"Excuse me?" She glowered at him.

He took two steps to close the distance between them with a twitch of his lips. "What? You want me to lie and say that you are not freaking crazy? That you are not driving me mad along with you?"

If it was another man before her right now, she would have slapped the crap out of him. However, it just had to be Liam. She was sane enough to know not to cross the line. She could only swallow her anger. "I am not responsible for your madness."

He laughed.

He was freaking laughing when she was on the verge of detonating in anger. What was so funny?

He cleared his throat just when she was about to ignore him and leave. "You admit that you're crazy, then. Fair enough."

"Screw you." She couldn't believe she had listened to his nonsense for so long.

He should have been angry after being cursed at, but he was intrigued instead as he watched her fill her trolley with several bottles of the same spice before putting them all back in their place on the shelf. Her method of dealing with anger was rather unique.

"Don't you want to talk about the deal?" He tailed her.

She ignored him.

"Those are nothing but sugar and yeast. If you eat too many, it will be bad for your health." He pointed at the large box of assorted cookies. He knew this exact brand because of his friend's little daughter who had once begged him to eat a few of them with puppy eyes and an adorable expression. They were too sugary for his taste and that of anyone in their right mind. He tried not to think of the toothache he had afterwards and wondered who in their right mind would buy such a large box of overly sweetened crap.

But then again, Ximena was crazy. It suited her.

She ignored him and pushed her cart away from him.

After fighting such a childish battle, she thought it was a relief that she made it to her apartment in one piece. She brewed coffee and poured it in a mug, making a call as she sipped it.

"Zaria, where are you right now? I promise I won't come over and stab you with a forty meter long knife." She hissed through the phone.

Zaria burst into laughter, immediately knowing why Ximena would use such a tone. "Trust me, Liam is the best option."

Ximena frowned and tried to forget what had happened in the convenience store. "Why him though?"

"That's for you to find out, my dear Xim." Came Zaria's chirp. She was having way too much fun with this.

"I know." She placed her coffee on the kitchen island and rubbed her forehead. "I'm just frustrated."

"Did you two meet each other?" Zaria guessed. Ximena remained silent so she guessed again. "Let me guess. It didn't go well."

"What could ever go well with that man in the picture?" Ximena was defeated. It was as though that man was the punishment sent to her by the heavens. They had only met thrice but he was driving her crazy!

"Nothing." Zaria laughed in response to her question about what could go right with Liam in the picture. "I can't wait to see the two of you kill each other."

Ximena laughed helplessly. "And here I was thinking we were friends. I should have known that you hate me."

When she realized how long they had been talking, she was startled. "Uhm… I better go now. Desmond will kill me otherwise." She had almost forgotten that Zaria was out on a weekend vacation with Desmond.

"He won't." Zaria chuckled and glanced at Desmond who looked unhappy about being interrupted. He was kissing her when Ximena called. She smiled. "Goodnight. Dream of Liam. It might do your body a whole lot of good."

"Zaria, you are nuts." The other sighed and hung up.

Desmond's brows were quirked. "Are you playing Cupid again?"

"Again?" She frowned at the last word. "When else did I do it?"

"With your parents." He reminded her of the wish she made at the wishing well.

"Oh…" they were a lost cause, she didn't want to think about them anymore. "But Liam and Xim would make an entertaining pair, don't you think?" She laughed just thinking about the odd pairing. One was proud and headstrong while the other was playful despite being determined and had zero interest in men. It made one look forward to seeing the man who would be able to tame her, and she had a gut feeling that it could be Liam, seeing as he was already making her lose her cool.

"The main point for you is the entertainment." He evaded her question with a chuckle. Not because he didn't want to talk about his friend's love life but because he knew just who Liam liked. He could ignore it since Zaria wasn't close to Liam but it would no longer be funny if Ximena fell in love with Liam.

What would that turn into? A screwed up love square with best friends falling in love with the same woman and another pair of best friends breaking up because the man that one of them loves just happens to be in love with the other?

She looked at him with a smile. "If Ximena finds happiness, it will be my greatest joy."

"Then don't get carried away." He carried her in his arms and headed for his room. He placed her on the desk by the window and kissed her neck. "You can create opportunities for them to meet but don't push them. He might end up hurting her and who knows? Perhaps her happiness lies in being a single, independent woman." As he spoke, his hands trailed down her body in slow, gentle strokes.

"Makes… sense." The last word morphed into a moan when he grabbed her boob.

"I don't want to talk about others. I want to entertain you." He fondled her as he supported the small of her back with one hand.

She nodded and hummed in agreement despite not having heard a word that he said. He met her gaze and smiled. He loved that she was always so vulnerable to his touch. Just a few strokes was enough to turn her own, and her aroused expression always drove him crazy with lust.

He kissed her neck as his hands explored her lower body. Her skin felt hotter with every touch and when he caressed her inner thighs, she parted her legs to give him access. Holding her by her butt, he pulled her closer to the edge of the desk.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Her eyes were shut as she grinded her core against his crotch. They still had their clothes on but her body twitched when she felt his bulge against her.

"So impatient, are we? What happened to the sly vixen that kept avoiding me after turning me on?" He teased her earlobes.

She opened her eyes and looked at him accusingly. He pushed her back against the surface of the desk and roughly tugged the shorts off her. Parting her legs further, he buried his head between her thighs.

"Desmond…" His name escaped her lips in moan as she felt his hot breath through her soaking thong.