Page 106 of An Inevitable Marriage
“And while it’s not bad, it wasn’t my mother’s vision. Her dream was for every woman to have access to beauty products at an affordable price. Unfortunately, making these kinds of changes isn’t entirely up to me. About two years ago, I convinced the shareholders to give this one line a chance, and I’ve been working on it ever since. It’s finally done and ready for launch.”
He pinned me with a stare that completely melted my insides. “That’s where you come in.”
“Me?” The word came out way too loud and way too pitchy. I cleared my throat multiple times then added, “I don’t understand.”
Liam’s hands found mine. Curling his fingers around my palm, he gently stroked his thumb over my wrist. “I don’t want just anyone modeling the brand. It needs to be someone special, someone relatable.”Brush, brush,his thumb went over my sensitive skin. “Someone who’s fierce and not at all afraid to take control.”
He moved closer, slipped a hand around my neck, and pulled my face to his. Instead of kissing my mouth, he ran his nose along my jaw and nudged my chin to the side. The moment he had access to my throat, he trailed his mouth over my skin.
“Someone who can easily melt at a lover’s touch.” Peppering my throat with more kisses, he worked his way to my collarbone. “Someone effortlessly sexy who can command a room just by walking into it.”
I was many things but not a single one of the ones he’d listed.
“I…I…” My words trailed off when his lips slid over the neckline of my dress.
He spent precious few seconds there but never went lower. Slowly lifting his head, he leaned in and brushed his nose along mine.
“You’re perfect, Snow.”
There was something about that small action and those three little words that had big fireworks exploding behind my ribs.
“You’re fucking perfect,” he said again, whispering the words against my cheek, so vulnerable. So freaking raw.
My eyes fell shut, and I breathed him in. One, two, four lungfuls.
“Liam, I—”
Before I could tell him he was better off finding someone else, he drew back. I quickly opened my eyes, only to find him already studying me. The intensity of his icy gaze did strange things to my insides.
“Your smile is like the first rays of sun breaking through the dark.” He dragged his thumb along my bottom lip. “It’s big and bright and so damn beautiful.” His touch traveled, fingertips lightly brushing my cheekbone. “Your eyes, my favorite shade of green, are so expressive, so fucking mesmerizing. Some days I think they can see right down to the bottom of my soul.”
Gosh, my heart was having a damn field day with this man’s words. Bouncing around inside my chest like an Energizer Bunny hopped up on caffeine. Was this seriously what he saw when he looked at me?
I didn’t get to ask because he spoke again.
“Your body. Bloody hell, your body.” He groaned. “It’s driven me wild since that first day and hasn’t stopped. You might not think it because some fucknut made you believe otherwise, but shit, Snow, you’re sexy as sin.”
Unbidden, heat crept into my cheeks, but it was nothing compared to the warmth spreading behind my ribs. No one had ever said anything like that to me before.
“You know what the best part is?” he went on, unaware of the enormity of his words. “You’re just as beautiful on the inside. You’re the whole damn package.”
If I thought my heart beat fast before, it was nothing compared to the Cirque du Soleil act it was now doing. When he said things like that, my brain went fuzzy and my lungs refused to work.
Because, holy crap!
“That’s how you see me?”
The words came out soft and slow, almost as if I was afraid to hear the answer.
“Yes.” Cradling my face between his palms yet again, he dipped his head to stare into my eyes. “I’ll say it again, in case you didn’t hear me the first two times: You’re perfect.”
Emotion clogged my throat and stung my eyes. It was all I could do to keep the tears from slipping down my cheeks. All of this because this man thought I was something incredible.
I could hardly stand it.
“If I say no?” I asked cautiously.
Liam didn’t miss a beat. “Your body, your rules. It doesn’t matter if it’s touching or seeing. I’ll respect whatever you decide.”
