“After the week I’ve had since getting back?” How could she explain it? Not just one, butbothmen who had been all over her on the island were here! Inhercity! Benson was a helluva coincidence enough. What was she supposed to do about this guy? How could she even look anyone from La Mariposa in the eye again?They really advertise in like three cities in the country.Here, New York, and LA. And New York wasn’t that far away! How small was this piss-pot, anyway!
“Wait,” Neal said, “what happened?”
“Nothing.” Certainly nothing that was any of his business. Which was probably why he blanched backward at her saying such a thing. “Sorry.” She cleared her throat, remembering her manners. The odds were small thatbothmen had tracked her down. The genuine surprise on Benson’s face still haunted her a little.And I’m going on a date with him tonight.Meanwhile, this man was playing it cool, but when Eden looked closer, she noticed he nervously tapped his fingers against his Americano cup. “You’re not… God, you’re the second person I’ve seen from the island this week.”
“Am I, now?”
“Yes. Do you live here?”
“Unfortunately, depending on who you ask.”
She scrunched her nose. “I’m asking you.”
“Oh, well, then yes. I live here. Just moved back from LA a few months ago, actually. But don’t worry. I don’t live around here.” He gestured to the neighborhood. “I live over by the river. I’m a bit of a boat guy, I’m afraid.”
She laughed. For some reason.
“I’m Liam.”
Eden stopped laughing, wondering where that came from. When she realized that was hisrealname, she cocked her head and studied his face.
“What?”
“Wow,” Eden whispered. “You look like one.”
“Is that supposed to mean I look Irish or something?”
Much to her ongoing surprise, she giggled. But wasn’t that the hold this man had over her a while ago? His ability to make everything feel so… easy? So simple? So fun and probable?
“No. Sorry.”
“I’m just joking.” He held his hand out to her over the corner of the table. “Liam Ashe. Pleasure to meet you out in the real world.”
She hesitated before taking his fingers. The moment she did, she instantaneously felt more at ease from the warmth of his skin and flashed back to the things those hands could do to her.Goodness gracious.She’d fan herself if it wasn’t thirty degrees outside and her hand wasn’t otherwise occupied.
“I’m Eden.”
“Whoa.” Liam retracted his hand and folded both arms on the table. “That’s quite the name. I like it.”
“I’m not gonna lie, ‘Brim’ grew on me after a while.”
“That one suits you, too.”
“But it was short for Brimstone. That’s not pretty.”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” He fired a finger gun at her while winking. “And you, Eden, are one gorgeous gal.”
“Uh…”
He turned off the charm when he realized it wasn’t getting him anywhere. “Sorry. I have this need to diffuse all awkward situations. It usually gets me money. Not so many women.”
“It’s fine. I’m just a bit out of sorts right now. You…” She turned her whole body toward him, shaking her hands, palms upright. “You.Here.”
“Yup. Me. Here.”
She tossed her hands into the air before slumping in her seat. “This is ridiculous.”
“At least you’re not embarrassed half to death. I’d have to turn my charm up even more, and it would get really weird for both of us.”