Page 119 of Begin Again, Part 1

And look at how that turned out, Eden thought sadly as she played with the glass in her hands.

To say she felt like a fish out of water and bewildered by all the attention from Liam was an understatement. She needed a minute to catch her breath and process his mad determination.

"Are you okay?" Liam asked as he took her hand and kissed it.

Eden trembled at the feel of his lips on her skin. She closed her eyes, taking several shaky breaths in a vain attempt to still her racing heart.

How was she so aware of him, and her whole body came alive at the briefest of his touches and the most fleeting of looks from him?

"Eden?" He prodded, lacing their fingers together.

He had to stop with the low, seductive voice thing, Eden thought as she pulled her hand away, annoyed with herself for not playing it cool.

"What is this place?" she asked for the lack of something witty to say.

"Our new home," he announced.

Convinced her ears were deceiving her, Eden stared at him, her mouth agape. "I'm sorry, what?"

"When you decide you're ready to be pleased, this will be our new home," Liam said. "I wanted you to see it and start thinking about our life together."

"I don't want to be pleased, Mr Anderson!"

"Not yet. Because you're still angry with me for all the shit I put you through over the past few weeks. I'm well aware there's a lot we need to work through. I get that. But Eden, I told you, last night was the start of our new beginning, and once I set my sights on something, I won't rest till I get it."

At a loss for words, Eden gulped and licked her suddenly parched lips.

Liam raised his glass at her, his eyes dark and intense as he nodded slowly. "And I've set my sights on you."

Chapter

Thirty-Nine

BURN OUT OF CONTROL

Eden was still recovering from his announcement when Liam stunned her again with more revelations. "I'm too old to be running around and meeting up in hotels, and I sure as hell won't be waking up in your dinky little house."

"Excuse me?" Eden seethed. Did he just insult her house? Did he know how much money she'd poured into her place, all that love and time?

She dumped her fork on her plate. "My house is hardly little or dinky! I've worked hard to do it up. Your insults are disheartening, to say the least, Mr Anderson."

"It's Liam. No more 'Mr Anderson'," he reminded her. "And I'm sorry, it wasn't meant as an insult. I should have said it's not as big as this place and won't be comfortable. This place is perfect."

"Perfect for what? Perfect for who?"

"For us!" Liam impatiently ran his hand through his hair, his eyes narrowing in her direction. "Did you not hear what I said earlier? I want you. And I know you want me. So, let's quit the games and skip to the good parts."

"No!" Eden shouted, balling her hands into fists on her lap. She was very close to losing her shit all over him. "We are not skipping to any good parts, Mr Anderson, because there are no good parts."

Liam fell silent, a thoughtful look in his eyes as he fixed her in place with his intense stare. Eden was happy to watch him watch her, and she was determined to outsit him in silence. Soon, though, she grew restless and fidgeted in her chair.

"Give me three months. Ninety days. That's all I ask," Liam said as he poured himself another glass of champagne.

"To do what?" Eden frowned, baffled by his request.

"To make you happy, Princess," he said. The earnestness in his eyes was so palpable that she could almost taste it in her mouth. At that moment, dazzled by his sweet words and silver tongue, Eden desperately wanted to shout 'yes' and give in to his seduction. She was this close to telling him she was ready to be pleased and had been for some time now. Two years to be exact. But then she remembered the reason for their separation. That reason was probably rolling around her living room floor right now, reading his books upside down, laughing his head off at repeats of PAW Patrol, and singing along to Baby Shark. If Aiden wasn't in the picture, she would gladly taken Liam up on his offer. But their son was in the picture, and they couldn't move in with Liam for obvious reasons.

"So? What do you say?" He took her hand and kissed it, sending a tingle down her spine.

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