He buried his face in her neck and shuddered once more. “No more questions. Just be with me, okay?”

Kate bit her trembling lip. He needed her. She needed him. Like this. Hard. Often. Victims to an unnerving passion.

She could forget her apprehensions, couldn’t she?

Maybe just for a while.

Chapter Twelve

“I told you I’d get you in my bed.”

Kate smirked. “Don’t be so cocky, Doyle. I’m in your office, not your bed.”

They got off his private elevator and Liam pressed a button to take it off service. No sooner had he set her bags down on the floor, Liam backed her up against the nearest wall and kissed her, letting his tongue trace her lips. “Oh, you’ll be in my bed soon enough.”

He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Kate gasped and giggled at his insane enthusiasm. She’d never known a man with such stamina. Or was it their particular chemistry? Because God only knew she felt it too.

Over the past few heady days, they’d barely spent a moment outside each other’s arms. Kate wasn’t the sort of person to sleep in a man’s embrace, but she’d spent her nights tangled with Liam. The first thing he’d done upon waking this morning was gaze into her eyes, as if he saw great mysteries there, then reached a hand between her legs, pleased by the answers he’d found.

He’d taken her before their room-service breakfast and again afterward. They hadn’t stopped. They didn’t seem to know how.

Sure, it still felt strange to be part of such emotional fire, but she asked no more questions, as he’d requested.

And now, as he’d gently threatened not long ago, he’d moved her to his office suite. She hadn’t argued, figuring he could now make some revenue from booking her suite.

He turned the corner and led her to a room she hadn’t seen before, his bedroom. Once inside, he set her down, patting her derriere. “Here we are.”

Kate took a moment to look around. This was where Liam slept when he stayed at the hotel, his home away from home. In many ways, the room was as luxurious as she would have expected, but it held a few surprises.

A tinted floor-to-ceiling window made up the wall on one side, with an ideal view of the Strip’s lights. A flat-screen TV ornamented the wall opposite the bed. The door to the large walk-in closet hung open in the corner, where she spied countless pressed shirts and a rack full of navy blue ties. She giggled, realizing now she’d never seen him wear any other color. “What’s with the navy ties?”

“A long time ago, my mentor in the building industry told me about the importance of a strong image. That was back before I had any kind of image. ‘Wear a navy tie’ he said. ‘Whenever you walk into a room, people will think you own it.’ When I put on those ties, I forget the scared kid I used to be.”

Kate sensed an opening and prodded for more info. “Tell me more about this mentor. Who was he?”

“It’s not important anymore.” With a determined set to his jaw, he’d shut her down once again.

She decided to forget about it for now. Instead, she took in the rest of the space. The room was decorated in shades of slate grey and black, modern and sleek. The bed itself was simple, king-sized with black sheets, but its setting made her gasp. Three built-in steps led to its raised platform, and the short wall adjacent to it housed a long gas fireplace. Liam walked over to the wall and pressed a button. Flames shot down the length of the fireplace. At a glance, it seemed as if the footboard was made of fire.

She shook her head, awed at this dream bedroom.

Liam blushed. “I know. It’s extravagant, but the architect insisted on the fireplace. I don’t use it much. It’s Vegas, after all. I can turn it off if you want.”

“No. It’s incredible.” She smiled at him. Somehow this room was the perfect symbol of his success in life, in spite of the odds.

Liam came over and took her in his embrace. They stood there, wrapped up in each other, when his desk phone rang. Liam groaned.

“I’d better get that.”

She moved over to the fireplace and stared at the gentle flames as he answered his call. Feeling its heat, she closed her eyes and dreamed.

Moments later, he stood behind her, brushing her hair aside and kissing her shoulder. He turned her around and then he kissed her forehead. “A few things need my attention, I’m afraid. I’ll have to ravish you later.”

Though she’d never admit it to him, she was glad for a breather. “I understand.”

“I can do my work from here. I have a spare laptop if you want to check emails or surf.”

“It’s okay. I should check my messages, but I can use my phone.”

“Help yourself to anything in the fridge. I’ll just be a couple of hours.” He smiled and went to a tidy workspace tucked into another corner of the massive bedroom.

Overwhelmed from seeing how he lived, how he worked, Kate meandered back to the front room. Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, she sat on the couch where she and Liam had first talked.

It was so easy to forget his wealth when they were twisted in the sheets, just a man and a woman, but every time she was shown a new corner of his life, she felt winded. If her dad or that loan shark Vaughan ever got wind of her being here, the demands for money would never stop.

She touched the skin under her bruised eye, glad it felt better, but the memory of Vaughan touching her made her bristle with fear and shame. If he found her…

No. She was safe here with Liam. Not that she could stay forever, but for now she had sanctuary.

Thinking of Vaughan caused Kate to remember Lisa. Although Kate hadn’t shared the details of the attack yet, she had let her friend know she’d be away for a few days and not to worry. She’d told her to put Rod in charge of the New Horizons meetings until she got back. She didn’t want to keep her friends in the dark about the attack, but didn’t relish the idea of rehashing it just yet.

However, she did want to talk to Lisa about seeing Donny at Vice. Nervous, Kate retrieved her phone from her purse and began typing a text. Changing her mind, she dialed Lisa’s number, wanting to hear her voice instead.

Voicemail.

Lisa always picked up when she called. But as the recorded message ended, Kate couldn’t help wondering if her friend might be avoiding her.

“Hey Lisa. It’s me. I really need to talk to you. A lot’s happened.” She paused, not wanting to elaborate over voicemail. “Please call me back. Take care.” She felt a twinge of unease in her stomach. Within seconds, her unease turned to all-out worry.

She didn’t have much time to contemplate the sensation. As she held her phone, it buzzed and she picked it up quickly, hoping Lisa was on the other line. “Hello?”

There was no answer.

“Hello?”

Still nothing, but the memory of Hugo Vaughan’s face haunted her.

“Did you say something, Kate?” Liam called from the other room.

She fought to master her erratic breathing and shaky voice. “Just making some calls.” Liam nodded and went back to work.

“Who is this?” she whispered into the phone.

The line went dead. She browsed the call log and found the last number, no caller ID. She dialed it and waited, but a recorded voice came on, providing no further information. Even still, she called Detective Baxter and gave him the number, in case it should lead to Vaughan.

She knew in her bones the loan shark had called her. However, her reasonable side reminded her it could very well have been a wrong number.

Nevertheless, she turned off her phone and slipped it back in her purse. She knew she should tell Liam about the call, but couldn’t bring herself to disturb him. She’d taken him away from his work long enough as it was. Besides, he continued to choose to withhold information from her. Now she felt like doing the same.