Dangerous In Love

by Alexa Davis

  I ignored her thinly-veiled insult and stomped towards the front door. “No, it’s okay. I’m leaving now anyway, so I’ll just quickly get rid of whoever it is.”

  I didn’t want to risk Zack coming in when I wasn’t here. He must have figured out by now that I genuinely was telling the truth about the whole scandal and that I had nothing to do with the sale of the story. Despite me telling him never to speak to me again, I knew he wouldn’t stick to that. He wasn’t the sort of person who could stop himself.

  I didn’t want him anywhere near Meghan, ever again. I couldn’t risk her getting hurt.

  “Oh.” But it wasn’t Zack. I found myself very shocked to be staring at Lark. “What are you doing here?”

  I half-closed the door behind me so Meghan wouldn’t see. Luckily, she was very involved with her coloring, so I thought I’d be okay. I didn’t want her to get excited just to be let down once more. If we couldn’t see Zack anymore, then it was unlikely we’d see Lark, either. It was a shame, but that was the way it had to be.

  “I, erm, I’m sorry turning up like this.” His cheeks flamed, and he looked really stressed out. I wondered what the hell was going on inside his head. “I know I’m probably not who you want to see right now, but I just think you should read today’s paper.”

  “Urgh, I’ve had enough of newspapers to last me a lifetime.”

  “Not this one. Just trust me.”

  There was something in his tone that stopped me in my tracks. I felt intrigued, so I took the paper from him. “What is this?”

  “I just want to apologize in advance for my role in this before you start reading, I’m sure you’re going to think I’m a massive douchebag.”

  “What?” He was being too cryptic. It was very strange.

  “Just read the article. And don’t make any decisions before you’ve got to the end.” His cheeks burned even brighter. I could tell he felt a little weird. “Erm, do you mind if I hang out with Meg and Drea for a bit? I’ve actually missed my little gaming buddy while I’ve been away.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. I still wanted to keep Lark and Zack distant from my family, but there was something really pleading in his eyes. Plus, I wanted him to stick around in case I had any questions with regards to this article that he seemed to think was going to impact me greatly.

  “Lark!”

  It was too late anyway. She’d already seen him. I gave him a wave and allowed him inside while I turned my eyes to the words printed in front of me.

  “Billionaire Lottery Winner In His Own Words.”

  The headline was baffling. Why would Zack go from hating the media and hiding from it, to speaking directly to them? It almost got my back up further because I hated being accused of something that he’d gone and done without a second thought about me. Unless maybe my initial instincts were wrong and it was just another fake story.

  “Zack Taylor, the mysterious winner of two point seven billion dollars has spoken directly to us about his own experience with the money…”

  Hmm, maybe not. My heart hammered in my chest as I drank in every word like I was dehydrated in the middle of a desert, and this was the only drink available in the world. Certain paragraphs jumped out at me and really struck a chord.

  “My time in the Navy Seals defined me, it changed me as a man, so losing that was devastating.”

  I could already feel my heart opening up. I’d shut myself down so rapidly, I’d told myself never to think about Zack again unless I really had to, but clearly I wasn’t as great at controlling my feelings as I thought I was.

  “My best friend, Patrick, got me through my time in the military, so the accident that took away my health and killed him absolutely destroyed me in ways that I didn’t even think possible.”

  Woah…that was crazy. I thought he never wanted anyone to know about that. I almost fell to the ground in shock.

  “I used numbers relating to him on my lottery ticket, which was why I wanted to keep the win a secret. I was already hurting. I didn’t want that made worse by being judged for using my friend to gain money. Someone once told me that maybe he sent me the money…but I don’t know if that’s something I’ve ever believed.”

  I couldn’t help myself, a secret smile played on my lips as he used my words. Maybe I did affect him in ways that I didn’t see before. Maybe there was a chance that I impacted on him just as much as he did me.

  “I paid out of the nose to keep my name out of the spotlight, I just couldn’t deal with it – but now I’ve found a purpose for the money. I’m going to start my own charity to help soldiers and vets. I want to make a real difference in their lives.”

  He came across so well. If this wasn’t a man I knew, I’d still be impressed by the story. Zack had articulated himself in a humble, clever way that made the world see the real him. He’d done a good thing by going to the media…

  But then I saw a name that I recognized on the page, and I pressed the page closer to my face. What was she doing in a tale about Zack?

  “I have been receiving physiotherapy for a while now, to help me with my injuries. This is something that’s already been reported in the press. What hasn’t been reported however is that the manager of that establishment, Ms. Carlie Simms, used and betrayed me. I donated money to the practice, I helped fund areas that needed extra help, and as payment, she seduced and tricked my best friend.

  “She learned about my identity and the lottery win through him, and she decided to reveal that for a payoff. She has since vanished, and no one has been able to find her…”

  Best friend? That had to be Lark, this must have been what he was talking about. I couldn’t resist, I needed to find out more.

  “Lark,” I called into the room. “What’s all this about? What happened?”

  “Erm…” He glanced at Meghan and Drea, clearly not wanting to discuss this in front of them. “It’s pretty much what you’ve read, and I’m sorry for it. I honestly never would’ve gone anywhere near her if I knew what was going to come of it. I didn’t mean…”

  I shook my head and smiled at him. It didn’t matter, I knew for a fact he wouldn’t do anything to harm his friend. “Okay, it’s okay. At least the mystery is solved.”

  “Just keep reading.”

  Finally, I came across the part of the story that Lark had to be referring to. It was right at the end and it was about me. My pulse raced with anticipation as I flicked my eyes over the words as rapidly as possible.

  “The woman who has been portrayed in the media as a gold digger, going after what she can get, is completely the opposite to that. Olivia is wonderful and caring, with a big heart. She fell for me without knowing anything about my lottery win, and I fell for her, too. I’ve loved her for a long time now – she very quickly became my world.

  “The sad thing is Ms. Simms took that away from me, too. Because of her actions, which I stupidly blamed Olivia for in the heat of the moment, I lost her. I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to tell her what she means to me, which is the hardest lesson I’ve ever had to learn.

  “So, yeah that’s me. In my own words.”

  I touched my cheek, feeling the tears streaming down my face. Zack loved me.

  I fell in love with him ages ago, and now I knew that he felt the same way, too. We certainly had communication issues that we had to work on, that was for sure, but I didn’t want to throw anything else away over something so silly. What we had was so much more important than that.

  “Are you going to work, Olivia?” Drea asked me cautiously. “You’re already running very late. If you don’t go soon…”

  Shit…work. I really didn’t want to go back to work right now, especially if Mike was there stirring shit up again because of this mess with Miss. Simms.

  “No, I’m not.” I pulled my cell phone out and dialed the office. The receptionist quickly picked up. “Hey, it’s Olivia, I just want to let you know that I have a family emergency today, so I can’t make it in. Sorry for the late n
otice.”

  “It’s okay. Mike has two relief therapists working today so one of them can take your patients. It won’t be a problem. See you soon, Olivia.”

  “Yeah, thanks. Bye!”

  As soon as I hung up the phone, I stared at the door across the hall. I needed to be brave. I needed to go in there and to sort things out with Zack. He needed me, I needed him, and we could make this work. Nothing else mattered – we had to give things a try.

  “Thanks, Lark,” I called out behind me. “I appreciate you bringing this to me.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  I turned to give him a really bright smile. Finally, I felt relieved and calm. This was the best thing for me. “I need to go to and speak to Zack, we need to sort this out.”

  “Oh thank goodness, I’m so relieved.” He nodded and smirked to himself. “Good luck.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Zack

  Wednesday

  My heart raced painfully in my chest as I stared towards the front door. I hoped desperately that by some miracle Olivia had seen the article and was ready to forgive me. I didn’t want to get my hopes too high just to be let down…

  But they were rocketing through the roof anyway.

  “Coming.” I leapt up and swung the door open. The red-haired beauty in front of me made my heart skip a beat. Warm relief flooded me when I saw that she didn’t look like she wanted to hit me. I searched her face, desperately searching for answers, but I couldn’t get too much from her. “Oh, Olivia, you’re here. You… You’re…”

  “Lark brought me the newspaper,” she shocked me by saying. I froze for a second, my limbs stiffened painfully. “I saw everything, it was just so…”

  I tugged her inside and closed the door behind her. We stared at each other for a few seconds before the magnets pulled us back together and we rained kisses all over each other’s faces. We couldn’t keep away from each other – I wasn’t sure why we ever thought we could.

  “I’m so sorry,” I told her in between kisses. “I didn’t mean to be such an asshole.”

  “No,” she replied, barely taking her mouth off me. “I understand why you’d think it was me. I don’t blame you for going so crazy. I should’ve been more understanding.”

  “You shouldn’t have been dragged into it-”

  “I shouldn’t have let my fears get in the way-”

  It was the silliest conversation ever. The kissing was enough for us to both understand how one another felt. We’d let external circumstances affect us, and I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t ever do that again. I had to work on my communication skills.

  “Come here, sit down.” Eventually we both crashed on the couch where we could talk a little bit more. “I’m glad that you read the article. I wasn’t sure that you would.”

  “Well, Lark sure as hell made sure of that.” Tears balled up in the corners of her eyes. “And, the words you wrote were so touching.” Her breaths fell raggedly out of her mouth. “Did you mean what you said? The bit right at the end.”

  I knew which part she meant, but I wanted to tease her for just a moment. “I meant all of it. Every word. Do you have something specific in mind?”

  “I…” I smirked at the way her cheeks blushed brightly. She was adorable; every time her face turned red I wanted to wrap her up in my arms and hold her close to my chest forever more. “I read that you love me.”

  I slid my fingers through hers and stared intensely into her eyes. “Olivia, I’ve loved you for a very long time. I’ve been falling ever since I first laid eyes on you.”

  “Actually, if I remember the first conversation you had with me, you were very grumpy. I didn’t think you liked me at all.”

  “Oh, well.” I shrugged, trying to play it down a bit. “That’s just because I was having a bad day with my leg and didn’t want to seem weak in front of you. I wanted to help you, but I couldn’t…”

  She laughed and grabbed onto my cheeks and kissed my face hard. “Well, just so you know, I love you, too. I feel exactly the same as you do.”

  I lifted her up and pulled her onto my lap. Now that everything felt much more out there between us, I wanted to kiss her all over, I wanted to solidify what we had physically – and judging by the way her hips were rolling into me, she felt exactly the same way.

  “You’re not riling me up now just to leave me and go to work, are you?” I groaned loudly. “I might explode if you do.”

  Olivia slipped off me, and for a moment, I actually thought she was about to run off, but then she slowly peeled her uniform down, revealing that soft, silky skin of hers that all I wanted to do was grab onto.

  “Oh thank God,” I moaned. “Oh God, Olivia, you’re too much.”

  She climbed back on me in just her underwear, causing me to stiffen painfully in my pants. I reached around her back to unhook her bra while she pulled my top up over my head. Then she pressed her hot flushed skin up against me and I could feel her rock hard nipples against my chest.

  She was too damn much.

  I flattened my palm on her stomach as we kissed some more and slowly slid it down into her panties. Before I even reached in to touch her, I could feel Olivia’s wetness pulsating against me. It hadn’t really been that long since we were last together, but because so much had happened, it felt like it’d been forever. I was utterly desperate to touch her.

  “Oh Zack.” As she groaned and tossed her head back, I plunged a finger into her. “Oh, that feels so good.”

  I pushed her head further away from me and bit down lightly on her neck. Her skin tasted amazing, everything about her was perfect, and I felt fit to burst with the knowledge this was the woman for me.

  I cupped my hands under her butt and lifted her up as if she weighed nothing. Then I dropped her onto the ground beneath me so I could take full control of her body. I watched her run her tongue seductively over her bottom lip as her fingers frantically tugged at my shorts, trying to pull them down. I kept myself raised above her using my strong arms.

  Once my cock sprung free, she wrapped her fingers around me and rubbed my shaft in a way that felt fucking incredible. My body buzzed and vibrated with lust, and my arms wobbled a little under the pressure to keep myself from falling.

  Olivia lifted herself up and she pressed her lips against my ear. Something about the sensation has a shiver racing up and down my spine. “What are you waiting for?” she whispered seductively. “I want you to fuck me.”

  Her hips bucked, she writhed beneath me, and fuck me, I couldn’t resist. I knew how phenomenal it felt to be inside her – she was fucking incredible.

  She fisted the rug beneath her as I slid my length into her. Her muscles constricted around me, and she fit me so tightly that I almost fucking lost it right away. I couldn’t keep hovering anymore. I collapsed to the ground and smashed my lips into Olivia’s, losing myself in the passion. I thrust harder and faster as it all became too much for me, my brain flew out the window and I buried my face into Olivia, inhaling her sweet, feminine scent.

  Knowing that I loved this woman, knowing that she loved me, too, it made this all feel so much better. We both deserved this happiness and now it felt like we were finally grabbing onto it with both hands.

  “Oh fuck, Zack,” Olivia gasped as her body bucks back violently. Her muscles clenched around me as she clung to me as if I was the only thing keeping her to the Earth. “Oh God, I love you.”

  Fucking hell… Those words caused the hot bliss to explode from me harder and faster than I expected. I shuddered, I clenched, and everything heated me up and escaped me all at once.

  “I love you, too, Olivia,” I panted breathlessly. “Fucking hell, I love you so much.”

  Once we collapsed on the rug next to one another, deflated but very happy, I clasped my hand around hers once more. I’d hoped that the article would work, but I didn’t totally expect it to. The fact that it had brought Olivia back to me in such an epic way was amazing.

  I co
uldn’t stop looking at Olivia, seeing her was like finding the most amazing future I could ever hope for.

  “You do know you’re phone’s beeping, don’t you?” she asked me with a giggle. “It’s been going off for ages.”

  “It has?” I grabbed it and stared at the screen. “Oh, it’s Lark. He wants to know if we are interested in going out for breakfast. Apparently Meghan’s starving and wrapping him tightly around his little finger.”

  “Oh God, is she?” Olivia rolled her eyes and pushed herself upright. “Shall we? I mean, I’ve cancelled going in to work now, so we might as well.”

  “Yeah, sounds good. What will this be, our second date? Third?”

  “I think we’re beyond all of that now,” she laughed. “I honestly have no idea.”

  She threw her clothes back on quickly and did her best to smooth down her hair. Her post-sex hair, her make-up free face, and her sweet natural smile made her look absolutely amazing. She was even more beautiful with no effort than she was all done up.

  “I’m going to go back and change out of my uniform. Come over if you want?”

  I followed Olivia across to her apartment and gave Lark a thumbs up as we went inside. I’d tell him later how grateful I was for his intervention, it truly sped things up. Olivia and I were so clearly meant to be, we would’ve found our way back together eventually, but I still loved him for making it happen quickly.

  “Are we going out?” Meghan asked excitedly. “I’m so hungry.”

  “Yes, we are.” I gave her a loving smile. The fact that Olivia still allowed me in her daughter’s life after everything was the most touching thing of them all. “Are you excited?”

  “I am. Can I put on my batman costume?”

  “Of course, you can,” I chuckled. “That sounds awesome. I would love to see your Batman costume.”

  Olivia raced into her bedroom to get dressed, leaving me with Drea and Lark. Luckily, they’d already spent some time together so it wasn’t too awkward because they had a lot to say to one another. Also luckily, Olivia didn’t take long. She didn’t fuss with her hair and face, she simply slipped into something a little more comfortable for the day, and she looked incredible for it.