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“You mean everything to me, Olivia. Everything,” he pleaded. “These people and their money, means nothing,” he growled, spreading his arms. “Why would you think I wanted to be with someone like that?” He tilted his head, studying me intensely.
“Because,” I kicked the water and it sprayed up, covering me in droplets, “you deserve to have someone like you.”
“You are someone like me!” He exclaimed, pointing a finger at me. “Why can’t you see that?” He gripped his hair. “I have never fit into this crowd, neither has my brother, and neither did my dad. I was born into this family, I didn’t choose it,” he jabbed his chest. “But I did choose to be normal. I chose to become a mechanic and live on my own in an apartment that I pay for. I chose to pullover that night in October and help a girl change her tire, and dammit if that wasn’t the best fucking decision I ever made,” his green eyes were fierce. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, Olivia,” I heard him pace behind me, “especially with Aubrey and I vowed to myself to never make those same mistakes with you.”
I heard the sounds of him pulling his shoes and socks off, and a moment later, he was sitting beside me, forcing me to look at him with a finger held to my chin.
“Why do you have to be so stubborn?” He asked. “Why are you fighting this?”
“I don’t want to get hurt,” I whispered, biting my lip, and gazing at the ground.
“You look hurt to me,” he rubbed under my eyes, where I knew they were red and puffy, “and I’m hurt. Do you like hurting me, Olivia?”
“No!” I exclaimed fiercely. “Of course not!”
“Then please, stop fighting what we have. I can feel you pulling away from me. I’ve felt it ever since you found out about my family and that’s the last thing I want. I didn’t tell you, because this,” he indicated the house, “isn’t important. Who I am and who you are, that’s what’s important. Everything else is just…details. You know the real me, Olivia. This,” he plucked at his dress shirt and grinned, “is me playing dress up.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I like your plaid shirts better.”
“I knew it!” He grinned cockily. “It was the plaid shirts that drew you to me.”
“What can I say?” I smiled. “I have a thing for lumberjacks.”
Trace threw his head back with laughter. “Lumberjacks,” he chuckled. Sobering, he gazed at me for a moment, and asked, “So, are we good?”
“We’re good,” I nodded with a smile.
“No more running away and freaking out?” His eyes sparkled with laughter.
“No more running away and freaking out,” I repeated. “I promise.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” he leaned towards me and pressed his soft lips to mine. I was unaccustomed to the feel of his smooth cheeks and instantly missed the stubbled ones I’d come to love.
His tongue flicked against the crease of my lips and my mouth opened underneath his skillful caress. He gripped the back of my skull and pressed me against him. The kiss went on for minutes and our temperature rose.
Trace pulled away first, his chest rising and falling heavily.
“We’re already here, we might as well…” He trailed off as he stood.
“Huh?” I asked, my brain foggy.
He began unbuttoning his dress shirt.
“Skinny-dipping, Olivia,” he smiled crookedly.
“What if someone comes down here?!” I hissed as his spectacular chest came into view.
“That’s part of the thrill,” he let the shirt fall and started on his pants.
I took a deep breath and stood. “Fine, but you’re going to have to unzip me.”
His pants fell to the ground and he was left in a pair of black boxer briefs. “I’m glad you’re not arguing so much this time.”
“Yeah, well,” I shrugged. “I’m trying to be spontaneous.”
“And you’re doing very well,” he winked as I pointed to the zipper.
He pulled it down in one smooth motion—if only it had went up that smoothly—and the plum colored dress fell around my feet.
