Page 30 of Our Radiant Embers

“Why did you steal my client?” he asked then. He sounded curious rather than reproachful, and it made me skip the denial that sat ready on the tip of my tongue.

“I’d just taken over as the public face of the family when you won the contract with the Kellys. I couldn’t afford to lose to you.”

“That’s it?”

A quick glance at his profile revealed a frown, and I sighed. “I also resented you.”

“You resented me?” He reached for my elbow and pulled us both to a halt so we were facing each other. “I wasn’t the one who started it, that night. Hell, I had no idea you even played for my team. Trust me, I’m not stupid enough to make an unwelcome move on someone who can burn me to a crisp.”

That was fair, I guessed. And anyway, what was one more piece of truth?

“Look, don’t take this the wrong way, okay? Or like it means more than it does. But I’m not…” I scrubbed a hand down the back of my neck and focused on a point just over his shoulder. “I have very little experience, all right? I’m…recognisable. To people in the community, I mean. So I can’t just walk into a gay bar and pick up the first hot guy who catches my eye. You kind of showed me what I’d been missing, and I resented you for it.”

“Huh.” It was a soft exhalation more than an actual word, but it put me on my guard.

“What?” I said sharply.

“Just processing.” Liam’s tone was gentle. “So I actually am the best you’ve ever had?”

There was no mean edge to it this time, so I huffed out a laugh that fluttered in my chest. “Sadly, yes.”

Liam’s hand was still on my elbow, his touch light. “I had a crush on you, you know?”

That got my attention. My gaze snagged on his mouth for a blink before I met his eyes. Was he having me on? “Really? When?”

“Back in school.” Self-deprecation quirked his lips. “Our little pub encounter…I didn’t like you very much because of my dad, that part is true. But when you kissed me, it was a bit of a fantasy come true.” He paused. “Until you kicked me out of your car like I was dirty laundry, that is.”

It didn’t quite compute.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“I’m not sure.” He dropped his hand, a thoughtful frown flashing over his features. “Because you just told me something real, I think.”

I let my gaze slide away, back to the manor that served as a grand backdrop to the beauty of the garden. The thought of returning to my office felt like the thud of a dropped anvil. I turned back to Liam and found him watching me already. For once, it was without hostility.

“Can we break for the day?” I asked him. “Work on our respective parts separately, and tomorrow, we regroup in neutral territory?”

He pursed his mouth. “Neutral?”

“Semi-neutral,” I amended. “I’ve got a flat in Covent Garden. We could meet there.”

“Of course you’ve got a flat in Covent Garden.” Liam’s tone was wry, but he didn’t sound truly exasperated. I suspected that earlier today, before our conversation, he would have.

Maybe this was a fresh start.

“This may come as a surprise to you.” I let the words hang between us for a beat, then followed them up with a deliberately smarmy smile. “But I’m rich.”

Liam’s chuckle turned him from handsome to downright stunning. I stared, caught myself, and looked away.

My life was complicated enough.

7

LIAM

So, when Adam had mentioned a place in Covent Garden? What he’d really meant was a flat just a stone’s throw from the Royal Opera House. Because of course.

At least the doorman was more approachable than the Harrington butler, commenting on the weather as he checked my ID. “Biting wind out there, eh? Where’s climate change when you need it?”

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