What a Woman Gets (26 page)

C
ASSIDY
blinked the tears back under the hot shower spray. He'd
had
to bring up the differences between how they lived, hadn't he? Had to see it. Had to ask about her father, mention her last name. Just when she'd thought her life could be different . . .

But she was still her father's daughter, which put the ugly thought in her head: had Liam taken her in out of the goodness of his heart or because of a possible financial reward? Was there a payout in this for him? Was he like Burton but using a different angle? Hoping to get on her father's good side so Dad would help his business? And how would she ever know the truth?

She hated this. Hated questioning him and his generosity, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that whoever married her would have a shot at the brass ring and she wasn't stupid. Arm candy perhaps, but there was a brain in her head, and once guys had started going down the happily-ever-after-to-the-bank-account path, she usually cut them off. She certainly hadn't let one of them get under her skin enough to sleep with him without making a few things clear up front. Well she sure as hell would now. If Liam really wanted this to go somewhere, he was going to have to prove to her that it was for the right reasons.

None of which had to do with her last name.

*   *   *

L
IAM
confronted her at the breakfast table. She didn't get to turn his world upside down, then bow out with the silent treatment. Not when he needed to know what kind of woman she was.

You know what kind of woman she is. The kind to make a sick little boy's final days everything he wanted. And
not take the credit. A woman who'd rather start at the bottom than give in to her father's demands. A woman who has lost so much, but still has so much to give.

He placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her and put a small portion down for Titania after he'd let her out of her pen. “So you mind telling me what happened back there?” He tapped his fork on his plate, the eggs holding no great appeal at the moment.

She shoveled a forkful in, then looked up at him. “Um, we had sex?”

“I know we had sex. I'm wondering why you took off the minute I mentioned continuing it.”

“Oh. Well, you know. That can get awkward.”

“Awkward? Come on, Cassidy. I was in that bed with you. That was
not
awkward and you can't tell me one night is going to be all there is.”

She blinked and bent down to pet Titania. He heard her inhale once more, then she looked up at him with that fake-ass smile he never wanted to see across his breakfast table again.

“Okay, Liam, suppose we do get involved. Where, exactly, do you see it going?”

“Why do I have to have a master plan? Why can't we just see where it goes?”

“Because everyone has a master plan when it comes to me. But my father isn't going to reward you for being with me. He'll only accept someone who went Ivy League and has the connections he does, or a pedigree that beats out the Rockefellers.'”

“Are you
kidding
me?” Liam dropped his fork onto his plate with a teeth-grating clatter. Maybe he
had
misjudged her after all. “You think last night was because of who your father is? Of all the fu—er, messed-up—” He sucked on the inside of his cheek. “I don't think I've ever been more insulted in my life.”

Or hurt, dammit.

And that crack about Ivy League . . . Hell, he'd worked his
ass
off to put himself through college
and
get his business going. If she knew even half of what he'd done to get where he was today, she'd choke on her Ivy League.

He got up from the table and walked to the sink, looking out the window without seeing anything. Jesus Christ. Here he'd gone and let himself hope, let himself believe in another woman, and she thought
he
was using
her
. Yeah, yeah it was ironic. He'd misjudged her at the outset and now she was doing it to him.

He sucked in a breath and turned around. “I don't, you know.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You don't what?”

“I don't have any ulterior motive regarding your father's company or his money or your bank account.”

“That's because we both know I don't
have
a bank account.”

“You know what I mean.”

“No, actually, I don't.” She shifted on her chair, then shoved some of her eggs around with her fork.

Titania plunked her butt on the floor and was looking between him and Cassidy as if they were playing racquetball again.

They'd made a good team on the court. And painting his office. And definitely in the bedroom. She couldn't fake all of that.

It was that last thought that made him head back to the table. He took the chair catty-corner to her and removed the ever-moving fork from her grasp. Then he tilted her chin with his finger.

There was a sparkle in her eyes that came from unshed tears.

Or—as his thumb moved up her cheek—shed ones.

“I'm not like the others, Cass.”

“Don't call me that.”

“You didn't mind a while ago.”

“A while ago I was out of my mind.”

“With pleasure.”

“With insanity.” She got out of her chair and picked up her plate, intending to pass him on her way to the sink.

He caught her arm. “Don't, Cassidy.”

She looked at his arm. “Let go, Liam. You don't own me.” She cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. “No one does. And it's going to stay that way.”

He let her go because it was so important to her. He could see that now, her pride in being her own person. She didn't like being her father's little dress-up doll.

Just as he didn't like being lumped in with her father's sycophants.

He stood and headed toward her. “I'm not like those other men, Cassidy. I'm not out to get what I can from you. Or your father.”

“Good because right now I'm not worth very much to him.”

The pain behind her words got to him. She wasn't pushing him away because she didn't want him; she was pushing him away because she did. Because she was scared of getting hurt. Hell, the one man in the world who wasn't supposed to hurt her, the guy she ought to be able to count on for anything, had let her down. Big time. It wasn't surprising that she was leery of
his
intentions.

He put a hand on the counter on either side of her. “You're worth a lot to me.”

Another tear slipped down her cheek and she quickly swiped at it. “Stop saying things like that.”

He brushed the residual moisture. “Like what? Like I care about you? Like I enjoy being with you?” He took a deep breath and went for it. “Like I don't want you to leave after you sell your artwork?”

“Why?” Cassidy swept the next tear away, then crossed her arms and cocked her hip to the side, knocking his arm off the counter. “Good sex isn't an automatic invitation to move in.”

“It was great sex and you already had the invitation.” He tucked some hair behind her ear.

She brushed his hand away. “I'm serious, Liam.”

“You think I'm not? You're not getting it, Cass. Trust me, I don't ask just anyone to move in here.”

“That's not true. You asked me and you didn't even know me.”

“That was for an entirely different reason. And now I do know you.”

“You
think
you know me. That”—she nodded toward his room—“isn't who I am.”

Jesus. He almost wished she
was
like Rachel. Rachel would have taken him at his word and moved her stuff in before he'd said another word.

But he didn't want someone like Rachel. That's what Sean had wanted to remind him about last night—

Shit. Sean. He was supposed to have called him.

“I'm more than someone to fool around with, Liam.”

He'd deal with Sean later. Right now, the woman in front of him needed him more.

He gripped her upper arms and was glad she didn't shrug him off. “I know, Cass. But that”—he repeated her nod toward his bedroom—“is part of who you are. Part of what makes me want you. I'm not going to deny that. I want you.” God, did he. “But not just sexually. I like you. I want to get to know you better. I want to explore this thing between us and see where it can go. It has nothing to do with who your father is and everything do with who
you
are.”

*   *   *

T
HERE.
You see? You don't have to go all worst-case-scenario on the guy. Give him a chance. Give this
a chance. Don't make your demons his, for crying out loud. You'll never get anywhere with anyone if you do.

Cassidy took a deep breath and let the tingles his touch evoked work their magic. Maybe she'd jumped to conclusions. Wrong ones. Liam had a successful business; he didn't
need
her money or her name.

Not that she had either at this moment.

Right. She didn't. And there was no guarantee her father would ever take her back—and no guarantee she'd go. Dad might expect it, but then, he didn't know her.

Liam did. Or, at the very least, wanted to.

She was being paranoid. Liam hadn't given her any indication that he aspired to be her father's son-in-law. He was a good guy. He worked hard, loved his family and his grandmother. Helped damsels in distress. Walked little dogs without fearing for his masculinity.

Goose bumps shivered over her skin. Liam had nothing to worry about when it came to his masculinity.

“So can we please can get beyond this morning and move forward?”

She took a deep breath and a leap of faith. “I don't want to get beyond this morning.”

He released her arms and let his hands drop to his sides. “You don't.”

The crushed look on his face spoke volumes—and
not
dollar signs.

It was what she needed to see. “Well, the last twenty minutes or so, sure. But the rest of this morning was pretty spectacular.”

His eyebrow arched and he cocked his head. “Are you saying you want to give this a shot?”

She nodded, a little afraid to voice it. So many people had let her down in her life . . . What if she was opening herself up for another fall? What if Liam broke her heart?

Because he had the power to.

He reached for her hips and tugged her closer. “God, Cassidy. I can't believe you thought—”

She put a finger on his lips. “I was wrong, okay? Haven't you ever been wrong about someone before?”

He kissed her fingertip. “Like you wouldn't believe.”

“So, then . . .” She traced his lips. “
Can
we get beyond this?”

“Yeah. We can.” He nipped her finger. “As long as it means you're not going anywhere.”

She put her palm on his cheek. “Not unless you want me to.”

She squealed when he scooped her up in his arms.

“The only place I want you to go, lady, is back to my room.”

Poor Titania had to finish her breakfast all by herself.

C
ASSIDY
and Liam spent the weekend working on his office project—well, during the day. Nights were spent at his house. In his bed. And his shower. She'd finally gotten the chance to make that fantasy a reality, and, honestly, the fantasy was a pale substitute for the reality.

“So what are we going to do today?” She stretched beside him in bed, loving the hair on his legs and chest rubbing against her skin.

He cupped her breast. “What do you say to doing nothing? Just staying here and seeing what comes up.”

She slipped onto her side and ran a hand under the covers. “I have a pretty good idea of what's going to come up, Liam.” Yup, sure enough, it was.

“God, Cassidy. I don't think I'm ever going to get enough of you.”

The words warmed her heart. And a few other places. Places that'd gotten quite the workout over the past thirty-six hours.

She slipped her hand away. “Much as I'd like to take you up on that very impressive offer, we both have a lot to do today.”

“About that.” He propped a pillow under his head with one hand and grabbed hers with the other, interlacing their fingers. “I've been giving it some thought and, well, you're right.”

She arched her eyebrows. “About?”

He tugged and she tumbled down beside him, catching herself on her elbow. He put their joined hands on his chest and she could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady. “The office could use some color.”

She couldn't stop her smile. Nor rubbing it in. “I'm right.”

He rolled his eyes. “At the risk of creating a monster, yes, you are.” He released his pillow and cradled her head with that hand. “So will you paint the walls?”

It was her turn to roll her eyes. “Is this just a ploy to get out of having to paint?”

He leaned up and kissed her quickly. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I only offered because your suggestion was a good one. But, since I'm not ready to let you out of my clutches yet, this gives me the chance to have you nearby and still get the place ready. Plus, you look awfully cute on a ladder.”

“Were you checking out my butt?”

“Well, sure. It's a nice butt. Sue me.”

She half turned and plopped onto her back next to him. She stared at the ceiling, the feeling of Liam trusting her judgment making her giddy. “You're sure you're not just saying this because we're . . . you know?”

“You think I'd let you turn my place into a monstrosity because of sex? Cass, this is great, but I do still have to pay my bills.”

Yes, she'd been teasing, but only on the outside. On the inside . . . Why was it so hard for her to accept that someone actually believed she had something to contribute? “I'm sorry for questioning you, Liam. I'm just not used to—”

“You're not used to people wanting you for you.” He rolled onto his side this time and brushed her hair back from her face. “Well, get used to it, Cassidy. You've got a lot of potential and I believe in you. You can do anything you set your mind to.”

He leaned down and kissed her, and Cassidy had a hard time catching her breath. The kiss was part of the reason, but the rest of it . . . His words. His meaning. His intent. If she didn't look out, she'd willingly give up her independence to spend the rest of her life with Liam Manley.

*   *   *

C
ASS,
can you toss me that rag, please?” Liam was on top of the ladder, finishing scraping the shelving unit that'd been the bane of his existence for the past couple of days. She'd told him not to worry about the top—no one would see it—but he'd just raised his eyebrow and said, “Branding.”

It'd made her smile again. Her work at Davenport Properties had been predicated upon her being Mitchell's daughter. She could have suggested painting the walls black—windows, too, for that matter—and no one would have said anything against her. Word would most assuredly have gone up the ladder to her father, and he would have squelched it, but no one would've been honest to her face.

Liam was more than happy to tell her when he didn't agree with her. Like dinner tonight. He'd wanted burgers on the grill; she wanted his grandmother's stew.

“I can't eat all the food she makes, Cassidy. I always end up throwing most of it away because it goes bad.”

“Liam Neil Manley, don't you
ever
throw out what your grandmother makes for you. The kids at Franklin's group home would
love
to have this. If you're not going to eat it, you need to take it there and let those less fortunate than you enjoy it.” She put the final brush stroke on the last wall, then tossed the rag at him.

He caught it just before it hit him on the nose, chuckling. “Place looks good.”

She brushed some hair that'd escaped from her ponytail off her forehead with her bicep and smiled. “Told you so.”

“So you did. Now if you're finished, I've decided I'm going to let you do the sideboard and hutch you were talking about.”

“You're
letting
me?”

He winced. “Sorry. Bad word choice. I'd be honored if you'd paint the sideboard and hutch like you suggested. But they're only on loan, of course.”

She set her brush in her paint tray. “That's better. And I'd be happy to do it for you. On loan, of course.”

“Good. Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

“Oh really?” He tossed his rag on top of the sawhorse table and the teasing in the room disappeared as her heart suddenly beat triple-time at the gleam in his eye. “Wanna come here?”

“Come . . . here?”

“Yeah. Here.” He took a step down the ladder.

“For, um, what purpose?”

“You know what purpose.” He took another step down.

Man, when he said that . . .
Like
that . . .

“Liam, it's broad daylight and there's not a window treatment to be found.”

“I don't care about window treatments.” He was off his ladder—and off his rocker, too, if he thought she'd do . . . that . . . in front of a window where anyone could see them. Especially anyone with a smart phone and an internet connection.

Still, she wouldn't mind seeing what he had in mind. Didn't mean they had to do anything tabloid-worthy, but she could have a sample . . .

She exhaled and tightened her ponytail before climbing down the ladder. This was fun, this teasing. Being able to be herself whether it was goofy or sexy or covered in paint or whatever. Liam liked her whoever she was.

She was just about to step off the bottom rung when the front door banged open.

“Liam!” A short bundle of energy barreled through the opening. “I've got a problem. I need to talk to you.”

“Mac.” Liam glanced at Cassidy and the teasing light in his eyes was replaced with regret. “Uh, meet Cassidy. Davenport. Cassidy, my sister, Mac.”

Mac came to an immediate halt. “Oh. Uh, hi.” Mac plastered a smile on her face in a matter of seconds. An impressive feat, given that it wasn't a Showpiece smile but a
genuine
one from what Cassidy could tell. “So nice to meet you. We've spoken on the phone, I believe.”

“Actually, that was Deborah. My father's assistant.” Because Deborah always handled issues with “the help.” God, the first time Cassidy had heard a friend refer to someone that way after she'd met Franklin, she'd been horrified. People were people no matter what their bank accounts said, and to hear the open derision . . .

She brushed off her hands and held one out. “Hi. Yes, I'm Cassidy. It's nice to meet you.”

“Liam told me what happened, but I didn't think he'd make you do manual labor to pay him back.”

“Oh I'm not—”

“Mac, that's not what this is.” He put a hand behind his sister's back. “Come on. Let's go into the kitchen and you can tell me what you need. Cassidy has to get to work on her own projects, actually.” He looked at her as he headed into the other room. “Do you mind, Cass?”

“No. You're right. I do have work to do.” And she wasn't going to begrudge him time with his sister.

Until she overheard what Mac said.

“I got a call from Davenport, Lee. That Deborah woman Cassidy mentioned. Davenport's interested in contracting me to handle all of his buildings in the tri-state area.”

“Hey, that's great! Congrats!”

Cassidy had a feeling it wasn't as great as Liam thought. She didn't believe in coincidences when it came to her father. He was up to something.

“No, Lee, you don't get it. I can't sign the contract knowing you have Cassidy in your home.”

“Why the hell not? What does it matter what your brother does with his life when it comes to Davenport hiring you?”

“You're not that naïve, Lee. He's dangling this carrot because he knows where she is.”

“So? Cassidy's a grown woman; she can live where she wants. It's not like he's going to put something in the contract about his daughter.”

Oh he very well might. Dad always got what he wanted in business. He knew how to exploit a weakness, and having the Davenport properties would put Mac's business in a whole other league and Dad knew it. A smart businesswoman wouldn't turn it down.

Mac exhaled. “On second thought, maybe you
are
that naïve. He won't
have to
put anything about her in the contract; if he wants her back, all he'll have to do is threaten to badmouth my company. The guy's got clout. I don't need my business getting bad PR, and I certainly don't need my clients questioning my ethics. I can't risk everything for this one contract.”

“And of course you want it.”

“Wouldn't you?”

Liam sighed loudly. “You want me to kick her out.”

Cassidy's stomach thudded. Liam was choosing between her and his sister, and while she would've liked to have won, she couldn't blame him for choosing his family first. Especially when it was in a face-off against her father.

“Well, no. Obviously I don't want you to have to do that, but how much longer is she going to be staying with you? I don't want to have to keep pretending I don't know. This is a really big opportunity for me, Lee. It could make my company.”

But Cassidy was standing in the way.

Her father really was a manipulative, controlling bastard to do this to her. His own flesh and blood. She didn't understand how or why her parents had walked out on her.
Both
of them. She barely remembered Mom leaving, except for the tears and the incredible sense of abandonment and loneliness. Dad had actually been good back then, buying her ponies and taking her to Disney World and on cruises, spending all sorts of time with her so that she didn't miss Mom quite so much. She'd carried that damn picture with her for so long. The one of her and Mom on the beach. And the bracelet they'd made together. She'd thought Mom had left them behind so Cassidy wouldn't forget her, but when she hadn't even called—not once—Cassidy had realized that she'd left them behind because she hadn't cared. And she, idiot that she was, had kept them.

Well, good. Now she was glad she'd left them at the condo. Ending all of it in one fell swoop. Time to move on.

With Liam?

Obviously not. It was one thing for her to stand up to her father and walk out, but she couldn't jeopardize Mac's business.

She needed her get-out-of-servitude money right now. And there was only one way she was going to be able to do that.

She let herself out and closed the door quietly behind her.

The fairytale was over. Prince Charming Liam might be, but it was up to
her
to save him from the evil father.