she hurried to get ready.
Forty minutes later, she’d managed to get her hair styled into long, smooth 1940s movie star waves. She’d put on subtle smoky eye makeup and bright red lipstick to complete the effect.
She managed to get the dress on, and it looked fantastic, clinging to every curve just so. She could only admire herself in the bathroom mirror, since her new bedroom wasn’t really set up yet, but…
For the first time in the longest, she felt… elegant.
“Audrey!” Liam yelled from the living room. “Can we get a move on, please?”
She frowned. Picking up her white clutch and slipping on a pair of black heels that came from her stash of Bloomingdale’s items, she swept up the dress’s hem and swished out into the living room.
The look on Liam’s face when he saw her was worth all the hassle and rush of getting ready. He stood in the living room, bow tie still untied, bottle of whisky raised halfway to his lips.
When Audrey made her entrance he froze, his eyes going wide as they roamed up and down her body. He lowered the whiskey bottle, his brows hunching together.
“Jaysus,” he said with a low whistle.
Audrey blushed, but she wasn’t about to let Liam make her feel awkward. She felt sexy and powerful right now, and nobody was going to ruin that for her.
Tossing her clutch on the couch, she walked straight over to him.
“Need help with your bowtie?” she asked.
Liam just nodded, watching her with something like hunger.
“You know how?” he asked, sounding a little surprised.
“Of course. My granddaddy was a good old boy from Savannah, a lawyer,” Audrey said. As she began twisting his black silk tie, she sucked in a deep lungful of his spicy, clean scent. “Granddaddy wore a bowtie almost every day of his life. All the sons of old money families dressed like that.”
“Quaint,” Liam said.
“And… there you go,” Audrey said, giving him a soft smile as she straightened his tie. “Looks good.”
She patted his chest, ready to turn away. Liam trapped her fingers with his, holding her hand just over his heart. Audrey stilled, looking up at him.
They were suspended like that for a long moment, watching one another, Liam’s heartbeat thudding faintly under Audrey’s palm.
“What do you want?” Audrey asked in a soft whisper.
“Just… you look fit, that’s all,” Liam said, his Cockney accent slipping out for a moment. “Beautiful, I mean.”
Audrey bit her lip, then pulled from his grasp. “We should go.”
“Right, right,” he mumbled as she walked away, heart beating wildly.
Just get through the night without embarrassing yourself , she thought.
Straightening her back, she got ready to leave.
5
Audrey
A udrey grabbed her purse and a white shawl, then followed Liam outside. He passed his Range Rover up and strode down to the end of his driveway, looking left and right down the street.
“We’re supposed to have a car,” he said, pulling out his phone.
As he made a call, Audrey took a moment to admire Liam in his tux. She wouldn’t ogle him openly the way he’d done to her, but… the man did look ridiculously handsome tonight.
“Ah, there we are,” Liam said as a gleaming white limo pulled up. “Ladies first, eh?”
He opened the limo door and handed Audrey into the car, then slid in beside her.
“This is nice,” Audrey said.
“Yeah… we gotta stop and get your brother,” Liam said.
“Ah,” Audrey said, deflating a little. For some reason, the idea of Jack tagging along put her off.
Not that she and Liam were on a date or anything, but Jack would undoubtedly bring some kind of drama to the party. Well-intentioned as he was, Jack just attracted that kind of mess in spades.
She turned to say so to Liam, but she was sidetracked by the fact that Liam was staring at her. That same hungry look was on his face again, and here in the cramped confines of the limo it felt much more intense.
“What?” she asked, her voice
Forty minutes later, she’d managed to get her hair styled into long, smooth 1940s movie star waves. She’d put on subtle smoky eye makeup and bright red lipstick to complete the effect.
She managed to get the dress on, and it looked fantastic, clinging to every curve just so. She could only admire herself in the bathroom mirror, since her new bedroom wasn’t really set up yet, but…
For the first time in the longest, she felt… elegant.
“Audrey!” Liam yelled from the living room. “Can we get a move on, please?”
She frowned. Picking up her white clutch and slipping on a pair of black heels that came from her stash of Bloomingdale’s items, she swept up the dress’s hem and swished out into the living room.
The look on Liam’s face when he saw her was worth all the hassle and rush of getting ready. He stood in the living room, bow tie still untied, bottle of whisky raised halfway to his lips.
When Audrey made her entrance he froze, his eyes going wide as they roamed up and down her body. He lowered the whiskey bottle, his brows hunching together.
“Jaysus,” he said with a low whistle.
Audrey blushed, but she wasn’t about to let Liam make her feel awkward. She felt sexy and powerful right now, and nobody was going to ruin that for her.
Tossing her clutch on the couch, she walked straight over to him.
“Need help with your bowtie?” she asked.
Liam just nodded, watching her with something like hunger.
“You know how?” he asked, sounding a little surprised.
“Of course. My granddaddy was a good old boy from Savannah, a lawyer,” Audrey said. As she began twisting his black silk tie, she sucked in a deep lungful of his spicy, clean scent. “Granddaddy wore a bowtie almost every day of his life. All the sons of old money families dressed like that.”
“Quaint,” Liam said.
“And… there you go,” Audrey said, giving him a soft smile as she straightened his tie. “Looks good.”
She patted his chest, ready to turn away. Liam trapped her fingers with his, holding her hand just over his heart. Audrey stilled, looking up at him.
They were suspended like that for a long moment, watching one another, Liam’s heartbeat thudding faintly under Audrey’s palm.
“What do you want?” Audrey asked in a soft whisper.
“Just… you look fit, that’s all,” Liam said, his Cockney accent slipping out for a moment. “Beautiful, I mean.”
Audrey bit her lip, then pulled from his grasp. “We should go.”
“Right, right,” he mumbled as she walked away, heart beating wildly.
Just get through the night without embarrassing yourself , she thought.
Straightening her back, she got ready to leave.
5
Audrey
A udrey grabbed her purse and a white shawl, then followed Liam outside. He passed his Range Rover up and strode down to the end of his driveway, looking left and right down the street.
“We’re supposed to have a car,” he said, pulling out his phone.
As he made a call, Audrey took a moment to admire Liam in his tux. She wouldn’t ogle him openly the way he’d done to her, but… the man did look ridiculously handsome tonight.
“Ah, there we are,” Liam said as a gleaming white limo pulled up. “Ladies first, eh?”
He opened the limo door and handed Audrey into the car, then slid in beside her.
“This is nice,” Audrey said.
“Yeah… we gotta stop and get your brother,” Liam said.
“Ah,” Audrey said, deflating a little. For some reason, the idea of Jack tagging along put her off.
Not that she and Liam were on a date or anything, but Jack would undoubtedly bring some kind of drama to the party. Well-intentioned as he was, Jack just attracted that kind of mess in spades.
She turned to say so to Liam, but she was sidetracked by the fact that Liam was staring at her. That same hungry look was on his face again, and here in the cramped confines of the limo it felt much more intense.
“What?” she asked, her voice
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