Begin Again novel Chapter 76

"Why are you standing there?"

"Just," Liam said and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of heights?" Eden tilted her head slightly as she gawked at him.

"I'm not!"

He's definitely not afraid of heights, but if he came any closer, he didn't think he could stick to the boundaries she'd set. She'd made it very clear in his office he shouldn't kiss, touch or hold her in any way, and he's trying very hard to respect her wishes.

So he stayed right where he was, rooted to his spot a few feet behind her.

"Tsk tsk tsk," she laughed mockingly. "The mighty Mr Anderson is afraid of something."

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Liam lied for the second time that evening.

There's a lot he's terrified of, and Eden is high up there on the list.

He was so afraid of losing his heart to her, terrified she'll take it and vanish again and leave him far worse off than he was when she disappeared two years ago.

He couldn't allow that.

He'd never allow himself to be that vulnerable again.

At least not where Eden's concerned.

He'd give her his body no question asked. But his heart was off-limits.

For a little while longer, Liam watched her watch the stars and the moon float in the sky, and he was happy to let her be. But soon, he grew restless, and he couldn't stay still.

He cleared his throat, "Now that we've established you don't want to kill yourself, can we head back inside?"

Her response was swift and adamant. "No!"

"No?" He glared at her. "Ms McBride, are you challenging a direct order?"

Eden made a point of looking at the watch on her wrist. "It's 9:30 PM. My shift at Anderson Logistics ended at 4:30 PM. I'm not on your time."

"You!" He admonished her gently, wagging his finger at her. "All that sass will get in your trouble."

She giggled and returned her gaze to the sky. "I like it here! Up here, everything is perfect. The stars and the moon and the sky are real. Everything is real."

Ignoring the warning voice rumbling inside his head, screaming at him to stay away from her because nothing good will come out of this, Liam took a step towards her. "What's wrong?"

"Is anything ever real?" She asked that same absurd question again, and her tears, along with her loud sobs, were back.

Liam forgot all his terror and ignored all the alarm bells flashing in his heart like strobe lights. He reached for her and held her while she cried.

She smelled soft and delicate.

It was that same pretty scent he'd drowned in when they made out in the printing room. The same smell that had lingered on his sheets days after she'd left two years ago; he'd asked Dave and the housekeepers not to touch his bed because he'd wanted to hold on to it for as long as he could.

She smelled like the memory of their lovemaking, and all his rage roared to life again.

His hurt reignited when he remembered how she'd crippled him, and he's still half the man he was because of her, and the only reason for her presence in his life was to fix him and nothing more.

But even when his anger at Eden burned bright and hot, Liam still wanted her to be okay. He hated hearing her cry, especially when he had no fucking clue how to help her.

"I just want something to be real so much!"

He pulled her closer and held her while she wailed her heart out, gently massaging her back to soothe her gut-wrenching sobs.

"I've got you!" He murmured in her hair, his arms tightening around her. "I'm here. I've got you."

"Liam," Eden said his name so softly, the same way she had all the times they'd made out since she came back to him, the same way she had when they made love, and he desperately wanted her then.

If he didn't push her away, if he didn't let her go, he'd have more than Linda's judgy looks to deal with.

His therapist said he should take things slow with Eden, non-intimate contact in public spaces. If he carried on holding her so intimately, he'd fail miserably at the one task Linda had given him.

It took all of Liam's strength to release her from his embrace and push her away.

"Wait here," he said, his voice thick with yearning, as he wiped her tears with his thumb and draped his jacket over her shoulders. "I'll be back. Just stay put. But maybe not so close to the edge. You are too important to me, Princess, I don't want any mistakes."

"Where are you going?" Eden asked.