Page 41 of Begin Again, Part 2

"Red is now my favourite colour!" he announced with a hint of approval as his gaze lazily travelled up and down her power suit-clad frame. "Are you wearing the matching lingerie set?"

Eden's neck and cheeks flamed up, and she averted her gaze, warning him softly. "Behave yourself. We are in public."

"Like the thought of me fucking you in public doesn't excite you, Princess!" He smirked, leaning down to kiss her, but she artfully dodged his smooch. They were in plain view of the reporters, plus his sisters and mom were up ahead, lingering near the entrance. The last thing she wanted was to spend the night fielding questions from his family, or worse, end up on the front page of Dirt or Scandal.

"What was that?" All the humour was gone from Liam's voice as he clasped her hand in his.

"What?" Eden shrugged, feigning ignorance.

"You avoided my kiss," he accused. "Is something wrong?"

"There are reporters everywhere, and your mom and sisters are close by." Eden tried to move along, but he pulled her back.

"So?" he asked, frowning at her.

"So I don't want to give people the wrong impression—" she explained, faltering at the angry glint in his eyes.

Before Liam could press her further, a couple of style reporters approached them, and they spent a few minutes posing for photos.

She'd avoided his kiss, but wiggling out of his embrace was out of the question, and he made a point of pulling her close to him every chance he got.

Things got a little tense when Laura arrived with a few of her friends, and the reporters tried to get a shot of her and Liam together. Eden held her breath, bracing herself for heartbreak, convinced he'd run to Laura. But she was pleasantly surprised when he firmly reached for her hand and whisked her off without entertaining them.

"They won't be happy with you," she said while he led her through the venue to their seats.

"Do I look worried, Princess?" he asked, giving her a sidelong glance.

He certainly didn't, so Eden shook her head, dropping her gaze to her shoes, secretly pleased with his response.

They spent a few minutes with his mom and sisters before joining Kayla and Vic Randolph. For two hours, Eden was in fashion heaven. She forgot about Liam, even though he was sitting beside her, as she and Kayla fangirled over almost every outfit showcased onstage. Once or twice, when she turned to check on Liam and caught him looking at her, she blushed and reminded herself to act refined. Something she forgot as soon as more outfits were brought out.

Halfway through the show, Eden excused herself. She needed a body break. Liam offered to come with her, but she declined, promising she'd be quick.

She rushed to the restrooms and did her business. She didn't want to miss a moment of the show. She was still humming one of the tunes they'd played earlier when she left the bathroom and ran into Liam's ex and a member of her entourage.

"Eden!" Laura was the picture of politeness, dazzling her with her radiant smile.

Eden could see through her false friendliness, but she smiled back as she tried to side-step her.

Laura quickly blocked her path. "Can we talk?"

Eden didn't think they had anything to talk about, considering they didn't know each other. Before she could refuse, though, Liam's ex took her hand and pushed her into a dimly lit corner a few feet from the restrooms.

"What's this about?" Eden asked as soon as they were out of earshot and prying eyes.

"I ask the questions, and you listen," Laura snapped, her saccharine smile vanishing as quickly as it had appeared, leaving a frostiness that chilled Eden to the bone. "Now, how long are you planning to keep this up?"

"What?" she asked, stumped by the question.

"Your innocent act. We both know you are hardly the saint you pretend to be."

"I don't have time for this," Eden snapped and tried to shove her aside. But Laura was stronger and taller than her, even more so in her nude four-inch Louboutins.

"I know why you came back," she said. "It won't work."

"Can you please get to the point? I'm not a mind reader."

"Your son."

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