I Just Want You

Present dayLiam Sanz had driven two days straight to get to California. He could have flown his jet, then picked up a rental car for the month he was going to be forced to stay at Emmett's house, but he'd needed the downtime to clear his head.His assistant had been frantic, unable to reach him in the more rural parts of the country, but he'd enjoyed the silence. There hadn't been enough silence in his life for a long, long time. Even when he was alone, there were still the damn ghosts to contend with.He drove down a long driveway toward a barely visible log house.The place stood surrounded by trees with a view of a lake behind. There were windows and stone steps, along with a heavy double wood door.Liam parked, then climbed out of his Mercedes.Emmett's house had been built just recently, nearly ten years after the death of his friend, but Liam had a feeling that Emmett had left detailed instructions on what it should look like.The place reminded him of Emmett, which was both go

"You had more than one?" he asked, frowning slightly. He knew only about her nose.She sat up and leaned toward him. "Breasts," she said in a mock whisper. "I had breast implants."His gaze involuntarily dropped to her chest. Then he jerked his head to the right and focused on the weight bench next to him."Why?" he asked, determined not to think about her body and especially not her breasts, which were suddenly more interesting than he wanted them to be."After I lost weight, I discovered I had the chest of a twelve-year-old-boy. I was totally flat. It was depressing. So I got implants. I went for a jumbo B—which seemed about right for my newly skinny self."She stood and turned sideways in front of the mirror. "I don't know. Sometimes I think I should have just gone for it and ordered the centerfold breasts. What do you think?"He told himself not to look, but it was like trying to hold back the tide. Against his will, his head turned and his gaze settled on her chest. Eva raised he

"Not much to tell.""It's tough, isn't it?" She leaned against the counter opposite his. For once, her eyes weren't bright with humor or challenge. "Being who we are and trying to get involved. The money thing, I mean."Because they both came from money. Because they'd been raised with the idea that they had to be careful, to make sure they didn't fall for someone who was in it for the wrong reasons.Without wanting to, Liam remembered sitting in on a painful conversation between Emmett and Eva. He'd tried to escape more than once, but his friend had wanted him to stick around to make sure Van really listened."Guys are going to know who you are," Emmett had told her. "You have to be smart and not just think with your heart."Eva had been sixteen. She'd writhed in her seat as Emmett had talked, then she'd stood and glared at him."Who is going to want me for anything else?" she demanded. "I'm not pretty. I'll never be pretty. I'm nothing more than a giant brain with braces and a big n

Eva arrived home from dinner with her team feeling just full enough, with a slight buzz.They'd taken the shuttle van into town and that had meant no one had to be a designated driver.Wine had flowed freely. Well, as freely as it could given no one drank more than a glass, preferring the thrill of intellectual discussion to the mental blurriness of too much alcohol.+But just this once Eva had passed up the wine and gone with a margarita. That was fine, but she'd ordered a second one and was absolutely feeling it as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom.As she reached the landing, she was two doors and was reminded that it was also the same floor with Liam's bedroom.What an interesting fact, she thought as she paused and stared at the firmly closed door. He was in there. By himself, she would guess.So what exactly was he getting up to?She was pretty confident he was stretched out on the bed, watching TV or reading.But this was her buzz, and she could imagine him waiting for her

Eva paid the driver, then carried the bag of Chinese food into the house. "Dinner," she yelled in the general direction of the stairs, not sure if Liam would come down or not. She was gratified to see him walk into the kitchen a couple of minutes later."Why aren't you out with the nerd brigade?" he asked as she pulled a couple of plates out of the cupboard."Nerd brigade?" She smiled. "They'd like that. It sounds very military. They're all going to a club downtown and I'm not in the mood. Plus, I knew you were lonely, so I stayed home to keep you company.""I'm not lonely."He sounded annoyed as he spoke, which made her want to giggle. Liam was really easy to rile. It was that stick up his butt-if he would just let it go, he could be a regular person.Of course, his macho I'm-in-charge attitude was part of his appeal."Can you reach those?" she asked, pointing to the tall glasses some idiot had put on the top shelf. She could never have left them there.While he got them for her, she