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“My feelings for her?”I’m only half paying attention because I’ve moved on from her hips and am now preoccupied with her earrings.Christ.I’ve never been engrossed with a woman’s earrings before.I’m telling myself it’s the sparkling diamonds that drew my gaze but that’s a lie.My eyes are all over her neck, her jawline, and the skin where they meet near her earlobe.What I’mactuallyengrossed in is thinking about kissing her there.And about inhaling that vanilla and coconut scent she loves to wear.
“Yes, Callan, your feelings.I think you’ve checked out on them.Dissociated maybe.I think you’ve been so busy these last few weeks because you’re trying to distract yourself from her.”
I am distracted.She’s got that right.Wrong woman, though.And my current distraction is wondering what perfume she wears.I’m stunned that I have no clue.I know a thousand things about Olivia and her preferences but I’ve never learned her favorite perfume.
“I don’t have any feelings for Penny.”
“Are you sure?Because that was definitely when you got weird.That weekend you spent with her.And we never did discuss that photo of her groping you while practically sitting on your lap in a restaurant.The one that was posted on Insta.That’s proof that something’s going on.”
“How do you figure that?”
“You’ve never even come close to doing something like that in public.Well, not that I know of, anyway.”She cocks her head and looks at me questioningly.“Have you?”
Fuck.
I’ve always known women overthink shit, but I’ve never known Olivia to.It was this side of her that appealed to me as a kid.I liked having a girl friend while not having any of the drama that girls often brought with them.She’s intelligent and rational, and always approaches situations with logic.This line of thinking she’s engaging in is absolutely not logical.
“Sleeping with Penny and spending the weekend with her was a lapse in judgment.I’ve never had feelings for her and I never will, Ace.I’m not dissociating or in denial.”
This does not put her mind at ease like it should.She doubles down on her worry and looks at me with tenderness.“You can tell me anything, Callan, and I’ll always support you and be there for you.”
Be there for me?“I’m not sure what you think is happening in my head, Liv, but you’re probably wrong.Work has distracted me for weeks, which you know.And now the German deal looks like it might fall through, so I’m busy trying to ensure that doesn’t happen.I’m tired because it’s affecting my sleep.And on top of that, I still haven’t heard back from Ethan, which has pissed me off.”
“Are you depressed?”she blurts.The wild look in her eyes says she really didn’t want to ask that question but couldn’t not ask it.
“Fuck, no.”I move closer to her, wanting to reassure her and take all her worry away.“I’m definitely not depressed and I’m sorry I’ve been giving off vibes that made you think that.”I frown.“Have you been worried about that for weeks?”
She bites her lip in the most adorable way.“No, but yes,” she says slowly before launching into her reasoning.“I’ve been worried about a lot of things because we haven’t been talking like we usually do.You feel distant.I even wondered if you’d finally developed a sex addiction.It was so unusual for you to sleep with a friend and then to do that whole”—she gestures back and forth with her hand—“PDA thing in the restaurant, and you just didn’t seem to want to talk about it, which was the most unusual thing of all.I don’t think there’s anything you and I have ever avoided talking about.It felt like you were shutting down on me and, honestly, Callan, don’t ever do that to me again.I don’t cope well when we’re not talking about everything.”
“A sex addiction?”My mouth curves up in amusement because it’s highly fucking amusing knowing she went there.
She arches a brow.“If the shoe fits.”
“Fuck, I don’t have that much sex.”
Still with the brow arch.“You really do.”
“I haven’t had sex in three weeks.”
Her brow arch is replaced with a hint of worry again.“You haven’t slept with anyone since Penelope?”
“No, but don’t make that into something it isn’t.I’m completely feelingless when it comes to Penny.I’ve just been too busy.”
She doesn’t appear convinced but she lets it go.“Okay, you need this tea more than I thought you did.It’s supposed to help with relaxation and sleep.And I also bought you a sleep mask that’s infused with lavender that I’ll give you before you leave.Hopefully that will help your sleep too.”She puts her hands all over me while directing me to the armchair in the corner of the room.“Good god, your muscles are tight.We should see if we can book you in for a massage first thing tomorrow.”
“No, I’m not getting up any earlier tomorrow morning.”
She forces me into the armchair.“Okay, then take off your shirt and I’ll give you a quick massage while the tea brews.”
Without waiting for my response, she turns and makes her way to the kettle and sets to work boiling water and preparing the tea.My eyes are locked on her body the entire time.I’m un-fucking-able to look anywhere else.
Olivia has given me more massages than I can remember, but tonight, that’s not happening.No fucking way am I letting her hands anywhere near me.I’ll drink this tea and then get the hell out of her room to the safety of my own.Thank Christ we didn’t book the two-bedroom suite she originally found for us.I’d agreed to it but someone else booked it before Olivia could.
Mercifully, my phone sounds with a text, giving me something to do other than thinking indecent thoughts about her.I’m replying to an email when she places the cup of tea on the low table in front of me.She’s eyeing my shoulders with intent and I’m about to tell her I don’t want a massage when her cell phone rings.
“If that’s Slade again, I may throttle him,” she mutters.“That guy doesn’t understand the meaning of emergency.”
I’m instantly annoyed every time I hear Slade’s name and now isn’t any different.There’s just something about him that rubs me the wrong way.He has no care for Olivia’s personal time and that pisses me off.
