by Alexa Davis
I let out a little laugh, but Olivia didn’t join in. “I guess after the accident, I was depressed and thought the universe was out to get me. That’s where the stupid bet came from.”
“How much did you win?” Olivia dove right into business.
“Two point seven billion.” Her eyes widened in shock. “Yeah, pretty crazy. It was one of the biggest wins ever in the lottery history.”
“Why haven’t I heard about it then? Lottery wins are usually in the news. I never saw anything about you. I remember seeing that Barry Jackson guy who won a hundred million, so why wouldn’t I know about you? That makes no sense.”
“With great difficulty, believe me! I had to hire the best lawyers and pay off loads of people to keep my name out of the media. I just didn’t want to be discovered. Winning all that money did nothing to bring me out of my misery, and the last thing I needed was the entire world staring at me.”
“Right, I see.” Her face suggested that she really didn’t see, but I couldn’t blame her. If it was the other way around and she was all of a sudden she was telling me such things, I’d probably be just as blown away as she was right now. “So you really are wealthier than some small countries.”
“I guess so.” God, that was a stupid thing to say! What was I thinking?
We sat in silence for a few moments. Opening up to her made me want to do it more. I wanted to tell her everything, even the parts that I hadn’t told Lark. He was aware that I’d had an accident, but he didn’t know everything about it.
At first, I just couldn’t talk about it, then I wanted to forget about it. It was only now that I actually felt ready to share, so unfortunately for Olivia, she was about to be bombarded with a load more information about me. The floodgates were open and there was no shutting them.
“I was so depressed after my accident because it wasn’t just me affected by it. Yes, I mourned the loss of my health and my career, sure I was disappointed to lose my identity and everything that made me the man I was, but it wasn’t just that.” I gasped loudly, suddenly finding it hard all over again. Still, I needed to get it out now, I didn’t have any choice. “I also lost my best friend in the military. Patrick.”
Olivia reached out and took my hand in hers. I glanced my eyes upwards and gave her a brief smile before I continued on with my story.
“He was the one person who I went through training with, that I started in the Seals with. He was in my regiment, and we went on almost every mission together. It’s hard not to build a bond like no other. There’s just no one who understands you like a work colleague.”
Images of Patrick filled my mind for the first time in years and tears unexpectedly filled the corners of my eyes. His reddish blond hair, his bright smile that could make even the worst situation seem a little less shitty, his dirty jokes that would make a stripper blush... What an amazing guy. He never should’ve gone the way he did.
“He got me through even the worst days in the military – and believe me, there were a lot of bad times. Good, too, don’t get me wrong, but a whole lot of bad.”
“I can only imagine,” Olivia murmured.
“So, anyway, the day I had my accident was also the day that Patrick lost his life. On my word, we put ourselves in danger and we got in the way of a mine.” I hung my head, hating the memory of that day. Seeing my best friend’s body explode would never leave me. Not until the day I died. “Patrick died, and I just got this bust up leg. It didn’t even break, it just got knocked out of joint. It was my fault... How is that even fair.”
“It wasn’t...” Olivia was on the verge of telling me that it wasn’t my fault, which was something that I’d heard a million times. I didn’t need to hear it again. I’d come to terms with what had happened – sort of.
“So when Lark dared me to buy the lottery ticket, I used all dates related to Patrick; his birthday, the date we joined the Seals, the date of his death... He was all that I could think about, I certainly didn’t think that I’d make money off of him.”
“Is that why you haven’t really spent the money?” she asked me curiously. “Because you feel guilty?” I nodded slowly. That probably had more to do with it than I ever dared to admit. “What if he sent you the money as a way to encourage you to live your life again?”
“What, like a divine intervention?” I scoffed. “I don’t believe in any of that.”
“You don’t have to believe it. It can be the truth anyway.”
I stared at her for a moment, trying to work out what she was thinking. She didn’t look so bewildered anymore, which had to be a good sign. She’s at least somewhat come to terms with the fact that I was a very rich man. She also wasn’t looking at me like I was a stranger, or as if she wanted to run a million miles away...so maybe we’d be okay. I felt a little better inside, too, like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
“So, yeah. Now you know.”
My mind suddenly leapt to something else that I’d been keeping from Olivia, a way that I had been spending the money. “Actually, I have done something with it,” I told her excitedly. “Very recently, I brought a building with my dad, and we’re going to start a charity for members of the military. Boys coming home without any options and vets down on their luck, that sort of thing.” The pride shone through with my tone. “It’s pretty awesome, actually. I’ll have to take you there sometime, if you ever want to go and check it out. I mean, it’s nothing at the moment, but it will be something great.”
“Wow, that’s really something.”
After a brief pause, Olivia leant across the table and hooked her hand around the back of my neck. I wasn’t expecting that, so the softness of her touch made my heart race excitedly. “It doesn’t change anything,” she whispered into my lips. “If you still want to give this a try, then so do I.”
“I do.” I nodded vigorously. “I really, really do.”
“You know, I have some money of my own.” I cocked my eyebrow and gave her a look. “Not billions by any means, but when I was playing volleyball I got offered a nice packet to model for a sports magazine.”
“You did?” Wow, it seemed that Olivia hadn’t yet told me everything. “That sounds super sexy. You’ll have to show me the pictures sometime.”
“I’m sure I have them somewhere,” she giggled. “I originally put the money away to start my own physiotherapy firm when I finished college and had enough work experience, but then Meghan came along, so obviously the money dwindled a bit. It got us our apartment, though, so I can’t complain too much.”
I instantly wanted to offer her the money to buy her own firm, but I bit down on my tongue to stop myself. I didn’t want to be that guy, flashing the cash and showing off just because I could. That could be something to consider further down the line. Now wasn’t the right time.
“So maybe Dolly was right, maybe you could model for her after all,” I teased instead.
“Oh, God no.” Olivia pulled a face. “I’m long done with all of that, and for Dolly? No way, love the woman, but she’s far too much of a diva for me.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that. She must be a nightmare to work with.”
I pulled Olivia onto my lap and kissed her gently, while rubbing my nose softly against hers. It felt like we were in a really good place now that things were out in the open and I had this real sense that we could move forwards and truly make this work.
“Why did you keep all of that from me?” she asked me cautiously.
“I guess because I’ve spent so long keeping it from everyone, it feels weird to say now. I thought you might look at me differently and that it would change things.”
I pulled her back to me, needing to kiss her once more. My fingers itched, my hands desperately wanted to creep up inside Olivia’s top, but I just about managed to resist.
“I better go in a moment,” she eventually told me regretfully. “Meg and Drea will be back from the Natural History Museum soon.”
“When do I get to take yo
u out on another date?” I jumped in quickly. “The last one was nowhere near good enough.”
"I’m off work Wednesday, we can always do something then if you like? I can send Megs out for the day with Drea so we can get some me and you time.”
Much as I liked the idea of it being all three of us, I needed to establish things with Olivia first before we told Meghan. We needed to know that we could make it work.
“Wednesday it is. I look forward to it.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Olivia
Wednesday
“Oh, baby, I hope you feel better soon,” I cooed to a very sick Meghan. “Your temperature is far too high for you to even think about leaving this bed today.” I’d already let Drea know to keep out the way if she didn’t want to get ill herself. It was supposed to be her day off anyway, so it didn’t matter too much.
“I am sick, Momma,” she murmured pitifully. Her face was sticky with sweat, and her nightdress clung to her body, but I kept the blankets wrapped around her because she’d likely be freezing in a moment. “I feel horrible.”
“Have a spoonful of the medicine, and it’ll make you feel a lot better.”
Meg sat up to do as she was told; she didn’t even have enough energy to screw up her face in disgust at the taste. I couldn’t help but think this was my fault. Maybe the two incidents weren’t related, but it felt a whole lot like Meg had the same thing as Zack. If I’d been smarter and kept her away from him when he was sick, maybe my daughter wouldn’t be ill now.
“Now you try and get some sleep, sweetheart. Mommy’s right here if you need anything, but to be honest, I think the best thing you can do for now is sleep.”
Regretfully, I picked up my phone and fired off a text to Zack to let him know that I wouldn’t be able to make it to our date today. It was a shame that things kept getting in the way when we had plans, but this one truly couldn’t be helped. If my baby was sick, then I wasn’t leaving the apartment today.
I kept my cell phone clutched between my fingers while Meghan drifted off into what appeared to be a calm sleep, but I didn’t get a reply. I figured Zack was probably as disappointed as me, but if he really wanted to be my boyfriend, then he needed to accept that things like this would happen. It sucked, but it was just the way it was.
“Okay,” I muttered to myself. “Water.” Meghan needed to have a sippy cup of water by the bed in case she woke up thirsty while I was in a different room. I padded into the kitchen and grabbed her cup wearily. While the water flowed into the cup, I slid my eyes shut for a moment. It had been a long old night, with Meghan waking up around four a.m. feeling like death. I felt exhausted. I hoped I wasn’t getting sick myself.
Knock, knock.
I dropped the cup into Meghan’s room quickly so I didn’t forget before I went to answer the door. As I opened it, I found myself looking at Zack who looked devastatingly handsome.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I bit down guiltily on my lip. “I did text you… I can’t go out today because Meghan’s ill.”
“I know.” He smiled brightly while lifting up a bag from the corner store. “That’s why I’m here with supplies.”
“Oh, you don’t have to...”
“You did for me. I can for Megs.” He stepped inside, leaving me no other option but to let him. “Plus, since our date keeps getting cancelled, I thought I’d bring it to you. I have movies and popcorn in the bag so we can pretend we’re at the theater.”
“I don’t think this will be much of a date,” I chuckle. “But I am glad you’re here. Just... let me go and get something a little better on. I don’t exactly think I should be in my pajamas on date.”
“If that’s what you want.” He shrugged as if he didn’t mind either way. The funny thing was I didn’t think that he did. “I’ll stick the movie on.”
I raced into my bedroom and flicked the monitor on so I could keep an ear out on Meghan while I actually enjoyed some alone time with Zack. Of course she’d come first, but I was excited to spend some time with him, as well. I felt like we had a real bond now, a connection that would be great to build upon. Our walls were coming down brick by brick, and the more we learned about one another, the closer we got.
“Wow, you look incredible!”
I laughed at Zack’s over-the-top reaction to the fact that I now had something other than sleepwear on. “Oh sure, leggings and an oversized tee shirt. Messy hair and no make up. Every man’s dream.”
“My dream, at least.”
I sat next to him on the couch and placed the baby monitor next to me, and it wasn’t long before I realized that Zack had absolutely no intention of watching the film at all. What he wanted was a teenage make out session, and to be honest, that was how I felt, too. We kissed, we giggled, we ran our hands all over each other’s bodies, and it wasn’t long before the dragon of desire has awoken within me once more.
“Come to my bedroom with me,” I whispered in what I hoped was a seductive manner. I grabbed his hand and pulled him upright, but he looked a little hesitant.
“What about Meghan?”
His concern was touching; it meant he actually cared about my daughter in a way I didn’t dare hope for. “I’ve just given her some medicine, I think she’ll be out for a while. I’ll tell you what, you wait on my bed while I go and quickly check on her.” I picked up the baby monitor and waved it at him. “Plus, I have this, so I’ll hear her as soon as she wakes up.”
With a rapid nod, Zack raced into my bedroom eagerly, making a warm happiness build in my chest. I quickly checked to see that Meghan is still sleeping soundly before I ran in to join him.
“Oh my God!” I burst out as I saw him sprawled across my bed completely and utterly naked. He had one trickle of sweat travelling down his chest, making it difficult for me to look at any other part of him. “What are you doing?”
“Did I get it wrong?” He play acted, as if he was embarrassed to be caught out. “I thought we came in here for some nudie time. Was I wrong?”
“Oh, so wrong,” I murmured as I climbed over him on the sheets. “You’ve made such a fool of yourself.”
Just as I was about to kiss Zack, he shocked me by flipping me over onto my back in one fell swoop. I collapsed hard into the bed, losing my breath in the process. As Zack slowly pulled the clothing that I’d only just put on back off again, I fell into a hazy lust with every brush of his skin against me. Everything he did to me felt incredible. Once more, I found myself overwhelmed by the sense that I was falling...
“So beautiful,” Zack groaned as he buried his face into my flesh. His mouth kissed, licked, and sucked all the way down from my stomach to my hips. My back arched, and I rolled my hips into him as his fingers edged their way closer and closer to my folds.
“Oh God,” I grunted as he massaged me, working his way over my slit, paying particular attention to my clit. Zack with his expert fingers would be the death of me, I was sure of it. His coarse skin turned into silk as it brushed me, causing my brain to buzz with lust.
I nearly died when he pulled those incredible fingers away from me. I would’ve done if a warm, wet sensation didn’t immediately replace it. Zack took long strokes with his tongue, his mouth circled me intimately, and soon I fisted the sheets behind me just to stop myself from buckling under the sensations he was giving me.
My breaths grew rapid and ragged, my heart thundered, the mini waves of bliss were starting to pool in my belly, and if I wasn’t careful, soon they’d have complete control of me. The intensity grew, threatening to rain down on me, but this wasn’t how I wanted it to happen. I wanted – I needed to have him inside me.
“Fuck me, Zack,” I whimpered. “I’m close, I want you to fuck me.”
Luckily, sensing that I wasn’t messing around, he whipped his mouth away from me, leaving me cold and alone while he rolled a condom down over his thick length. I bit down on my lip as my mouth watered, I bucked my hips towards him, so pathetically desperate for him that I just coul
dn’t wait.
As soon as Zack was done, I shot up into a sitting position and indicated for him to do the same. Once he had his legs slung over the edge of my bed, I climbed onto his lap, facing away from him, and slid down onto him.
When Zack followed my eye line, he could see the same view as me. Us two, in the full length mirror, fucking like there was no tomorrow. I didn’t even look like myself; I appeared wild and free, maybe even a little feral as I bounced down on top of him…and it was hot as hell.
Zack kneaded my breast with one hand, thumbing my nipples until it drove me crazy, as he controlled the pace with his other hand on my hip. Once the pressure got too much for me, I gripped onto his thighs, and I fucked him hard and fast. Each thrust sent me wilder. I could feel myself drawing ever closer; any minute now...
And then I buckled violently as the orgasm shattered my entire body. I shoved my fist into my mouth to stop myself from screaming too loudly, but that didn’t stop me from feeling it wholly. The burning hot bliss just kept on coming, and I became convinced that it wasn’t going to stop until I was a limp, pathetic mess on the floor – and I also didn’t want it to. It felt phenomenal, it was wonderful, everything was just damn perfect...
“Oh. My. God. That was amazing.” I laughed and panted in Zack’s arms for a little while afterwards, just basking in the post-orgasmic glow. “Honestly, freaking amazing...”
Before he got a chance to answer, a small voice broke through the monitor, which meant Meghan was awake. I leapt up and threw my clothes on, switching from lover to mother in a heartbeat.
“Does this not put you off?” I asked Zack hurriedly as I changed. “It’s never ending, I can promise you that much.”
“Hey.” He propped himself up onto his elbow to smile at me. “If you can handle my secrets, then I can take on Megs. She’s an awesome kid. Couldn’t ask for better.”
Although most people would be happy about being rich, I understood why Zack wasn’t. It came at a cost and felt like a burden to him. Because of that, I didn’t argue that my baggage was much more challenging to take on than his, I simply kissed him quickly instead.