Page 13 of The Arrangement (Executive Suite Secrets #3)

“It took me a long time to work up the courage to put myself out there for you,” Liam mumbled, lowering those evil eyes to the ground to make himself appear even more pitiful.

Lily leaned forward, poked me hard in the arm several times, and then gave me an urging glower. She was buying every bit of this bullshit.

Well, this had backfired wonderfully. I’d thought I’d get to tease and torment Liam by making him ask a man in public. Instead, he’d come in here with flowers, making me out to be the asshole.

With a grunt, I shoved away from the desk and walked to the stacks, grabbing Liam’s arm along the way.

The big plan for an embarrassing moment has been a dud.

Time to salvage this before I had to come up with a new plan.

I held tightly to Liam’s arm as I dragged him through the stacks to the rear of the building.

It seemed all too fitting that I was now the one pulling him away for privacy after he’d been forced to do that at the museum.

Past all the tall shelves were a series of small rooms that patrons could reserve for an extra quiet area to study. Some people used them as tutoring rooms. There were still a couple of hours before the area schools let out for the day, so I knew there would be at least one empty room I could use.

Thankfully, Liam didn’t say a word as he followed behind me, his footsteps stumbling as he tried to keep pace with me.

The very first room I came to was empty. I leaped inside and closed the door behind Liam. I flipped on the overhead light, and we cringed. The light for the rest of the library was softer.

A table dominated the room, with two cheap plastic chairs facing each other across the table.

The sharp scent of cleaner hung in the air.

Each time a room was used, one of the staff would wipe down the table, chairs, and doorknob to reduce the germs that were spread.

Liam retreated until his back was pressed to the wall, putting as much space between us as possible.

I was happy to do the same as I leaned against the door.

“Now, wasn’t that a disaster?” Liam mocked.

Was I being an asshole?

I’d brought Liam to a private room to talk so I could continue with my evil plan without being judged, because I kept telling myself that I was justified in my actions.

But was I?

Yeah, shit had gone sideways when we were kids, and maybe Liam hadn’t been the person I’d thought he was. But was that enough to act like a total dick now? We’d gone our separate ways, grown apart, lived our lives. As much as I hated to admit it, Pierce might be right. I should steer clear of Liam.

However, if I did that, I might never find out why he’d panicked all those years ago and betrayed me.

Liam huffed. His coat made a noise as he folded his arms across his chest. “Okay. Fine. Rome, I was wondering if you’d be willing to go out with me. On a date.”

I blinked at him for a second, words leaving me.

While we stood there in that heavy silence, I’d gotten lost in thought, forgetting why he was at the library in the first place.

He still sounded awkward and uncomfortable, but not nearly as angry or put out as he had been.

Maybe if I was my usual charming self, I was sure I could learn more about what happened all those years ago.

Not that I was interested in being his friend again, but it would be nice to bury what had been so we no longer had to worry about bad feelings if we ran into each other around town.

That being said, I was still going to be a dick to him on the date, but only a tiny bit.

“Sure. Where are we gonna go?”

“What?” Liam stared at me like I’d switched to a foreign language.

“Where are we going on our date?” I repeated slowly.

“I don’t know! This was your idea.”

God, he was so easy to rile. How the hell was I supposed to be a nice guy and pass this up? Impossible. Utterly impossible.

“The deal was five dates,” I reminded him.

“Five times you have to ask me out, plan outings, escort me through an enjoyable evening, and see me safely home. You do remember the process, right?” I felt the need to emphasize the last part because I was afraid he’d try to leave me in a ditch somewhere.

Liam’s furious glare returned. And maybe so did my giddy joy. Where my resolve had wavered minutes ago, it was solidifying into steel. Five dates meant five opportunities to learn the truth about the past. And maybe a little torment.

My grumpy companion’s mouth opened and shut without him saying a single word. His scowl was so intense I thought he was trying to set me on fire with his mind.

“You realize I’m just a scientist, right? And not one of those molecular biochemists or even a forensic scientist. I don’t make a lot of money, so I can’t treat you to the expensive dates I’m sure you’re accustomed to.”

I barely stopped my derisive snort from escaping. Had any of my dates treated me? It was always my wallet that came out when the bill was due. Was it wrong that I liked the idea of Liam buying me dinner, even if it was nothing more than a drive-thru burger?

“It’s a date. I’m not expecting anything fancy.”

“Okay. Fine. Any stipulations I should know about before our date? I don’t want to go through with this only to have you tell me it didn’t count.”

That was a good point. Under normal circumstances, I didn’t have to worry about the other person trying to get things over with as quickly as possible.

“Yeah…umm…I don’t mind doing free things. Those will count as dates. However, on at least one date, you have to spend a minimum of ten dollars on us.”

Liam scoffed. “I might be poor, but I’m not that hard up.”

“I’m not saying you are. The point of this isn’t for you to spend money on me,” I snapped.

“Anything else?”

“The date has to last at least three hours.”

“And the timer starts from the moment I pick you up.”

“Sure.” I shrugged, feeling more relaxed now that we had some ground rules set.

“Anything else?”

“Nope. So, where are we going?”

Liam smiled at me, tight and angry. “It’s a surprise. Are you free tomorrow night? Seven?”

My stomach somersaulted. It was actually going to happen. “Yep.”

“Okay. I’ll pick you up at…” His voice trailed off as he likely realized that he had no idea where I lived.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, opened up the contacts, and handed it to him. “Put your number in there. I’ll text you the address.”

Liam hesitated a second, only to sigh and take the phone. “Don’t text me a bunch of bullshit memes and other stuff. I don’t have time for that nonsense.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about. I won’t waste my humor on a grumpy old man like you.”

“Whatever. You’re a year older than me.” He thrust my phone at me, and I ignored how it seemed to feel warmer because he’d held it.

“And I’m still not as crotchety as you are.

” I glanced at the screen, my pulse giving an odd flutter to see his name and phone number among my contacts.

He still had a Rhode Island area code. How long had he possessed this number?

It was almost like stepping back in time.

Would we have done this when we’d gotten our first cell phones as teens?

“I need to return to work,” Liam cut in, his voice softer than it had been.

“Of course.” I grabbed the door handle behind me and moved forward to open it. After moving into the library, I shuffled aside so Liam could walk past me. But he didn’t. He stopped in the doorway a couple of feet away from me.

“You know, you could put us out of our misery and just make the stupid donation,” Liam stated. “While you hate me, you clearly care about kids. Supporting the museum benefits the kids in a wide area.”

“Misery? What misery? I’m already having fun.” I cackled.

Liam rolled his eyes and stormed away, muttering “Asshole” under his breath.

Turning my attention to my phone, I typed out a quick text and sent it to Liam.

Can’t wait for tomorrow night!