All That She Needs: The Betrayal of a Marriage

Part 19 Asha

"Why are you sitting so far away from me?" Liam asked, frowning unhappily.

"No reason," I shrugged.

"I will not bite." He grinned wickedly at me, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Unless you ask me to."

"Liam," I began, frustration building, but to my dismay, I could feel the blush creeping up my cheeks. Dammit!

"If you just give me a nod..."

"Liam," I warned him again, even when I knew it would be pointless.

"Or a wink," he continued. Liam was unstoppable. "And point to where you want me to—"

"That's enough," I cut him off, my cheeks burning so much it almost tickled.

He chuckled, his gaze softening. "I missed you," he said quietly. "I miss seeing you blush like that."

"Don't say that Liam, I'm—"

"Married?" he interjected.

"Yeah."

"Still?"

That threw me. "What do you mean?" Then it hit me—his comment about Theo being a wizard at tracking things. If my son Kayden could do that, someone like Theo could do a lot more.

"Did you hack into my personal life?"

The man had the nerve to look guilty. Guilty!

"In my defense," he swallowed nervously, "I did it for good reasons."

"What good reasons could there possibly be?" I glared at him in disbelief.

"First, I needed to know you were okay. That day, when I brought the ice cream, something was bothering you, and I was worried. Second, I needed... I needed to know."

"Know what?" I demanded, my frustration boiling over.

"I wanted to know if there's a chance that..." He trailed off as if he wasn't sure to say what he wanted to say. "I'm very perceptive, Asha. I can pick up on signs easily. I knew there were problems in your marriage."

I stared at him, still not fully understanding. "And that's your business because?"

"Because I want you."

A loud gasp escaped my lips, my hand flying up to cover my mouth. "Liam," I mumbled behind my hand.

"I'm not just attracted to you. I want you—really want you. Every part of you. Every beat of your beautiful heart. Every fraction of your brilliant mind. Every single one of your laughs, your anger, your cries, your moans, and every sigh..." He took a deep, shaky breath. "I'm obsessed with you, probably beyond reason. I want to pledge my life to you, give you all my heart, surrender my soul. I'd pluck all the rainbows from the sky and give them to you. Fill this office with white roses because it always reminds me of you. Scream your name from the top of a building to tell the world you're mine. Lock you in my room and do all kinds of filthy things to you until you understand that's where you belong. That kind of crazy is what I feel for you." He paused, searching my face before asking carefully, "Did I scare you?"

I was at a loss for words, feeling like I'd stepped into a twilight zone.

"I know it's probably too soon. You just separated, like, probably a day ago, but I'm not the man who passes up an opportunity, Asha, no matter how slim the chance. I wouldn't be where I am today if I did—especially not when that opportunity could crush my heart if I lose it. And damn if I let any fuckers take it from me. So, I'm going to wait for you until you're ready. I'll be patient, but in the meantime, I'm going to fucking charm you." A slow, dimpled smile spread across his face. "I'm going to shamelessly flirt with you, tease you until I see that lovely blush on your cheeks. I'll cook for you every day, even if you don't eat it. I'll be there for you, take care of you, so you'll know I'll do anything to make you happy. I'll be the man worthy of you. In time, no matter how long it takes, I'll make you fall for me. And you will fall for me, Asha. I'm a man on a mission, and nothing will stop me."

I was still stunned, utterly speechless, and he looked worried. "Are you okay, Asha?"

"No," I shook my head slowly. "I don't think so."

"Want me to kiss you and make it better?" he asked, grinning. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Too soon?" He chuckled.

"Liam..." I began, but the words stuck in my throat. I was not sure what I was going to say.

"Don't," he said, suddenly serious. "If you say it, I'm going to shut your mouth by crushing it with mine."

I didn't know how he did it, but he had a knack for leaving me speechless, and I worried that this stunned expression would be permanently etched on my face.

"But–"

"No buts," he interrupted, shaking his head. "Or I'll take it as a request for a kiss. I'll do it, Asha, and I won't ask for permission. You don't know how much I've wanted to since the first moment I saw you."

I leaned back in my chair, throwing my hands up before letting them fall back down.

"Honestly," I cleared my throat. "I never expected you to... you know."

"Fall for you?" he offered, as calm and cool as ever.

"Yeah. That." I exhaled, trying to find the right words. "I'm older than you, Liam."

"By seven years and three months," he replied without missing a beat.

"When I graduated high school, you were just eight years old. Practically in diapers."

"Which, by the way, you weren't supposed to grad uate yet," he pointed out. Then grumbled.

"And I'm a bit insulted that you think I still wore diapers when I was eight. My mom told me I stopped peeing in my pants when I was five."

"Oh, my God..." I sighed in exasperation, feeling myself losing the argument to five years old. "I'm arguing with a child."

He laughed. "I'm just kidding. I stopped when I was four and a half." Then suddenly, he stood, walked around the big table, and took a seat right next to me. I stiffened, my eyes widened in alarm, and when I was about to push my chair back, he leaned forward, maneuvering my chair around easily like it weighed nothing so that I was facing him, and he gripped the sides of my chair so that I couldn't move. I stared at his right hand, which was brushing my thighs. "I'm all man, Asha. You just need me to prove it to you."

"You weren't kidding when you said you were going to flirt with me, were you?"

"Of course, I'm not." He smiled softly.

Oh God. That smile. That dimple. I just can't. If he kept this up, there'd probably be nothing left of me by the end of the day, considering how quickly I melted into a puddle every time he looked at me like that.

"I can't think if you're this close to me." I whispered.

"Good." He whispered back.

"We can be seen from the outside. You know, almost half of my office wall is glass."

"I don't care." His eyes drifted down to my lips.

"Liam," I sighed. I had been sighing too much today.

"Asha,"

"Not yet." I breathed.

His face immediately brightened, and I swore I could see he was trying hard to hold himself back from jumping over to me. "Yet?" He grinned so wide; the dip of that dimple probably could make a coin disappear. "You mean, you'll let me try?"

I rolled my eyes. "As if I can stop you."

"No, you can't." He shook his head. That grin never left his face. "But I thought you were going to fight me at every opportunity."

My heart softened, because even with that knowledge, he was still determined to do it. "This still means nothing, Liam. It just means that we'll continue what we did before. Having lunch together. Or dinner. Probably, we can call or text when we're not in the office."

He scrunched his forehead. "That's so boring."

"You can consider those lunches as dates." I offered.

"Toss in a kiss or two a day, and we have a deal." He bargained.

That made me chuckle. "You're impossible."

"I'm a wonderful kisser, you know."

My eyes taking in his perfect lips, his perfect eyes, his perfect face. "I can imagine."

"My kiss can make your day. I guarantee you'll be happy afterward."

"Can you even be serious for one minute?" I laughed.

"I'm a bit unhinged if you noticed." His voice turned soft. His gorgeous eyes went even softer. "All because of you."

"You're saying I'm to blame?" I mumbled. Why was I mumbling? It was like I couldn't even talk and breathe at the same time. And I couldn't deny that I wanted to kiss him, too. Oh, my God. I hadn't even divorced yet; my ex-husband wasn't even an ex, and I already wanted to kiss this guy.

What did that make me?

"What are you thinking?" He asked. "You've been staring at my mouth while you're thinking about something."

Shit. Was I?

"If you could just move back a bit..." I told him, as I still couldn't move when he was gripping my chair so tight. "So that my brain can work properly again."

He chuckled. "That only makes me want to lean closer to you."

"I still have some work to do."

His eyes widened. "Are you kicking me out, Asha?"

"Yes." I cleared my throat. The tension was getting too much for me. "Yes, I am."

"I'm hurt." He pouted.

"We'll have lunch tomorrow, okay?"

"Dinner."

"Okay, dinner."

"At my apartment."

"Oh my God, Liam," I blurted out. "You're moving at a speed I can't keep up with!"

"Okay, okay." He finally leaned back, but then he took my hand.

"This is even worse," I told him, looking at my hand, which had disappeared inside his much bigger hand.

"Your hand is so soft. Like silk." He mused, ignoring my protest, like he didn't hear me. His thumb gently brushed my knuckles in a slow, circling motion.

"Dinner here, tomorrow." I repeated, still looking at my hand, wondering why I didn't retract it.

"How about my office? You have never been there before."

"Okay."

"Deal?"

I smiled. "Deal."

I walked Liam out, watching his broad shoulders and confident stride as he made his way back to his office. A swirl of emotions churned in my chest—excitement, confusion, guilt, and something else I couldn't quite name. When I turned back, I spotted Dennis in his cubicle, tears streaming down his face.

"What happened?" I rushed over, worry flooding through me. I inspected his face—his nose was red, his eyes puffy, but he seemed otherwise fine. "Why are you crying?" I asked, my voice softening with concern.

He sniffled, dabbing at his nose with a crumpled tissue. "I heard everything," he admitted, his voice wobbly. "You didn't fully close your door. It's so sweet, Asha, especially that part about plucking the rainbows. He's so incredible. I just can't..." Dennis took a deep, shaky breath. "Why isn't there anyone like that for me? All muscles and gorgeous face, insanely rich, and willing to do anything for me? Where the hell do I find that guy, Asha?"