Liam's Perfect Woman (Home to Harbor Town 2) - Page 6

“Okay. I’ll take the job.”

“You will? That’s…that’s—”

It happened so quickly that she never had warning. The fluorescent overhead lights flared on, and her eyelids shut automatically at the unexpected intrusion. Still stunned, Natalie struggled to blink as a spasm went through the muscles of her left eyelid. It drooped involuntarily.

“Ms. Reyes,” Erma called out in surprise. “I didn’t realize you were in here!”

“Turn out the light,” Liam barked.

Natalie caught a fleeting image of a shocked-looking Erma standing just inside the open door of her office. She glanced up. She clamped her eyes closed, but not before the image of Liam Kavanaugh’s hungry stare was stamped permanently in her mind.

The light switch clicked, and the room was suddenly dim again.

“Are you all right, Ms. Reyes?” Erma asked, sounding anxious and contrite at once.

“Yes. Yes, of course. I’m fine,” Natalie murmured, barely holding down a rising tide of emotion. “We’ll be out of here in just a moment, Erma.”

“No problem. Like I said, I’m sorry for interrupting. Are you sure you’re okay?” She felt regretful for the anxiety in Erma’s voice. Natalie’s mother had been a cleaning lady and she was always extra considerate and respectful of Erma, knowing from experience how exhausting and solitary the work could be.

“I’m fine, Erma,” she said, using all her effort to keep her voice even. She kept her face averted. “Really, I am.”

Natalie heard the door shut. She jerked her arm, suddenly wild to get away from Liam, all of her usual tight control evaporating to mist. A sound of misery escaped her throat when instead of releasing her, he embraced her.

Chapter Two

“Calm down,” he said near her ear. “It’s okay.”

The unexpected eruption of emotion that shuddered through her flesh mortified and bewildered her. Plenty of people had looked at her face before. Plastic surgeons and doctors had scrutinized it, photographed it and even written medical journal articles on it. Townspeople constantly cast curious, furtive

glances her way at the grocery or drugstore.

Why was she crying just because Liam had seen her scars?

Maybe it was because none of those other people pinned her with such a piercing, honest gaze that made her feel so exposed.

“Just leave, please,” she muttered as she tried to pry herself out of his arms.

“Okay. Okay, I’ll go. But give me a second.”

Natalie paused in her struggling. Her breath seemed to burn in her lungs at the sensation of his long, jeans-covered thighs pressing against her own. It was a new experience for her, to be held against such a virile man. Her thoughts seemed to flit around her head like panicked moths trying to escape from her skull.

He cradled her jaw. She went entirely still when he brushed the pad of his thumb along her cheek. The movement mesmerized her, and she stared fixedly at his chest, afraid to raise her gaze, but never so aware of another human being in her life.

“The bright light hurts your eye?” Liam stated more than asked.

“You don’t have to feel sorry for me,” she blurted out angrily.

“I wasn’t feeling sorry for you,” he said, sounding slightly insulted. “I asked you a simple question. If we’re going to be working together, I want to know.”

“The muscles are weak in my left eye,” she murmured after a moment, contrite for her defensive reaction. “It tires easily. It’s sensitive to bright light.”

She sensed his nod of understanding. He resumed stroking her with his thumb.

“Is that why you prefer going to the beach in the moonlight?”

Her head jerked up, but she instantly regretted her move. His mouth was only inches from hers.

“What do you mean?”

Tags: Beth Kery Home to Harbor Town Billionaire Romance
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