by Parker, Ali
We would get through lunch and then I could go hide out in my office all afternoon. I would simply ask Luke if he could go to Texas with us. He might not agree to, but it was worth a try. The thought of being back in Houston with Caden was unnerving to say the least.
“Well, shit. Looks like it’s just you and me for lunch, baby.” Luke slid his phone back into his pocket and draped an arm over my shoulders. “I like it. Lunch with just the two of us. I’ll be your welcoming committee any day.”
“What did Caden say?” What I really wanted to ask was, what was his excuse to get out of having to sit across from us for one damn meal?
“He said something came up at the office and he’ll have to take a raincheck. So, lucky me, I have you all to myself.”
I chuckled and picked up my wine. “To a new adventure. May we take on the world together. You and me.”
“And my brother. Don’t leave him out. He gets sensitive over that shit.” He tapped his glass to mine.
I forced myself to smile and lifted the wine to my lips. “Who could ever forget your brother?”
* * *
I glanced up from my computer as someone tapped at the door. Caden. Awesome.
“Hey. We have an emergency that I’m going to be working on for tomorrow. I guess one of our large clients had half of his investments with us and the other half with another firm. The other firm is under SEC investigation for insider trading. It was just announced. Time for us to slip in and steal the rest of their business. It’s one of Perry’s old accounts.”
“Sounds interesting.” I kept my voice steady as if I were talking to Jeremy or anyone else at the firm.
“Should be.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair. “He asked that you join me in the presentation. The CEO of the company is a woman, and with your wits and confidence, he thinks we can win the rest of their business.”
“All right. What do I need to do?” I stood up as excitement bubbled through me. Caden and I had a lot to work through—or forever ignore—but for the moment, I could let it go. I loved what I did enough to concentrate solely there for the time being.
This was my time to shine.
“Annie is pulling the files and they’ll be laid out in conference room A in a few minutes. I know it’s almost five, but I’ll be pulling a late night tonight, trying to get it all together.”
“What time is the presentation?” I grabbed a notepad and a pen and walked toward him. I forced the memory of our kiss earlier out of my mind. It would do nothing but hurt me to go over how good it was, how right it felt, and how it had made every cell in my body burn with the memory of what we used to be and could have been.
Damn him for stealing that from me.
“It’s at eight in the morning. This is going to be a ball buster, but if we can pull it off, it’ll be a great win for the firm.” He moved back as I walked through the door.
“Good thing you’re the only one between the two of us that has balls.” I walked into the conference room to find it empty. “Who else is working with us on the presentation?”
“Zander will be. Jeremy should have been, but his wife is pregnant and due any day. We’re trying to respect that and get him out of here at a normal time for most people.” Caden stopped at the door as I turned to look him over. “About earlier. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”
“No, you shouldn’t have, but it’s over. You and I can work together as professionals hopefully. Just remember that I’m no different than Jeremy or Zander.”
A thin dark-skinned guy with jet-black hair and a great smile walked in and pushed past Caden. “I’d say you are far more pretty than Jeremy, but that’s just my opinion.”
Caden rolled his eyes. “Olivia, this is Zander. He’s our resident party boy.”
I extended my hand and gave him a warm smile. “Nice to meet you. Are you bringing the vodka to this event tonight, or do we need to send Caden to the store?”
“I like you already.” He shook my hand and turned back to Caden. “Can we keep her, Dad?”
“Oh Lord.” Caden turned and walked out of the room.
“So welcome! I’ve heard a little bit about you but not nearly enough.” Zander pulled out a chair and offered it to me before pulling out another for himself. “Tell me all about you.”
I laughed and set my notepad down before taking the chair beside him and crossing my legs. “I’m from Texas. Went to NYU and got my finance degree. Graduated last year.”
“Damn, I thought you were describing Caden there for a minute. He’s from Texas and went to NYU. He graduated a couple of years ago though. Dude’s smart as shit. Got out at twenty-one.” He tapped the side of his head. “You’re like a female version of him.”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure about all of that. Tell me something about you.”
“I love women, weed, and alcohol.” He smirked as Caden walked up and clamped his hands down on the back of Zander’s shoulders.
“Don’t believe a word he says, Olivia. He’s full of it.” He moved back as Annie walked in with files. “Zander, take these three files and make two copies so that Olivia and I aren’t here all night.”
“Yes, sir, boss.” He got up and grabbed the files before walking back out with Annie.
Caden leaned over and fingered through one of the two files left on the table. “These people are richer than God. It would be a huge win for us to get the account.”
“The rest of the account?” I let my eyes drag down the line of his body, coveting the thick muscles that flexed in his back and shoulders as he shifted forward a little. He’d been well built as a boy, but now, I couldn’t even begin to imagine. Luke was lean and well built too, but I’d fallen in love with a more meaty-thick body type a long time ago.
“Yeah,” he breathed out and glanced over at me. “You know we’re going to act like teenagers with hormonal issues around each other for a while, right? We gotta make up for the last six years.”
“Are we? I don’t feel hormonal around you.”
“I don’t mean turned on. I mean the need to be nice to each other and yet we’re pulling each other’s hair out and screaming about the color of the carpet. It’s insane, but I figure it’s all part of the deal. You being here is going to be good for us, and you were right.” He shrugged. “You are my brother’s girl and will be part of the family. I’ll be Uncle Caden to your kids. Weird as fuck, but we’ll work it out.”
Sickness rolled through me in suffocating waves. Uncle Caden? That sounded heinous. My worst nightmares grew legs inside my mind and ran around, attacking the last remaining hopes and dreams I had of really finding true love.
He reached over and tapped my knee. “Did I upset you again? Tell those hormones to fuck off.”
His smile was radiant and left me speechless. Was I really this much of a basket case around him? I sure felt like it.
“No, I’m good.” I stood up as Zander walked back in. There was no way to tell if he was fucking with me or being sincere. I was done trying to figure it out. We had a presentation to work through, and I wanted a win under my name, even if it meant Caden’s was stamped right next to it.
We worked for the next three hours as a team, which was surprising and yet incredibly rewarding. A little after eight, Caden stood up and stretched, yawning loudly.
“Zander, get out of here, man. Come back at six tomorrow morning and we’ll go over the rest of your notes. Olivia, you can go too. I’ll wrap this up.” He rolled his shoulders and stretched his hands up to the sky.
“I’m out!” Zander got up, grabbed his keys from the table, and jogged toward the door. “See you at ass-dark thirty.”
I laughed and stood, stretching my back as well. “I’m good for another hour or so. Whatever it takes.”
“I never would have imagined you in investment management.” He pressed his hands to the table beside mine and turned to look up at me. “Maybe as a nurse or a caregiver of some kind but not investment management.”
&
nbsp; “Because I’m not capable of this?” The need to defend myself, though he hadn’t directly attacked me, was almost overwhelming.
“No, of course not. You were one of the smartest girls in our school.” He stood up and turned to face me. “I just remember all that community service stuff you used to do.”
“I still like to do that stuff.” I tried to ignore him, but the weight of his stare was almost suffocating.
“When are we going to talk about it, Olivia?”
“Talk about what?” I turned to face him and took a shaky breath. Dammit. Why did he have to have the greatest pull on me of anyone I’d ever known in all of my life?
“About what happened.”
“We’re not.” I shrugged and turned back to the table. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared blankly at the papers scattered before us. “And I’d rather you didn’t bring it up again.”
He moved in behind me and slid his hands up my arms to my shoulders.
I closed my eyes and tried hard not to let the torrent of emotions bubbling up inside of me spill over.
“Please don’t,” I whispered.
“I’m not.” He leaned down and kissed the side of my neck softly before pressing his lips to my ears. “If you want the memory of us to remain a tragedy, then so be it.”
Chapter 23
Caden
I needed to know why. There was no way I could placate myself into believing that I would be good getting by without knowing why she’d turned on me all those years ago. It was childish and stupid, and yet I couldn’t get past all of it and actually find someone else until I understood what the fuck I’d done to deserve the dagger in my back.
The blankets were much too warm the next morning as I lay in the darkness thinking about her. She might have been pissed about the kiss at the restaurant the day before, but she leaned into it, opened her sweet mouth up to me, and let me penetrate her.
A groan left me as I slid my hand down my stomach and stroked myself once. I wanted her so damn bad it hurt, and yet there was no chance of having her without ruining Luke. The thought of betrayal was overshadowed by the need I had to claim her.
What did she look like naked now? How did she like to be fucked? Slow and deep? Hard and fast?
Visions blew through my mind of what it would feel like to hold her hips as she rode me slowly and sensually. To reach up and palm her breasts before sitting up and taking care to worship her in any way she wanted me to.
I stroked myself again and moaned as I lifted my hips and thrust into my hand. How badly I wanted to run my hands all over her, touching every part of her and opening her up to pleasure like she’d yet to experience. My brother was a greedy lover from his fucked-up stories, but me? I wanted her pleasure far more than my own—almost to a fault.
My stomach drew tight as I worked myself to the edge of orgasm and stopped, squeezing the tip of my cock and panting loudly in the dark.
What did she taste like? Would she let me lay back and enjoy the flavor of her on my tongue if I begged her to crawl up and spread her taut thighs for me? Let me drink her completely?
My heart raced in my chest as I could almost hear the deep, guttural sound of her moaning somewhere in the distance. She’d been timid as a girl, but I wasn’t much better. Our one time together was awkward and embarrassing at best. It was a good thing we loved each other so damn much. We wouldn’t have made it out of the bedroom without the other holding on to us.
I groaned and thrust hard and fast, taking my pain out on my cock as I came over the edge and buckled as my body exploded. I pressed into my hand until I couldn’t stand it anymore.
She wasn’t a girl anymore, and I was almost assured that she wasn’t in love with me, though I wanted to force her to be once again. Maybe it wasn’t through the softer emotions like love that I could subtly win her back.
Maybe it was through the delicious tension of sex. Or was I overthinking it? She was happy with Luke, right? But what if he was cheating on her? It would be my responsibility to tell her.
But would she even begin to believe me? Probably not. I needed to find out the truth first.
* * *
I was surprised to find Olivia and Zander already in the conference room, working through notes when I got to the office at a quarter to six. The laughter from the open door as I approached brought a warmth to me that I’d almost forgotten existed. I paused by the door and closed my eyes, staying out of sight as I listened to the sound of her laughter. I was a lovesick fool with no hope but to cover it up and suffer in silence.
Or steal my brother’s girl. Both sounded like horrible ideas.
“He’s actually a great guy though. He’s a prankster.” Zander laughed again.
“Is he? He seems like a good guy.” Olivia’s voice softened as if she were slipping into a memory. I wanted to save her from it.
“Don’t give me too much credit.” I walked in and winked at them. “You were talking about me, right?”
“Of course, boss.” Zander walked to the door. “I’m getting coffee. It should be ready. You guys want some?”
“Yes. Please.” Olivia glanced up. “Cream and—”
“Two sugars.” I turned and looked at Zander.
“Wow. You know your shit.” Zander laughed and walked out.
“Still sugaring up your coffee?” I smiled and moved up beside her to review the slides on the open laptop next to her.
“You need to be careful or these people are going to figure out that there was something between us at one time.”
“They should know by a ring on your finger.” I shrugged and ignored her hard stare. All my plans of keeping things calm and on an even kilter with her flew out the window the minute I was next to her. “Nothing turned out like I’d planned.”
“You were going to give me a ring?” The sound of her choking up caused me to stand up and turn to face her.
“Of course, I was. I still have it.” I smiled at the thought of how silly it looked compared to most rings the women at the firm wore, giant sparkly silver things accompanied by bands studded in diamonds bigger than the one on the ring I’d bought for Olivia all those years ago. “It’s incredibly small but all I could afford back then. I don’t think your father would have thought it was good enough for you. He’d have been right.” I chuckled as I thought about Mr. Howard Desmant. He’d treated me like I was his own son back then. “How is your dad? And your mom?”
She pressed her fingers to her eyes, wiping away a few tears. “Mom’s good.”
“She still keeping your dad busy with her lists of things to do around the house?” I asked. Olivia’s mother always had a project on the go that Howard was more than happy to see done for her.
Olivia looked down at her lap. “Dad died my freshman year of college.”
I blinked. “What?”
She kept her eyes down and nodded.
Sadness drove a spike deep inside my chest. I’d had a closer relationship with Olivia’s father than my own. Why hadn’t I known he’d died? Why didn’t Jake say something, if no one else? I should have been there for her. For her mother. I should have stepped in and helped like Howard would have always expected me to.
“It rocked Mom and I for a while,” she admitted.
“I’m so sorry, Olivia. Fuck. That’s horrible. What happened?” I reached out and gripped her arms. “Hey, we don’t have to talk about this. Ignore me. I’m just living in the past this morning. We can leave it.”
“Cancer.” She looked up and stole my breath with her beauty.
It was another moment where I wanted to lean down and steal her back with the passion of a long, probing kiss. I released her instead and turned back to the laptop.
“It spread through him like wildfire,” she said. “He got really sick really quickly and there was nothing any doctors could do. Luckily, my professors were very understanding and let me stay at home and do all my course material from Houston so I could be with him as he went through it.”
I couldn’t imagine how hard that had been for her. Howard was the most important man in Olivia’s life. Plain and simple. I’d known as a young boy that I would never surpass him in her eyes. She was a daddy’s girl through and through and it made sense. Howard was a great man.
“I wish I’d known,” I said. “I would have come to the funeral.”
“It’s okay. Daddy knew you would have wanted to be there.” She walked down to the other side of the room and sat down before flipping through a file. Then she cleared her throat, wiped at her eyes one more time, and turned on her business voice. “Luke’s doing introductions to start us off this morning, then you, and I’m wrapping it up. That sound okay with you?”
“Absolutely.” If she didn’t want to talk about her dad, then we would avoid it. “Let’s get some notes together on what parts each of us are covering so we can make sure we don’t trip over each other. Luke and I have our spiel down, but adding you to the mix is going to prove to be interesting.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
I watched her. She licked her lips.
Then she paused. “Where is the ring?” she asked softly.
I looked up and turned to watch her closely. “It’s at my dad’s house. In a little pink box at the top of my closet. Unless he moved it, but you know how unlikely he is to actually clear anything out of closets. It’s still there with dust all over it, I’m sure.”
“Can I see it?” She brushed her long blonde hair from her face as she watched me. Her expression didn’t match up to her claims not to care for me anymore.
“Of course. When we go back home next week, I’ll ride out there and get it. I’ll show you when we get back here. Sound good?”
“Or maybe I can come out to your dad’s house with you.” She looked back down and started to work on something that looked like an outline. “I haven’t seen the estate in a long time.”