Page 5 of Liam (The Valeur Billionaires #4)

“It’s not that I can’t get dates,” I snap, my pulse racing at his proximity. “I choose not to.”

“Um, guys?” Mia’s voice barely registers. “The sprinklers? The funding? Anyone?”

Liam’s eyes narrow, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, right,” he scoffs, his voice low and challenging. “I bet you couldn’t get a date if your life depended on it.”

“Care to put your money where your mouth is, Valeur?” The challenge tumbles from my lips before I can stop it. My heart pounds as his eyes darken, and I catch a whiff of that maddening cologne.

“Are you suggesting a wager, Dr. James?” His voice drops lower, sending shivers down my spine.

“I’m suggesting you’re full of hot air.” I tilt my chin up, meeting his gaze. We’re standing too close now, the tension between us thick enough to cut.

“Oh God,” Mia mutters from somewhere behind us. “I’m watching a car crash in slow motion.”

“Name your terms,” he says, and somewhere in the back of my mind I know I should stop, should think about the funding, about my research, about anything except the way his eyes spark with challenge.

“Are you two flirting?” Mia asks. “Or trying to kill each other?”

“Not flirting!” We snap in unison, turning to glare at her.

“Well then.” Mia raises her hands, backing away. “Should I call the police?”

But we’ve already turned back to each other, the challenge crackling between us.

Mia’s sharp intake of breath cuts through the tension. I glance at her, seeing her eyes widen in a mix of shock and... Is that excitement?

“You know,” she says, a glint in her eye, “if you’re going for it, there’s a speed dating event tomorrow night at The Red Door.”

Liam and I both turn to stare at her. She shrugs, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. “What?” she asks. “I go sometimes. You try navigating the dating scene these days without a little help. ”

I open my mouth to respond, but Liam beats me to it. He nods, a calculating look in his eyes.

“Perfect,” he says, his voice smooth as silk but with an undercurrent of challenge. “Okay then, Dr. James. Let’s bet on who can get the most matches. Unless, of course, you’re too afraid?”

A thrill of excitement mixed with apprehension courses through me.

Part of my brain is screaming at me to back down, to remember who I’m dealing with.

But the larger part, the part that’s been itching for a challenge, for something to break the monotony of my closed, controlled life, surges forward.

“I was the one suggesting it remember?” I say, lifting my chin again. “But it’s hardly a fair competition. You’re a billionaire. Your wallet will do all the talking for you.”

“And you’re a woman,” Liam counters. “Trust me, you have the advantage. Men are easy.”

I roll my eyes so hard I’m surprised they don’t fall out of my head. “Wow, sexist much?”

Liam smiles. “No one will recognize me. I’m not on the news like my brother. The only time they ever showed my face was when I took over as CEO. Even then, it was a blip.”

I cock an eyebrow, refusing to let him get too smug. “Your last name is recognizable, Valeur. One Google search, and it’s game over, even for those who’ve been living under a rock.”

Mia jumps in. “First names only, people. That’s the rule at The Red Door. No last names, no professions. Just a clean slate.”

Liam shoots me a look that sets my heart racing. “See? Perfect. It’s just you, me, and the hunt. No crutches to rely on. Think you can handle that? ”

I narrow my eyes, a spark of competitiveness firing through me. “Oh, I can handle it. The question is, can you? Or are you afraid I’ll outmatch you?”

Liam leans back. “Afraid? Not in the slightest. In fact, I’m looking forward to showing you what happens when I don’t have to play the billionaire card. I can be very persuasive.”

I can’t help the heat that rushes to my cheeks, but I don’t back down. “You talk a big game, Mr. Valeur. Let’s see if you can back it up.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” he says, his voice dropping to a suggestive murmur, “I always finish what I start.”

Why do I feel like I’ve just made a deal with the devil?

A very attractive devil.

No! Stop it, Brain!

“Alright, Valeur,” I say, crossing my arms. “If we’re doing this, we need to set some ground rules. Make it a fair fight.”

He raises an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. “I’m all ears, Dr. James. What did you have in mind?”

“First,” I begin, ticking off points on my fingers, “no flashing your platinum card or promising private jet rides in exchange for a date.”

He nods. “We already agreed on that. And you can’t use your academic connections or promise lab tours to impress your dates.”

“Ha, ha.” I feign a chuckle. “Second, we can’t tell our dates about this bet. This isn’t some game show where they’re competing for a prize.”

Liam’s smirk widens. “Agreed. Wouldn’t want them to think we’re not interested in their charms.”

I roll my eyes but continue. “Third, no paying for dates or hiring escorts. We’re testing our actual dating skills here, not our ability to open a wallet.”

“Obviously,” Liam scoffs. “I don’t need to pay for company, Dr. James.”

“Fourth,” I press on, ignoring his jab, “we have to find dates outside our usual social circles. No inviting someone you already know or have connections with.”

Liam nods, his eyes never leaving mine. “Anything else?”

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the final, most crucial term. “The loser has to do one thing the winner asks. No questions asked.”

His eyes widen, a glint of intrigue sparking in their blue depths. “Interesting. Any limits on this...request?”

“Within reason and legal bounds, of course,” I clarify, realizing the potential danger of such an open-ended clause. But I could make him pay for my research. Help Mia. Invest in my lab without worrying about rent. It’s a dream.

“Of course,” he echoes, his voice low.

“Are you two sure about this?” Mia, who’s been watching our exchange like a spectator at a tennis match, finally speaks up. “It seems risky.”

I catch my reflection in one of the lab’s glass cabinets. My hair is a mess, my clothes are more than damp, and there are dark circles under my eyes from too many late nights in the lab. But there’s something else there too. A spark that I haven’t seen in a long time.

I turn to her, seeing the concern in her eyes. But I’m too far in now to back down. “I’m sure,” I say, my voice firm despite the butterflies in my stomach.

Liam extends his hand, his eyes challenging me. “Do we have a deal, Dr. James? ”

His hand hovers in the air between us, an unspoken challenge. The lab falls silent, save for the steady drip of water from our soaked clothes. My fingers twitch at my side, a war raging within. A voice screams caution, but another, louder one, demands action.

With a sharp inhale, my chin lifts. Our palms meet, his skin warm and dry against my still-damp hand. A jolt shoots up my arm, reminiscent of the earlier spark when we collided.

“Deal.” The word escapes my lips, steadier than the rapid drumming of my heart would suggest.

Our gazes lock, a silent battle of wills. Neither of us breaks the handshake, each waiting for the other to yield first.

Thoughts whirl like a centrifuge at high speed. What have I just agreed to? The magnitude of this wager looms large, a tidal wave of potential consequences. Yet, beneath the apprehension, a different sensation bubbles up.

Excitement. A chance to prove Liam Valeur wrong, to shatter his smug certainty. The thrill of the challenge courses through my veins, drowning out the whispers of doubt.

Game on, Valeur. Game on.