8 Magnificent Millionaires. Cathy Williams

the unexpected sound of the knocker on the door, she almost leapt out of her seat. His eyes narrowing, Callum registered surprise. ‘Expecting someone, sis? Want me to go?’

      ‘I’m not expecting anyone, unless it’s Jack next door.’

      As she pulled the door wide Liadan’s knees went helplessly weak at the sight of Adrian’s broad shoulders dominating her doorway. He was wearing his long black coat over a black shirt and jeans, his mouth unsmiling and his gaze about as foreboding as a locked door to a shivering, hungry orphan. Her glance drank in the sight of him with a frantically beating heart.

      ‘What are you doing here?’

      ‘Can I come in?’

      She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder into the room behind her. Following her anxious gaze and discovering to his dismay that she had company—good-looking male company—Adrian fought down the violent antagonism that rose immediately inside his chest and glared back at her. ‘I want to talk to you and what I have to say won’t wait.’

      Liadan knew the dictatorial tone of that voice and resented it mightily. No matter how glad she was to see him, to know that he was alive and hadn’t moved on, he had no right to just show up at her home and speak to her like that. Especially after not hearing a word from him for almost two weeks.

      ‘I’ve—I’ve got visitors.’

      ‘Get rid of him,’ Adrian muttered through his teeth.

      ‘I will not!’

      ‘Who is he?’

      ‘Liadan…aren’t you going to invite your friend in?’ Callum loomed up behind her, unable to hide the interest in his eyes. Desperately glancing from her brother back to Adrian, Liadan hooked her fingers into the belt buckle of her jeans and shook her head.

      ‘Now isn’t a good time. Come back later if you insist you must talk to me.’

      Biting her lip, she waited for the explosion. When it didn’t come, and to her alarm she saw a secret little smile curving that rather serious mouth of his instead, she felt as light-headed as if she’d just been whisked up to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

      ‘No, Liadan. I can’t come back later. Like I told you, I have something to say to you that just won’t wait.’

      ‘If you’ve waited nearly two weeks without saying it so far, surely a little longer won’t make much difference?’

      How could Adrian have told her what was in his heart a fortnight ago when he’d practically convinced himself Liadan wouldn’t want to set eyes on him again—never mind listen to anything he had to say?

      ‘I don’t want to say what I’ve come to say standing out here on your doorstep,’ he said evenly, his tone resolute.

      ‘You’d better come in, then.’ Taking hold of Liadan’s slender shoulders and deliberately moving her out of the way, Callum grinned. ‘Want me to take a walk up the road for a little while? I’m Callum, by the way. Liadan’s brother, in case you were wondering.’ He stuck out his hand and he and Adrian shook hands like long-lost friends. Dumbstruck, Liadan stared at them both, unable just then to summon up one coherent word to indicate her disapproval and dismay. What was wrong with Callum for goodness’ sake? Why was he acting so strangely?

      ‘Callum, I don’t want you to go anywhere. I have nothing to say to Mr Jacobs! Absolutely nothing!’ When she finally did find her voice, Liadan couldn’t hold back her temper. How dared he just show up on her doorstep, after the agony he’d put her through! For all she knew, there might be more of the same to come and, the way she was feeling, Liadan had a right to wonder if she could bear it.

      ‘Fiery, isn’t she?’ Adrian remarked, his dark brows briefly coming together.

      Reaching for his jacket, which was folded on the arm of the chair, Callum nodded in quick agreement. ‘She’s definitely not as demure as she looks. “Butter wouldn’t melt”, most people think. But that’s because they don’t really know my sister.’ Going to the door, he ruffled Liadan’s long red-gold hair as he passed. ‘Be gentle with him, sweetheart, won’t you?’

      When the door shut ominously behind him, Liadan smoothed her hand nervously across her sky-blue sweater to finger the silver locket she wore on a chain round her neck and sighed.

      ‘I won’t pretend for one minute to understand what all that was about. You men seem to have a code all of your own.’

      ‘Your brother knows I mean business,’ Adrian said smoothly.

      ‘Oh, he does? And by that you mean what exactly?’

      ‘I’ve come here to tell you that I love you, Liadan. It took you walking out on me and telling me some very painful home truths to make me realise that I can’t live without you—let alone work! And I honestly do want you to be my wife. You’re not a substitute for Nicole or any other woman—I swear it! Does that clear up any confusion?’

      Liadan gulped. Then she sank down on the plumped-up sofa behind her as her legs suddenly gave way beneath her.

      ‘This must be some kind of a joke.’ Her wide, puzzled blue eyes with their lustrous lashes tore at Adrian’s heart. After a two-week drought from not seeing her, he’d almost forgotten just how truly beautiful she was…

      ‘Do you think I’d joke about a thing like that? If you do, then you don’t know me at all.’

      ‘How could I possibly know you, Adrian? You put up too many walls for that.’

      She was right. That was exactly what he had done…but not any more. From now on he wanted to let this woman into his heart. Wanted to let her in and keep her there for ever, because, as sure as the sun was going to rise in the morning, he was crazy about her. And he hadn’t lied. He really couldn’t live without her. It was just a shame that it had taken her walking out on him like that to make him realise it.

      ‘I know and I’m truly sorry. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Liadan.’

      Drawing her to her feet, he smiled smoulderingly down into her startled blue gaze, delighting in the feel of her slender body underneath his hands again, feeling himself growing more and more aroused until he almost couldn’t stand it.

      ‘But what about—what about Nicole?’ Tears of happiness and confusion springing to her eyes, Liadan bit down tremulously on her lip.

      His dark gaze growing even darker, Adrian stroked his hand down the side of her perfectly smooth cheek and smiled again. ‘Nicole is firmly in my past, Liadan. For a long time I couldn’t let the idea of her go because I blamed myself for her death. Holding onto the memory of how she died was like a punishment I was certain I deserved. It wasn’t until you came along with your insistence that there was redemption for everyone that I even started to believe I might be able to forgive myself, and move on. Whether there is redemption, I don’t know. But wherever Nicole’s spirit is now, I know one thing’s for certain. She wouldn’t want me to hold back from telling you how much I love you. Nothing in this world is as important as that—nothing.’

      ‘And you’re not just trying to butter me up so that I’ll come back and work as your housekeeper?’ Unable to suppress her grin, Liadan leaned in towards Adrian’s iron-hard chest, her whole body lighting up inside like a firework display at the sensation of being held close in his arms once again, when she hadn’t even known if she’d ever see him again.

      ‘Absolutely not.’ He kissed her then and it was quite a while before he came up for air. When he finally did, Liadan’s lips looked swollen and bee-stung and her lovely blue eyes were shining like twin silver lights that resembled candle-flame.

      ‘You still haven’t given me your answer. Is this waiting game some new kind of torture you’ve devised to torment me?’

      Liadan couldn’t help dimpling as she glanced up into his impossibly attractive face. ‘Oh…you mean the marriage thing?’

      ‘Liadan…’