LITMIR.BIZ

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      Light the blue touch-paper and stand well back. She inwardly grimaced.

      Except nothing happened!

      The blue touch-paper had definitely been lit, was probably still smouldering inside, but outwardly there was no sign of it…!

      Liam continued to look at her with narrowed eyes, a nerve pulsing in his cheek, his mouth grim, his eyes unfathomable.

      As with a smouldering but unexploded firework, Laura was left with a question: did she go and check that it was alight, or did she continue to stand well back in case the explosion was only delayed?

      She didn’t know!

      Her nervousness only increased as the seconds ticked by with no reaction from Liam. Why didn’t he say something? Anything!

      Finally she could stand the suspense no longer. ‘Liam—’

      ‘And what—’ Liam’s voice was icily controlled ‘—did you reply to such an enquiry?’

      She gritted her teeth. ‘No comment.’

      That silence again. She couldn’t bear it. Why didn’t he just scream and shout, demand an explanation? Which she didn’t have!

      ‘Well, that’s…unoriginal, if nothing else,’ he finally drawled sarcastically.

      ‘What would you have had me say?’ Laura countered, stung into being defensive after all. ‘You have to agree this situation is unusual—to say the least. Subterfuge just isn’t my style!’

      ‘Implying that it’s mine?’ Liam prompted mildly.

      Angry colour darkened her cheeks. ‘You’re the one insisting on secrecy!’

      ‘Then it appears I’ve been wasting my time, doesn’t it?’ he replied. ‘What are you going to do about it?’

      ‘Me?’ she responded. ‘What can I do about it?’

      ‘Well, for one thing, you could stop being so stubborn about agreeing to publish my book!’

      It wasn’t just a book, and they both knew it. It was an assured bestseller. ‘And the second thing?’

      ‘Well, as we seem to have been presented with a fait accompli, why don’t you stop being so difficult about acting as my editor, too?’

      There was something very wrong with this conversation, something that didn’t add up. What? Ah, she had it. Why wasn’t Liam screaming and shouting, demanding an explanation…? After being absolutely adamant concerning the need for secrecy concerning his novel, he would be perfectly within his rights to be blazingly angry. And yet he wasn’t…

      Three people knew about Liam’s book: herself, Perry, and Liam himself. She had already eliminated the first two—which only left Liam…!

      No, Liam couldn’t have given that information to a reporter himself! It didn’t make sense—

      Why didn’t it? A fait accompli, he had just said. And she was the one, not Liam, who had been presented with it…

      But why?

      It just didn’t make any sense. She had to be wrong. Liam—

      ‘What are you thinking?’ He watched her with narrowed eyes.

      Nonsense. Utter nonsense. There was absolutely no reason why Liam should have leaked the information to the press about his book himself. It went against everything he had previously told her he wanted concerning the publication of Josie’s World.

      ‘It isn’t important.’ She shook her head dismissively. ‘So, you’re saying you would still like Shipley to publish your novel?’

      Liam shrugged. ‘I never had a problem with it. Only with your choice of editor,’ he added pointedly.

      ‘And the publicity this reporter’s article may incur?’

      He shrugged again. ‘I’m sure you’re more than capable of dealing with it.’

      ‘I may be,’ she conceded. ‘But what about you? It’s the one thing you’ve maintained you definitely don’t want.’

      ‘I still don’t,’ he agreed. ‘But if it’s handled properly—’ he gave her a sharp look ‘—the whole thing will just become a nine-day wonder. It may resurface once the book is published—’

      ‘There’s no may about it,’ Laura warned him determinedly.

      ‘Hopefully by that time I shall be safely back in Ireland, my whereabouts unknown by anyone except my lawyer,’ he confirmed pointedly.

      Because their only address for him was that post office box in London…

      Laura gave him a narrow-eyed look, still not convinced. ‘I must say,’ she said slowly, ‘you’re taking all of this much more calmly than I expected.’

      Liam grinned. ‘I am, aren’t I?’ he agreed.

      Laura’s earlier suspicions weren’t in any way lessened by this reply. If Liam had decided that publicity wouldn’t hurt him after all, despite what he had earlier maintained to the contrary, then there was absolutely no reason why he couldn’t have been the one to leak the information to the press. And neatly present her with that fait accompli.

      It did seem a little extreme just as a means of achieving his own way. But, in a warped sort of way, it also made sense. Much more sense than the information having been leaked from anyone at Shipley Publishing.

      And what more extremely reliable source could there be than the author himself…?

      Laura sat back in her chair, looking across at Liam with narrowed eyes. Would he really have gone to that extreme just to ensure he got his own way—having her as his editor?

      It seemed unbelievable, and yet…

      ‘What is it?’ he demanded, watching her closely.

      Laura had been aware of that scrutiny, but her thoughts remained her own. ‘I’m not sure,’ she answered softly. ‘Tell me, Liam, the young lady who was just here—’

      ‘I told you, she’s the sister of an old university friend,’ he cut in harshly.

      Laura nodded. ‘And her name would be…?’

      Liam was scowling now, sitting tensely forward on his own chair. ‘What does her name have to do with anything?’ he rasped.

      She wasn’t sure. Yet. But Liam had made no attempt to introduce the two women earlier; in fact he had seemed anxious to keep them apart. Which had been extremely rude of him. Although perhaps understandable if the other woman were a current romantic involvement in his life. But it might have another explanation…

      Also, though she could be imagining it, now that Laura thought about it, the leggy blonde’s voice had sounded vaguely familiar…

      Laura drew in a sharp breath. ‘Her name wouldn’t happen to be Wilson, would it? Janey Wilson? As in Janey Wilson, reporter for the National Daily?’

      She watched Liam closely for his reaction to her suggestion noting the way the pupils of his eyes widened and then contracted, the slight increase in grimness about his mouth, the nerve pulsing in his throat.

      Her mouth quirked disgustedly. ‘I can see that it is,’ she bit out, shaking her head. ‘Why, Liam?’ She frowned.

      But she already knew the answer to that. Liam was determined to have his own way concerning his publisher and editor, and had decided, after meeting her again, that she was to be both those things. He was even willing to sacrifice his own privacy to achieve that objective—had hoped to use Janey Wilson’s newspaper article as a means of pressurising Laura into accepting those conditions.

      ‘Don’t bother to answer that,’ she said, before he could even attempt to do so, turning to

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