The mighty Quinns: Liam - By Kate Hoffmann Page 0,17
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.”
“I understand.”
“Good. I’m glad we got that straight.” She swallowed hard then pasted a bright smile on her face. “Well, I should really be going. It was nice seeing you again. Good luck with your photography.”
Ellie quickly turned on her heel and headed for the door, certain she’d made a complete ass of herself. She knew enough about men to know when one wasn’t interested. Liam Quinn couldn’t have been more indifferent. Maybe she gave off some kind of strange aura that men found repulsive. The author of What Men Really Think, the book she’d read after her breakup with Ronald, claimed that a woman uninterested in a relationship gave off subtle clues to her indifference that only a man could