Flowers lay on the sand, leading to a table with lit candles, and the ocean is the only music playing in the background.
I meant what I said to her, and this is one way I can show her she’s special to me. This isn’t just a contract. This is something I want to be more than that. She’s special enough for me to do something like this. And I’ve never wanted to put together a surprise for anyone else.
Olivia is the only one I’ve felt this way about and it won’t ever change. She deserves something like this, and I intend to not only give it to her every chance I get but show her at every opportunity.
Chapter Four
Olivia
This is the type of stuff that only exists in the movies or in the occasional romance book I read. I stand here in complete awe at what he’s done. He seriously did all of this . . . for me? I almost can’t believe it. I’ve treated Finn like crap since my brother told me about the arrangement, and he’s trying to prove himself to me, obviously. Hell, the man doesn’t even have to. He could literally force me to marry him.
A shiver runs down my spine at the thought, and the feelings of hands over my body come in strong. It’s like I’m back in that room, reliving everything those disgusting men did to me. I can’t just blame them. Deanna deserves the blame too. She gave them orders and her monstrosities of minions did as she commanded.
“Olivia, are you alright?” Finn’s soothing voice brings me back to reality, and I’m met with his dark eyes. They’re the perfect mixture of chocolate and bronze. So much so I almost think they aren’t real, like they’re contacts or something. But I should know better. I’ve known him for most of my life and they’ve always been this beautiful.
Beautiful. Wow. For the first time since this agreement was made, I’ve internally complimented him. Maybe it shouldn’t be so hard with how he’s treating me, but it feels odd to even let him in. Ever since the night I was attacked, I don’t want to let any man break down my walls. I’ve even had issues with my brothers, and while it’s a shame, you can’t just flip a switch and turn off trauma.
“Yeah.” I nod and swallow hard. “Sorry, I just . . . something like this hasn’t ever happened to me before. You know?”
Finn’s concerned expression immediately shifts to a disappointed one. “Well then, you haven’t been treated in a way you deserve. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
His words catch me off guard and we both kick off our shoes as we walk over toward the setup. As we grow closer, I realize the table is maybe a foot off the ground, and there are pillows, a blanket, and candles. On the outskirts of our little setup, there are tiki totem sort of sticks in the ground, giving us ample light.
Finn offers me a hand like he has all night, and I gladly take it this time. I haven’t every other time he’s offered this evening, but it’s only because I’m damaged as fuck. The sad part is I’m not even kidding. Getting close to any man in the way I’m going to eventually need to, is none other than absolutely terrifying.
As I’m on the ground, I lean on the side so I’m not flashing my ass to anyone who walks by. Finn must notice my concern because he smirks and grabs a blanket, then hands it over to me. “I’ve made sure no one will bother us tonight, though I’m sure this will make you feel much more comfortable.”
I thank him with a smile, and he helps me wrap the blanket around my legs. Honestly, I’m so glad he thought of this. He takes a seat beside me, and I finally notice the chilled bottle of wine in a metal ice bucket. It’s beautiful with elaborate designs down the side.
Finn grabs the bottle of wine and uses a corkscrew to pull the cork from the bottle. He pours me a glass and hands it over and then one for himself. “My friend owns a vineyard in France and when the arrangement was made, I wanted to do something that would be a token of what’s to come. Simply another way to prove myself to you, and so I did this.” Finn holds the bottle to me, and I read it. I see the year ‘2007’ and ‘Rose’, and then my eyes scan up a bit more. My eyes expand at the shock of this.
“You didn’t . . . did you? I mean, there’s no way,” I say, shaking my head as complete denial takes over me.
Finn cackles in the most carefree way since we’ve been on this date. “Olivia, when have I ever been the type who does things half-assed?”
“Never, you’re as stubborn as Félix in that regard,” I murmur as the realization sinks in. My soon-to-be husband bought me a winery. “Why would you do this for me? And, I’m not trying to be rude, I just am generally curious.”
“Can’t a man buy a woman something he thinks she might appreciate?” Finn raises his brows and smirks.
While I appreciate the chivalry, I know he’s full of shit. “And can’t a man answer a question a woman asks of him?” If he wants to start this reverse psychology Yoda bullshit, we can. I am a DeLancy after all, and my brothers have taught me loads over the years.
Finn breaks out into laughter and after a few moments, I find myself smiling. He clears his throat and finally gives me the answer I’ve been seeking. “I wanted to buy you something that had some sort of meaning behind it. I could’ve bought you jewelry, but it would’ve been materialistic. And, as someone from the same lifestyle, I know as a woman in a powerful family you don’t have much to call your own, so this is something you can call yours.” Finn reaches under the pizza box and hands me a manila envelope.
I open it and see the title transfer paperwork. Holy hell. Finn is serious. He’s so serious about making things good between us and proving himself to me. At the end of the day, I’m going to be tied to this man for the rest of my life, so I need to try and put some effort in here too. It’s obvious he is, and Finn hasn’t ever made me feel like he’s a bad man.
Not everyone is like the ones who haunt my dreams, and I need to give him a chance, even if it throws me out of my comfort zone.
Chapter Five
Finn
It’s been three days since I last saw Olivia and I’m starting to get pissed. I’ve texted her several times, and she hasn’t texted me back once. I’m not sure what the hell is going on in her head, but I’m over the damn games. I spent over two million dollars when I bought her the winery, and she was so shocked the other night. Now she’s not even texting me back? It doesn’t make a bit of sense to me. Whatever she’s doing, she needs to stop. We need to get married and soon because the clock is ticking.
What doesn’t help is the fact Ashton’s been causing problems at home. After I dropped Olivia back off at her house, I got a call from Bourn, my right-hand man back in Corpus Christi, telling me Ashton was found snooping around the office going through files.
But that wasn’t all. Bourn told me my brother had blood stains all over his shirt and was muttering incoherently to himself about bitches needing to learn their place. Ashton kept yammering on about how he wasn’t about to have another person try and take his place. He added how he deserves to be the head of the Brisbane family. Because of this, I ended up heading back to Corpus Christi to deal with this instead of going back to my place in Port Sulphur. I’d like to stay close to Olivia right now, but I need to handle the situation with my brother.
Ashton is unstable and is always looking for a way to make my life a living hell. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out he knows about my engagement to Olivia, which is what started this whole mess. The thing is, I know it’s not the fact I’m engaged to Olivia that bothers him. It’s that he views the DeLancys as the enemy. Then again, he’s so deranged he believes all women are the enemy. They only have one use in his twisted mind, to fuck them, and he murders the women he fucks immediately afterward. Hell, they probably don’t even know what’s coming when they meet him.
Over the years, I’ve found countless women’s bodies on the Brisbane’s properties. I’ve seen them cut, charred, burned, and so much more. One thing I always notice is how their throats are cut, and their nipples are missing. Personally, I think it’s his ‘trademark’, so to speak. Much like how serial killers keep neckla
ces, hair, or underwear of their victims. There’s been a few women’s bodies I found after my brother took their lives after mutilating. The only reason the FBI or police haven’t found him is because I’ve covered his shit up. I shouldn’t and I know better, but he is still my brother, and for some reason, I want to protect him. Our life hasn’t been easy, and I know he’s killing innocent women. I just wish things were different.
I rest my head against the back of my chair at my desk and buzz my receptionist, asking her to cancel any of my meetings for the rest of the day. I shoot a text to Adam and tell him to get the car ready so we can head for the small airport where I keep my helicopter. I’m done waiting for Olivia to make the next move. I’m going back to New Orleans tonight and we’re going to have a little chat. I don’t care if I’m coming across strongly. I don’t care if I’m making her worry, or whatever I’m doing. We have to keep the ball rolling here because we don’t have much of a choice.
Hell, maybe after we chat, I can finagle her into my bed and make her see I can be a very accommodating man. I’m dying to stick my tongue between those precious folds of hers.
I stand from my chair, straighten my suit jacket, and head for the door. I nod to Dallas, my receptionist, and she looks up at me, giving me a seductive smile. She’s one woman I’d never sink my cock into. Not because she’s unattractive, because she’s more than beautiful. I have a code that I will never break. If one of my people or someone I care about shows interest in someone, I won’t pursue them. In this case, it’s Casen, my third in command, who fancies her.
I’ve told Casen to go for it and take what he wants, but unfortunately, he hasn’t done it yet. If he doesn’t do it soon, the man will probably lose his chance with her.
“Have a good weekend,” I mutter and head for the elevator. My company, Brisbane Intellect, is one of the largest software companies in the world, working with the newest computer programs that are coming out. It’s also a cover-up for where the real money comes in from. The guns we run from Ireland and distribute through America.
Getting to the car, I climb into the backseat and wait for Adam to get in the driver’s seat and head for the helicopter. I pull out my cellphone and call Olivia, getting her voicemail. “I’m on my way to New Orleans, and I’ll be at your house in two hours to pick you up. We’re going out for drinks and to talk. It seems we need to talk about some things. Like the fact you aren’t answering my calls.” I disconnect and slide the phone back into my pocket.
I lean my head back against the seat and close my eyes. It’s been a hard three days. Not only because of dealing with my brother, but one of my men reported some troubling news to me. Some of the local riffraff were seen outside one of the establishments I purchased about a month after my father’s funeral. I wanted my own side project besides the business. I opened a casino and a bar here in Corpus Christi that supplied more jobs for the area. The casino just so happens to be where the riffraff were spotted.
Opening my eyes, I glance down at my hand where my knuckles are busted. I flex my fist, not even bothered by the soreness of them.
By the time we get to the small airport, I’m anxious to get in the air and out to New Orleans. I want to lay my eyes on Olivia. Only another hour to go until I’m in my car, and I need to get a plan together on how to approach this.
Pulling up in front of the DeLancy house, I put my car in park and get out. I don’t bother turning the car off. It’s hot as hell outside and I’m not getting into a hot ass car only to sweat and be much more uncomfortable.
As I approach the front door, I see the bodyguard douchebag, Mason, standing on the porch talking to another of the guards who watch the house. His eyes come to mine when I step onto the porch and narrow my eyes at him.
I open the screen door and knock. Rémy answers the door for me after only a few moments of waiting.
“Hey, Finn, she’s getting ready. She got your voicemail,” he mutters, taking a step back.
Nodding, I step into the cool inside of their house to wait for her. Rémy offers to get me a drink while I wait, but I decline, not wanting to start drinking yet. The two of us start talking about Diamond Dancers and the bar I opened not too long ago. By the time Olivia joins us, we’re both chuckling. My gaze moves to her, and I get a good look at her and something inside me settles.
“Hey,” she murmurs with a small smile.
“Hey, you ready?” I ask. Taking a step in her direction, I offer her my hand. The other night I noticed she’d get tense if I made a move too quickly. I didn’t ask her why, but I’ve heard the rumors about Olivia. Though I’ve never brought them up. I’ll wait for her to tell me if she’s been through what I’ve heard about.
Olivia nods and takes my offered hand.
I tell Rémy I’ll see him later and guide Olivia out to my car.
The two of us stay silent on the short ride over to the French Quarter and I park on the street. I round the car and take her hand as I open the door to help her out. I know it seems outdated, and she’s more than capable of opening her own doors and closing them, but chivalry is not dead in my eyes.
We head into the small, quaint bar I found and once we’re seated, I clear my throat and speak. “I tried texting you several times over the past three days.” I made sure to ask for a private area on the patio, and thankfully the staff obliged.
Olivia sighs but doesn’t meet my gaze. “I know, and it was shitty of me. I get it,” she mutters and bites her lower lip as the waitress comes to get our drink orders.
She brings our order back not even two minutes later and leaves us again. Meanwhile, Olivia and I haven’t exchanged another word since. The second the waitress is out of view, she speaks up.
“Everything you’re doing, it’s taking me a second to get used to. Okay? I don’t . . . I mean, I’m not used to this. I’m not trying to be rude, but I’m being honest. When you bought that winery for me, yeah, it showed me how serious and passionate you are, but Finn . . .” Olivia pauses, and I take this opportunity to speak up.
“Let me guess, it was a bit overboard?”
Olivia immediately looks like the weight of the world’s been taken off her shoulders. “Yeah, and it’s not that I’m not appreciative. I am, it was so thoughtful, but it freaked me out a bit because this is moving quickly.”
Nodding, I understand where she’s coming from. “I would apologize, but I won’t. What I will do, however, is tell you I’m trying to do what I can to prove I’m not a bad man, and showering you with gifts is one way I think I can prove it to you.”
“You don’t have to shower me with gifts to prove you have a good heart,” Olivia states, taking a sip of her ice water.
For a while Olivia and I talk about random things, such as what she likes to do and about what I do for fun. By the second drink, the two of us are laughing and she seems to be having a good time, loosening up quite a bit.
A strand of her hair comes loose. I reach out slowly and tuck it behind her ear. Our eyes connect and she seems to be holding her breath.
“Fuck it. I . . . I want you, Olivia,” I murmur cautiously. “I’ve wanted you as mine from the first time I realized you were becoming a woman.”
“You don’t have to say things like this to me, Finn. We’re already getting married. You don’t have to pretend there’s more to this. We’re getting to know each other and—” Her words gut me.
“I’m not pretending, Olivia. I’ve never lied to you about wanting you. I remember the day I realized it, you were seventeen and came into your brother’s office while we were meeting, without a care in the world, smiling brightly and asked him if he had any work for you to do. You were wearing a bright pink summer dress that complemented you in every way. Fuck, it’s the first time I noticed you had a nice rack and I had to pull myself back ‘cause you were still a young lady. So, I kept my distance. If I thought I had a chance when you turned eighteen, I would have taken it, but I’m a smart man and decided you needed time to live a little. That d
oesn’t mean I didn’t think of you. There was no competition in who I would pick when I found out I had to marry one of the DeLancy daughters.”
And I mean it. There’s no way I could pick one of the other two.
I move my chair closer to Olivia and take her hand in mine. “Why don’t we finish these and get out of here?” I suggest. I know she’s not ready for anything to happen between us, but I do hope she’ll allow me to hold her in my arms for a while and to kiss those melon-tinted lips of hers. I’m sure it’s lip gloss, but fuck if it doesn’t look damn good on her.
Even if neither happens, I know one thing, I’ll never take her choice from her in this regard. Not when I’ve already taken so much from her already.
Chapter Six
Olivia
He suggested we come back here, to my house, and now I’m so confused. Is he trying to drop me off, or is he trying to get me upstairs? Goodness gracious, I’ve never done this before. I don’t know how this is supposed to go.
Finn pulls his car into my family’s driveway and as soon as he’s at the end of the lane, puts it in park. He sits beside me for a minute and cocks a brow. “Something the matter?”
“No.” I will lie straight through my teeth if I have to. “C’mon, let’s get inside. It’s going to rain any minute.” Again, more bullshit is spewing from my mouth though I’m sure Finn doesn’t have the slightest idea.
I unbuckle my seatbelt, open the door, and grab my small crossbody bag. The next thing I know, I’m entering through the back sunroom, and he catches up to me rather quickly. “Olivia.” His tone is a bit more serious, but I don’t know what he wants me to say. It’s not like I’ll blurt out the fact the only experience I’ve had with sex is when I was drugged by my evil stepmother and raped by her brutes. Getting to know him has already been hard enough from the memories of my past constantly coming to the surface. I don’t need to have anything else come out and add more issues to the overfilled pot.
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