"I...I don't think that's a good idea, but thank you for the offer." She stammered out.
"Please, Cora." He'd beg if he had to. "Only dinner."
Cora opened her mouth several times before she shook her head. Tears glistened in her eyes. "I can't," she croaked, before slamming the door in his face.
Liam felt his heart tare. He shouldn't have expected her to say yes. He shouldn't have even asked. He wanted Cora and to keep his secret, but when Cora left him, he realized he couldn't have both. It was one or the other. Would Cora even understand if she knew why he kept things a secret? Some of his teammates knew, and no one judged him. For some reason, he couldn't tell Cora and risk her resentment of him. Not that her anger was any better. Liam shook his head and took off.
~
Cora St James signed and leaned against the door. Seeing Liam again was like a punch in the gut. Five months separation had not dulled his good looks. He still looked amazing in his shirt and jeans. He looked good in anything. And here she had greeted him with bedhead and a bathrobe, but who did she have to impress? She didn’t even have a pet. It was just her. She had inherited her grandmother’s house ten years ago and rarely left it except to buy groceries. It had been a coincidence she met Liam one day while she had been watching over Ben’s house. Ben worked with Liam on base as a fellow Delta Force operative. Both were recluse workaholics but Ben had to leave a lot for work and so asked her to check on his house from time to time. One of those times he had been gone she had met Liam who had stayed at Ben’s after arriving late from a mission. They had hit it off immediately. Then everything changed and not for the better.
Why did Liam have to show up now? Didn’t he realize she couldn’t see him anymore? He broke her heart once with his lies and secrets. She couldn't go through with that again. It didn't matter how much she loved him. So many times, she had asked him what he was keeping from her and why he would take off without warning. In the beginning, she thought it was for the Army, and he couldn't tell her. But he never took any of his military gear. Only a duffel with a few clothes. After he would go on a mission, she could tell the difference on how he would act when he'd come back. After a mission, he would be tired and have a few bandages. From this mystery place, he was still tired but he would look drawn and be more distant. She didn't think he was cheating. Liam may be a pretty boy, but he was always loyal. So why did he come back into her life now? She had given him five months to apologize to her and explain. It wasn't like she had changed her number or moved. Had he only come to see her because his ex-commander had tried to kill her? She didn't want his pity. All she ever wanted was his trust and love.
He had asked her out, but it had sounded like a hasty request. Said without thought. A request she had to turn down. If she accepted one date, it would become another then another. And before she knew it she would be right back here where she started. No, it was better to nip it in the bud before it started. Unless he was willing to tell her what his secret was, she wouldn't give him another chance.
Cora fiddled with her necklace then realized she had better things to do then think about Liam. She went back to her office and sat down in her computer chair. She had created her own computer security company at thirty. She had worked at numerous computer companies since graduating college, but she realized she liked working for herself and keeping her own hours. She created software to protect client’s computers and investments by making it near impossible to hack data or steal identities. She had even worked with the base, Fort Irwin, more than once.
Cora saw Liam from a distance from time to time when he would visit Ben but she made a point to avoid him. She still loved him. But as long as he kept secrets from her she wasn’t willing to give him another chance. Getting over a heartbreak once was bad enough. Twice? Forget it. She was better off without Liam. She had everything she needed. A good job, a great house. What more could she need? Nothing.
Cora focused on her computer screen that Liam had pulled her away momentarily. She had a new client from Panama that just moved to California in the past few days paying her triple her normal rates to get security up and running for him. She had no idea what he did for a living to pay such an amount of money to protect his investments, but it must be lucrative. She didn’t know what any of her clients did for a living. To her, they were a paycheck. She just loved writing codes and working for herself.
Cora looked at the clock on her computer screen and tried not to wince at how late it was getting. It wasn’t unusual for her to work late and normally she would be heading off to bed by now but when a client was paying her as much as this guy was and asked for expedite delivery, she knew she was in for an all-nighter. Before long she was pulled into her computer world and forgot about everyone and everything around her including Liam.
Chapter Two
Liam cursed himself as he walked back to his car. He shouldn’t have asked her out. He scared her. Cora had a legitimate
