Our hands brushed when I took the glass from him, and I swear I felt that touch all over my body. Damn, I was in trouble.
“So, why are you tense?” he asked, sitting in the chair next to mine. Was I imagining it, or did the chair and Liam seem closer than before? I licked my lips, then sipped from my glass.
“First, let’s talk a bit about you,” I said. “We always talk about me.”
“Let’s make a deal. I answer any question you want. And then you answer any of mine.”
He was looking at me so intently that there was no way I could say no. I didn’t want to, either. I shrugged a shoulder playfully. “Okay. Tell me about you, David, and Becca. Are you just partners or also friends?”
“They’re my best friends. We all started working on Wall Street together after college, and we became very close. We created the InvestMe app more for fun, even though I think we would have left Wall Street anyway. It wasn’t our scene. Too many rules and too many standardized processes.”
“But you like that. Didn’t you have the same list of questions for all applicants?” I teased.
“You sound like David. He always gives me shit about being too...stiff.”
“And liking rules? Or breaking them? I’m very confused on that topic.” I meant to sound serious, but I was grinning.
He leaned in, bringing his mouth to my ear. “I only like rules when I’m the one making them, Tess. And the only rules I’m breaking are the ones involving you.”
I felt every breath of his on my skin, and it seemed almost as intimate as kissing. For a brief second, it seemed we were the only ones in this crazy busy room. Then the chatter ramped up, as if someone had poked the bubble surrounding us.
I cleared my throat, and Liam pulled back. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Everything from the cut of his shirt and suit jacket to the determination in his gaze was dripping with sex appeal. I clasped one hand tighter around my glass and the other around the edge of my chair to keep from touching him.
It was so tempting to find an excuse to just open that top button of his shirt. I mean, wasn’t he the least bit warm?
“Why work on Wall Street at all, then?” I asked, pulling myself together. I wanted to know everything about him.
“Growing up, I always wanted to be like my grandfather. He worked on Wall Street almost his whole life.”
“Almost?” Something in the way he said that word made me think there was a story behind that.
“Right until he unexpectedly got laid off. He saved enough money, so that wasn’t an issue, but he just wasn’t the same. He became depressed and just didn’t seem like his old self. Then I asked a therapist how Gran and I could help, and he suggested we have strict routines and schedules, like he was used to at the bank. It actually worked. He got better and eventually did start liking his early retirement, but I got used to that sort of strict routine in the process.”
I was stunned, to be honest. He’d done all that for his grandfather? I think I fell for him a little right there and then.
“My turn.” His eyes flashed. He leaned forward, placing a hand on my knee. Holy shit! My body instantly lit up. My nipples perked up. Heat shot between my thighs.
What is happening to me?
“That’s not fair. I have more questions.” I pouted, blinking slowly.
“Fuck, Tess, stop with that cute pout or I’ll kiss you right here in this bar.”
My breath caught. I had no doubt he’d do it.
“Tell me why you were tense earlier.” His voice was so demanding that I had no choice but to give in.
“Because I like you so much, and...”
“Talk to me, Tess. Tell me what you’re afraid of.”
“I’m not even sure.”
“You mentioned the collaboration a few times. I promise I’m a professional. No matter what happens, it will not affect my work ethic. If it makes you feel better, David or Becca could even become your primary mentor. You’d only see me in a professional capacity during strategy meetings.”
Wow, he really thought about this? Just to put me at ease?
“What else is worrying you?” he asked.