Page 14

A week had passed since our wedding night, and I was sad to say I’d spent the majority of that time alone.

Liam had been noticeably MIA. In fact, I went to bed alone every night since.

Our relationship was tenuous, I knew that. It was rash and reckless to fall headfirst into bed with any man, but a man I used to have a massive crush on?

Well, that was just plain dumb.

At first, I appreciated the space he was giving me. But after the first two days had passed, I began to have some doubts.

I was not a virgin, but it had been a while since my last relationship. Longer since that, I’d had sex with an actual person and not something with a rechargeable battery.

I wondered briefly if the nano batteries he was looking to manufacture could be used inside sex toys and decided immediately that, yes , they damn well could.

Still, doubts consumed me.

We should have never had sex that night.

Having sex with Liam was beyond my wildest dreams, and I could dream with the best of them. But it stirred up old feelings for me, and sap that I was, they likely showed.

That must have been terribly awkward for him, and I was embarrassed.

Liam was a nice guy, I mean, from what I could tell, but he didn’t care about me like that.

Obviously.

The man ran from my bed like I set his dick on fire or something.

Self-consciousness reared its ugly head as I considered my shape and his. He was fit. Probably worked out. And I sure as heck didn’t.

I was comfortable in my skin, but I knew many people weren’t.

People always assumed I was on a diet or something, and they would even ask me how it was going, which sucked for obvious reasons.

When someone asked me how I was doing on my diet, I’d always say fine. Because I was doing fine.

And when I’d ask them the same question in turn, I was often met with confusion.

But one of the definitions of diet was simply an eating plan, which we all had every single day.

Anyway, the point was I was a big girl. That wasn’t changing.

And if my gorgeous husband didn’t like my body, then he could just keep on staying away from it.

I bit my lip, unhappy with this train of thought.

Had he found me lacking?

Shit.

I really didn’t want to know.

He hadn’t slept at home for days now. He’d been working through most nights, claiming the time difference from his month in China was fucking with his sleep pattern.

He would come to bed when I was leaving for work. But I wondered what was going to happen starting Monday when we started working together.

Like he promised, the morning after our wedding night, he sent me a partnership deal for ODI.

It seemed my husband was being modest when he spoke about the exciting things his business was building. The fact was nanotechnology and computer engineering were things I’d only thought about in terms of theories while getting my degree.

But it was exactly the kind of cutting-edge tech I wanted to work on. Just thinking about the applications of nano batteries and quantum computers made my pulse race.

If we moved now, we could be in the front lines, pushing the boundaries of what was possible in electronics, computing, power supplies and data storage.

Nanotech helped build smaller, faster, and more efficient components. Liam was all about the batteries, but reading his proposal I saw even more opportunities and I was determined to tell him.

With the right pitch and the power to maintain operations abroad, O’Doyle Industries could be a driving force pushing the future of computing technology forward. Being a part of that was like a dream. It was a phenomenal opportunity.

Naturally, I signed the document. I sent it back to him, cc’ing the lawyer who drew up the partnership and Liam acknowledged it with a thumbs-up emoji.

Today, I was supposed to see my father, to quit my job at Volkov Industries.

I dressed with care. Choosing an expensive, lightweight, ivory wool crepe suit with wide-legged pants and a single breasted jacket, I felt confident that I looked professional and adult.

Being inside my father’s office always made me feel like a child, so that part was important. I looked at my left hand, frowning as my gaze flicked to the diamond solitaire Margaret O’Doyle gave me just sitting there.

No. That wouldn’t do.

I removed the ring and dropped it in a crystal bowl on the dresser.

Moving into the condo was easier than I thought.

I held no sentimental value toward any of the furniture in my old place and it was more a matter of bringing clothes and toiletries over here, which I’d been doing a little at a time.

Shelly had been texting and leaving messages whenever she had a chance, which thankfully, with her career, was not that often. And everyone else was busy with finals, or work, or the upcoming holiday.

I usually looked forward to thanksgiving, but I had a feeling this year might be a little different for me.

Shit.

I wondered for the tenth time if maybe things would have been easier if I just let Margaret O’Doyle tell my folks what happened. If I hadn’t asked her to protect my secret.

But I was a Volkov, and my word meant something.

I made that shark of a woman a promise, and I’d keep it, period.

Sucking in a fortifying breath, I checked over my makeup and hair. I had my thick locks pulled back in a low ponytail and applied some light powder foundation.

Allergies and the dislike of anything heavy had always made me wary of cosmetics, so my look was more natural with a little help. I brushed my eyebrows, naturally dark thanks to dear old dad’s genetics, and used an opalescent highlight stick on my eyelids and some brown mascara to darken my lashes.

I frowned as I looked down at the lipstick in my hand. I rarely wore the stuff, but why not?

Sighing, I leaned forward, looking at my reflection I opened my lips and pressed the applicator to the bottom one first.

“Stop.”

I startled at the interruption, dropping the lipstick I spun and saw Liam darkening the doorway to our bedroom.

“You scared me,” I said, clapping one hand over my pounding heart.

He moved fast, his body suddenly looming in front of mine. Before I could ask him what the hell he was doing, Liam had one hand on my neck, tipping my head back, while using two fingers on his other hand to wipe away the spot of lipstick I’d managed to get on my mouth.

“You don’t need it, Sweetheart,” he murmured, his gaze meeting mine.

I thought he was going to kiss me, but he let me go so quickly I swayed on my feet and had to steady myself with one hand on the dresser top.

“W-what are you doing here?” I asked when he turned away from me.

“I’m here to take you.”

“You’re coming with me to Dad’s office?” I gasped, surprised to say the least.

“Yeah. You ready?” he asked, leading the way.

I watched him walk in the charcoal gray suit he wore, admiration for the fine cut blossomed within me as I took in his muscular figure.

There was no denying it. Liam O’Doyle was a fine ass man.

Lucky me.

Or unlucky me , depending on how you looked at it.

I mean, Liam was definitely hot, but he hadn’t touched me since our wedding night.

I followed him to the hall that led to the front door, grabbing my soft, red leather briefcase I used for work and sliding on the matching ankle boots before I jogged the last few steps to catch up with him.

Liam made a humming noise in his throat as he looked me over. He licked his bottom lip, then held the door open for me, closing it after himself.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked, not knowing what to think.

“I’m sure, Sweetheart. Let’s go.”