Liam reached over, took her hand in his, stared deeply into her eyes and said, “After dinner, would you like to go bowling?”
BOWLING?
Why in the hell had he invited her to go bowling? Liam had never bowled a day in his life.
Why? Because Tony had advised him to throw her a few curveballs. And his friend’s advice had seemed to work with the dog collar and taking her to Carmine’s when his instincts had been to send long-stemmed roses and take her to the fanciest French restaurant in town in a limo.
But bowling? Maybe he should have given the monster-truck rally more consideration.
Unfortunately for him, Katie had been excited at his suggestion. Apparently the girl loved to bowl. Who could have suspected a well-bred Brahmin blue blood would go for bowling?
The alley was alive with noise. He was seriously out of his element as he laced up the two-toned rented shoes. Why on earth was he doing this? His forte was the boardroom, not the bowling lanes.
Then he looked at Katie with her face aglow and he knew why. Her smile made him happy. The realization surprised him. The happiness surprised him.
Absentmindedly, he raised a palm and pressed it against his heart as he watched her pick up her bowling ball and take aim at the ten pins. She looked adorable in those ugly bowling shoes, the hem of her dress swirling around her firm thighs and her hair tumbling over her shoulders in untamed abandon.
He loved her gung-ho spirit and her lively personality. She could turn something as mundane as taking out the trash into a grand adventure. Life with Katie would be lots of fun.
Trouble was, Liam wasn’t used to fun. If he wasn’t working, he felt guilty for leaving things undone. He hadn’t made it where he was today by goofing off with frivolous activities such as bowling.
Being with Katie made him understand how much he’d been missing out on. And he was tired of missing out. Even if it meant he had to make a fool of himself at the bowling alley.
She bent over to take the shot.
Underneath his palm, he felt his heart rate kick up.
She wiggled her butt and he couldn’t help but think she was teasing him. Then she was in motion, floating gracefully down the lane as only a bowling, blue-blooded princess could. She let go of the ball. It rolled down the alley, mowing down every pin.
“Strike!” she yelled gleefully, and spun around toward him, a huge smile on her face. She came trotting over to where he sat. “High five.”
He slapped her upraised palm. The smacking sound, the resulting tingle as his flesh met hers, caused a stirring deep inside him. A stirring unlike anything he’d ever felt before. He had no name for it and that bothered him.
Her gaze met his. Nervously, she flicked out a tongue to lick her lips. It wasn’t a calculated gesture, of that he was sure. But the sight of her sweet pink tongue darting out to moisten those full red lips caused his stomach to contract and his penis to harden.
“Where’d you learn to bowl like that?” he asked. “Last time I checked they don’t have bowling alleys in Beacon Hill.”
“My mother,” she said.
“Bowling isn’t a sport that high-society mamas usually encourage their daughters to take up.”
“My mother was an exceptional woman.”
“I’ve got to hand it to her. She certainly raised an exceptional daughter,” he said.
Katie smiled at his compliment and he discovered he felt quite pleased to bring that smile to her face. “Mom did a lot of things with us you wouldn’t expect from a woman with her advantages and privileges. Sometimes, it earned her criticism from my dad’s family.”
“What about your mom’s family?” he asked.
“Her parents had passed away and she didn’t have any siblings.”
“What about cousins?” he asked. “Aunts or uncles?”
“That was always sort of a mystery,” Katie admitted. “My mother never talked about her extended family. My sisters and I got the impression she was estranged from them. We didn’t really ask about it. My father’s family was so close-knit.”
“What else did your mother like to do besides bowl?”
“Ice skate, bicycling, anything active. She even took us go-carting one time. I loved it, but Joey fell out of her cart and skinned her knees. Dad forbid any more go-cart excursions after that.”
“It sounds as if you and your mother were a lot alike,” he commented.
Katie looked surprised by the suggestion. “I hadn’t really thought of it that way, but, yeah, maybe so. We were the two who never seemed to fit in with the Winfields.”
“Tell me more about your family.”
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You’re the kind of guy who hates to lose and you’ve seen what a whiz I am on the lanes. No more stalling. It’s your turn. Get out there.”
“But I’m enjoying getting to know you better.” He patted the hard vinyl seat next to him.
“What’s the matter?” she taunted. “Are you afraid you can’t live up to my strike?”
“Absolutely.”
“Get up.” She reached out, took him by the hand and hauled him to his reluctant feet.
“Bowling’s really not my strong suit.”
“I promise, I won’t gloat when I beat your pants off.”
“I don’t believe you. You seem like the type who would gloat over her prowess,” he teased.
She raised two fingers. “Promise.”
“Here’s the deal. I’ve got a confession to make,” he said as she tugged him toward the lane.
“Oh?”
“I can’t bowl.”
She canted her head. “Quit stalling and get out there.”
“No, honestly, I can’t bowl.”
“Really?”
He shrugged.
She rested her hands on her hips. “Then why did you suggest we come here?”
“I was hoping to surprise you with a fun activity you wouldn’t expect me to suggest.”
“And you did.”
“I had no clue you had the makings of a pro bowler. I thought we could look silly together. Now you’re just going to mop the floor with me.”
Katie giggled. “Don’t be afraid to look silly. No one cares, honestly. Just pick up your ball and take your best shot.”
He walked to the ball carousel, stopped, turned back to look at her. Damn, but she seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of glee in his ineptitude.
“Come on, where’s the fearless attitude that propelled you to king of the heap of Boston real estate? I know you’ve got a risk-taking gene in there somewhere.”
“It only applies to business.”
“I don’t believe that.”
He couldn’t fight her infectious smile. “All right,” he conceded, “I’ll try.”
“That’s all I can ask.”
Liam picked up the ball, figured out where to slip his fingers into the holes and then walked to the edge of the lane. How exactly did this thing work? He sneaked a peek at the bowlers on the next lane over.
“Use the arrows on the floor to line up your shot,” Katie called out.
He looked over his shoulder. “I don’t-”
“What? You don’t ask for help?”
“Not until I’ve exhausted all other options.” He grinned.
She sat back against the plastic seating, knees crossed, one leg bouncing provocatively and sent him a wicked grin. “Stubborn.”
“A man likes to do things his own way.”
“Even if it’s the hard way?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Tough guy going it alone, huh? No need to be part of the pack. Lone wolf Liam.”
“Something like that.”
“Sounds desolate to me.”
“Yeah,” he admitted with a cheerful shake of his head, “maybe a little.”
“Fine. Go it alone.” She chuckled. “I’ll keep my advice to myself.”
“Thank you,” he said, and promptly threw a gutter ball.
Katie hooted.
He sauntered toward her. “I suppose I deserved that.”
“Darn right.”
One look into her eyes and nothing mattered except keeping that wide smile on her face. He kept forgetting he’d hired her to advertise his condos, that she was essentially his employee. As they bowled frame after frame-or rather, she bowled and he pitched balls down the gutter-Liam found himself wanting her more and more. And by the time they ended up at her front door, he couldn’t keep his hands off her.