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Olivia takes up space in my head. I miss her and I need her tonight. I need to lose myself in her warm, soft body. Get strength from her. It has been a shitty day. So much has happened in the course of the day, and I don’t feel upset anymore about her refusal to stand with me at the press conference. I’ll trust that she has her reasons for not wanting to be seen with me and those reasons don’t include being ashamed of me. I have to be with her tonight. Olivia is the hand that stills the storm for me. The thought of going to my empty apartment feels unbearable.
I turn the ignition key and the SUV roars to life. My body is tight with tension as I drive to Olivia’s place. Our last exchange was cold. I left the office first and was so pissed off that I didn’t bother kissing her goodbye. She has every right to ignore my knock.
I park my car in front of the building. My need to see Olivia is greater than my fear of rejection. I get out of the car and make my way to the front where I hit the buzzer and imagine Olivia strolling across her apartment to the door, a puzzled expression on her impossibly cute face, wondering who is at her door at this time.
“Yes?”
Her voice sinks into my skin and makes me want to mark her as mine. My voice comes out as a growl. “It’s Jace.” Definitely not the cajoling voice I intended to use. I shift my weight from one foot to another, unable to keep still, my body coiled like a spring that needs to be set free.
The door unlocking is her answer and I lunge for it before Olivia changes her mind about letting me in. I take the elevator and as it goes up, all I can think about is holding Olivia in my arms. I’m a fool. I’ve said that about other men who acted stupid and made bad decisions about the women they loved. I said it with scorn. I didn’t get how a woman could twist a grown man around her little finger. Now, I do.
She waits until I knock on her door to open it. Her lips look wet and her skin is flushed. She looks relaxed and sweetly sexy in a tank top and a pair of shorts that are tight on her curves.
“Hi. I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.” That’s a polite way of asking, what the fuck are you doing here.
“Can I come in?” If she turns me away, I don’t know what I’ll do. I need her with every fiber of my being.
“Sure.” She moves to one side to let me pass.
Her scent hits me as I walk into her apartment and I have to fist my hands to keep from grabbing her and slamming her against me. I sit down uninvited and pop open the top buttons of my shirt.
Olivia sits on the sofa across from me, picks up a glass of wine, and sips it, all the while, staring at me.
“I watched the interview,” she says. “You did well.” A smile pulls at the corners of her lips, warming my insides instantly.
“Thank you.” I don’t want to talk about work. I just want to sit here and ogle her like a fucking perv.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” she finally asks when it’s clear that I’m not going to say anything else.
“Yes, please.”
She sets her glass back down and stands up, heading to the kitchen. My eyes are glued to her perfect ass. I shrug out of my jacket and hang it on the arm rest, making myself even more at home. When Olivia returns, my shirt sleeves are folded up my arms and another button of my shirt is open. She doesn’t take notice of it and merely hands me the wine, taking care not to let our hands touch.
I wait for her to ask me why I’m there but she doesn’t. She sits down and takes another sip of her wine.
“How was dinner at Marcus’s?” Envy comes over me at how much she loves her brother. All he has to do is ask her for dinner and she’ll drop everything to go. I definitely don’t want to be her brother but I wish she had a third of those feelings for me. That she loved me enough to say yes to my company anytime.
A look of confusion comes over her features but it’s so fleeting I’m not sure that I read her properly. She smiles and nods.
“It was fine but I came home early. I wanted to watch your interview.”
That makes me feel good and gives me hope that no matter what is happening, she still has feelings for me. My chest expands painfully as the full force of my love for her comes over me.
“I missed you, Olivia. I had to come.” My voice is low and raw with honesty.
Olivia grows still, her gaze on me. Then tears spring into her eyes.
“What is it?” I ask, startled. Does she have bad news for me? For us? Is this it? Is that the reason why I’ve had a horrible feeling of foreboding all day?
She shakes her head and sets her glass on the table. She comes to me and slides onto my lap. I wrap my arms around her, holding her close. My fear dissipates as I inhale her scent.
“I’ve missed you too, Jace, so much.” Her voice is muffled by my shirt but I hear every word. “I thought I wouldn’t see you today. You looked so remote when you left. Like you never wanted to see me again.” The last words come out like a sob.
“Oh, Olivia, how could you think that? I was angry at what happened this morning.” It seemed so trite right now.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “I know it’s hard for you to understand but I really don’t like to be in the spotlight.” She lets off a nervous laugh. “I’m a writer. We prefer to be behind the scenes.
“I get it. It’s a non-issue now. I need you in my private life more than I need you in public.” I inhale the scent of the shampoo in her hair, then I draw back, cup her face and stare at her watery eyes. “No more tears. I love you, Olivia, and I need you.”
