Billionaires Dollar Series

“Have you heard anything?”

I keep my eyes closed. “Do you think I would be able to keep quiet about it if I had?”

He runs fingers through my hair, and if I’d been a cat, I’d be purring. “No. Not really your strong suit, that. I hope your neighbors haven’t minded all the screams this week.”

“We haven’t been that loud,” I protest.

“We haven’t, no. You have.”

Groaning, I bury my head against his chest and feel the rumble of his laughter. “And don’t you dare apologize for it-I won’t, either. Hearing you scream my name might just be the best thing I’ve ever heard.”

I mumble something unintelligible.

“Yes, brilliant idea,” Liam continues. “I’ll record it next time and make it my ringtone.”

“You’re absolutely ridiculous.”

“Yes. Just one of many things you do to me.”

I rise up on an elbow, meeting his green eyes with my own. “There’s a salad in the fridge for you for lunch, and you know I’ll tell you as soon as I hear anything from the culinary institute.”Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“This sounds like the prelude to a goodbye.”

“Yes, you know that I-”

I’m cut off with a kiss, and I surrender for a while, skin against skin and lips against lips. I’m breathing hard when I finally pull back. “I’ll be late for my shift if I don’t leave soon.”

“Do you have to work on weekends?” Liam says, groaning as I sit up in bed. “That means I’ll have no excuse but to work too.”

“Oh, but you love to work.”

“Yes, but I like spending time with you more. Perhaps I’ll come to Marco’s and work.”

I open the door to my closet and rummage through a drawer for underwear. “Don’t you dare. There’s a strict no laptop policy in the restaurant.”

“They’ll break it for me,” Liam says, throwing an arm behind his head. His smile is crooked. “But don’t worry, I won’t be there.”

“Going to your brother’s again?”

“Yeah. Apparently he needed support with the kids-Bella is with her parents for the day.”

I smile, doing up the buttons to my jeans. “Those girls must have the both of you wrapped around their little fingers.”

“They do. It’s ridiculous.”

I tug a sweater over my head. “That reminds me, actually. If I write a letter, do you have a way of getting it to Albert Walker? Do you have his address?”

Liam’s eyes turn serious. “I do, yes. But you don’t have to. I’m the one who-”

“I want to. I was party to it, too. And I want to write and thank him and his wife for inviting me to their cabin, for the kindness they showed me.”

He frowns, watching me as I run a brush through my hair. “I don’t deserve you.”

“We deserve each other,” I say. “And we won’t make the same mistake again. Have you spoken to him since you saw him last week?”

Liam shakes his head. “I think it’ll be a while before I do. I made it clear to him, at least, that my actions were completely unbeknownst to Cole. I hope it doesn’t affect their business relationship.”

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I smooth back tousled hair from his forehead. This past week has been blissful, in many ways, but I know Liam has kept most of his guilt and doubts from me. I’ve done the same to him. “You’ll make it right,” I murmur. “I know you will. It might take time, but that’s okay.”

“I suppose it is.” He sits up in bed with a groan, wrapping a strong arm around my waist. “Let me take you out tonight, after your shift.”

“Take me out?”

“Yes. A proper date, just you and me. I’ll let you pick the restaurant.”

“I finish at six.”

“I’ll be outside.”

I arrive at Marco’s with just enough time to change into my chef jacket before my shift starts. Jason isn’t working today-which makes an already good day five times better.

Alma shoots me a knowing smile when I join her on prep.

“He’s managed to worm his way back into your good graces, has he?”

Smiling, I reach for a cutting board of my own. “Liam can be very convincing when he needs to be.”

“Oh, that’s for sure.” Alma shakes her head, her knife working at a blinding pace. “I overheard Jason asking Enrique the other day if he’d heard anything about you and your investor.”

“Huh,” I say, my smile still in place. “Do you know something?”

“I think I’m done thinking about what Jason knows and doesn’t know, about whether he’s jealous or not.”

Alma’s grin matches my own. “Finally,” she says. “The man is trash.”

I snort. “He is… and besides, I don’t think we’ll be working together much longer.”

“Oh? Have you gotten any offers?”

“No, but I’m done compromising for his sake. One of us is going, because I want him out of my life for good.”

“Who knew getting fake engaged would be so good for you?”

I bite my lip to keep from smiling, glancing over my shoulder to where Marco is working in his office. “It should be prescribed as treatment far more often,” I say.

It’s nearly an hour later when Marco calls my name, leaning against the doorway. “Maddie?”

“Yes, Chef?”