Chapter 23 Liam #2
Fucking Ben. Maybe I should have told him what this was all about, after all. Never mind the risk. I wasn’t sure I could stomach this borderline flirtation all night.
Or maybe that would have made him worse?
No, I couldn’t tell him. Ben wouldn’t actually do anything as long as he thought Andrea and I were together. He was a bit of a party animal, but he had my back completely. It was just normal for us to joke around with each other’s girlfriends.
Except Andrea wasn’t my girlfriend. She wasn’t even my date.
So why was this irritating me so much?
Because she feels like mine.
And she isn’t.
*
“Have you spent much time with Bonnie?” Ben turned to Andrea.
I poured him a glass of the Pétrus we’d chosen from my collection.
“Not really. We’ve mostly chatted since she and Liam came to London.”
She caught my eye, and I moved closer, resting my hand on her back. Would she think that was too much? Well. It would be strange if we didn’t touch. We had to look believable.
I felt her stiffen slightly under my fingers, then relax again as if she remembered.
It’s an act, Andrea. An act you signed up for.
The warmth of her under the silk top went straight through me. I moved my hand a fraction, just to prove I could.
“Oh, good.” Ben looked over at me, unsmiling. “Bonnie’s known Liam a long time, since primary school. She’s always got on so well with his girlfriends. I’m sure you and she will be great friends.”
Great friends? Right.
I hoped Andrea didn’t pick up on my brother’s sarcasm.
Bonnie and I had been friends since we were five.
She’d kept an eye out for me in the playground, at least until we’d gone off to secondary school—me to boarding school at Winchester, and her to Didcot Park, the local comprehensive.
That had been tough for both of us. She’d been like a big sister, protective even before Afghanistan, when the vultures began to circle—women drawn by whatever they thought proximity to me might buy them.
I hadn’t minded back then, keeping things with women shallow.
Life had felt so gray, like nothing mattered.
But Bonnie had minded.
She’d always treated my girlfriends—if you could call them that—like temporary hazards. Things to manage until they disappeared.
My brother knew that. He just never said it out loud.
“Oh, that is a long time. So you’re friends socially, too?” Andrea turned to me. “I thought Bonnie was just your strategic adviser?”
“She does … advise me,” I said. “She has a good eye for … risk.”
Which is what she thought Andrea was.
Ben snorted.
I usually trusted Bonnie with everything, but she was wrong this time. What did she call her—manipulative?
Andrea was the opposite of that. The more I got to know her, the clearer that was. If anything, the woman could benefit from a bit more filter, not less.
“And when did you move in, Andrea?” Ben asked, holding up his wineglass and looking at the liquid. “Hasn’t Liam been out of the country for the past six months?”
I didn’t move. We’d rehearsed this.
“Shortly before he left, actually,” she said. “But I got a bit lonely, so I moved back in with Eliza for a while, in Clapham. I sort of live between the two now. When he’s home, I’m mostly here.”
Perfect. Damn, she was good at this.
“So you’re living here at the moment?” Ben took a sip of his drink, appraising her calmly. Could he tell something was off?
“I am.”
“And what about your cat?”
“Oh, Mr. Darcy stays here with me. He doesn’t mind. I think he likes the change of scenery, actually.”
“Funny,” said Ben, his eyes floating to mine. “I didn’t think the Harcourt House covenants allowed animals to be kept here overnight.”
Oh. Shit.
Andrea looked at me, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink.
Before I could think about how to handle it, a soft chime sounded from the intercom—the concierge announcing our guests. The lift doors opened, and Bonnie stepped out, Hugo and Miranda just behind.
“Hi, Liam,” Bonnie said brightly. She moved in for a brief hug, then stepped back to greet Ben and Eliza with the same polished warmth.
“Andrea,” she added, turning to her with a brief kiss to the cheek. “Lovely to see you.”
You’d never know she was lying.
Hugo and Miranda said their hellos, and I ushered them through to the living room. A waiter appeared carrying a tray of drinks—Pimm’s and lemonade, Miranda’s favorite. Hugo took one and moved toward the window, stopping a few feet short. I took a seat on the couch next to Andrea.
“Marvelous place, Liam,” he said. “I can’t believe you don’t spend more time here. Might this become more of a base for you, now that you’re getting this thing going in pharma?”
“That’s the plan,” I said.
Ben had settled near the drinks console and poured himself another wine. Hopefully, he’d forgotten about the cat.
“So, Andrea,” said Miranda. “Are you working at the moment?”
“Yes, at Novexia. I’m a sales rep.”
“She’s in business development,” said Bonnie quickly. A small flash of irritation crossed Andrea’s expression.
“Yes,” she said tightly. “That’s what a sales rep does.”
“Ah, a people person. You must be very good at reading others, an enviable skill,” said Miranda. “And did you grow up in London, too?”
“Datchet,” she said. “Near Slough.”
“Oh, that’s very—”
“Windsor,” said Bonnie. “It’s closer to Windsor.”
“My mum’s house is on the Slough side.” I saw Andrea’s jaw clench very slightly.
The room seemed to pause. Miranda’s eyes slid to Bonnie for a second, then back to Andrea.
Why had Bonnie felt the need to jump in like that? There was nothing wrong with being a sales rep, and I was sure Andrea had a good handle on where she used to live. Nothing wrong with Slough either, though it didn’t quite have the cachet of the King’s hometown.
“Well. I’m sure that’s a lovely place to grow up,” said Miranda. “And you, Eliza, are you also working?”
“Me? I’m a student.”
“Oh, good for you. Where do you study?”
“South Bank. I’m doing law.”
“I’ve always thought the law requires a rather different kind of mind. You’ll never be short of opinions at the dinner table, I imagine.”
“I—yes, I suppose so.” Eliza laughed.
The conversation moved on, and I caught Andrea’s eye. The urge to shut Bonnie down had been sudden and unfamiliar—like something inside me had decided I had to protect Andrea without considering whether I should.
She hadn’t asked me to. It wasn’t up to me.
On the other side of the room, Ben chuckled at something Hugo said.
Miranda and Eliza were getting along like they’d known each other for years.
Andrea watched them with me for a while, and I dropped a hand onto her knee and gave it a tiny squeeze.
She turned and gave me the slightest smile.
As always, I felt my heart lift in a way that wasn’t in the contract.
Delicious smells were coming from the kitchen. Not long and dinner would be served. It was going well so far, all things considered.
“What’s on the menu, Liam?” Ben was pouring another drink, possibly his third. I’d have to keep an eye on him.
“Dorset crab, followed by lamb cutlets. Strawberries for pudding,” I said. “That work for you?”
“Acceptable.” Ben grinned and went back to entertaining Hugo and Bonnie.
A waiter hovered with more canapés, and I reached to grab one.
“Isn’t that true, Andy?” Eliza waved her sister over. “I was just telling Miranda you’re the only person I know who can argue someone into doing exactly what you want and still have them thanking you for it.”
Well, that made sense.
“Andy? Andrea Jones?”
I turned. The waiter with the long hair was staring at her.
“Kale?” she said faintly, her face white.
“Kai,” he replied. “What the fu—” He stopped, sensing the room grow quiet.
“Oh, how funny, do you two know each other?” said Miranda.
Kai looked from Andrea to me and then swept the rest of the space like he’d only just noticed there were people in it.
This couldn’t be good. Who the hell was Kai, and why was he looking at her like he had a claim?
“You’re with him now?” he whispered to Andrea, dropping his head and glancing sideways at me. Not a good move, considering I was paying his wages tonight. From the corner of my eye, I saw Bonnie discreetly slip out of the room. She knew an impending disaster when she saw one.
“Ah—yes. Liam and I are … together.”
“Since when?” Kai’s voice was low. “Rudy still thinks he’s got a chance.”
Who the fuck was Rudy?
Someone who’d been there before me, who still felt he had the right to want her? Or someone she was still fucking?
Nobody spoke—the whole room was looking at Andrea.
I dropped an arm over her shoulders, aiming for casual. It didn’t feel casual. “Kai, do you—”
Andrea turned to me and placed a hand firmly on my knee, smiling between gritted teeth. She wasn’t quite so pale now.
“Kai.” She turned back to the waiter and laughed lightly, like she thought he was teasing. I knew she didn’t. “You look well. I heard you got a new job, must beat working at the pub?”
“Uh … Yeah. I guess …” Kai’s brow wrinkled. “But you didn’t answer my—”
“How is Rudy? I haven’t heard from him in ages.”
“You blocked him,” Kai muttered. “Last month. And you’ve still got my amp.”
Bonnie had slipped back into the room, whispering something in the ear of the senior waiter standing next to her.
“Is that what he told you? Bless him.” Andrea turned to me. “Reality was always more of a suggestion for Rudy.” She looked back at Kai. “I’m relieved he’s still optimistic, though. It means the therapy’s working.”
From the opposite couch, Eliza snorted.
Kai frowned. “No, Rudy said—”
“Kai, hon,” Andrea continued, “before this becomes a podcast episode, can we get the minister another drink?” She smiled at Hugo. “Same again?”
“Ah, yes please, Andrea. I don’t mind another Pimm’s.”
Kai slinked off to the kitchen, with Bonnie hot on his heels.
“Make sure he doesn’t get into trouble,” Andrea murmured into my ear. “He’s sweet, really. Just a bit too loyal.”
She’d neutralized him in under a minute. Impressive. And surprisingly … sexy.
God help me.