Chapter Thirteen

The ride back was silent at first as Grace sat beside Liam in the back seat of his Bentley, her fingers resting lightly in her lap, the streetlights casting warm golden stripes across her face. She was still processing everything he'd shown her. The boarded up home. His mother's story. His honesty.

She hadn't expected it

She definitely hadn't expected him

Liam , for once, wasn't dominating the space with presence or posture. He simply stared out the tinted window, jaw tight, like he was holding something back.

The city passed by blurring light and dark, noise and quiet and Grace couldn't stop thinking about the way his voice had cracked when he spoke about his mom, the way his fingers had brushed hers at the curb

She should've kept her distance.

But something had changed.

This wasn't just professional anymore, no matter how many times they pretended it was

"I didn't expect any of that," she said quietly, finally breaking the silence.

He turned to her. His voice was steady, but low. "I didn't plan on showing it to you."

Liam held her gaze. "I just needed you to see the man behind the monster."

She flinched slightly at the word. "I never called you that."

"No," he said, a slow smirk forming. "But you think it."

She narrowed her eyes. "You like pushing me."

"You push back." His voice dropped. "Harder than anyone else has."

Grace looked away, a flush creeping up her neck. "You're impossible."

Liam shifted in his seat, leaning slightly toward her. "You're not used to being challenged outside the boardroom."

"I'm not used to men thinking they can disarm me with a look."

"You mean this look?" he murmured.

She turned to him sharply and that was all it took

The air snapped

Before either of them could stop it, the tension that had been building for weeks broke loose in a heartbeat. Liam reached out, his fingers catching her jaw so gently it surprised her. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Grace" he said, voice low and barely restrained, "if you don't want this, say it now."

Her heart slammed against her chest . She didn't answer.

Because her silence wasn't a refusal. It was an invitation.

That was all he needed.

He kissed her.

It wasn't soft. It wasn't slow. It was like lighting a match in a dry forest ,instant, wild, consuming.

Grace gasped into it, startled at the heat of it, the way his mouth moved with such purpose, the way her whole body reacted without permission. His hand slid into her hair, angling her head just enough to deepen it and suddenly, she wasn't innocent, not really. She was learning what it felt like to be wanted not politely, not carefully, but with barely leashed restraint.

She kissed him back, shy at first, but then braver and Bolder

When she tugged at his collar, he growled low in his throat and pulled her onto his lap in one fluid motion. Her dress slid against the soft leather seats, and her knees straddled him without thought.

"God, you have no idea what you do to me" he said, his mouth brushing her jaw, then her neck, hot breath against skin.

She whimpered quietly and shocked by herself.

Liam froze for half a second.

"You're shaking," he murmured.

"I'm fine," she whispered, but her voice trembled.

His hand stilled at her waist. He leaned back just enough to look into her eyes.

"You haven't done this before"

She blinked, cheeks flushing. "Not like this"

Not this intense ,Not this real. Not this impossible to pretend away

Liam's expression shifted softening, but not retreating. He slid a hand down her back, anchoring her gently.

"I'm not going to ruin you," he said, voice rough. "Even if I want to."

Her breath hitched. "Then stop kissing me like that."

"Don't tempt me." His hand brushed her cheek, reverent now. "Grace , you're..."

"What?" she whispered.

He shook his head like he didn't have the words. "Everything I told myself I couldn't want."

Their foreheads pressed together, both of them breathing hard.

"I'm still your consultant," she murmured.

He gave a low laugh "Not after that kiss, you're not."

"We're supposed to keep it professional"

"We failed the second you got in this car."

She stared at him, lips swollen from the kiss, chest rising and falling.

"What now " she asked, her voice small but steady.

"We draw a line," he said, "and then we cross it carefully. Or we pretend this didn't happen, and spend the next few months lying to ourselves."

The car slowed as they reached her place.

Grace exhaled and slid off his lap. She straightened her dress with trembling fingers, smoothing her hair back as if she could undo the electricity running through her.

Liam's voice was low, just behind her ear. "Think about what you want, Grace Not what your father wants. Not what the press expects You"

She opened the door, paused, and turned back.

"I already know what I want," she said softly "That's the problem."

And then she stepped out into the night, the cool air rushing against her skin trying, and failing, to calm the fire Liam Vale had just set ablaze inside her