Chapter 5
What in the name of all things holy did I do?
I should have gotten the hell out of there. Should have found some other way to help my parents. But for reasons I couldn’t even begin to understand, I not only stayed, noooo, I followed the men into the kitchen and asked Liam freaking Maxwell to marry me.
Well, technically, I asked him for his money. Quite hilarious, considering he is part of the reason I lost my job.
Which also meant he was screwing Fiona.
Ugh.
With that unsavory realization, I had to ask myself yet again: What the hell did I do?
This would not be some quick one-and-done. I had to give this man five years of my life. Five freaking years.
When Rafe and I talked about it almost a week ago, it had sounded so easy—fun even.
Yeah, until I met the man I was supposed to marry.
The freaking CEO of Nouvelle Femme, one of the biggest cosmetics companies in the world.
To be fair, my sudden aversion to exchanging vows with the man had nothing to do with his job title. I honestly couldn’t care less what he did for a living. I could even—somewhat—forgive him for having a hand in me losing my job.
But the sudden rush of attraction I’d felt when I’d first seen a half-naked Liam Maxwell? That should have been enough to send me running for the damn hills.
Talk about knocking the air from my lungs.
One look at his bare—and very toned—chest, and I’d promptly forgotten how to take a proper breath. Add to that the messy blond strands brushing his shoulders and the jeans he couldn’t have bothered to button up…
And the accent. Oh gosh, the accent.
“What now?”
Liam’s deep, gravelly voice and said British accent rolled over my skin, effectively snapping me back to the present.
Lifting my gaze to his, I was relieved to find him looking at Rafe instead of me. I’d taken just about all I could handle from his deep-blue stare.
If only he’d get dressed.
“First thing tomorrow, you’ll apply for a marriage license.” Rafe looked between Liam and me. “You’ll both have to be at the clerk’s office to receive the license.”
A deep hum rumbled from Liam’s chest. “We’re considered married when we have the license?”
Rafe shook his head. “No.”
My future husband parked a hand on his hip, and because I apparently had no control over my actions anymore, I couldn’t keep my eyes from drifting to the spot. It would have been perfectly fine if I hadn’t caught sight of the smattering of hair trailing from below his belly button down the front of his jeans.
His very low-slung jeans, since they weren’t properly closed. And, oh gosh, was he not wearing underwear? My heart instantly jackhammered against my ribs, sending a wild rush of heat flooding through my veins.
“You think you could maybe put some clothes on?”
Shit! I’d just blurted it out.
Fighting the urge to crawl beneath the counter and hide, I straightened my spine and prepared for those eyes to connect with mine.
It took two seconds.
And just like the first time his eyes met mine, my belly flipped over on itself.
Holding my gaze, Liam licked his lips before slowly lifting one corner of his mouth. “Oh, Snow, why are you so insistent I cover myself up?”
Impossible as it may have seemed, the man stepped even closer, driving my already racing heart into overdrive.
“Are you that uncomfortable?”
Yes. “No. It’s strange to talk about the terms and conditions of our marriage contract while you look like you just rolled out of freaking bed.” I sucked in a much-needed breath and bit my tongue to keep more word vomit from spilling out.
Unbothered by my quite obvious discomfort, Liam assaulted me with a full-on grin.
“There might have been rolling, but no one said it was in bed.”
My neck, my cheeks—hell, just about every inch of skin—heated almost immediately. I hated myself for it.
Behind me, Rafe softly clicked his tongue, and I could have sworn I had heard him mumble, “Stupido.”
It was enough to get Liam to lift his hands in surrender.
“Fine,” he snapped. “I’ll be right back.”
And just like that, the man was gone. Would have been great if he’d taken the kaleidoscope of butterflies raging inside my belly with him, too.
Shaking my head, I pressed my palm against my middle. What in the actual heck was wrong with me? I’d never been this distracted by a man before.
Maybe it was hormones? Or maybe I was coming down with something? The sushi I had for dinner last night did have a weird taste to it. Yeah, that must be it because there was no way a man I’d just met could have my insides all twisted up like that.
Right?
“What did you mean he cost you your job?”
I almost jumped out of my skin at the suddenness of Rafe’s voice. My own damn fault for being lost in freaking la-la land.
Clutching my chest, I slowly spun around to face him.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?”
An amused expression danced over his features as he raised a brow. “A little distracted?”
More than a little. “Just taking everything in.”
“M-hmm.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What’s that m-hmm for?”
Mirth shined bright in his dark irises, and his mouth curved into a wide smile that showed off his dimples. “Don’t mind me. I’m more curious about what you meant earlier. When you so very adamantly told me you couldn’t marry the man who cost you your job.”
Crap, I’d almost forgotten I’d told him that when I’d first seen Liam in the foyer.
“Oh yeah…”
Rafe leaned forward, resting his elbows on the countertop. “I need details.”
“Uhh…” Taking a deep breath, I shoved my hair behind my ears. “The CEO of Nouvelle Femme was the one who insisted my co-worker take over an event I’d been planning for six months. I didn’t take too kindly to being kicked off something I worked my butt off for and ended up spitting out a few choice words that my boss disapproved of.”
“You got fired over a heated argument?”
The tips of my ears burned. “There might have been a stapler involved, too,” I muttered the words under my breath, but he heard me all the same.
A deep, throaty laugh spilled from his lips. “You threw a stapler at someone?” When I just stared at him, he laughed even louder. “Donna pericolosa. Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
“With all this laughing you’re doing, you might end up there sooner than you think.”
Rafe wiped his eyes, and I could have sworn I heard him say, “You’re perfect for him.” But before I could ask about it, he spoke again. “So, what was this event you’d been working on?”
“The Nouvelle Femme Year-End Function.”
His brows furrowed. “And you said Liam requested you be removed?”
“Yes.” I sighed. “That’s what my boss told me.”
“That’s odd.”
“Why?”
“Should I be worried about my future wife and best friend being this cozy?”
Gosh, that reprieve was way too short.
Not nearly long enough for me to get a grip on myself. Because instead of ignoring him like I’d intended to, I spun on my heel and almost yelped when Liam was right there behind me. I swear if I moved my head forward even an inch, I’d press my nose right in the center of his chest.
Which actually didn’t sound like the worst idea.
Dammit, Evie, get a grip.
In a desperate attempt to recenter myself, I stared at the stretched black material for two more heartbeats before slowly lifting my gaze to his. As I suspected, those blue eyes were already intently trained on me.
“Better?” he rasped, his voice all deep and gravelly.
Not even a little. He might have covered up, but the Henley he’d tossed on did nothing to hide the grooves and ridges of his chest and arms. And the way he pulled his hair back into some sort of knot behind his head only accentuated the sharp lines of his stubbly jaw.
Screw him for being so effortlessly gorgeous.
Since I couldn’t say that out loud, I pressed my mouth into a thin line and forced a muttered “Much” over my lips.
He didn’t answer, just grumbled under his breath as he held my stare for a few more seconds before finally turning his attention to his friend.
“What now?”
“Well…” Rafe cleared his throat. “Now we talk details.”
Liam nodded once, then his icy-blue stare was back on me. “Can I assume we agree on our living arrangements?” When I nodded, he continued, “Good. So, finances. How does five million sound?”
I choked on air. “Five million…dollars?”
“Okay, we can make it ten. Two for each year we need to stay married.”
More choking. “Are you freaking kidding me?”
The words barely left my mouth when a cloud of disgust washed over Liam’s features. “That’s not enough?”
“No, no.” I shook my head furiously but couldn’t get another word out. Only after Rafe got me a glass of water, and I greedily guzzled half of it down could I finally speak. “It’s too much.”
Liam stared at me like I’d suddenly grown a second head.
The longer he stared, the more doubt seeped into my pores. Who did this? Who agreed to marry a man for money? An uncomfortable feeling settled deep beneath my skin. I was essentially selling myself for an obscene amount of money.
That didn’t feel too great.
I couldn’t do this. I shouldn’t do this. There were other ways to help my parents.
I parted my lips to apologize for wasting Liam’s time, but my phone rang before even a sound escaped. Giving him an apologetic look, I quickly pulled it out of my jacket pocket to silence. My finger hovered over the red button when I caught sight of the name on my screen.
“I’m sorry, I need to take this.”
I hurried out of the kitchen and pressed the device against my ear.
“Hey, Mom. Everything okay?”
My dad’s condition had worsened a bit over the past two weeks. Nothing major, but still enough for us to worry.
“I honestly don’t know how to answer that.” My mom sounded completely and utterly depleted. It broke my heart. “Your father had to go for more tests and another round of scans. Sometimes, I think they’re just doing all these things to get more money out of us.” A bitter laugh reached my ears. “Joke’s on them. We have nothing more to give.”
A sharp pain shot through my chest. I hated that my parents, who’d worked their butts off for years, now had nothing to show for it. It wasn’t fair.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I know things are difficult right now, but I don’t think they’ll do the tests on Dad if they weren’t absolutely necessary.”
“You’re probably right. It’s just…” Her voice broke, and it took a few deep breaths for her tone to even out again. “I never thought I’d miss working for Trent Stevens. Somehow, it feels like those days were far easier than this hell I’m in right now.”
I didn’t know what to say. My mom must have felt some kind of way if that was where her thoughts were at.
“You know, if you and your sister were here things wouldn’t be half as bad. Parents and children shouldn’t be apart. Especially not at a time like this.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to ignore the guilt eating at my insides. When my parents made the move to Portsmouth, my mom had begged my sister and me to go with them.
Since we were all afraid Natalie’s father would harm my sister just to spite Natalie, Cece had listened. But the moment she’d found out Trent Stevens wasn’t a threat anymore, she’d packed her bags and moved.
She was currently doing her BFA in dance at Florida University.
I was still here in New York.
We weren’t just a quick drive away from each other anymore.
But small-town life wasn’t for me. Or for my sister, for that matter.
My mom just had a hard time coming to terms with it.
“I’ll come visit soon, I promise. In the meantime, I’ll send you money to cover some of the hospital bills.”
Sniffles filtered through the line. “I don’t want your money, Everlee, I want my kids here where they’re supposed to be.” Her tone was a little more off than usual but I guessed it was to be expected.
“I know, Mom. I’m sorry.” Emotion welled up in my throat, and I said goodbye before my mom could hear it. Once the line was dead, I couldn’t keep the tears from running down my cheeks.
Sadness, shame, guilt. I felt it all.
I should’ve been with my mom. She needed someone to lean on, someone to support her. I should’ve been with my dad, too.
That’s why you’re marrying Liam Maxwell.
Quickly wiping under my eyes, I pocketed my phone and spun around. A very unladylike high-pitched squeal left my throat when I almost slammed into Liam.
“What the hell? Were you listening to my conversation?”
“Your father’s ill?” he asked, completely ignoring my question.
Crossing my arms in front of me, I blew out a breath. “I asked you first.”
Eyes locked on me, his jaw pulsed a few ticks faster. “Yes.”
“I can’t believe you. That’s so rude.”
He shrugged. “Had to make sure you weren’t talking to some guy. I don’t care how dire my situation is, I refuse to be played for a fool.”
“That goes both ways, you know?” When Liam just kept looking at me, I sighed. “I wouldn’t have offered to do this if I was involved with someone.”
His eyes narrowed into thin icy slits. “What’s wrong with your father?”
“He’s…he’s…” That irritating sting in my throat returned. Refusing to be weak or vulnerable before this man, I swallowed the tears and lifted my chin. “You know what? It’s none of your business.”
I blinked once, twice, and suddenly Liam was right there, looming over me like a predator ready to pounce. My poor heart could hardly stand it, galloping to a wild rhythm I had no hope of containing.
He inched his stupidly gorgeous face closer to mine, and I just about forgot how to breathe.
“From here on out,” he sneered, “everything you do is my business.”
Even with my insides going haywire, I held his stare. “Not my family. I’m doing this for them, and that’s all you need to know.”
Those icy-blue eyes bored into mine, rooting me to the spot while he slowly tried to peek into the very depths of my soul.
He stared and stared, the frown lines on his forehead growing deeper and deeper while my skin tingled and burned with a desperate unease I’d never felt before.
Seriously, what was it about this man that had every cell in my body going crazy?
Just as I couldn’t take it anymore, he finally stepped back and spun around. But instead of going to the kitchen where we’d been talking, he kept going.
I had no idea what came over me, but for whatever reason, I hurried after him.
“Liam?”
He stopped but didn’t face me. “What?” The word came out short and clipped.
I tried—and failed—not to take it personally.
“We weren’t done with the…m-marriage stuff.”
I didn’t hear as much as see him release a long breath. “I’m sure you and Rafe can handle it. You’ve been doing just fine without me so far.”
This time, when he stalked off, I made no move to stop him.