The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek)

Maya's heart raced as she followed Liam to the door. She tried to come up with the right excuse to explain her action and an appropriate apology.

When they got to the door, he held it open for her to step outside, and then he shut it behind him.

Neither of them said a word until they got to his car, which was parked some distance away from the house. Then Maya turned to Liam, but before she could say anything, Liam spoke. "Well, that's out of the way now. I'm glad I've told her the truth," he said, and Maya forced a smile.

"Yeah," she said, her voice slightly cracked.

She cleared her throat, "About last night..."

"Why are you avoiding me?" They spoke at the same time.

Maya looked down, "I feel embarrassed," she admitted

"Why?" Liam asked quietly.

Maya looked up at him, "Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Yes, I am," Liam said with a nod.

Maya inhaled deeply, "Fine. I feel embarrassed because I kissed you. I did something I wasn't supposed to do. I had no right to do

that. And I feel ashamed of myself. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I have no idea what I was thinking or what possessed me.

You've been really kind to me, and maybe it's because I'm not used to such kindness without strings attached, I'm not sure. What I did was wrong. I'm sorry," she said, her words pouring out really fast as her heart hammered in her chest.

Liam stared at her as she spoke, unsure what to do with her apology. His mind had been messed up since she kissed him, and he wasn't sure an apology was enough to fix it.

"How about we both get on the same page?" He suggested.

"What do you mean?" She asked with a confused frown.

Without responding to her question, Liam stepped forward, and his arm went around her waist, covering the space between them.

Maya's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes widened in surprise as he lowered his head to hers. Mayas breath hitched as Liam's lips claimed hers with a deliberate intensity.

The kiss wasn't a mere brushing of lips as hers had been. He nibbled softly on her lower lip until her lips parted of their own accord, and then he devoured her lips, kissing her so passionately that the world around her blurred, leaving nothing but the warmth of his touch and the electric pull between them.

His arm tightened around her waist, anchoring her as the kiss deepened, sending shivers coursing down her spine. She felt her hands rise, hesitating before settling against his chest, where his heart pounded just as wildly as hers.

For a moment, Maya forgot how to think and how to breathe. All she knew was the way his lips moved against hers, tender yet consuming as if he'd been waiting to do this for a long time. His other hand moved gently to her cheek, cradling her face as though she were something precious.

Her knees threatened to buckle, but his hold on her was firm. The kiss wasn't just a response but an answer, a declaration she hadn't been expecting.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against hers. They stood there, breaths mingling in the cool night air. Maya's eyes fluttered open, meeting his gaze, which was heavy with emotion and something she couldn't quite name.

"Does that clear things up?" Liam's voice was low, slightly raspy.

His lips curled into the faintest smile, but his eyes stayed locked on hers, searching.

Maya opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her hands trembled where they still rested against his chest, and she quickly pulled them back, wrapping her arms around herself instead as she stepped backward. "I... I don't understand," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Liam laughed softly, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. "What's not to understand, Maya? You were embarrassed and avoided me because you kissed me. Now I've kissed you and balanced it up.

There's nothing for you to feel ashamed about anymore."

Her cheeks flamed. "But I told you it was a mistake."

"And now I'm telling you it wasn't. This wasn't. I kissed you because I wanted to. Because I've wanted to since... since you

kissed me mistakenly," Liam said, his tone firm but gentle. "Do you think I've been able to stop thinking about you since last night?

Because I haven't."

Maya blinked up at him, her heart racing even faster now. "You... you haven't?"

"No," he admitted, his thumb brushing against her cheek.

She shook her head, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

"Liam, this is so confusing."

"What is?" Liam asked, wanting to know exactly what she was thinking.

"You. Your feelings for Evelyn""" she explained without meeting his gaze.

"Oh. I understand," he said with a nod.

"You do?" She asked, and he nodded.

"I can't explain why I'm feeling this way about you right now or why I no longer feel as strongly for Evelyn as I did. I don't think we have to figure it all out tonight," he said softly, his hand dropping to his side but still close enough to touch her. "I just needed you to know where I stand. And to know that you don't have to avoid me. We can figure it out together slowly."Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Maya bit her lip, her mind spinning. She wanted to run, to hide, to protect herself from the storm of emotions brewing inside her. But at the same time, she wanted to stay, to trust the safety she felt in his presence.

"What now?" she asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Liam's lips curved into a gentle smile. "Now, you go back inside and turn on your phone so I can call you when I get home. And then you will tell me all you've been up to today while ghosting me.

And then, after that... we take things one step at a time. Together.

Figure out what this is between us and what to do about it. Is that good enough for you?"

Maya felt her heart squeeze at his words, which wrapped around her like a warm blanket. She nodded slowly, still unsure but willing to try.

Liam stepped back, giving her space, "Good. You can go in now," he said, and Maya stared at him for a moment.

"I'm sorry for avoiding you," she said, and he smiled.

"It's okay. I understand," he said, and she nodded before turning around and walking back to the house.

Inside the house, Evelyn had a smile on her face as she and Derek walked into their bedroom. "Did you notice all that tension between them?" she asked Derek, and he chuckled.

"It was hard not to notice. But the tension seemed to be coming more from Maya's end. Did she have a crush on Liam?" Derek asked curiously as they got on the bed.

Evelyn shook her head. "I have absolutely no idea. This is the first time I'm noticing anything out of the ordinary in their interaction," she said and then giggled.

"Liam and Maya. That is one pair I didn't see coming, but it's not exactly unwelcome," she said, and Derek scowled.

"Well, if anything of the sort is going to happen between them, he is going to have to prove himself to me. He can't just jump from my wife to my sister," he said, and Evelyn laughed.

"I'm not your wife yet, Derek. Why do I have to keep reminding you of that?" She asked with amusement.

"I wonder why you keep wasting your time doing that when it's not needed. No one asked you to remind me," he said with a grin, and she giggled

"And there is no reason why he can't have feelings for Maya," Evelyn said, and Derek raised a brow.

"If he liked you enough to move down to Ludus because of you, how can he move on so easily?" Derek asked, and Evelyn shook her head.

"I don't think he came here because of me. It doesn't make sense that he would make such a huge career move for my sake when we weren't even dating," Evelyn said, and Derek shook his head

"He did. Trust me. And even if he didn't, for someone who claimed to be interested in you, I don't think he would move on in a matter of weeks. I couldn't even move on for six years," Derek said, and Evelyn rolled her eyes.

"Liam and you are completely

different. I had sex with you, but I

was never intimate with Liam, so there is no sexual tie or anything to make it hard for him to move on. Also Liam and I weren't meant to be, unlike you and I," she said, and this time, Derek grinned.

"Alright. With these few points of yours, you have been able to convince me," he said, and she giggled.

"I'm glad that Liam is here, though.

Maybe we can register at the clinic where he works, and he can deliver our baby. It would be nice having the same doctor deliver both our

ep

babies," Evelyn said, and the smile slid off Derek's face.

"Liam was the one who delivered Sam?" He asked, and Evelyn paused when she realized she had just let it slip.

"Yes. I thought I mentioned it to you before?" She asked with an innocent smile.

"No, you didn't. And I'm pretty sure you know you didn't. You said he was a friend you met when you were pregnant, and he has been helpful all these years and is dear to you and Sam..." "You remember all I said," Evelyn said with a wince.

"Perfectly. So, I'm going to assume you forgot to mention the most important part," Derek said, his voice ringing with accusation, and Evelyn giggled.

"Alright. I'm sorry. I deliberately didn't mention it,' she admitted.

"Why?" Derek asked, confused.

"It's just that when I mentioned to Ray that Liam was my OB/GYN, she was weird about it, and I just thought it was best not to mention it to you, too," Evelyn explained.

"She was weird, huh?" Derek asked, his tone ripe with implication.

"C'mon, babe. It's not a big deal. Liam is a professional.."

"The only man that is going to ever deliver our baby is me," Derek cut in, and Evelyn laughed.

"Jealous much? You're not even a doctor," she pointed out.

"Exactly my point. So, unless you

want to wait until I get a medical degree, which might take years because I'm not sure I will pass my exams easily, I suggest you make sure the next OB/GYN or whatever you call it is a lady," he said, and Evelyn giggled.

"I really don't get why you're making this a big deal," she said, laughing.

"It is a big deal! I can now see why he fell for you," Derek said, looking her over suggestively, and Evelyn laughed.

"He didn't fall for me because of anything he saw. Don't be ridiculous," she scolded.

"I don't care. I'm going to make him play some physical sports with me. Maybe basketball, and I will beat him to a pulp," Derek threatened, and Evelyn laughed.

"You will do no such thing. Maybe you want Maya to disown you," she said, and they both laughed.

"Well, tomorrow is our appointment with the obstetrician- a lady, so you have nothing to worry about. We will bring my parents home after we are done," Evelyn reminded him, and Derek nodded. "Tomorrow is another busy day," he said with a sigh.

"Yeah. I hope we hear back from the investigator tomorrow as he promised," Evelyn said with a yawn, referring to the investigator who was looking into the murder of Derek's parents.

"Me too," Derek murmured as he pulled Evelyn closer to himself and turned off the lights in the room so they could go to bed.