Page 24 of Begin Again, Part 2

"Quit calling me 'sir' or 'Mr Anderson'. And quit this boss shit! I'm more than just your boss, and you know it."

"No!" Eden jutted out her chin stubbornly as she stared straight ahead. "My mistake was believing you could be more than my boss. Obviously, you still have unresolved issues with your ex, and to be honest, I'm still angry at the way you dropped off the face of the earth for three weeks."

Liam crossed the room in a blink of an eye and stopped in front of her, the scowl on his face mirroring her own. "You want to bring that up right now?"

"When else am I supposed to bring it up?" Eden looked up at him and balled her hands on her lap, her knuckles turning as white as a sheet. "You disappeared for three weeks. No phone calls. No texts. Nothing! And when you come back, you want to pick up where we left off. Well, it doesn't work that way. It hurt me when you vanished without a word. I watched my phone like an idiot day and night. I filled my sketchbook with your face."

"Then you fucking know how I felt for two years," Liam growled.

Eden opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She stood up and stared outside the window, at the shimmering pool on the deck, not because the view was enchanting, but to hide her tears from him.

"I'm sorry," Liam said, breaking the pained silence between them as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Still turned away from him because she didn't want him to see the raw hurt shining in her eyes, Eden asked. "So that was your payback? You were paying me back for leaving?"

"That's not what I said." Liam shook his head quickly. "What I meant is, what you felt over the past few weeks when I was gone is how I felt when you vanished. It messed me up when you left, and I hope you can now understand why I was so angry with you when you came back."

"You know my reasons for leaving," she said softly. "What was your excuse, Liam? Why did you shut me out? Did it not occur to you that I would have wanted to be there for you through whatever it was that you were going through?"

"I was embarrassed, ashamed, and terrified you wouldn't want me," Liam whispered in her hair, his arms tightening around her with each word he uttered. "How could I possibly look at you after I couldn't even make love to you? How could I face you when I failed you so badly?"

"Unbelievable," Eden scoffed, her eyes glistening with the tears she was struggling to keep at bay the longer she stayed in his arms. "How shallow do you think I am? Do you think I'd give up on you because you failed once? My God, you clearly don't know me."

"Eden, look, I know I messed up—"

"No! You did more than just mess up. You had no faith in me...in us. So you chose to run and give up!" She shoved his hands away as she sprung away from his arms and ran upstairs.

He followed her, and their fight raged on for a while. Eden didn't know how long they kept at it because, at some point, she lost track of time, and all she wanted was for the arguing to stop.

Seemingly exhausted from all the yelling, Liam collapsed on the bed and pulled down to sit beside him.

"I'm sorry," he said, taking her hand. "I shouldn't have left, and I shouldn't have pushed you away. But being diagnosed with ED is a shame I've had to live with and carry on my own for two years. I've never failed at anything, so when I couldn't even do something as natural as making love to you, it crushed my soul, and I couldn't bring myself to be around you and see the constant pity in your eyes."

"I never pitied you," Eden whispered. "I never pitied you or blamed you because I already knew you were struggling, and I wanted to help you through your anxiety."

"I know that now. Please forgive me?" Liam pleaded, seeking her mouth in a gentle kiss as he nibbled on her lower lip while his hand gently kneaded her nape, drawing her even closer to him.

Soon their kiss deepened and morphed into something Eden had given up on tonight.

"I need you," Liam said as he kissed her shoulder, leaving a scorching trail of heat as he moved back up to her mouth. "I need you right now."

"Okay." Eden opened up her arms a little more as she fell back on the bed, pulling him over her, the mattress barely squeaking when his weight settled over her.

Chapter

Nine

ONE AT LAST

They began to undress each other as a matter of urgency, and within moments, they were completely naked. For some incomprehensible reason, Eden seemed self-conscious suddenly and tried to cover herself. But Liam gently pushed her hands away and pulled her close, basking in the feel of her silky smooth skin as her petite frame melded with his in a scorching embrace.

"Don't ever hide from me, Princess," he scolded her as he crushed her lips with his and pushed his tongue inside her mouth, moaning when she opened herself up a little more, giving in to his demands. It didn't take long for their kiss and the flames between them to rage out of control, and for his cock to grow hard.

"I missed this..." Eden took him in her hand and began to caress him gently. Liam closed his eyes, panting hard when she wrapped her fingers around his girth and moved up and down his throbbing length in a rhythmic motion.

She was a little hesitant at first, but growing bolder with each stroke as he guided her hand over his shaft, showing her how to pleasure him. She was a quick learner, and if she carried on with her technique, Liam knew he wouldn't last long.

He grasped her hand quickly and kissed it, maintaining eye contact with her. "Tell me what you want, Princess."

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