His chest tightened, the ache in his heart almost unbearable.
“She is lovely,” Eric murmured, clapping Liam on the shoulder.
“She’s more than that,” he insisted. “She’s intelligent, and loyal, and kindhearted and…” He forgot how to speak as she turned her head to stare directly at him.
“Sexy?” Eric prompted.
His cock went rigid, suddenly eager to have her alone.
At his apartment.
In his bed.
“Hell, yeah,” he growled.
There was a beat before Eric cleared his throat. “Have you told her?”
Liam stiffened, turning his head to glare at his companion. “No.”
Eric shook his head. “You’re playing with fire, bro.”
Liam shoved open the French door, knowing his brother-in-law was right, but determined to ignore the disaster that loomed just out of sight.
“Ah. I knew the scent of bacon would lure you out of hibernation,” Mary teased, sending Holly a knowing smile. “It’s an aphrodisiac to the male sex.”
Coming behind Holly, Liam settled his hands on her shoulders and leaned down to whisper directly in her ear.
“Something to remember.”
She tensed at his touch, but astonishingly, she tilted her head back to flash him a mysterious smile.
“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind…” There was a deliberate pause. “Lee-bean.”
Swallowing his chuckle of delight at her teasing, Liam lifted his gaze to send a playful frown toward his sister.
“Traitor,” he growled, knowing Mary had to have delighted in revealing his mother’s name for him when he was a baby. “Silly family pet names are strictly off-limits. What else did you tell her?”
Mary blinked with faux innocence. “Every woman needs a little ammunition.”
“Not Holly,” he wryly assured his sister. The female had been tying him in knots for the past year. “She has more than her fair share of firepower without your help, thank you very much.”
“I happen to find stories of your childhood fascinating,” Holly assured him, her tone mocking.
Sliding one hand beneath the thick silk of her hair, Liam curled his fingers around her nape while his other hand cupped her chin, tilting back her face so he could place a slow, lingering kiss on her lips.
“Do you now,” he drawled as he reluctantly lifted his head, studying her flushed features with a brooding gaze.
She shivered, sucking in a deep breath as she tried to act as if they weren’t both going up in flames.
“I didn’t grow up with any brothers or sisters. I can’t imagine having a house with ten kids.”
Mary snorted, her tone amused as Liam and Holly remained lost in one another’s gaze.
“It was loud, messy, and occasionally violent,” she assured Holly. “You can’t imagine how many times I longed to be an only child.”
“There’s nothing to envy.” The cognac eyes darkened with a remembered sadness. “It was lonely.”
Liam’s heart twisted, but before he could speak, Mary was reaching across the bar to pat Holly’s hand.
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore,” she assured Holly. “Just wait until Ma gets ahold of you.”
Panic tightened Holly’s expression and Liam straightened to send his sister a warning glare.
“Enough. You’re going to make her flee in terror.” His attention shifted back to the woman who had turned his world upside down. “I just got her.”
Her lips parted, something that might have been yearning darkening the cognac eyes.
“Liam.”
Leaning down, he stole a tender kiss.
“Come with me.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Come with me…
They were the last words that had been spoken as Liam had returned her to his Mercedes and sped toward the Strip.
Reaching the luxurious Angeli, a combination hotel and casino, he pulled to a halt in front of the glass doors. Tossing the keys to the valet, he helped Holly out of the car and headed into the black and silver foyer that was a signature of the Angeli brand.
Holly ignored the curious gazes as they rounded the front desk to enter the private elevator. Later she might be embarrassed to have been seen with her boss, headed to his private rooms, but right now nothing mattered but discovering more about this man who was swiftly becoming an obsession with her.
Stepping into the elevator, Liam used his key to take them to the top floor, his hand pressing against her lower back as the doors opened to reveal the penthouse suite.
Automatically she kicked off the flip flops that had been another gift from the Playhouse store before she stepped forward, taking in the silver and ivory living room that was surrounded by three walls of glass.
Not surprisingly, she’d never been up here.
Her father had preferred to live in a grand mansion several miles away from Vegas, leaving this penthouse for high-rollers or visiting VIPs. Now, her breath was wrenched from her lungs at the sheer beauty of the view.
Liam wrapped his hand around her fingers, tugging her to the side of the elevator toward the back of the apartment.
“I have something I want to show you,” he murmured, his thumb brushing the inside of her wrist where her pulse was racing.
They bypassed the open kitchen that led to a small dining room, to move down a short hall, stopping at a closed door.
Half expecting to find herself in his bedroom, Holly arched a brow at the sight of a heavy walnut desk and walls hidden behind ceiling-high bookcases.
Leading her to the back of the room, he halted beside a long table that was covered by a thin cloth.
“What’s this?” Holly demanded in confusion.
“I hope it’s the future.”
He grabbed the cloth, tugging it aside to reveal two 3D architectural models.
Instantly curious, Holly leaned forward, studying the tiny, perfectly detailed prototypes.
They were clearly casino hotels, but they were designed with a modern flair that her father would have detested.
Holly loved them.
She leaned closer, reading the small plaques at the bottom of the models.
“St. Louis. Biloxi.” Straightening, she sent Liam a startled glance. “You intend to expand Angeli’s?”
He shrugged, his expression oddly unreadable. “These wouldn’t be Angeli.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I want something we can build together,” he said, his voice soft but filled with determination. “Something that has no taint of Vigo.”