the patio, his hair and the rest of his toned body damp, a white towel around his neck.

Eden could only stare at him, her eyes travelling down his chest, pausing on his rock-hard abs, and then lower, tracing the Adonis belt leading into his wet swim trunks.

She gulped, her cheeks heating up when her gaze lingered a little too long on the outline of his crotch.

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