Liam leaned slightly closer, his voice low enough to stay between them, steady and direct.
"What I want… is your help."
The lady turned her head fully this time, her eyes meeting his again, but now there was something different in them. The irritation had faded, replaced by something more cautious, more observant. She studied him properly, not just his face but the way he held himself, the way he spoke, the way his gaze stayed locked on her eyes and nowhere else.
That was what caught her.
He wasn't looking at her the way men usually did.
Not at her chest, not at her body, not even at her lips. His focus had always been her eyes, like he was trying to read something deeper, something beyond the surface. It threw her off balance more than she expected.
A small breath escaped her as realization settled in.
She had misjudged him.
And she had done it fast.
