My One And Only (Very Irresistible Bachelors 5)

Her eyes bulged. “Is there no middle ground?”

“When it comes to you and me, apparently not.”

She exhaled sharply. On instinct, I touched her lower back, leading her toward a darker corner of the room. I couldn’t miss the light shudder in her body. It made me want to pin her against a wall and kiss her until she was shaking.

“I have a list, Tess. Sticking to it is best for both our sakes. You have no idea just how personal I want to get.” I looked her straight in the eyes so she wouldn’t mistake my intentions.

She licked her lips, raising her glass to her mouth again as if it were a shield.

“Oookay. So, let’s get on with that list, then.”

I couldn’t help but lean in and tease her. “Not too stiff for you?”

“Liam...”

All I could think about was how good her full lips would feel against mine. But I pulled myself together, focusing on what I needed to do.

Once I was done with my questions, I was supposed to mingle with all the applicants tonight, but all I wanted was to find out more about this fascinating woman. I wanted to lure her to someplace where we could be alone.

Becca waved at me from across the room. She was looking at me with raised eyebrows, so I knew it was time to switch conversation partners.

“Tess, I need to catch up with the rest too. It was great talking with you.”

“Informative?” she teased.

“Very. Look, the servers brought food while we talked.”

I put a hand at the small of her back once more, guiding her to the buffet table. She straightened, licking her lips. Damn, the way she responded to the simple touch was driving me crazy.

“Wow, you went all out,” Tess murmured when we reached the table. She placed her purse on it while she grabbed a plate.

It was open, and her phone was right on top, so I didn’t miss the screen lighting up with a message from a guy named Kevin. I looked away, not wanting to intrude in her personal sphere, but I couldn’t miss some ridiculous heart-shaped emojis. Was she already taken? I didn’t like that at all.

“We wanted to make sure there was something for everyone. Have fun, Tess.”

I squeezed her arm before letting her go. I wasn’t usually a touchy person, but when it came to Tess Winchester, I seemed to want to do everything differently.

Chapter Six

Liam

“Th

is is fun,” Becca said a few days later. “Just wish we’d met like three hours later.”

David, Becca, and I were having breakfast on the rooftop of the brownstone. My intern Dexter was also here, but none of the other interns showed up on time. Yesterday, we went to dinner with the last bunch of applicants. After they left the restaurant, we exchanged impressions. Then we ordered some wine, and the evening got away from us.

“It’s going to be a long day,” I said.

Last night, we decided who we were going to sign on: Soho Lingerie.

“We need to let Soho Lingerie know. The lawyers already sent the contract. We should all double-check it,” I said.

David grimaced. “That’s something you usually do, Liam. The lawyers will just do their thing.”

I stared down at him until he held up his hands. “Fine, fine. I’ll look over the contract too.”

The lawyers were great at their jobs, of course. We had a standard contract, but they adapted it to every applicant’s business, personalizing it. I liked to double-check everything. It was a courtesy to everyone involved, and I insisted on it every time.