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The drive is comfortably quiet. Soft music plays through the car’s speakers, adding to the pleasant ambiance. The relaxation I felt at the ice cream parlor continues, and I realize how much I miss this. Being in my home town—being with someone who doesn’t want something from me or my company is…nice.It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced a moment like this.
I guess Dr. Cho knew what he was talking about when he said I needed a break from my pedal-to-the-metal lifestyle. I can already imagine his smug expression the next time we speak.
Too soon, Olivia pulls into my parents’ driveway. She puts the car in park, and we turn to face each other at the same time. Just like that, the peaceful atmosphere becomes loaded with tension. I find myself looking at her lips.
Olivia inhales a sharp, quiet breath. My eyes flick up, and I see she’s watching my mouth. Our mutual desire is palpable. The urge to kiss her is so strong that I begin to lean over the middle console without consciously deciding to. I half-expect Olivia to draw away, but she doesn’t.
Confidence fills me, and I close the distance between us.
But just as my lips are about to touch hers, she jerks back with enough force to rock the car.
I immediately lean back into my seat and notice she’s breathing like she’d just sprinted one hundred yards.
I’m trying to figure out how to clear the awkwardness that’s filled the car when she blurts, “Have a good night, Derek. I’ll see you around.”
Her words jolt me out of my stupor.
I clear my throat, hoping to hide my disappointment. “Yeah... See you around, Liv.”
I’m out of the car and walking up the driveway two seconds later, feeling like an idiot for thinking anything could happen between me and Olivia. Not after the way I handled the first, and only time, somethingdidhappen.
After all these months you’d think I’d accept that she and I will never be a couple. But I’m nothing if not a fool when it comes to Olivia. I have been for more than a decade, and I don’t know if that will change any time soon.
CHAPTER 10
EIGHTEEN MONTHS AGO
Olivia
“Come on, Derek. Live a little.”Phillip Moreno, Adam’s cousin, shoves a shot of tequila into his hands. “It’s just one shot.”
I watch Derek eye the clear liquid before looking over at the shot glass held between my fingers.
I shouldn’t encourage this, but one too many glasses of wine has me shrugging my shoulders and saying, “Just one?”
He purses his lips in debate then says, “Fine. Just one.”
“Salud!” Phillip taps his glass against ours then tilts his head back and pours it into his mouth. Derek and I follow suit. The liquid is smooth going down, telling me that it must be an expensive tequila and nothing like the plastic bottle liquor you’d find at college parties.
The reception is in full swing. Guests are dancing to the latest pop the DJ plays over the speakers positioned around the dance floor. Through the crowd, I see Avery and Heather shaking their hips and shimmying their shoulders to the beat. The twin sisters look like they’re having the time of their lives. If I weren’t so
“Another?” Phillip appears at my side, wearing a cheeky grin as he holds out another shot. The Spanish man is handsome—just like his cousin—but he may as well be invisible with Derek around. No one’s ever been able to hold my attention the way he does.
“No, thanks,” I raise my voice to be heard over the music, but I shake my head just to be sure.
“No problem, amor. See you later.” He winks then spins around and turns his attention on a group of young men and women on the other side of the open bar. I’m pretty sure they’re his other cousins. They all have the suave and beautiful olive skin and effortless grace of people who grew up with money.
“He your type?” Derek murmurs into my ear, making goosebumps pepper my arms.
“My type?” I lift a brow, trying to seem indifferent.
“You know… tall, dark, and handsome. I hear it’s all the rage for women these days.” He keeps his voice light to sound amused, but I swear there’s a hint of jealousy underlying the words. And the thought of Derek being jealous does strange things to my heart. He told me he wanted to dance with me tonight—that doing so would make him happy. And we have danced together. More than once, actually. But there hasn’t been any additional flirtation or innuendo for me to read into. My earlier hope that something may happen between us this evening is fading, and I feel silly for letting it grow in the first place.
Until two hours later.
Phillip managed to coax me and Derek into two more shots, and we spent the rest of the night dancing and laughing together, one of us always touching the other. It was innocent enough at first. A gentle nudge on my back to protect me from a boisterous dancer who veered too close. Me tapping his bicep to get his attention. Him holding my hand as we weaved onto andoff the dance floor. Me running my hands over his chest when a fellow dancer bumped into me from behind.
That’s how Derek and I stand at this moment. I’m pressed against his chest, palms flat. His hands rest on my hips, and I can feel the heat from his fingers through the delicate fabric. And the way he’s staring down at me makes my core clench.
