Kate Hoffmann - Liam

Conor smiled. “No problem.” With that, he turned and strode out of Quinn’s Pub, Seamus shouting a hearty good-night.

Liam finished his beer, then followed Conor out the door. He zipped up his jacket and glanced up and down the street. He and Sean had a flat seven blocks from the bar. He could go home and get some sleep or he could go back to the attic and keep his eye on Ellie Thorpe.

Liam shook his head as he headed for the bus stop. He wasn’t going back for her. He had a job to do and he promised Sean he’d do it. The fact that he hadn’t been able to get Ellie out of his head since he’d met her made absolutely no difference at all.

“DOUBLE AMERICANO, half caf!”

A man in a business suit pushed past Ellie to retrieve his coffee from the counter. Ellie raked her fingers through her hair and yawned. She leaned over and counted the number of people in front of her, deciding she’d get four shots of espresso in her latte rather than her usual two. Since her encounter with Liam Quinn three nights ago, she really hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep.

Her mind flashed back to a memory of him tied up on her living-room floor. A tiny flush warmed her cheeks. She certainly hadn’t expected her next encounter with a handsome man to include a little bondage. Just the thought of indulging in sex games with a man like Liam Quinn was enough to start her blood pumping much more effectively than any form of caffeine could.

Luckily, the police had dragged him away before she’d had more serious thoughts in that direction. When she’d left New York City, she’d vowed to take a break from men. It wasn’t that she didn’t like men, they just never seemed to like her-enough. She’d had five serious relationships in as many years and all of them had fallen apart for reasons unknown to her. One day everything had been perfect and the next she’d been single again.

After the second breakup, Ellie had decided that men were just fickle. After the third, she’d determined that she’d have to be more careful with her choices. By the fourth, she’d started to wonder if there was something wrong with her. And after her breakup with Ronald Pettibone, she’d come to the conclusion that she just wasn’t any good at romance.

Ronald had been a quiet, unassuming man with nothing in his life except his job at the bank. He didn’t watch ESPN, didn’t drink or smoke, and didn’t even have any male friends. And from the moment they’d met, he’d only had eyes for her. Ellie had been sure she’d finally found a man worth loving. And then, again, it was suddenly over with no explanation. Working with him had been unbearable, so she’d decided to leave New York to make a fresh start in Boston.

But she hadn’t expected to be quite so lonely. She didn’t know a soul in the city, and without a new job, she had no way to make friends. The only person who ever recognized her was the curly-haired girl who took her coffee order every morning. “Large latte with four shots of caf, Erica,” Ellie said with a bright smile.

Erica gave her an odd look, as if trying to place her face. “That’ll be four fifty-six, ma’am.”

Ellie glanced up at the clock. It was only seven, two hours earlier than she usually began her day. Maybe Erica wasn’t used to seeing her so early. Ellie made a note to reread I’m the Best Me I Can Be, her favorite book of positive affirmations. She had four interviews set up with Boston banks this week alone and it wouldn’t do to let the coffee girl shake her confidence.

She pulled her wallet out of her purse. She’d already interviewed for six other jobs and found it strange that she hadn’t been called back by anyone. Though she’d left her job in New York rather suddenly, she’d left on good terms. Her old boss had no reason to give her anything but a glowing recommendation. Ellie sighed. Maybe the job market was just a little tight.

Ellie paid for her latte, then grabbed the paper cup and carried it over to the table that held the cream and sugar. She plucked a plastic top from a stack and before putting it onto the cup, sprinkled two packets of sugar into the coffee. When she was satisfied that her coffee was perfect, she turned for the door, then stopped short. The subject of her sleepless dreams stood at the end of the coffee line, his hands shoved into the pockets of his faded jeans, his broad shoulders accented by his battered leather jacket.

She looked over at the door and wondered if she ought to just walk out. He hadn’t noticed her yet and she could easily make an escape. But Ellie felt compelled to say something to him. She owed him at least a thank-you, some acknowledgment that he’d likely saved her life.

She stepped up behind him and gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder. He slowly turned and Ellie found her heart fluttering as he looked into her eyes. She was struck again by the incredible color of his eyes, an odd mix of green and gold. She swallowed hard. “Hello,” Ellie murmured.

Liam blinked, obviously surprised by her sudden appearance. “Hello,” he said.

He gave her an odd look, the same look Erica had given her, and for a moment Ellie wondered if he remembered who she was. Her stomach lurched and she forced a smile. “It’s Ellie,” she explained. “Eleanor Thorpe. From-”

“I know,” Liam said. “I know who you are. It’s a little hard to forget the woman who tied me up and had me arrested.”

“I’m sorry,” Ellie said. “I called the police station Saturday morning and they explained everything. That you weren’t a burglar or even a criminal. And that you were really coming to my rescue. I guess I ought to thank you.”

He glanced around nervously, then fixed his gaze on the menu above the counter. Ellie wondered why he was being so aloof. Was he embarrassed by what she’d done? Or was he simply not interested in chit-chat? He’d been so charming that night and now he seemed as if he wanted to be anywhere but here talking with her. “Well, I should really go.”

“Right,” he murmured. “You know, I really didn’t save you. The guy probably was just after some jewelry or maybe some easy cash.”

“No, no, you did,” Ellie insisted. “The desk sergeant told me I was very lucky you came along. Burglars often come armed and if I had caught him in my apartment, he probably would have shot me. So you were like a…a white knight.”

“No, I wasn’t,” Liam said. “Not even close.”

An uneasy silence grew between them and Ellie shrugged casually. “Well, I guess I should get going. Thanks again.”

“No problem,” Liam said.

Ellie hesitantly started toward the door, then stopped short. This was crazy. She didn’t have a single friend in Boston and Liam Quinn had been the very first interesting person she’d met. Even though he was a man and she’d sworn off men for at least the next year, she could at least try to get to know him a little better as a friend.

Ellie turned and walked back to him, taking a deep breath and gathering her courage. “Would you like to have dinner with me?” The words came out before she realized she was talking to his back. She quickly circled him to stand within his line of sight. “Would you like to have dinner with me?”

“Me?”

“I feel as if I should do something for you. As a gesture of gratitude.”

“It wasn’t really any big deal.”

Ellie frowned. “Is there some reason why you don’t like me?”

“I don’t know you,” Liam said.

“You seem to be a little nervous around me. Is it because I tied you up? If I’d known you were trying to help, I wouldn’t have done that.” She cleared her throat. “I’m not one of those women who feels compelled to dominate men. I hit you on the head because I was scared and I tied you up because I didn’t want you to get away.”