Page 75 of Begin Again, Part 2

"There's a rooftop open bar, and we're over there." Matthew pointed at an empty table in the centre of the room and excused himself to chat with an acquaintance.

Eden was about to head for the champagne fountain when her heart slammed out of control at the sight of Liam talking to an elderly couple near the exhibition area.

He looked sinful in his black tux. His longish hair brushed away from his face, showed off all his handsome glory. He had no business looking so damn good and tempting, Eden fumed. But as annoyed as she was, she couldn't pry her eyes from him.

Liam looked up from his companions, his gaze colliding with hers from across the room. The longer Eden remained frozen in place and lost herself in his denim gaze, the more she ran the risk of doing stuff she'd regret. She knew she had to get out of there when the walls she'd built around her slowly crumbled. She spun on her heel in search of the open bar. The free-flowing champagne wasn't going to cut it. She'd need something stronger to hold on to her common sense.

Like Eden knew he would, Liam followed her to the elevator bank, his security hovering behind him.

"Stop right there!" His rapid footsteps echoed behind her as she quickened her pace, trying to outrun him. She thanked her lucky stars when the elevator dinged open. She squeezed inside and jabbed the button to close it quickly. But she wasn't fast enough. Liam shot his arm through the small gap as the doors were about to slide into place.

"What are you doing?" she scolded him. "You could have gotten hurt."

"Good, I'm glad to see you care!" Liam growled as he pushed her to the corner and kissed her fiercely. She tried to resist and push him away. But her heart screamed at her to not even dare, as mad as she was at him, it couldn't go one more day without him. Her body agreed as she pressed closer, begging for more of his wicked tongue.

For a little while, they were spellbound, swept up in their passion as they cried and pawed at each other's clothes.

Liam pulled away from her long enough to take off his jacket and throw it over the camera in the corner before reaching for her again. He pulled her dress up and pushed her panties aside while she worked his zipper. Within seconds, he was inside her, fucking her lights out.

"Princess!" he grunted, the angle of his thrusts threatening to send her into a premature orgasm.

"Don't call me that," she moaned, winding her legs around his waist. "What does it even mean?"

"It means you're mine," he groaned as he sought her mouth again, his strokes as unrelenting as his lips, driving her wild with his devil cock.

"What the hell is wrong with your phone? I called you for two fucking days. Why didn't you return any of my calls?" he demanded as he increased his pace, sending tiny stars shooting behind her eyes.

She clung to him, whimpering as hunger she hadn't known for days rocked her body, "I didn't want to talk to you. I'm still upset."

"You drive me fucking insane with your stubbornness!" Liam grabbed her jaw with one hand, while the other glued her hips to him, leaving her breathless with another searing kiss.

"You bastard!" Eden wailed on his shoulder, clutching a fistful of his hair as her orgasm hit her hard.

"I'm your bastard, Princess!" he shot right back as he, too, slammed into her a few times before he went rigidly still, groaning on her neck. "And you'll be the death of me."

It was called a quickie for a reason, Eden thought, as she held on to Liam, trying to catch her breath. Their encounter couldn't have lasted more than five minutes, seven at most, but she was surprisingly fulfilled and less frustrated. As thoroughly ravished and blissfully numb as she felt, her anger couldn't stay gone forever. But she wasn't sure who she was mad at the most. Herself, for acting like a horny toad? Or Liam for pushing her beyond her limits and then subduing her with his dick?

"Are you okay?" He asked as he set her down, gently brushed her messy hair from her face, and kissed her forehead.

Eden laughed bitterly and hurriedly fixed her dress while he threw on his jacket. "You backed me into a corner, set your dogs on me, and now you dare ask me if I'm okay?"

"We'll talk tonight." Liam leaned in and kissed her hard before he grabbed her hand and pressed one of the buttons on the panel. Eden only noticed they were still in The Ballroom when the doors slid open. When they sprung out and found James and two of his guys standing guard, she averted her gaze and focused all her attention on her shoes, convinced they'd heard her scream like a banshee in heat.

"I need a drink." She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but Liam held tight.

"You're not drinking tonight," he said sternly. "I want you sober for our talk. This little standoff between us ends tonight, Princess."

With that, Liam spun on his heel and vanished into the crowd, leaving her bewildered and emotionally raw from their encounter.

After a quick bathroom stop to clean herself up, Eden grabbed a plate of hors d'oeuvre from a waitress passing by.

She nibbled her food while she wandered through the room, occasionally pausing to admire the jewellery and art pieces on auction tonight, oblivious to the admiring stares following her progress,

She stopped in front of an iridescent emerald ring supposedly worn by Cleopatra many centuries ago. She didn't believe a word of the ring's backstory and only took an interest in it because it was her birthstone.

"Whoa!" She whistled at its value. It would take her many lifetimes to afford it.

She saw Liam's reflection on the glass case before hearing his voice.

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