Protecting Olivia [Fate Harbor 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  “How about pepper spray? Jesus, Olivia, don’t you have any sense of self-preservation?” Joshua’s voice had increased by three decibels.

  “If you must know, I actually have a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do, for all the good it did me,” she said bitterly.

  “Really, Livvy, that’s amazing! How long have you been doing that?” Ian asked.

  “The Hutchins, my foster parents, signed all of their foster kids up for lessons while we were living with them. I kept it up. It’s one of my favorite ways to keep in shape. I earned my brown belt five years ago. I’ve never had the time and dedication to complete the red or black belt stage,” she explained.

  “Kitten, that’s great, but you still need to carry pepper spray, and you should have someone else with you when you’re going to the pantries, shelters, and gardens.” Ian heard the concern in his friend’s voice.

  “Joshua, let’s get back to what the police found out, okay?” Olivia entreated. Joshua looked over at her in consideration and then nodded. Ian knew this conversation was far from over.

  “There were no fingerprints that the Boston PD could obtain. It had been too long. They used some facial recognition software, but the faces didn’t come up, so no luck in placing the two guys. It was obviously a very professional job, and everyone agrees they were after something specific at AHC.” Ian watched Olivia closely. He knew how much her charity meant to her, as did Joshua. Both men took a hand, holding it, trying to bring her comfort.

  “Do they have any idea what they were after?” she asked.

  “No idea. After you came forward seven weeks ago, with your story about the men in suits, and they checked the security tapes, BPD asked for internal AHC personnel to investigate to determine what might have gone missing. Your AHC staff then had the IT department check for any data security breaches that may have occurred that night. Your team insists that there were no occurrences.”

  “I’m going to go check that out for myself,” Ian rumbled.

  “What do you mean?” Olivia questioned. “My tech team is great, if they say nothing was touched, then nothing was touched. I must have imagined that part about ‘Prescott’s Hard Drive.’” Both men laughed out loud.

  “What, you think it’s funny that I’m hallucinating things?” Again, Ian had to work to keep Olivia’s legs on his lap.

  “No, Kitten, it’s just that Ian has a degree in computer engineering, and he worked for the Arizona PD in their crime-scene-investigation unit. His specialty was going over compromised computer equipment. No insult meant to your team, but they don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground compared to Ian.” Joshua’s grin was wide, and Ian felt discomfited by the high praise. When Joshua noticed Ian’s embarrassment his smile just got bigger.

  “Seriously, Olivia Ann, if they touched any AHC computers when they were in your offices, Ian will find out what time, and whether they sneezed while doing it.” Olivia glanced over at Ian, who kept his head down, massaging her calves.

  “What I don’t understand is what anyone would want to steal from us? We’re a charity for God’s sake, we don’t make money. Right there in the same building are two investment banking firms and one accounting firm that has to have some really wealthy clients, why are they bothering with us?” She looked from Joshua back to Ian.

  “We don’t understand it either. That’s why I want to go into your office today, and have a look around, if that’s okay with you?” Ian asked. He continued kneading the flesh of her legs, giving, as well as receiving, comfort.

  “I don’t know. If I’m not allowed to go into the office, why should you be allowed to go?” Ian heard more than a little bite in her voice. Joshua and he understood that it was going to be difficult for Olivia to be cut off from her involvement with the foundation.

  “Before answering that question, I have one of my own. Before yesterday, when was your last migraine?” She just looked at him, refusing to answer. Ian watched the battle of wills, and then he got disgusted and gently placed her legs on the floor. He got her purse off the dining room table and took out her bottle of pills. He read when the prescription had last been filled, then he opened it and counted the number of pills.

  “Jesus Livvy, you’ve been having a migraine every day since you’ve come back to Boston.” He exploded. He strode over to his laptop that he had set up near the living room window. He logged in, and holding the pill bottle, typed in some information. “Goddamn it, it says if you take this for over four days in a row, you’re supposed to contact your doctor, you could have something seriously wrong. Did you contact your fucking doctor?” Ian didn’t know how he ended up standing over her, but he was.

  “Back the hell off, Ransom!” she yelled back. “I don’t need some caveman thinking he’s the boss of me!” As she tried to stand up to face him, Joshua pulled her back so that she was suddenly sitting on his lap.

  “I call a time-out,” he said in a loud but level voice. Two sets of angry eyes turned to him.

  “Joshua, you should read what I just did about her medication. Man, this is some powerful shit, and she’s popping them like M&M’s.” Ian raked his hand through his hair. He couldn’t figure out if he was more angry or scared, but either way he didn’t like the level of feeling he was experiencing.

  “Joshua, if Neanderthal Man would have just taken a breath, he would have found out I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow,” Olivia said belligerently. Ian was glad to see his partner was not satisfied with that answer either. He took a deep breath and sat back down, hoping that Joshua’s calmer tactics could work where his ham-handed approach was obviously just throwing fuel onto the fire.

  “Why tomorrow, Olivia Ann? Shouldn’t they have gotten you in much sooner, if what Ian is saying about the medication is true?” Ian watched as she looked away from Joshua. Gotcha! “Olivia Ann, answer the question,” Joshua demanded.

  “I just made the appointment two days ago,” she admitted in a very low voice.

  Joshua looked over at Ian and tipped his chin at the straight-back chair he had sat in the day before. Ian got up and pulled it up, so that he sat in front of the two of them. Once again, Olivia was boxed in by the two of them, and, judging by her body language, she was very much aware of that fact.

  “Olivia Ann, I know you, you’re going to make rules regarding the two of us and about this relationship. You like rules, you like having parameters in place.” Olivia looked at Joshua, then over at Ian and nodded carefully. Ian could see she understood that she was in a poorly defended position.

  “Just get to it, Joshua,” she ordered, lifting her chin.

  “Fine, Livvy, we’ll get to it. You belong to us, and you are no longer allowed to put yourself in danger. No more walking the streets of Boston alone in the dead of night,” Ian bit out. He didn’t give a shit if she were a black belt. Hell, even as a caveman he knew that the first rule of self-defense was to be aware of your surroundings and avoid putting yourself into compromising situations. “No more working to the point that you’re taking so much medication you are putting your health in danger. We’re not going to fucking allow it. You’re ours. You’re ours to protect. You’re ours to love. And you better understand we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure you stay alive and well for the next hundred years.” Ian knew he had blown it once again. He had meant for Joshua to take the lead, he always did the “feelings thing” so much better, but she just had to be snotty.

  Ian had watched her during his entire speech, expecting at any moment for her to interrupt him and lambast him. What he didn’t expect, what took him utterly by surprise, was how her eyes softened and her mouth opened a little as she watched and listened.

  “Ian, I wouldn’t ever want to do anything to scare you.” She reached out and cupped his cheek. “I’m sorry.” He looked at her some more and saw fine white lines of tension at the crease of her eyes and bracketing her mouth.

  “Are you getting a headache now, honey?” he asked.

&nbs
p; She nodded.

  “Is it as bad as yesterday?” Joshua asked, pulling her a little tighter into his embrace.

  “God, no,” she said with feeling. “I’ve never had one that bad. I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital for a shot,” she admitted.

  “How bad is it?” Joshua asked.

  “The light is hurting my eyes. I know part of it is a carry-over from yesterday’s headache, but…” She trailed off.

  “What else, Livvy?” Ian prompted.

  “It’s arguing with the two of you. I don’t understand it, I argue all the time. I’m constantly debating this issue or that issue. Sam, Chance, and I had some real knock-down drag-outs while I was in Fate Harbor, and none of that brought on migraines. But as soon as the three of us started arguing this morning, I could feel the pressure just start. It doesn’t make any sense.” She looked at both of the men in bewilderment.

  “Sure it does,” Joshua said. “Those are known situations with known outcomes. Or with Chance and Sam, you know no matter how bad of an argument you have with them, you all will still love one another in the end. We still haven’t reached that level of trust, so our arguments are a lot scarier and more stressful. It’s no wonder that they would bring on a migraine.”

  “Joshua, you’re blowing this out of proportion, I don’t have a migraine right now, I have a little bit of a headache.” Ian could see her getting irritated.

  “But the light hurts your eyes, right? How’s your tummy? Is it churning?” Joshua tipped her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. “Answer me, Olivia Ann.”

  “Yes, yes, and yes.”

  “Is this probably going to turn into a migraine?” Ian could see the war of wills between the gray and blue eyes.

  “Yes,” she finally whispered.

  “Joshua, I really don’t want her taking any more of this medication, she’s had too much,” Ian stated firmly.

  “I think we can come up with another way of helping Olivia with her headache. We’re going to give her a massage.” Ian watched as Olivia’s breath hitched in response to Joshua’s suggestion.

  “Olivia, when Joshua says massage, it’s not a euphemism for sex,” Ian cautioned. He almost chuckled aloud when Olivia pushed out her lower lip in an adorable pout.

  Joshua stood up with Olivia still in his arms and moved toward the bedroom at the end of the hall. Ian followed. He was beginning to the get the hang of the triad dynamic. Basically when he fucked up with Olivia, Joshua could smooth things over. This is not a bad deal, he mused. He went into the bathroom and made himself at home, looking over all of her girly products, reading labels and sniffing scents. He finally found one that had the right amount of restorative and lubricating properties that also smelled soothing. He picked the lotion up, along with plenty of towels, and found Olivia stripped and standing next to the bed. He spread the towels out on the bed, and then he helped Joshua lay her face down so that they could begin.

  In this position none of her scars were visible, it was just one long lean line of perfectly sculpted female back. She took his breath away. He took a second look, noticing how easily he could see her vertebrae, and how even her ribs were more discernable than when she had been in his bed nine days ago.

  “Livvy, have you been eating?” he asked gently, not wanting to add more stress but needing to know the answer.

  “I haven’t been hungry, and when I have eaten it just gave me an upset stomach.” Both men looked at one another.

  “Okay, honey, we just want you to relax and enjoy and take a nap for us this afternoon, can you do that?” Ian asked.

  “Yes, Ian.” Already her voice was sounding drows, as she rested her cheek on her folded arms. Joshua positioned himself near the headboard, fanning her hair out, then he slid his fingers between the strands, pressing gently against her scalp in small circles.

  “That feels good, Joshua,” she murmured.

  Ian then took some of the lotion and warmed it in his hands, and did one long sweep from neck to tailbone, then back up again, testing the muscles of her neck, finding them so tense he thought his fingers might bounce off them. He bent down and trailed kisses along the rigid muscles, trying to tease her into relaxing just a little. He heard her sigh, and then he touched her again and found her flesh a little softer. He pushed in with the heel of his hand, gradually increasing the strength of his compressions, until he finally felt one kink give way. Again and again, he repeated the process as Joshua continued to stroke and pet her scalp.

  Listening to the moans, whimpers, and mewls that came out of Olivia’s mouth made his cock rock hard. But despite his physical reaction, he had no desire to fuck. He wanted to give comfort to this woman. This woman who ran herself ragged, giving to so many others and rarely considering herself. When he finally felt the tension fall away from her neck and shoulders he moved down the fine lines of her back. Making love to Olivia was like making love to a dynamo—she writhed and moved and met him with equal force—but seeing her at rest like this made him realize that she really was delicate. Joshua had realized it, and he cursed himself for not seeing how this last week and a half had weighed on her. He then really thought about it and realized she probably always put her needs last, and that this week and a half was just worse than normal. She needed a keeper. Then he smiled to himself. Actually, she needed two keepers.

  At last he heard the soft sounds of her breathing that told him she was asleep. He looked up at Joshua, and they both slowly eased away from her body and moved off the bed. They covered her lithe form and made their way back to the living room.

  “You spent more time with her than I did. Was she always so thin?” Ian asked.

  “No, she had to have lost ten pounds, and she needed to gain weight when I met her,” Joshua said.

  “Shit. And those pills are probably not helping her keep the food down,” Ian added. “We’re going with her to the doctor’s.” Ian felt his shoulders begin to tense up at the thought of the argument they were going to have with Livvy.

  “I’m done. She’s not thinking straight. She needs a keeper!” Joshua stormed.

  Ian let out a big laugh, and Joshua raised an eyebrow in question.

  “Man, I was just in the bedroom thinking that she just gained herself two keepers.” Then Joshua started laughing too as he sat down on the chair in the living room and indicated that Ian should sit on the sofa. “Ian, you do know what’s coming next, right?” Joshua asked.

  “By the gentle lead up, it sounds like you’re either planning to talk to me or fuck me, and I really don’t know which one is worse,” Ian said morosely as he sat down on the sofa.

  “Come on dude, be happy, think about this morning, was that not the best sex ever?”

  Ian looked up from where he was sitting with his elbows resting on his legs, and his eyes twinkled. “The fucking this morning was hot, and I was really worried about that whole thing—I mean seeing her with you, and you touching her while I fucked her—but, really, it just ratcheted up the whole experience.” Ian grinned at his friend.

  “Was that so hard?”

  “That was sex. We’ve talked about sex before. You’re going to want to talk about feelings.” Ian managed to make them sound like something found in the middle of a field of cows.

  “I’ll make it quick, it’s either talk about feelings or have sex with just me,” Joshua threatened. “Just tell me, quickly, how you feel.”

  Ian said nothing for a long moment as if gathering his thoughts, then in one long rush said, “I hate it because it’s change. You know I hate change, even good change. I worry that it’ll change things between us, and I couldn’t stand that, because I need you in my life so much. But I need Olivia. I love you both. But if I look at this from a place that’s not scared of change I really think this might be something good…Am I wrong?” Ian’s voice dropped off and he looked helplessly at Joshua. “I can’t explain it, you’re always better at saying and explaining these kinds of things. You say it,” he finally pleaded
.

  “There’s something about that woman that is incredibly loveable. You had your mojo Scottish moment with her, and I had my more normal human courtship, but both of us realize she’s it. I say we’re damn lucky, and somehow she’s going for it, but I want to make sure the two of us are on the same page.”

  “You’ve been closer than my real family for twenty years, Joshua, now we have Olivia and we’re completing the circle.”

  “It feels like we’re a family,” Joshua supplied.

  Ian waited a moment, let the phrase roll around inside him, and felt it ping. “Yeah, that’s it. It feels like we’re a family. It feels like we’re a unit somehow. It feels good,” Ian concluded. Now that he had words to put around the nebulous feelings that had been churning through his gut for the last twelve hours, Ian felt himself relaxing.

  “So, are you going to AHC now?” Joshua asked.

  “You know it. Something fishy is definitely going on, and I plan to find out what it is. I already talked to Chance, who talked to Adam. I have carte blanche, as long as Adam wasn’t in on it. Of course, I intend to put spyware on Adam’s machine, as well, just to make sure that we track him. When it comes to Olivia’s safety, we can’t be too careful.”

  “Amen to that, my brother,” Joshua concurred.

  “If she wakes up, get her to eat,” Ian told him.

  “I’m way ahead of you.”

  “Tell her we’re going with her to the doctors,” Ian also ordered.

  “Yeah, you want me to do that while you’re not here because you’re scared.”

  “Damn right.” Ian grinned.

  “I’m waiting till you come back, and you can tell her.” Ian cursed him as he left the condo, and headed for the AHC offices.

  Chapter 10

  Olivia woke up warm, relaxed, and pain-free. The last time she felt that good had been in Fate Harbor, waking up in Joshua Parker’s arms. She then realized that was exactly why she was feeling so good. She was waking up in bed with a naked Joshua Parker! She turned, and her eyes collided with glittering silver ones, then she was caught up in a kiss that previously had existed only in her dreams.