You'll Think of Me

by Franco, Lucia

  Olivia stood up and Nate followed. “You have dogs?”

  “I have two little beasts,” he said laughing.

  She smiled and waved her hand to follow. “Well good, you can tell me about them,” she said as she made her way into the living room. “Just give me a sec to grab my purse and shoes and we'll be out...” Olivia trailed off. She looked over her shoulder when she realized Nate hadn't moved an inch to follow her. She frowned, wondering why the sudden change.

  “Are you okay?” she asked tentatively.

  Nate's heated eyes raked over her length. They traveled down her body slowly. She felt self-conscious and worried she picked the wrong outfit. If he would've just told her...

  Sweeping away a lock of hair that had caught on her lip, Olivia pressed a hand to her unsettled stomach. Her mouth ran dry as he sauntered over to her, his steady gaze never leaving hers as he stopped directly before her. She swallowed hard and looked up at him, her heart kicking up a notch.

  “Everything's fine, just fine, darlin’,” he answered in a deep, guttural tone. He brought his hand to her face, his thumb caressing her cheek.

  Olivia could feel her cheeks burn and her heart rate spiking. Why was it that the lightest touches from this man could draw such a response from her? Make her heart speed up and feel so anxious?

  “Uh uh. What did I tell you about that?” he said, lazily shaking his head. Moving his thumb to her mouth, he pulled out her crushed lip from between her teeth. She didn’t even realize she’d bitten down on it. As the roughness of his thumb moved over her wet lips, she found it strangely tempting.

  Nate’s chin moved down to look deep into her eyes. “I didn’t get a chance to greet you properly,” he said in a jagged voice, dropping his hand to his side.

  “Hi, Olivia,” his eyes traveled her face, “You look absolutely gorgeous in that dress.”

  He stepped in and wrapped his arm around her back to embrace her lightly. With his other hand, he swept the hair away from her face then leaned down and gently kissed her cheek, lingering a little longer. Her pulse was sky rocketing as she found Nate’s overpowering presence very exciting.

  “Hey…Nate,” she whispered. "You look handsome yourself,” she got out.

  Nate chuckled. “So you’re saying you find me attractive? That I look good?” And just like that, the intimate nature of the moment was broken and she chuckled.

  Olivia just shook her head as she pulled back and went to grab her stuff from her room. Picking up her clutch and shoes, she turned the lights off and made her way to the living room. She found Nate staring into her unfinished backyard.

  “Ah, you’re looking at my messy yard. I’m going to have it worked on eventually. It needs some serious TLC.”

  Bending over, Olivia slipped on her high heels as she held on to the arm of her sofa for balance. She looked at Nate and found him starring at her shoes. Step by step, Olivia walked as seductively as she could to where Nate was standing.

  “Approve?”

  “Very much so.” His voice sounded strangled. “Let’s go,” he said turning toward the door.

  “You don’t want to hear about my yard?” she asked innocently.

  “Not tonight. Maybe another night. Let’s head out. Now.”

  “So, can you tell me where we’re headed now?”

  “It’s a place outside Savannah. Low key.”

  Olivia wondered if he picked this place because of the whole doctor/patient issue. Truthfully, she didn’t want to think about the little predicament she was in and was going to try and ignore it for the rest of the night.

  Once they were on the street, they drove for about twenty miles. There was a feeling that touched her skin she couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t strange or awkward like most first dates were, but then again most first dates weren’t like this where they’d already had a close encounter…or two.

  As they drove, they made small talk for the majority of the time and Olivia was finally able to get a good look at Nate. His dark distressed jeans molded to his legs. The black button down collared dress shirt was rolled to his elbows, a silver watch at his wrist and his hair styled away from his face. Nate was damn good looking.

  As they pulled up to a large, dimly lit brick building on the outskirts of Savannah, “Have you been here before?”

  “No.”

  “Well, this is where we’re having dinner tonight. And that right there,” he said pointing to the place to the right, “is called Rum Bar. It’s a bar that overlooks the Savannah River. It’s a real chill, laid back kind of style. It’s covered in beach sand and lounge chairs with music that plays all night. It’s like being on the beach. They serve these rum buckets that are filled with all different kinds of rum that everyone seems to love. A little too fruity for my taste, though,” he chuckled.

  Nate pressed a palm to the small of her back. His touch was warm but commanding, sending sparks from his fingertips throughout her body.

  They were led to a semi-dark booth that was boxed in with double doors made of wood. She had never seen anything like it before. Between the ambiance and the privacy of the booths, it was an interesting, but perfect place for them. When the waiter came to get their drink orders, Nate nodded in her direction.

  “I’ll have a 7&7, please,” she requested.

  “A Corona for me, thanks.”

  Nate looked at her with a sinful smirk tipping the sides of his lips. “A whiskey girl. I like.”

  Whiskey girl…

  Don’t go there. Don’t go there…

  Blinking away the melancholy she momentarily felt, Olivia spoke up, “Ah, yeah. Normally I like it straight but thought against it tonight.”

  “You’re not going to scare me off, Olivia, if that’s what you’re worried about. I told you I want to get to know you,” he replied, looking into her eyes to make his point.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why do you want to get to know me so badly? You keep saying that. I’m sorry… I’m not trying to come off as a bitch. I’m just curious why you’re pushing so hard.”

  Clearing his throat, his voice rocked through her. “When I see something I want, I go after it. And before you get all pissed off, relax. I know you’re not a possession to be kept. I just…wanted to get to know more about you. Not to sound cheesy, but I feel like there’s chemistry between us, something worth pursuing. I’m not going to lie to you, I think you’re beautiful, so there’s that. Can’t explain it. Haven’t you ever had a pull toward someone that you can’t explain?”

  Olivia’s guilty conscience weighed on her for not being completely truthful with Nate. Her stomach tightened and chest started to ache with the need to tell him it couldn’t go past this date. He appeared to sincerely mean what he said about getting to know her.

  Maybe in another life time, she thought as she sighed inwardly.

  When the waiter brought out their drinks, Nate suggested a toast was in order. She raised her glass and said, “To persistent men and tonight.”

  A full, heart stopping grin stretched across Nate's handsome face, his white, slightly crooked teeth showing. Her stomach folded over like waves crashing down. If she wasn't careful she could get easily sucked in by his charm.

  She brought the glass to her lips and sipped. The dry, carbonated liquid combined with the whiskey moved onto her tongue, burning as it traveled down her throat. Mmmm, she loved this drink. It soothed her stomach and settled her nerves. Nate made her jittery, but a strong drink was just what she needed to relax.

  The more familiar Olivia became with Nate over dinner, the more she found herself warming up to him. The conversation was easy and smooth and quite enjoyable. She learned Nate's parents had been divorced since he was a kid. His mother had never remarried, but his father had. Despite the separation early on in his family, Nate never dwelled on it and she liked that about him. She despised when people used past experiences as a justification for the course of their life. Each person has a decisi
on, a path they choose to take. No one can choose it for them.

  It turned out his father was the owner of the construction company where he worked. Nate's father planned for him to run the company one day and Nate was actually looking forward to it. It reminded her of what he noticed in the office the other day, about how she had passion in her eyes when it came to her career. She did. It was her life.

  Nate-1, Olivia-0, she thought.

  An innocent smile curved Olivia’s lips as she realized she was keeping score, something she never did before.

  “What's so funny?”

  Olivia shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

  “Liar. Your face lit up. You’re thinking of something. I want to know what made you smile so I can do it again. Your face glows when you smile.”

  Olivia's smile faltered for a moment. Should she give him another point for his honesty? Or was he just laying it on thick? He was difficult to read and made it harder for her to keep her wall up when he made comments that appeared genuine. Olivia felt herself wavering.

  Don’t let it happen…

  Olivia licked her lips and thought about how to answer his question.

  “When you were talking about your job and how you're looking forward to taking over the business one day, I saw the enthusiasm and passion that you said you saw in me. You love what you do. It’s hard, physical labor that I'm sure wears your body out more than other days. Some days probably even back breaking work, but you love it. It's obvious.”

  “That’s what made you smile?” He didn't seem to believe her.

  “Well, it was the afterthought that made me smile as well. I like that you love your work... So I said to myself 'Nate-1, Livy-0'.”

  She took a sip of her drink and waited for his response.

  Nate crossed his arms and leaned back. “Ahhh, so this is a competition to you, Livy? And I'm winning so far? How does that make you feel,” he posed. A grin formed on his face. He was definitely enjoying this.

  Olivia puckered her lips and thought for a moment. She didn't want to admit she liked it, that would only lead him on and make his ego grow even bigger.

  “Not a competition per se...but just watching how fast you move, Mr. Alexander. How easy it is for you to ‘woo me’. I have to be careful. I'm sure you've broken hearts in the past.”

  A shadow cast over Nate’s eyes for a split second, the golden yellow specks abruptly disappearing and leaving a dull, sullen brown. Curiosity weighed on her shoulders. She wanted to know what caused that reaction, but decided against asking since she wasn’t planning on staying around. Guilt ate at Olivia again. She was withholding, not being completely honest. And the last time that happened, things didn’t turn out so well.

  Olivia needed to brush off the sympathy she was unexpectedly dealing with. She couldn’t afford to allow herself to fall again.

  “So, tell me…Why did you pick this place?”

  Nate slanted his head to the side and answered her question. “I knew you were worried about the whole doctor/patient thing so I picked a place where no one would know us. I wanted you to be comfortable with me so you’d want to go out again. Call it selfish, but it’s the truth.”

  She took a sip of her drink and nodded. “I’m comfortable right now and enjoying the night more than I expected. Way more,” Olivia answered honestly.

  “Didn’t think you’d have a good time with me?” Nate jokingly clutched his chest as if to say he was hurt over her comment.

  “It’s just been awhile is all. I can’t help but be on the fence about how this night came to be. This is very out of character for me.”

  “Nate-2, Livy-0?” he questioned.

  “Slow it down, Casanova, don’t get too cocky.”

  Lifting a brow he said, “Hey, can’t blame a man for tryin’.”

  “Guess not.”

  “Want to get out of here?” he asked.

  Outside, Olivia noticed Rum Bar was livelier than when they arrived and didn’t seem to be dying down anytime soon. Nate must have noticed her stare because he asked, “You want to go there sometime?”

  “I do,” she answered, then realized she answered too quickly.

  “Then we’ll go.”

  Shit.

  “Nate,” she groaned with a sigh. “There can’t be anymore dates between us. I’m sorry, but this is the one and only date. I had a great time tonight, but this is it.”

  “How about you let me decide that,” he said in all seriousness.

  “No. We can’t. As much as I enjoyed myself tonight, this is it. No more. Don’t you see the lines we’re crossing?”

  Olivia’s forehead wrinkled with concern. How was it that he didn’t have a drop of worry? Was he only thinking about himself?

  “I do see that,” he said moving in closely, “but I don’t give a fuck about any imaginary lines, Olivia. I want you, and I’m pretty sure you want me too. So what’s the problem here? And don’t give me that patient/doctor shit. I told you I would switch doctors. What’s your problem? You can’t deny the chemistry between us. It’s there. It’s pulling at us both and you know it. I can read your eyes and see it. It’s been there since the day we met. Don’t deny it.”

  Olivia glanced around the parking lot. Deep down she wasn’t sure if she was ready to put herself on the line again, but by the deep undertone he used, she knew Nate was fuming.

  “I don’t have a problem with us. What I do have a problem with is you finding a new doctor. Dr. Thatcher is the best.”

  “I understand,” he answered staring down at her, “but you diagnosed my problem and it seems like an easy one to fix at that. So I could switch doctors with no issue. Nate-3-, Livy, still 0. Go ahead. Give me another reason, Liv, and that will put me at 4 points and you 0, because you know I’ll win that one too.” He formed his fingers into a ‘0’ as he said it with a know-it-all-defensive-fucking-try-me attitude.

  Shit. She was all out of reasons, not that she had many to begin with. She was holding back. Her one gripe was the fact that she was his doctor and he just blew that argument out of the water.

  Olivia didn’t want to get hurt and feared she would. It was a gut feeling she didn’t want to ignore. She was afraid to be around Nate. He managed to knock down some of her walls, expose her layers so early on and she wasn’t used to it. No one other than Luke had done that to her. She knew she’d fall hard for him, but not until she was ready to on her terms. When the time came she would let go and love again.

  “Stop,” he ordered.

  “Stop what?”

  “Stop thinking so hard,” he demanded with a drawl. “I can see it spinning in your pretty brown eyes.” He was just an inch away from her now and breathing down on her.

  “I see what you’re doing, finding ways to say no,” he whispered. “You’re so easy to read, Liv. I know you already in this little amount of time. I paid attention to you, your body. Your incredibly sexy body that I want so, so fucking bad…” Nate trailed off, growling under his breath as he slid an arm around her lower back and pulled her up against him.

  “Stop looking for an out,” Nate insisted.

  “Nathaniel,” she whispered. “I can’t.”

  “Says who? You? You’re the one fighting me on it right now, Liv. Don’t tell me you don’t feel it between us. Just let go and give us a damn try.”

  She did feel it. That’s what scared her the most.

  “Okay,” she said breathlessly.

  “Okay?”

  “Okay, I’ll back down; stop looking for an out, as you say.”

  A slow, but incredibly sexy grin stretched across his face. Nate’s eyes lit up like he’d just won the Heisman Trophy.

  What the hell had she agreed to?

  “Thank. Fuck,” he said and then leaned down for a kiss.

  Olivia gripped Nate’s shoulders. He pressed his hips into hers, surging against her hard as his other hand held the side of her neck. A small groan vibrated on her lips as Nate pushed her beside his truck and kissed
her with purpose.

  Olivia’s body trembled at the touch of Nate’s mouth. She’d never been kissed like this back in New York. She’d almost forgotten what it felt like. Nate sparked something inside of her that had long been buried.

  Nate’s tongue slid along her lips, as if asking for permission to enter. She obliged and opened willingly, allowing him to take control. This wasn’t the first time he had taken over. The control thing with Nate was something she wasn’t normally used to, but her body responded like a firecracker from the raw sexual urges in the kiss. Desire streamed through her at warped speed and she needed to take control of herself before things went too far.

  Breaking for air, Nate rested his forehead against hers.

  “Had I known that you were going to cave so soon, I would’ve pushed harder earlier just so I could get that kiss from you.”

  “You knew I was fighting?” she said breathlessly. Her lips tingled.

  Nate laughed, his hand sliding up and down her back. “You bet I did. It was written all over your face. I knew you were going to be stubborn about us the moment I met you, but I told you I wasn’t giving up.”

  Olivia didn’t know what she was getting herself into, but this time she was doing what she wanted, what her heart was telling her to do, not her head. Maybe meeting Nathaniel at this stage in her life was right. Maybe it was how her life was supposed to go.

  Olivia wasn’t sure of anything other than this moment. She knew what she wanted, and that was to take a chance with Nate.

  past

  “Another round, comin’ up!”

  Finishing off the shots, Olivia and Tessa slammed their glasses down simultaneously on the shellacked wooden counter top. Bringing the back of her hand to her mouth, she swallowed the Fireball Whiskey that tasted like Big Red gum. Her eyes closed shut as they watered for a second. She was definitely a whiskey kind of girl, but taking it straight always drew this reaction from the cinnamon flavored burn.

  The bar was packed and rowdy. The easygoing style set the mood. Tessa’s plans of having everyone hang out at the live bar panned out, except the part where Luke was expected to sing. Tessa had made it Olivia’s job to convince Luke of that, but she still hadn’t brought it up to him. He probably wouldn't mind. When he was on stage, he’d pull his baseball hat down low, close his eyes and lose himself to his music and lyrics, as if it was just him and his guitar alone. His mouth and fingers danced at their own tempo, syncing together in sweet harmony, the same way they would graze her skin.