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“Oh, I’m sorry, where are my manners?” Dane said. “Peaches, this is Olivia. She’s a friend. Olivia, this is Peaches Lin.”
“We’ve met,” Peaches said.
“Yes. Nice to meet you,” Olivia said, feeling more awkward by the minute. God, she wished she was anywhere but there at the moment. The way she felt, she wouldn’t even care if a sinkhole opened up and swallowed her whole.
“Well,” Peaches said, turning back to Dane, while Olivia fixed her attention back at the computer, scanning the search results. “Now, what am I going to do?”
“I really wish I could be there, Peaches. Maybe Kan could go with you,” Dane offered.
Peaches grabbed her bag off the table she’d dropped it on. “I’ll talk to you later, Dane. I’ve got to go find another date to the Krich Ball.”
“Peaches,” Dane said, going after her.
Well, that was weird. Olivia didn’t want to pry too much into this but she had the urge to get up and go pack. She didn’t want to be an inconvenience to Dane or his family—any longer. Clearly Dane had a life—an unconventional one at that. Whatever arrangement he and his girlfriend had was none of her business. It wasn’t as if they were dating or anything. He was just putting her up for the while until she got herself back on her two stilettoes.
When Dane came back, he closed the door behind him, his hands in his pockets and walked over to where Olivia was sitting. She tried hard not to look up. She felt crushed inside, a real mess. Heat rose to her cheeks, the heat of humiliation.
How the hell was he going to explain that one?
“I’m sorry about all of that,” he said, his voice silky and deep.
“S-sorry for what? I’m sorry I interrupted you and your girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” he echoed incredulously.
“Yes, isn’t she your girlfriend?”
Dane laughed his infectious laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“You,” he said.
“Me?”
“You looked, well, upset when Peaches was here.”
“Why would I be upset?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted in a low voice. “But just so that you know, Peaches and I are not in a relationship.”
“Well, I think you should let her know, because she introduced herself as your girlfriend. Which is fine by me. I mean, it’s not like I’m…” interested in you? Is that what you’re about to say, Olivia. Liar.
“Allow me to explain,” Dane said, propping himself on the edge of the desk. “Peaches and I go back a few years. We met in school when Jonah sent me to that fancy prep school. She’s sweet. Apparently, rich kids or kids of wealthy parents go there.”
“You don’t have to explain, Dane,” she assured softly. Nerves got the best of her. Her lips started to get dry. She reached over for her bottle of water and opened the top to take a sip.
“I want to,” he said.
He wants to?
“She’s Peaches Lin. From the Lin family,” Dane continued.
“The Lin family?” Olivia repeated, taking a sip of her water. “The family that makes those pencils.”
Dane nodded. “They’re a very…let’s just say a traditional family. Well, Peaches doesn’t exactly fit into their ideals. She’s pretty much been gay for as long as I can remember.”
Olivia almost choked on her water.
“Are you okay?” Dane said, getting up and moving around the desk to her. He gently put a hand on her back and she felt electricity pulse through her body. The scent of his intoxicating cologne awakened her senses.
“It went down the wrong way,” she said, coughing for air. “I’m okay.”
“You sure, now?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t mean to shock you there. I just wanted to be straight with you about certain things.”
“Like what?”
“There’s no way I would have kissed you the way I did that time if I had a girlfriend. That’s not my style.”
Oh. Olivia didn’t know how to feel. Her inner thighs throbbed hard. Did Dane just admit that he liked her, a lot, and that he would never have kissed her if he was involved with someone? What did that mean for them?
“From time to time I stand in as her pretend boyfriend to keep her parents off her back. Her family’s guest of honor at some charity ball this evening. Totally forgot about it. But I’m just a backup. There’s another guy she brings to these functions.”
“Let me guess. Another affluent guy with a well-known name?”
Dane grinned.
“Well, your circle does move in interesting ways,” she said, feeling her muscles loosen a bit after that revelation. “Thanks for clearing that up.” She was embarrassed to admit to herself she was incredibly relieved. But what did that mean for Olivia and Dane? She still didn’t know where she stood with him.
“Hey,” Dane said. “I’ve just got to check some messages. I’m expecting an email.”
“Sure, I’ll get out of your way.” Olivia got up from the chair to give Dane back his seat.
The scent of Dane’s sexy cologne tantalized her senses. Her breath halted. She could not breathe. Olivia’s legs felt weak and unstable. Her heart pounded and her pulse roared in her ears. The flesh between her legs throbbed and moistened.
Oh, Dane. Why couldn’t we have met a year ago? Why couldn’t we have been together under more normal circumstances?
The energy between them was so electrifying.
What was he going to do?
Chapter 14
Olivia wanted Dane more than anything, oh, so badly. The feelings of desire for him coursed through her veins. She thought she would lose it soon if he didn’t touch her, if he didn’t make her fantasies come true.
“I wish things were different between us.” She took a deep breath and told herself, she had to say it. “I mean, I wish we’d met long before I met… Jack.”
“Same here,” he admitted, to her surprise.
His lips were close to hers and she was dying for him to take her, right there by his desk.
Dane captured her with his sinfully gorgeous gaze—yet his lovely eyes were marked with apprehension. “I shouldn’t be here with you like this. It’s wrong. You’re on the rebound, Olivia.”
“But I want you, Dane. I want you now.”
A wicked glint played in the deep ocean-blueness of his eyes. Breathing heavily, he lowered his head to hers, and softly, brushed his lips to hers, the heat of them making Olivia’s heart leap in her chest.
“Oh,” she moaned with delight. His lips were softer and more seductive than she’d remembered. He stroked her chin with his soft finger and gently tugged her closer to him. His other hand slid down her back and she tingled inside. Dane pulled Olivia closer to him and the moist sweep of his tongue slid between her lips before he kissed her more gently and passionately than she’d ever been kissed before. Electricity zinged through her body. She thought she would die from all the excitement somersaulting through her blood. Dane’s warm flesh devoured hers so ravenously.
Oh, Lord. This guy can really kiss.
The flesh between her legs pulsed. Her panties grew moist. She was aroused just from French kissing Dane. The way he held her firmly and lovingly as he passionately kissed her again and again, his lips moving down her skin to her neck as he sucked on the sensitive flesh with his soft lips, his warm breath on her skin, his heady cologne wafting to her nostrils. Olivia was in heaven. She was somewhere else—not on earth. Dizzying currents raced through her as he held her, her nipples were hard pebbles under her blouse. Dane slid his hand under her top and caressed her breast, then stroked her nipple to her pleasure.
“Oh, Dane,” she moaned again, unable to control herself, breathing harder and harder and faster and faster. She should have been on her honeymoon with Jack this week, but instead she was with a man who made her feel as if she was the most important person in his life. Dane made her feel special.
Olivia felt as if she would explode if he wasn’t inside her soon. Her inner thighs pulsed harder.
“This was what I fantasized about since we first met, Dane.” Olivia surprised herself by admitting that to him out loud. She was so turned on. She could not stop dreaming about him day and night for the past month.
“Is that so?” A wicked grin curved his beautiful lips. She could see he was just as aroused as she was. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, either, Olivia.” His voice was sweetly hoarse.
“We’re two mature adults,” she said. Where did this wicked side of hers come from?
She’d felt an instant magical connection to him. She could not believe this was happening. This was a dream. It had to be. Reality never felt so good before…
Her head was still tilted back, her eyes closed in sweet bliss, but then he stopped, leaving her breathless, lingering. He pulled back, an unreadable expression on his face. Was he sorry for kissing her?
“We shouldn’t have done that,” he said.
“Why not?”
“I don’t want either of us doing anything we both might regret, Olivia.”
“I won’t regret this, Dane.”
“But I might,” he admitted, ever so gently.
“What?” Her tone sharpened.
