Know When to Hold Him (25 page)

Liam spread his arms wide. “I’ll wait.”

No one moved. Finally Spencer reached for her phone, then she remembered. She didn’t have pockets in this fucking dress. And she’d given her phone back to Liam. She turned to Rainey, then Nora. Neither woman pulled out a cell phone.

JT groaned on the couch, “For God’s sake, listen to the man.” Nora leaned over him, adjusting his head on her lap.

“You, keep quiet.” Spencer glared at JT. Just because someone was going to listen to her, dammit.

“What is wrong with you? Haven’t you done enough?” She hissed at Liam.

Liam shook his head. “Not yet. Not ever. Because I want to be with you, Spencer. I want to wake up every morning with you and wonder what kind of craziness is going to happen that day. I want to take you to bed every night…”

“That’s it!” Spencer yelled. “Everybody out!”

Nobody moved.

Liam only grinned. “They’re on my side.”

“No, I’m not,” JT inserted.

“I kind of am,” Nora said, with an apologetic tone. “He’s being really sweet.”

Spencer forced her attention back to Liam. He was just in his rolled up shirtsleeves again, showing his corded, tan forearms. Her stomach clenched at the sight of him, all handsome and, yes, sweet. Not for her, though.

She slowly shook her head. “I can’t.” She loved him too much to keep him. Loving him was too crazy, too unpredictable. Something was going to go wrong. Something would flame out, fly off the handle, and once that happened… Spencer would never be able to recover. This outcome, she could control. Had to control.

Liam took a step toward her, his fingers going to his top button of his shirt.

“What are you doing?” Liam’s fingers slipped the button loose. Of course he didn’t answer. Because why would anyone actually do what she wanted tonight?

“Liam, we’re just not good together.” The words came out in a rush as he went to the second button.
Crap
.

The second button was slipped loose. And he was going for a third. All her friends were here! “This just proves my point…” His shirt was half unbuttoned. “You are acting crazy. I’m acting crazy. This is no good for either one of us.”

“It’s good for me,” offered Rainey, lifting her hand. Spencer would have shot her a quelling stare, but…

Liam was in front of her. Still working on opening his shirt, showing everyone in the room his perfect body, chest, abs, all of it.
Oh, God
. Spencer licked her lips. She was done. “This just proves my point,” she repeated, gesturing toward the muscled torso inches away from her fingertips. “I can’t…this…”

Liam slipped off his shirt and someone in the room made an appreciative noise. Someone else groaned. The groan might have come from JT, but she wasn’t looking at anything except the blue eyes in front of her, holding her captive. “What are you doing?” She asked, breathing a little harder than usual.

Then he flexed a shoulder toward her. She inhaled a sharp breath. “You didn’t…” She touched his shoulder, still red from the tattoo needle. Through the haze of tears, Spencer traced the black outline of the state of Texas, the red heart in the middle, and the tiny, stylized letter S in the heart.

“I told you I was saving this arm. I didn’t even know what I was saving it for, until you. I was saving it for my family. For when I finally found my home. When I found you.”

“Liam…” Spencer whispered.

“No more messes. No more loose ends.” Liam took her hand and kissed her fingertips. “I promise. I’m here to stay. If you’ll have me.”

Spencer met his intense stare, overwhelmed by what had just happened. Her whole world was tilting, cracking up, and turning everything upside down. So she did the only thing she knew how to do.

“Nora!” She barked. “Is JT bleeding?”

“No,” Nora answered.

“Is he swollen? Cut? Otherwise visibly injured?”

“No,” Nora repeated. “His nose is a little red.”

Spencer nodded. “We need him back on the floor. Lucy Cho from
Big D Magazine
was out there. Find her. Talk her into a feature.” Spencer spared a quick glance at Rainey. “Find JT a couple of aspirin. The party planner should have a bottle.” Now Spencer’s attention was on the candidate, getting up from the sofa. “Do you have a speech?”

Before JT could answer, Spencer gave directions to Rainey. “Get something down for him. You know the drill. Use the hot air balloon story.”

“What hot air balloon story?” JT asked.

Rainey patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. It’s a good one. They’ll love it.”

Nora and Rainey led JT out to rejoin his campaign supporters. Spencer and George faced each other like long-term adversaries, wary and knowing.

After a pause, George spoke first. “You would have done the same as me. We control the press, utilize our research…”

Spencer interrupted. “Stalk my clients at the hair salon…”

George was unfazed. “It’s not personal, you know that. It’s just the way we do business. You would have done the same,” he repeated.

The man in front of Spencer was only a few years older, but streaks of silver brushed by George’s ears, and his eyes were those of someone who had lived a long and hard life. Spencer remembered the young, optimistic college student that had come to her father’s campaign, filled with vigor and fresh ideas. She shook her head.

“I wouldn’t have,” she said. “Family’s off limits.”

George’s lips curled at the word “family.” “Then I haven’t taught you anything.” He nodded curtly at Liam. “Excuse me. I have a campaign to win.”

Then Liam and Spencer were alone, in the room where it had all started. Liam’s mind must have been on the same wavelength, because he reached over and picked up a crystal candlestick and handed it to Spencer.

She met his eyes, overwhelmed by what she saw. Strength. Resolve. Love. She took the candlestick.

“Put a shirt on,” she snapped. “I’m not talking to you while you’re half-naked.”

Liam did as he was told, slowly, watching her approach the heavy bookcase. The change that had come over her when she was shouting orders about aspirin and reporters wasn’t going anywhere. She was all business, composed and sharp. It didn’t bode well.

“Tell me why George is pissed at you.” She gave him an even stare.

…

Crap
. Liam ran a hand over his scalp. He should have predicted this, that she wouldn’t appreciate decisions being made without her.

“I figured out it was George who leaked the story about Dimitri–”

“And you went to my father?” Her voice rose incredulously.

He couldn’t tell how mad she was, but he’d come this far, and he couldn’t turn back now. “Yes,” he answered. “George needed to be taught a lesson. I figured a reassignment to JT’s campaign would be a bit of a step down for him.”

Spencer’s face was inscrutable. “And Dimitri?”

“Said he thought George was immigration; that’s why he spilled. I thought it was bullshit, but we made a deal. He’ll be keeping his mouth shut.”

“If he wants to keep Troy as a spokesman.”

Liam stilled. There had been no announcement yet, not until Troy’s photo shoot took place. “How did you know that?”

Spencer leaned against the bookcase, weighing the candlestick in her palms. “I think you forget how many people I know.”

“Let me guess, Roberta called you?”

Spencer’s face said it all.
Dumbass.

“Look,” Liam hesitated. “I didn’t-”

She turned her back to him and ran a hand on the corner of the bookcase where there should have been a dent from where Dimitri’s head had crushed into it. “It all started here, right?”

Liam dropped his protest and submitted to her topic of conversation. “What?”

“You. Having my back.” Her voice was detached, bemused even. Liam didn’t know what to make of it.

“In the last few days, I wasn’t sure…” Her voice trailed off, and then she shook her head in a decisive slice as she turned back to face him. “No, I thought I’d lost you. I heard about you making deals with Dimitri, with Roberta. I thought they were rewards for good behavior, for helping you get revenge against me. But you went to my father.” Her eyes were clear and sparkling with tears. “That’s the best thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

The statement damn near killed Liam. All he did was confront someone, angle for a little bit of justice for a woman who’d been completely wronged by her own family.

She shook her head as she started talking, the words tumbling out of her mouth. “I’ve said it before—we’re too competitive. We’re too driven. We both have to win, and we’re never…”

“You sure like to try to talk me out of stuff.”

There was a plea in her eyes. “Look at what happened, Liam. We both jumped at each other’s throats the first chance we got. You assumed I screwed you over, I assumed that you screwed me over. It’s what we do.”

He was not letting her go down this path again. “And despite all that, I’m still in love with you. There. I’ve said it. I should have told you a long time ago.” His heart raced, and he held his breath until she answered him.

…

Spencer didn’t stop the tears that tumbled out. She didn’t want to hold anything back. Not with him. Not anymore. “I know. You’re still here. That’s all that matters. Even after I tried to rip you a new one. You came back. And you coming back told me you loved me, more than a tattoo, more than going to Dimitri. You loved me for me.” The candlestick shook in her hands. “You had my back from the beginning.”

“And I always will.” Liam took a step forward, close enough to touch so she placed a palm on his chest. The beat of his heart pulsed beneath her touch. It was strong, safe, and certain. If she was going to place a bet on anyone, it would be him.

She put the crystal candlestick down.

“This is it, you know. Like you said, I don’t do loose ends, Liam.” She hooked a finger in his shirt, pulled him against her, and backed up against the bookcase. Caught. “Once I tie something up, it’s permanent.”

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, his breath sending delicious tremors over her sensitive skin. “Permanent works for me.”

Spencer tilted her head and stood on her toes to kiss him, firm and sweet. “I love you.” She pressed the words against his lips, between kisses, elation sweeping through her body. For the ultimate win, she had to lose her heart. For the first time in her life, she was completely okay with losing.

“Wait,” he said. Liam reached into his pocket and handed her a priceless piece of plastic.

Spencer stared at the Blackberry then she wrapped a hand around his neck and drew his mouth to hers, oblivious to the cheers and claps in the next room as the candidate took the stage and the sound of a cell phone hitting the floor.

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Acknowledgments

At this point, it’s probably a cliché to say that a book is written in a vacuum and it’s published by a team, but I could not have written this book in my vacuum without the support and encouragement of my wonderful husband. It takes a perceptive and loving man to understand when I need to take off and spend some time alone with the imaginary people on my computer. To J, thanks for being on my team and having my back from the beginning.

As for the publishing side of book-making, I found my team very quickly at Entangled and I want to thank Theresa, Anita, Liz, Candace, Meredith, and Kim for bringing this long-held dream to fruition.

Quite literally, I don’t think this particular book would have been written without DARA, a magical place where each word is applauded, failure is celebrated and roses bloom all year long.

A thousand thanks to the other women in the back row, Ophelia and Alexandra. You two make this writing gig a thousand times easier and more fun. And to Jill, a mentor and friend who always gives the perfect advice, right when I need it (i.e., when I am clueless, freaking out, and dashing off insane, frantic emails.) I’m so proud of you and I know Ann and Jim are too.

To my readers, new and old. If you enjoyed this book, please sign up for my
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and then go tell all your friends. xoxox from Dallas.

About the Author

As a Texan and recovering sorority girl,
Lindsay Emory
has strong opinions on college football, nachos, and wearing white after Labor Day. Lindsay started writing when her first grade teacher put her in a closet and told her to write stories, instead of teaching her math. When she’s not writing, she’s raising two daughters, watching movies with her husband, and reading as many books as possible. She is an active member of the Dallas Area Romance Authors chapter of RWA and a semi-active member of the PTA, which is a whole lot less fun.

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