Page 33 of Liam (The Valeur Billionaires #4)

Chapter Twenty

ALERIA

L unchtime finds me in the cafeteria with Mia, my salad untouched as I try to focus on her animated chatter. But my traitorous eyes keep drifting to where Liam sits with a group of executives. Every so often, our gazes lock, and I swear the temperature in the room spikes by several degrees.

“So, about the Halloween party,” Mia says, her voice cutting through my distraction. “I’m thinking of going as Marie Curie. Too cliché?”

“Hm?” I blink, forcing my attention back to her. “Oh, um, no. Not cliché. Radioactively cool, actually.”

Mia snorts. “Did you just make a science pun?”

I giggle, the sound too loud and a little hysterical. Halloween party. Right. The bet. Liam and I never discussed what we’re doing about that. Is the bet still on? I mean, I guess not, but are we going together? Separately? Not at all?

“Speaking of the party,” Mia continues, oblivious to my internal panic, “I’m thinking of asking Leo. You know, the guy I met at the science convention?”

“Uh-huh.” I nod, my eyes drifting back to Liam.

“I mean, he’s cute, right? And he laughed at my jokes.”

“Mm-hmm,” I mumble, watching Liam lean in to whisper something to a colleague.

“So, I was thinking of asking him to go skydiving with me first as a warm-up to the party invitation.”

“Sounds great,” I say.

“Then we’ll rob a bank together. Nothing says romance like a felony, right?”

“Absolutely,” I agree.

Mia waves her hand in front of my face. “Earth to Aleria! Are you even listening to me?”

I snap back to attention. “What? Yes, of course. Leo, party, bank robbery. Wait, what?”

Mia’s eyes narrow. “Okay, spill. What’s going on with you? And don’t say ‘nothing’ because you just agreed to me committing a federal crime.”

My face heats. “I... It’s nothing. Just distracted by the new lab setup.”

“Uh-huh,” Mia says. “And does this ‘new lab setup’ have anything to do with a specific dream guy?”

“W–what?” I gasp out. “How did you... I mean, there’s nothing... I don’t...”

Mia’s eyebrows shoot up. “Whoa, calm down there. I was just referring to your date to the party. You said you’re going to ask Jake. But based on that reaction, I’d say there’s something else going on.”

“No! I mean, yes. I mean, Jake is fine. Everything’s fine. Totally normal. Nothing to report on the, uh, quantum entanglement front.”

“Quantum entanglement?” Mia repeats. “Aleria, honey, you know that’s not a euphemism for sex, right?”

“Of course I know that,” I mutter, taking a sip of my coffee. And gag.

“Ugh! What is wrong with this coffee?” I splutter, reaching for a napkin.

Mia peers into my mug and then bursts out laughing. “Oh my God, Aleria. You put salt in your coffee instead of sugar.” She waves the empty bag in front of me. “You’ve got it bad, girl. Was the sex with Jake that good?”

I stare at my ruined coffee, mortified. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mumble.

“Uh-huh,” Mia says. “Well, whatever—or whoever—has got you this distracted, I hope they’re worth it.”

I force a laugh, my eyes drifting back to Liam. He catches my gaze and winks, the slight gesture sending my heart into overdrive.

“Yeah,” I whisper, more to myself than to Mia. “Definitely worth it.”

Later, in the lab, I peer through the microscope, adjusting the focus.

“How’s the research coming along, Dr. James?” Liam’s voice is smooth, cutting through the quiet hum of the lab.

I glance over my shoulder, careful not to overreact. His presence fills the room before he even steps into it, his tailored suit a striking contrast to the sterile environment around us. My eyes flick to the way the fabric hugs his broad shoulders before I rein myself in.

“Progressing well, Mr. Valeur,” I reply, turning to face him.

A flash of movement catches my eye, and the new lab tech approaches with a slow, deliberate sway in her step. She’s holding a tablet to her chest, pushing up her cleavage just enough to be obvious.

“Mr. Valeur,” she purrs, her hand finding its way to Liam’s arm. “I have those numbers you requested.” She bats her eyelashes at Liam like it’s an Olympic sport. “You know, I’m new here. Perhaps you could show me around?”

Liam, to his credit, looks annoyed.

“Actually,” I say, a smile playing at my lips, “I’d love to assist. I can walk you through the data and give you a thorough tour of our lab’s latest updates. The centrifuges, for example, are fascinating.”

Her smile falters, but she doesn’t protest. I catch Liam’s gaze, and he’s smirking. As I lead the blonde away, his eyes follow me. When she isn’t looking, I shoot him a subtle glance and the hint of a smirk, more defiant than playful.

After assigning the new tech a quick task, I return to my workstation and resume my seat. Liam’s fingers graze mine, his touch deliberate, lingering. He leans in, pretending to examine the nearest readout, but his lips brush my ear, his voice low and hot.

“Jealousy suits you, Dr. James,” he murmurs, his tone dripping with suggestion. “Almost as well as my fingers between your legs.”

Heat floods through me at his words, memories of our last encounter flashing in my mind. My pulse races, but I keep my composure, forcing a bright smile as the blonde turns with an arched brow.

“Done already? This way,” I say, guiding her past. “You’ll want to see our new spectrometer. Its resolution is astonishing.”

I add a slight sway to my hips, my steps measured, teasing. He wants to play? Two can play this game.

The tour stretches on, my explanations growing more elaborate as the blonde’s attention wanes. By the time we circle back to the main lab, her glazed expression makes it clear she’s more than ready to escape.

“And that concludes our tour,” I say, suppressing a grin. “Any further questions?”

She mumbles something incoherent about an experiment and excuses herself, practically fleeing from the room.

“Well played,” Liam’s voice comes from behind me, amusement thick in his tone. I turn to find him standing closer than I’d expected, his body inches from mine, the space between us charged. “I enjoyed your enthusiasm for the autoclave’s sterilization cycle.”

“I believe in being thorough, Mr. Valeur.”

His eyes darken, the playful glint giving way to something deeper. “Is that so?” he murmurs, leaning in just enough that his breath tickles my neck. “I look forward to experiencing that...thoroughness...firsthand.”

For a moment, I forget where we are, forget the lab techs and the sterile environment. It’s just him, his lips inches from mine, the heat between us undeniable.

A voice from across the lab breaks the spell, pulling us both back to reality. We step apart, the moment disrupted but far from forgotten.

“I should get back to work,” I say, my voice softer, still carrying the breathlessness of our unspoken connection.

“Of course.” His professional mask slips back into place, but as he turns to leave, his hand grazes mine one last time—a silent promise, a reminder.

I watch him go, my heart pounding. This secret game, this dance between us, is a dangerous thrill—one I’m not sure I want to stop.

We’re gathered around the table, the team focused on our latest development for ASTRA.

The models for the miniaturized light source are up on the screen, and I’m supposed to be leading the discussion, but my mind is a mess of distractions.

Not least of which is the fact that Liam walked in minutes ago and is leaning against the back wall, arms crossed, eyes fixed on me.

“So, we need to push harder to penetrate the market,” I say, gesturing to the data chart. Then the double meaning hits me, and heat rushes to my face. “I mean, we need to force our way to the forefront of innovation.”

I cringe. Seriously? I try to recover, shuffling papers in front of me like they might shield me from my own words. “Just, you know, advance the science.”

There’s a pause, and a few of the lab techs exchange confused glances. Heat creeps up my neck.

This is going well .

“We’re having some trouble with the light source,” Jessica chimes in, breaking the silence. “It’s too weak to get a full read, so we might need to adjust the input and go deeper.”

I nod, avoiding Liam’s gaze. “Right, yes. Deeper. We’ll get the right angle.”

I blink. Of course she meant the spectroscopy, but my mind goes places it shouldn’t.

She cocks her head at me, puzzled. “Angle?”

“I mean, we’ll get it working,” I blurt. “With proper penetration.”

Jessica frowns. “Penetration of the tissue?”

Someone coughs, and I nod. “Exactly. We’ll get a more accurate read on the spectral signatures with a, um, more direct approach.”

I glimpse Liam’s smirk out of the corner of my eye, and it only makes things worse. My brain is short-circuiting, and I need this meeting to be over.

“What about the cooling system?” Kyle, one of the engineers, pipes up next. “We’ve got some overheating when we try to push the energy through for long durations. If we don’t take it slow, it’ll burn out.”

“Yes, slow and steady.” I glance down at my notes, praying for clarity. “We don’t want to rush it. Sustained pressure is best. We don’t want to overheat or wear it out.”

There’s a brief, stunned silence. Jessica shifts in her chair, and Kyle’s brows furrow like he’s trying to figure out what just happened.

Liam clears his throat, and I can’t even bring myself to look at him. I know that if I do, his expression will be the final straw.

“Maybe we should revisit the model,” Jessica offers, trying to steer the conversation back to sanity. “It seems we’re getting hung up on the source.”

“Good idea,” I say. “Let’s do that.”

I turn to face the screen, gripping the edge of the table like it’s a lifeline. “Okay, everyone. Let’s, uh, reconvene tomorrow. Same time.”

As the team shuffles out, I glimpse Liam’s amused grin. He lingers as the others leave, and as soon as we’re alone, he moves closer, his voice low and teasing.

“I’ve never seen someone make science sound so suggestive,” he murmurs, his lips barely concealing the smirk.

I cross my arms, trying to regain some dignity. “You’re not helping.”

“Wasn’t trying to,” he replies with a smirk before leaving the lab.

By the end of the day, I’m a bundle of nerves and pent-up tension. The drive home is a blur, and I collapse onto my couch with a groan of relief. I made it. I survived a whole day of pretending I’m not in love with my boss.

Wait. In love? Where did that come from?

Before I can examine that thought, my phone buzzes with a text from Liam.

Liam

Your place or mine tonight? I promise no work talk. Unless you want to discuss the long-term benefits of our merger?

I laugh, then freeze at the knock at my front door .

I open it to find Mia strolling in with her usual energy, catching me off guard and grinning like an idiot.

“Okay, spill,” she demands, flopping down next to me. “Who’s got you looking like you just solved cold fusion? Is it Jake?”

I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. I’m debating what I’m going to say when my phone buzzes again, and Mia’s eyes lock onto it with laser focus.

“Ooh, is that him?” She snatches the phone from my hand before I can stop her. Her eyebrows shoot up, a smirk forming on her lips.

“Liam Valeur?” she gasps. “You’re texting him?”

I freeze, heart pounding as Mia looks at me wide-eyed.

“Oh, Aleria... You’ve got some explaining to do.”