Professional Restraint

33 Peachy

Ella

The week flies by with the weight off of our backs. There is no shortage of work, having piled up from the Renford's merger. If I thought finding the problem was time consuming, getting their mess cleaned up and worked into our program is a whole new level.

Working with Liam is easy now that there are no barriers between us. He seems to anticipate every need I have, meeting them without any request from me.

It's a refreshing change from other men I've worked with that want to prove they're in command. Watching him with his employees is an eye opener. Sure, he's firm and to the point, but I've watched a stream of secretaries to high-level management come into his office, and each is treated equally.

I bite my lower lip as my gaze once again wanders from my computer to Liam sitting mere feet away. The first thing he did when we got back from lunch after clearing the air was to move me over to my spot at his desk beside him.

Like always, he's laser focused on his task at hand with one hand on the keyboard while the other strokes his beard. It's one of the many little habits I've noticed when he's deep in thought.

"Focus," he teases without taking his eyes from the screen.

My cheeks heat having been caught and I drop my gaze back to the laptop. "I am," I squeak out.

Convincing...

Liam arches a brow and leans back in his chair, turning his full attention to me. "Is that so?" His challenge leaves me squirming in my seat.

"Come on, it's nearly the end of Thursday and you still haven't told me where we're going." I can't keep the whine out of my voice. He hasn't let a single detail slip away, even with enlisting my help.

Mischief sparkles in his emerald eyes. "What's one more day?"

My heart drops. "An eternity?" I lean closer and look up through my dark lashes, praying that I can erode some of his resolve. "Please, Sir?"

His eyes darken as usual when I use what Carissa calls my magic word. He leans forward and lifts my chin, running his thumb over my bottom lip.

"Nice try, kitten, but I'm not about to ruin the surprise." His gaze flickers between mine and my lips as the air takes on a charge between us.

I lean in, swallowing hard. My body craves him. All week there's been endless innocent touches and intimate moments, yet he always stops short of what I want most.

"You test me sometimes," he murmurs. Liam practically looks in pain as he pulls back from me.

"And yet..." I roll my eyes, frustrated with his apparent endless self restraint and my total lack thereof.

He arches a brow and I see that familiar twitch he does whenever I roll my eyes at him. Sometimes I do it on purpose, just to get a rise out of him.

"Speaking of tomorrow, are we all set?" Liam straightens his tie and jacket as he shifts gears.

"Yeah, though Sophia is still not happy about it." I leave out the part where she offered to castrate Liam for his misstep.

His eyes widen a hair, and he almost looks haunted. "She's a devoted friend, no doubt there. I just want a chance to make up for last weekend. My mistake ruined it for everyone."

"Not everyone... Tim had a great night," I say, laughing. He missed all the drama and took the bouncer on a test drive.

Liam's face falls. "That's not what I meant."