Begin Again novel Chapter 120

He eased back in his seat and gripped the steering wheel loosely, relishing the adrenaline rush running through his body as a feeling of total freedom took over him.

It had been a while since he drove himself anywhere, and he felt exhilarated and oddly alive. Like he used to, back when the track was his life and the finish line his only goal. He missed that feeling as much as he missed being one with his car while pushing himself beyond his limits.

Liam sighed mournfully, realising anew that the only other time he came so close to such euphoria was at the penthouse when he and Eden had made love weeks before—

"I'm ready," Eden announced, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"For what?" Liam asked as he stopped at a red light.

His heart somersaulted in his chest when he turned to look at her and found her staring at him with a huge smile on her face.

"To be pleased," she sighed, her eyes drooping shut slowly. "You said I must tell you when I'm ready."

He stared at her, unable to believe his ears.

Did she just agree to have sex with him and, as she'd put it when he first made the offer, enter into an intimate relationship of convenience with him?

If they weren't at a busy intersection with the traffic light about to change to green, and she wasn't so drunk, he would have kissed her senseless and maybe fucked her right there on the spot too.

But—

Car horns blared behind him, screaming at him to snap out of his stupid daze and move along, the traffic light was green, and tomorrow none of it would matter because Eden won't remember any of it.

"Princess," he whispered, more to himself, as he sped off. "You have no idea how happy you made me."

"I'll make you happy every day," she vowed, her head slumping against the window.

"You'd better," he laughed. "And you can't take it back."

"Okay," Eden nodded earnestly. "No takebacks."

Before he could make her promise, she was snoring loudly beside him.

Liam shook his head, grinning like an idiot.

Tomorrow none of it would matter, and they'll be back to being their usual angry selves. But at that moment, with Eden beside him, he was deliriously and utterly happy.

His phone rang as he pulled up outside Eden's house.

As much as he was tempted to ignore it, he knew Gibby wouldn't call him this late on a Friday night unless it was important.

"Mr Anderson," his assistant cried breathlessly on her end. "There's a crisis with one of the shipping depots in Port Alfred, Sir."

"What kind of crisis, Gibby?" He asked, his eyes wary as he watched a heavyset woman dressed in a blue nightgown shuffle out of Eden's front door and rush to his car. He unlocked the passenger door and unfastened Eden's seatbelt.

But Brenda quickly shook her head and held up her hand. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"Why not?" Liam was a little taken aback by her announcement.

"It's late, and well, you are a man."

"But I'm Eden's boss—"

"Even so, Mr Anderson, while I'm grateful to you for bringing her home, I don't know you. I can't take any chances. Please don't be offended."

Liam nodded; he couldn't fault her, of course, for being cautious. But getting Eden, drunk as she was, inside the house wasn't going to be easy, and he tried to explain this to Brenda, but she was adamant.

"It's okay; I'll be fine on my own. Besides, it sounded like you have an emergency. You should attend to it."

"But—" Liam tried again to help, but Brenda wasn't having any of it.

"Mr Anderson, I'll be fine," she insisted. And to show him how okay she was, she tucked Eden under one of her meaty arms while her other hand grabbed the bag and shoes.

Liam watched them hobble to the house slowly, with Eden singing drunkenly, breaking the still silence with her off-key tune as dogs barked in the distance and lights came on in a couple of houses along the street.

He waited until they were safely inside before returning to his car and sped off, his mind already on autopilot, preparing for the shit storm waiting for him in Port Alfred.