Chapter Twelve
WILL
Thanks to Olivia, the event looked more like an opening at an art gallery than a ribbon-cutting. Music filled the air but didn’t interfere with people having conversations. Servers buzzed around, refilling drinks and offering gourmet refreshments.
I’d been going nonstop all week, and tonight felt like the culmination of many things. After months of hard work and a pile of my money invested, Olivia and her brothers were one step closer to making their dreams a reality. After spending the past several days poring over every page of fine print I could get my hands on at Reilly Donovan Capital, I could appreciate the Bridge siblings’ hard-won milestone even more.
I’d officially filled my father’s shoes. Even though I stood by my choice, every day my own dreams seemed a little further away than they’d been before I’d taken on the position. The lawyers were drawing up the papers, and in a few days I’d become the official CEO of the company, my fate sealed for the foreseeable future.
I didn’t have much choice though. As predicted, the news of my father’s indictment had dropped like a bombshell on the company. And, as promised, I had been there to field every call. The investors were angry, and the lock-up period on their investments pissed them off more, but it was the only lifeline I had. Nothing was certain, but I made promises I hoped I could keep—significant structural changes, attractive investment opportunities, and a future of stability and growth. I schmoozed and sugarcoated every morsel of good news I could until I felt like I had a handle on all the major players.
I had six months to deliver. But Frank Bridge was right. It wasn’t a lot of time to work with.
His advice had been sound. Reilly was undoubtedly a scumbag. Deep down, even my father knew it. Perhaps that had made him a shrewd and valuable business partner in their line of work, but a man whose morals were so askew had no place near the fund. I had to get him out, but I wasn’t sure exactly how yet.
As I ruminated on that, Olivia’s parents walked through the doors, their rigid figures clear through the flawless glass wall that separated the entrance from the rest of the building. As if immediately sensing their presence, Olivia went to them. I couldn’t hear their words, but even across the room, I could sense the unease. Olivia’s tense smile, her mother’s stiff posture, her father’s gaze shifting around the room like he’d prefer to be somewhere else.
I made quick strides toward them and held out my hand. “Frank, good to see you again.”
“Will.” He accepted it, shaking my hand firmly, but his expression revealed nothing.
“Oh, Will. I’m Diane, Olivia’s mother.”
Diane was Olivia’s height, with short silver hair and a severe glare under her forced smile. I answered with a warm one, determined to melt the ice queen who had produced the most amazing woman I’d ever met.
“It’s a pleasure, Diane. So glad you could make it.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it,” she said, her lips forming a thin line, making me doubt her sincerity.
I had a feeling she wasn’t brimming with pride when it came to her sons’ career choices. Even I questioned why they’d take my money over their parents’ when it was so readily available, but I’d come to respect them more for it. I wouldn’t want to be operating under Frank Bridge any more than I wanted to operate under my father. Even if I’d been tasked with cleaning up the mess from his epic failure, at least I was working with some autonomy now, an option that had never been open to me before.
“Let me show you around, Mom.” Olivia hooked her arm with her mother’s, effectively splitting us up.
Diane lifted a flute of champagne off a passing tray and watched with a bored look as her daughter showed her around the facility. Frank lingered by my side, watching as I did.
“Her mother expects perfection,” he said flatly.
I lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t?”
He slid his gaze to me and then back to the humming crowd. “I expect it from you, not her. I want her taken care of, but I also want to see her smiling. My sons are intent on doing things the hard way, but at the end of the day, they seem satisfied. I hate to admit it, but she’s happier here with them than she was working for me.”
“She deserves happiness.”
He answered with a nod. “She and Diane don’t always agree, but they’re very close. Olivia may not need her approval, but she’ll want it.”
I smiled, because it masked my irritation well. “Let me guess. I haven’t been approved.”
“You’ll have Diane’s approval when you have mine.”
I nodded, hating that I was in a position to prove myself to him.
“How’s it going with Reilly?” His question was a sharp reminder of the absurd timeline he’d given me.
Tick tock. Apparently he was going to hold me to it.
“I’m meeting with him this week,” I answered tightly.
“And your other investors?”
“They’re not happy. No surprise. I managed to talk most everyone down, but you’re right. Reilly did most of the fundraising, and they’re ready to slit his throat. If he goes, we may have a chance.”
“And your father?”
I stared down at my shoes a second, remembering the last few incoherent conversations I’d had with him.
“He doesn’t love the idea of giving up his shares to me, but I’m going to talk to him about it again. As soon as he’s done emptying the liquor cabinet, anyway.”
Frank finally cracked a smile. “Rough week.”
“You have no idea.”
“Get used to it, or give it up. You’ll have plenty more like this one.” He squeezed my shoulder before moving into the crowd in the direction of Diane and Olivia.
The gesture both irked and comforted me. We didn’t exactly have a rapport, but I had an odd feeling he was rooting for me, even if he was holding a fucking hammer over my head.
When Olivia returned, I breathed a sigh of relief. She was a slice of heaven at the end of an otherwise harrowing week. I threaded my fingers with hers and bent to kiss her. Her brothers might want to crush me for it, but I didn’t give a damn. I missed the woman fiercely.
She leaned into me, accepting the unexpected display of affection in a crowded room of family and coworkers.
“I missed you,” I murmured against her sweet lips.
When she smiled, her beauty radiated. “I missed you more.”
“You’re beautiful, Olivia. Absolutely breathtaking. I don’t think I tell you that enough.”
She straightened my collar with a smirk. “When you don’t tell me, you show me. Often.”
“Not often enough. I want you in my bed every night, and you’re not there.”
Her cheeks took on a pink glow. “Neither are you, Mr. CEO.”
I scowled, reminded of the long hours I had kept this week.
She sifted her fingers through my hair, seeming content for now with this stolen moment. “How are things going with work anyway?”
I shook my head. “Tonight’s your night. I don’t want to talk about all that.”
Worry wrinkled her brow. “Is this what you really want to do, Will? I hate seeing you stressed over all this.”
Of course not.
“Doesn’t matter what I want. It’s what I have to do. I’ve come to terms with that, and I’ve made the commitment. Now I’ve got to see it through.”
She sighed and seemed to study me, captivating me with her cool blue gaze. “I’m proud of you. I know this isn’t going to be easy for you, but if anyone can make this right, it’s you. And even when it takes you away, I’ll be here.”
I’d taken on this challenge thinking I was doing it for my father. But in this moment, I knew I was doing it for her. Because I couldn’t lose her. I didn’t need her family’s approval, but having it would make her life easier, and I wanted that for her.
If I could follow through on this, after a year or two, I’d be pulling down enough money that I’d never
need to do it again. I was more than comfortable, but running the fund successfully would significantly pad my already healthy income and secure future investments. If Frank Bridge was worried that Olivia wouldn’t be taken care of, I’d guarantee she’d want for nothing. If I had to, I’d work day and night to make sure of it.
I twisted a strand of her hair between my fingertips, wishing we had more time, preferably alone. I regretted the crowd of people around us now and the obligations that stole away moments like these. Private moments that could lead to more pleasure than I’d expected to find in a woman.
“Can I beckon you?” I teased, but I was serious too. With my obligations mounting, I wanted her when I wanted her.
“Yes, you can beckon me. I may even come on my knees.”
Her sly smile seduced me in a heartbeat. Her eyes glittered with mischief and heat.
I pulled her close and kissed her again, unable to hold back. “I love you, beyond all reason. Do you know that?”
She softened against me. “I love you too, Will. Beyond all reason.”
IAN
Will’s limbs twined possessively, almost indecently, with Liv’s. Their bodies were close, leaving no doubt that they were together. A couple.
I watched from a distance, regretting that I didn’t have a shift at work to save me from attending the event. Instead, I was being forced to pretend like I barely knew the woman who’d effectively brought me to my knees.
No one here knew it, but I was closer to her than I’d ever been to another woman. Olivia Bridge called to me. Not just her body, soft and giving, fitting perfectly around mine. But her mind…her heart. The soul of her that reached into the soul of me.
Our night at the studio was permanently embedded in my mind. Every second. Watching her paint, entranced by the act, a feeling I knew all too well. Then baring my grief to her. It was uncomfortable and painful, but after the pain came a kind of solace that I hadn’t known before. She was a welcome and unexpected salve on a year of unresolved emotions. No one had gotten that close to me before. I didn’t expect anyone would again.
Will was fighting his own war. I’d known him long enough to see how the stress of his father’s troubled company weighed on him, now more than ever. And I recognized that his connection with Liv was strengthening every day. He needed her the way I was beginning to need her.
I was lost in that thought when Darren arrived at my side.
“Hey.” He wasn’t smiling. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” I frowned, irritated that his presence was taking my focus away from the woman whose presence seemed to demand all of it.
“Want to tell me why you’re eye-fucking my sister?”
I held my jaw tight, biting down on the truth and resisting the urge to call him out with the truth.
Staring at his sister? I’d been inside his sister, deep in her tight heat. I’d held her in my arms and felt her heartbeat fly after a screaming orgasm. I’d tasted her sweet mouth and the honey between her thighs. And I’d pay a dear price to be experiencing any of those sensations again right now.
The harder truth was that I could have her every way she’d let me, but I’d never be able to call her mine.
I had no words for Darren. I wasn’t about to apologize, and I wasn’t going to lie. One thing was certain though. I didn’t belong here.
Even though it was dangerous, I left Darren and approached Liv.
She turned from Will when I said her name. Her blue eyes were bright and soft when they met my mine.
“I’m leaving. I just wanted to say good-bye and congratulate you. Everything looks amazing. You guys did a great job.”
A small smile lifted her lips. “Thanks, Ian. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” I lied. “Enjoy the night, Liv. You deserve it.”
She frowned. Before she could say more, I turned and made quick strides toward the door. Once outside, the night air rushed into my lungs. I headed in the direction of the apartment. The weather was mild, and a walk would do me good.
“Ian. Wait.”
I slowed and turned toward Liv’s voice. When she caught up with me, she grabbed my hand, as if that could keep me from getting the hell out of there as quick as I could.
Her touch sent a jolt of electricity through me. That magnetic force between us couldn’t be ignored.
“What’s wrong? You seemed upset in there.”
I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to pull her tight against me and kiss her breathless. “It’s nothing, Liv. I’m just going to have to get used to being on the sidelines. It’s a hard pill to swallow when I feel the way I do about you.”
Her lips parted and pain washed over her expression. I began to step away, but she wouldn’t let go, pulling me back by sheer will.
“Did someone say something?”
My jaw tightened when I remembered Darren’s accusation. “I couldn’t take my eyes off you tonight. Darren noticed. My first instinct was to tell him to fuck off, but that would have been easier to do if I could say you were mine. But you’re not.”
She was silent a moment, her grasp tightening around my hand. “You know that’s not true, Ian.”
I laughed and shook my head. “You’re mine behind closed doors, Liv. I’m grateful for every minute with you, but the rest of the world will never know what you mean to me. You’re with Will. That’s what the world thinks.”
“Who cares what the rest of the world thinks?”
“You’d care if I kissed you in there the way I want to right now. If I put my hands on you like you belonged to me. I can’t even fucking look at you without your brother getting on my ass. How am I supposed to be with you like this?”
She came closer, pressing herself against my torso. Relieved, I held her to me, but my chest ached. Having her in my arms again was bittersweet. It didn’t solve everything. I hadn’t expected to feel so possessive when it came to having her, but things were becoming too slanted. That she could be seen with Will while I could barely glance her way wasn’t ever going to sit right with me.
But she hadn’t asked for this arrangement. This wasn’t her fault. I buried my nose in her hair, breathing in her scent and embracing her warmth against me.
“I’m sorry. Tonight is supposed to be about you and your brothers. I just wasn’t expecting it to be so hard to keep my distance.”
“I’m here now,” she whispered.
I shook my head, because it wasn’t enough. With anyone else, it would have been too much.
“I don’t know why I can’t stay away from you, Liv. But if it were up to me, I’d never let you go.”
I was losing my mind over her. I should have cared that being with her was turning me into someone I hardly recognized. Except I didn’t. The only thing that mattered was claiming her in any way I could right now.
I tipped her chin up so I could take her mouth. Soft sweeps of my tongue met hers. My cock thickened, and desire flowed thick in my veins. She owned me, and somehow I had to accept that the rest of the world would never know it.
While I delved into her mouth, I molded my palm to her ass and pressed her against my arousal. The helpless sound she made offered no relief. It only stirred up my aching need. She curved her palms around my nape, lifting herself higher and closer, pulling me further down into my desire. I was ready to fuck her against the building, given the chance.
“What the hell is going on here?”
I broke away from her lips at the sound of Darren’s approaching voice. He stalked closer, hands balled into tight fists. The look in his eyes was murderous.
OLIVIA
I jolted at the sound of Darren’s voice. As he came toward us, my racing pulse thundered in my ears. Panic mixed with the rush of desire Ian’s embrace had inspired.
Fuck.
I stood frozen in Ian’s arms. Putting distance between us wouldn’t do any good, because Darren had likely seen enough. And the wild look in his eyes made me want to keep a barrier betwee
n him and the man I was falling hard and fast for.
The door to the building swung open, and seconds later, Cameron was beside him, his thick arms crossed over his chest in a defensive pose. I cursed inwardly and stood beside Ian, our hands intertwined, creating some semblance of a united front against the wrath that I knew was coming.
“Answer me.” Darren’s angry gaze was fastened to Ian.
“I don’t have to answer to you.” Ian’s low tone was laced with an undercurrent of frustration that I worried was seconds from coming to the surface.
“Like hell you don’t. Get your fucking hands off my sister.”
I bristled. “Darren, stop it. You’re going to make a scene.”
“Make a scene? You’re outside the ribbon-cutting playing grab ass with this motherfucker.”
The muscles in his jaw flexed. The door swung open and Will emerged, followed by Vanessa and Maya. I cursed a thousand more times to myself. I resisted the urge to escape back inside. Instead, I held my place by Ian.
Not being able to show the world that we were together had gotten us here in the first place. Even as it pained me to see him upset, I knew there wasn’t an easy solution.
We’d all been honest with each other, open with our fears and our desires. And the second we found ourselves in public, we had to start living a lie. I didn’t blame Ian for being upset, and even though Darren was being a hothead, I didn’t entirely blame him for being confused.
“Hey, is everything okay?” Maya touched Cameron’s shoulder, but he didn’t move or acknowledge her.
Darren shook his head, glanced to Will, and then back to Ian and me. “I thought you were here with Will. What the hell are you doing with Ian?”
Vanessa stood a few paces away from Darren, like she was worried about getting caught in the crossfire. “Darren, let’s go back inside.”
“Vanessa’s right. We should let Will and Liv figure this out.” Cameron spoke quietly, but his voice seemed to silence everyone else. Except Darren.
“I told you to stay away from her. You didn’t hear me?” He pointed angrily at Ian, but he didn’t flinch.
Over the Edge: The Bridge Series: Book Three Page 14