Page 74 of An Inevitable Marriage
“What are you doing after?”
“After?” she stuttered, eyes wide.
“Yeah, Snow. After your interview.” I was in front of her now. Dipping my head, I looked straight into her eyes. “Do you have plans?”
“No.”
She licked her lips, and like a starved animal, I followed the slow slide of her tongue. “Wait, yes. I’m meeting Natalie. She wants me to go baby shopping with her. Why?”
“Meet me, instead.” My heart jackhammered against my ribs. “Have lunch with me.”
She sucked in another one of those stuttering breaths. “Why?”
“I’d like to get to know you.” I shrugged. “Lunch seems like a good place to start.”
Her eyes widened a fraction before she averted her gaze and stared at a spot somewhere over my shoulder. She didn’t say a word. The longer silence stretched between us, the louder and faster my heart pounded.
“I guess,” she started, finally putting me out of my damn misery. “I can go shopping with Natalie another day.”
It was almost impossible to keep a sigh of relief from spilling over my lips.
“I don’t know how long my interview will go, but I should be done by midday.” A hint of a smile touched her lips. It wasn’t anything big, but still enough for my heart to dip. “Does that work for you?”
“It’s perfect.”
Her smile widened another fraction, wreaking more havoc on my insides. “You don’t need to check if you have an appointment at that time?”
“No.” If I had one, I’d move it.
She took a few steps to the side. This time, I didn’t follow.
“I’ll see you later, then.”
“Yeah.”
Her eyes stayed on me for three more heartbeats then she spun around and hurried out of the kitchen, leaving me to stare at an empty space, wondering how long I had to wait to see her again.
Chapter twenty
Liam
Fourhours.
That’s how long I had to wait to see Snow again.
And they’d be four long-ass ones, I realized, as Tamara rushed toward me the moment I stepped off the elevator.
“You’re a popular one today, boss-man,” she chirped when she reached me. “Everyone seems to want a piece of you.”
I grunted. Same shit, different day.
Not that I minded, not really. Since I’d stepped up as CEO—not by choice, I might add—I wanted to prove to everyone, including myself, that I deserved this. That I wasn’t some spoiled kid who’d fallen into the lap of luxury because my mother left me a multi-billion-dollar company.
I’d spent many hours brainstorming ways to keep the company relevant and thriving. I’d listened to the employees, and although my communication skills left a shit ton to be desired, I ensured everyone knew their opinions mattered.
It was important to me.
Because, unlike my grandfather and cousin, I wholeheartedly believed respect had to be earned.
