Page 18 of Begin Again, Part 2

"I'll settle him in for the night," Brenda offered, reaching out to take Aiden from her arms.

Eden kissed the top of his head and returned her attention to the cars on the street, tempted to carry on with her little standoff. But this wasn't a battle she'd win. If Liam came in here, uninvited like last night or otherwise, she'd have a huge mess on her hands.

"I hate him!" She left the window and grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter.

"That's not what you said when you did the horizontal bop," Lydia reminded her. "And it's definitely not what you said this morning when you told us all about the smutty things he did to you last night, and how he made you scream his name."

"Whose side are you on?" Eden asked. "We're all supposed to hate him."

"You can't go like that!" Sienna was horrified at her boyfriend jeans, white T-shirt, navy blazer, and tan Oxford shoes to top off her casual look.

"This is a business meeting with the founder of a luxury lifestyle brand at a fancy restaurant," said Lydia, putting extra emphasis on 'fancy'.

"Well, I would have dressed up if he'd given me time." Eden shrugged and hauled her handbag over her shoulder as she bolted out of the front door.

She expected Liam to lose his shit over her outfit as soon as she jumped in the car. But he surprised her when he pulled her close and kissed her hungrily, and she couldn't help but loathe herself for being weak and giving in to him. Again.

"What the hell are you wearing?" he demanded as he grabbed her nape, pulling her even closer to him, his lips as devastating as his caresses.

"If you weren't so damn impatient, I would have dressed up a little," she whispered, panting for air. His breath gliding on her skin when he paused on her neck sent an ache so deep and so intense between her thighs, she thought she'd go mad from wanting him.

"Enough with all the sass!" Liam warned, his mouth seeking hers again, and for the longest five, maybe eight minutes, she was lost in his kisses and his touch, her fingers fumbling with the buttons on his shirt as she ran her hands all over his chest and abs. Eden knew she shouldn't be so attracted to him, especially since she found him unreasonable and too damn arrogant at times. But nothing about her feelings for him made sense, and everything about this moment defied logic.

His driver cleared his throat and asked, "Where to, sir?"

They reluctantly stopped, but didn't pull apart. Liam held her face close to his, their ragged breaths in sync.

"I need you," he whispered.

For a terrifying moment, Eden didn't know what to say. She wanted, and needed him just as desperately, but she couldn't help worrying. What if he lost his confidence and withdrew from her again? What if he ran to Lord knew where this time, instead of letting her in? She didn't think her already bruised heart could take any more rejection. The last three weeks were a nightmare. Liam's disappearance messed her up, and as relieved as she was that he was back, she couldn't help but be angry, too.

"Eden," Liam said, kissing the side of her mouth. "I fucking want you right now. I can't wait anymore."

Her breath died in her throat when she brought her gaze to his and saw the longing in his eyes. She knew then she'd never refuse him. Not when she felt just as strongly for him. But they had a business meeting. Vic Randolph and his trophy wife were waiting for them.

"We can't," she said, shaking her head in a hopeless attempt to shake off the foggy cloud of desire embracing her. "We have a meeting."

"You're right," Liam said, tracing her jawline with his tempting tongue before reluctantly pulling away.

"Carry on to the restaurant," he instructed his driver as he buttoned up his shirt again and fixed his tie, his voice as thick as the erection straining in his pants.

"Yes, sir," Stephen replied from behind the wheel.

Eden sat back in her seat and crossed her legs, her breathing laboured and her pulse still racing out of control.

Damn Vic Randolph, she thought crossly as she gazed unseeingly outside her window. If it wasn't for him and his trophy wife, she'd be well on her way to being ravished right now.

"Stop at Nicci's," Liam instructed his driver, surprising Eden with the announcement. She gave him a sidelong glance, unable to believe he could turn his feelings on and off like a tap. She was still swimming in a pool of desire, the tingling heat in her core a constant reminder of her fiery need. But Liam—his voice, now calm and modulated, and his face an impassive mask again—seemed not in the least affected by their heavy petting.

"Why are we stopping at Nicci's?" Eden asked, her words faltering in her throat when he raised an eyebrow at her and tapped his chin with his index finger.

"You can't expect to meet the founder of a luxury lifestyle brand dressed like that."

Her irritation went from zero to a hundred in a nanosecond. She clenched her hands on her lap, her French-manicured nails digging into the soft flesh of her palms.

"If you'd given me time, I would have dressed up, you know," she reminded him, unable to understand how she could love and hate him all at once. One minute she was ready to let him do all kinds of filthy things to her, and the next, she wanted to stab him in the eye with a pencil.

"And I'm fixing my mistake. What's the problem?" Liam asked.

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