A Very Exclusive Engagement(24)

“Hello,” she said as she opened the door and gestured for him to come inside. “Come on in. This is my place.”

“Very nice,” he said, strolling into the living room and admiring his surroundings.

Francesca had always liked her home. She’d bought the small, red-brick town house near the university while she was a student. It was only two bedrooms, but the floor plan was open and the walled courtyard off the living room was the perfect oasis from the world. When she’d first bought it, nearly every room in it was white. She’d painted each room a warm, inviting color and filled them with lush fabrics and comfortable fixtures. That was her biggest update over the years. She loved her place.

She led him into the two-story living room so he could see out into her little garden and to the nicely remodeled kitchen she rarely used. “It’s not very big, but it suits me. I love the location—right across from the park.”

“You’ve done a lot with the place,” he said. “It looks comfortably lived in. Very much what I’d expect for you. My town house still looks like a showroom model. I never got around to hiring a decorator. Who did yours?”

“I did,” Francesca said, her nose wrinkling. “I couldn’t let someone else decorate my house. That’s too personal.”

Liam shrugged. “You’ve got the eye for it. Maybe while we’re engaged, I’ll let you decorate mine.”

She turned away from him without answering and went in search of her clutch instead. She didn’t like the sound of that at all. It wasn’t as though she would be moving into his house one day. She didn’t need to put her own personal stamp on his space or leave anything behind of her once all this was over. That made things seem more permanent than they were. But she wasn’t going to make much of it. They had a long night to get through without her adding more worries to the pile.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“Absolutely.”

Liam followed her out and then escorted her to the curb, where his convertible was waiting for them. Once he merged into traffic, they didn’t have far to go. Scarlet and Ariella had secured a location at one of the large historical mansions in Georgetown. The two-hundred-year-old estate had acres of gardens with fountains and an overabundance of spring flowers this time of year. It was the perfect location for a sunny, happy engagement party.

As they pulled onto the property, the valet opened the doors, pointed them to the garden entrance and took the car around back to park it with the others.

Standing on the lawn, facing her engagement celebration, Francesca was more nervous than she cared to admit. Her knees were nearly shaking. She’d done okay enduring the excited hugs and fielding questions from her friends and coworkers, one by one. But this was almost everyone she knew at one time. It made her wonder if she could pull this off. An engagement party. Her engagement party.

Liam sensed her hesitation and approached her. Putting his hands on the back of her upper arms, he stroked her gently, reassuringly. “Everything will be fine. You look beautiful. I’m sure Scarlet and Ariella did a great job with all the arrangements. There’s no need to be nervous.”

“I know,” she said with a shake of her head. She looked down toward the grass, but Liam’s finger caught her chin and turned her face up to him.

“You can do this. I know it. But I have to say you are missing something.”

Her eyes widened in panic. What had she forgotten? Ring? Check. Lipstick? Check. Overwhelming sense of paranoia? Check. “What did I forget?”

“You don’t have the rosy blush of a young woman in love. But I do believe I can fix that.” Liam leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

As much as she had tried to deny her attraction to Liam, her body always gave her away. The heat of his touch immediately moved through her veins and she could feel the tingling of the kiss from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She suddenly felt flush under her dainty sweater. Her knees were still shaking, although for different reasons than before. She gripped at his lapels to keep steady and pull him closer to her.

Liam’s kisses were dangerous. She should’ve learned that the very first day. A girl could get lost in one if she wasn’t careful. And right now, it seemed like the perfect escape from everything else. Couldn’t they just stay in each other’s arms here on the front lawn? That seemed like the kind of thing a new couple might do, right?

When Liam finally pulled away, he held her close to keep her from swaying. She felt a definite heat in her cheeks as she looked up at him. “No lipstick on you this time,” she noted.