Liam's Perfect Woman (Home to Harbor Town 2) - Page 22

“The crash happened on a Tuesday night,” Natalie recalled. “And your mother never said why she thought he showed up unexpectedly?”

“No. Like I’ve told you before, we don’t make a habit of standing around at family barbecues, reminiscing about the crash.”

She recoiled slightly at the hard edge to his voice. He must have noticed, because he sighed and slumped back in the booth. His thigh pressed tighter against hers, but Natalie doubted he noticed. He seemed so deflated.

“Sorry for snapping at you,” he mumbled. He started to flip a spoon that had been sitting on the table between his long, agile fingers.

“It’s okay,” she said, meaning it. She recalled what Roger Dayson had said about Derry Kavanaugh on the beach.

He seemed like someone had just told him his best friend had been killed.

“I know this can’t be easy for you,” she said quietly as she watched the movement of his fingers.

“I’m sure it’s not a picnic in the park for you, either.”

She glanced up, surprised because his low, gruff voice sounded closer to her ear than she’d expected. His goatee looked so trim and sleek up close. It highlighted his firm mouth to perfection. The thought of what those whiskers would feel like beneath her fingertips rose in her mind to taunt her. She still could hear the rowdy music in the distance, so she couldn’t explain why it suddenly felt as if the two of them were encapsulated in an airtight bubble.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Natalie?”

“Yes. Are you regretting it? Taking the job, I mean?”

His expression remained impassive, but his eyes seemed warm as they flickered across her face.

“I don’t regret it enough to make me stop doing it.”

She just nodded, unable to glance away.

“I wish you’d take off those glasses.”

“What?” she asked, knocked off balance by his abrupt statement.

“I can’t see your eyes. It’s dark back here.” His low, gruff murmur mesmerized her, even though she should have been alarmed by the fact that his firm mouth had just lowered another inch toward her lips. “Go ahead, Natalie. Take them off. I want to look at you.”

Chapter Five

When she remained frozen, a small smile tilted his lips. The spoon thumped to the wood table. He reached with both hands and gently drew off her glasses.

“There. That’s better,” he said as he placed her glasses on the table. “You okay?”

She blinked. Thankfully, her eyelid didn’t quiver or droop. Liam had been right. The light back here in the alcove was indeed dim enough for comfort. She nodded, despite the fact that her heart had started to hammer out a warning in her ears. She wasn’t used to having anyone staring at her as frankly—as warmly—as Liam Kavanaugh was at the moment.

“It makes you uncomfortable, when people look at you,” he said, making her wonder if he was a mind reader.

“If you’d had people gaping at you like you were a freak since you were eleven years old, you might not adore the experience, either,” she said stiffly. She turned away, wishing that her scars faced the wall and not Liam’s sharp eyes. The scoffing noise he made caused her to whip her chin around, though.

“Sorry.” He must have noticed her insulted expression. “But come on…no one is looking at you like you’re a freak. That’s just stupid.”

Anger rose in her, swift and fierce. “What do you know about it?” How could he, a man who had probably never known self-consciousness once in his entire life, stand in judgment of her experience? “You saw the way Roger Dayson stared at me once he realized who I was.”

“I’m sure he was curious once he figured out who you were, but that’s not why most people are staring at you.”

She gaped at him, incredulous at his confidence. He noticed and shook his head. Natalie got the impression he really did consider her something of a bizarre novelty.

“They’re looking at you because you’re beautiful,” he said, his brows cocked, his manner saying loud and clear he was telling her the obvious…like, hello.

She made a scoffing sound. When his expression remained earnest, if puzzled, she sighed.

“What difference does it make?” she asked irritably.

Tags: Beth Kery Home to Harbor Town Billionaire Romance
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