Oceans Collide

by M. A. de Olmos

  I knew Livie was in pain, but I had no idea how deep that pain ran. Now, I was starting to understand how Ocean felt about Stormie his twin sister. The feeling that I had to protect, encourage, love, and simply make her happy, was the same way Ocean treated his sister. Livie was a strong woman, but she needed something… she needed someone to help her. I was hoping that she needed me, because fuck, did I need her in my life. Not as my girlfriend, fuck buddy, or anything else. I just needed Livie… as my Sunshine.

  I think I could say that I needed help, too, given how I attacked her for trying to stop me. Livie’s pain was very different from mine, though. She carried it with her every second of her days, and it haunted her dreams. As long as she was with me, I would give and do anything to keep her safe, even from herself, if that were the case. She was my Sunshine and I had to protect my Sunshine. The thought of Ocean popped into my head again, and I decided once we got up in the morning that I’d give him a call. Tomorrow has got to be a better fucking day!

  As soon as I pulled into my driveway, I cut the engine and just held onto my Sunshine. My phone chirped, and I pulled it out of my back pocket. I can’t believe it was midnight already. Time flew by when I was with Sunshine. I had one text from my mom.

  Mom ~ Law pls call me when u get this. I saw u and Livie in the parking lot by the time. I got there u were gone. CALL ME. LOVE YOU!

  Me ~ hey mom. I’m kool. Livie calmed me down. Getting ready for bed c u in the A.M. LOVE U 2

  Mom ~ k. c u in the a.m.

  I put the phone back in my back pocket, and I looked down at Livie who was sleeping like champ. She was knocked out. Thank god that she wasn’t a light sleeper. I carefully picked her up. She stirred a little bit when I got to my feet, but she never woke up. Man, she felt so tiny in my arms. She reminded me of my mom—short, small, and packed one hell of a punch. Opening the front door with my right hand, I stepped inside and closed the door gently behind us with my foot.

  I made my way straight to my bedroom and laid her on my bed. It was a California King, and she looked like a tiny jellybean all curled up in the middle of it. I went to my closet, brought out a light comforter, and snuggled her under it. I kicked off my shoes next to the bed and plopped down on the floor with my head resting against my bed. With my head in my hands, I pulled on my hair trying to think of what I was going to do. Think, Law, think. I needed to figure this shit out. There was no way in hell I was letting that bastard of a father I had take away this house. It was the only thing my mother had left that was a part of both of our lives. The asshole took everything else.

  Ocean… I needed to call Ocean. I got up, taking a quick glance at Sunshine, who was still out cold. She looked so peaceful and calm. Her hair was fanned all over the pillow, and she was hugging the covers as if her life depended on it. I leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead. I walked out of my room gently closing the door behind me and made my way to the pull out sofa in the media room down the hall. I took off my shirt and pants and tossed them on the floor next to the sofa. Mom was going to give me hell for that when she got home, but right about now, that was the least of my worries. I flopped backwards onto the mattress and pulled up Ocean’s number. The last time we talked, shit didn’t go so well, but I knew I could still count on him. I knew he was still the only other person besides my mom, and now Sunshine, that I could always count on. I needed him here for me, so I was going to swallow my pride and tell him to get his sorry ass down here!

  Chapter Fourteen

  Livie

  “Sunshine… wake up, Sunshine. It’s morning, and you need to get up.” I knew it was Law speaking to me but I didn’t want to open my eyes. My head was throbbing, and my back felt like I had been used for slamming practice. The smell of men’s Irish Springs soap filled my nostrils and from all the noise Law was making around me, I figured I was in his house sleeping in his bed. “Sunshine, get up.” I felt the weight of the bed shift down next to me. I quickly filtered through the previous night’s events, and most importantly, my breakdown. God, I cannot believe I let myself get like that. I was doing okay until I heard him call me Livie. Something in my heart snapped and the floodgates opened allowing everything I was holding in to violently flow out. He probably thought I was a freak and couldn’t wait to get rid of me.

  I could feel his breath on my face. I squeezed my eyes tight, not wanting to open them just yet, and his laughter surrounded my senses. “Come on, Sunshine, I know you’re awake. You can’t hide from me, especially sense you’re in my bed and all.” My left knee came up to hit him, but he jumped off. I opened my eyes rubbing them violently. I sat up slowly and breathed in hard as my back started to ache.

  “Did you happen to run me over with your truck last night? My back is killing me.”

  “Oh, about that, Sunshine,” he said sitting back on the bed close enough to the edge to make a clean getaway if he needed to. “I’m sorry, Sunshine, I really am. You have no idea how bad it hurt me when I realized what I did to you.” He turned his head to face the wall. I reached out to him placing my hand on his shoulder, and he was shaking. “Law, please don’t. You did warn me shit was about to get rough, and you asked me not to leave. What happened last night... that was me not leaving. It was me fighting with you not against you.” He turned to look at me, and the smile in his eyes was coming back.

  “You mean that, Sunshine? You still want to go through whatever this is with me? You still think you want to work with me?” he asked sheepishly.

  “Of course, I do. Sorry, dude, this crazy chick ain’t going anywhere. You got rid of one crazy bitch only to gain another,” I said laughing but stopping short when my temples started to throb painfully.

  “I’d take on your kind of crazy over anything else, Sunshine.” Be careful what you wish for, pal.

  “Has your mom come home yet? Oh my god, she probably thinks I’m a loose whore for sleeping in your bed!” I began to panic scrambling to get off his bed. When I looked at Law’s face, he was frowning and looked a little pissed.

  “There is absolutely nothing loose or whorish about you, so don’t fucking talk like that!” I looked down at the carpet and bit my tongue. “I have something I need to talk to you about, but first we need to get you to your hotel. I want you to have breakfast. Then there is someone I want you to meet; someone who is going to be spending quite a lot of time with us.” I went to open my mouth to ask who but he cut me off. “I’m not talking until you shower, call our dad, and then we’re having breakfast with our special guest. So don’t ask me shit, because I’m not talking, okay?”

  “You sure you’re an only child? You sure are bossy!”

  “Thanks for the compliment. I love those. Come on, let’s get you to the hotel. We’ve got a lot of shit to work out,” he said over his shoulder as he walked out of his room. I took the time to really look at my surroundings, and his room was really neat compared to what I would have imagined. Either he was a clean freak, or he cleaned up a lot while I was sleeping. His Crown Victorian California King reminded me of those gladiator movies. The design and intricacies of the artwork was beautiful and the cream color of the stained wood gave it a really classy look. The walls were painted a warm tan color that was offset by the cream-colored carpet. He didn’t have many accessories in his room, but it was a nice room.

  “LIVIE!” There he goes with the fucking name!

  “Don’t call me that,” I screamed as I stormed out of his bedroom toward the living room. As I turned the sharp corner to give him a rather large piece of my mind for calling me by my birth name, I tripped over my own feet and collided with a body. Only this body wasn’t Law’s. I felt the distinction instantly. This massive rock hard frame sent chills through my entire body and had my womb vibrating in a way I had never experienced before. I’ve pleasured myself, but this was a thousand times more intense. “Hey, slow down, Zena.” The voice spoke to me, and I swear I was about to have a massive orgasm right there.

  The strangers’ strong and
beautifully built arms came up as he steadied me with his hands on my shoulders. The current that was racing through my body jacked up a million fucking notches. Since my off the shoulder top was hanging dangerously low, the skin-to-skin contact was making me dizzy. I squeezed my knees together to fight for some form of control over my pussy.

  I looked up at the stranger who was also the same height as Law at about six foot two, maybe three. His tan was perfect defining his sharp jaw and facial features. His eyes were a warm milk chocolate brown that looked like they were rippling with deep sprinkles of green. His lips, oh my god, his lips. He had those Tom Hardy lips that a girl just wanted to kiss, bite, suck, nip, and just do dirty things to. The right side of his mouth turned up into a smirk, and the leaky faucet between my thighs finally sprung a massive panty-drenching leak. This gorgeous man standing in front of me looked like the best of Stephen Amell, Jon Ryan, Alex Pettyfer, and Tom Hardy all rolled up into one fucking dangerous beast.

  His shoulders were wide and broad, and would certainly be great for boxing. His torso reminded me of Law’s, long, lean, and well defined. He had on a black, fitted T that was stretching to the max over his sculpted muscles, and his dark denim Abercrombie jeans were dangerously low showing off the tips of his boxer briefs. “You okay, Zena?” The deep voice asked again. Even his voice was too sexy to be legal. It sounded bad enough to be bottled up and sold as an illegal substance. It was deep and rumbled as he rolled the words off those juicy lips. Shaking my head to clear away the spell that I had allowed myself to be pulled under, I looked up into his eyes.

  “The names Livie not, Zena, and you are?” I didn’t mean to sound so bitchy but no one in the history of my life had been able to bring out that strong of a reaction from me, and my lady parts before. Virgin lady parts, at that!

  “I know. I heard you yelling at Law for calling you Livie, so is there something I’m missing?” he asked me as he leaned forward causing me to take an awkward step back. What the hell, I never backed down from anyone! This sexy son of a bitch was pissing me off.

  “I don’t care what you heard. To you, it’s Livie, and to Law, it’s Sunshine! You don’t need to know why, and I don’t care to share why. Don’t call me Zena again!”

  “I see you two have met,” I heard Law say from the hallway. The frown on his face, and the way he was staring down this stranger, put me at ease a little. He caught my gaze and winked at me. “Sunshine, this here arrogant douche bag is my cousin, Ocean Nathanial Hawthorne.”

  I looked between the two and instantly recognized the resemblance. “So, Ocean, if you’re done harassing Sunshine, can we please get going?” Taking one last look at them both, I squared my shoulders and walked toward the front door. I didn’t hear them behind me, so I quickly opened the front door and stepped outside.

  What I saw in front of me made me roll my eyes. Of course, I’d already seen and gotten used to Law’s huge Ford Raptor, but now I had to deal with a sexy asshole that drove around in a Range Rover Sport. It was also customized to the max. The paint job was that metallic grey that looked dull in the light, but oh so sexy at night. The wheels matched the metallic grey color, as well. It was simple looking actually, everything matched in color. I heard the door open behind me as I braced myself for another emotionally, and sexually charged attack on my heart and body.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ocean

  It didn’t take too long before my guilt starting eating away at me. I wanted to be there for Law and his mom. Hell, he wasn’t just my cousin, but was more like my brother, and Aunt Layla was more of mother to me than anything or anyone else. After Stormie died, I couldn’t train, fight, or do anything right anymore, so my dad dragged my dysfunctional ass to Virginia to start over. Once mom up and left us, well, I broke down again. I started using coke heavy, and once Law found out, he came up and admitted me into a rehab facility. I hated him for it at the time, but it was like that with us. He always steered me in the right direction when he felt me slipping. I never thanked him for what he did, so I felt like shit, but I wouldn’t let myself miss this opportunity.

  I pulled out my phone and called my dad. So what if it was two in the morning? He’ll live. “Son, you okay?” his groggy voice said on the other end. He always had to think the worst, which hurt my feelings a little.

  “Yeah, Dad, I’m cool. Just wanted to let you know I’m coming with you… if that’s cool with you?” He was silent for a minute.

  “You couldn’t wait until morning to tell me this shit.”

  “Nope, Dad, you know I’m ADD like that. Hey, Dad?”

  “What, Ocean, I want to go back to sleep. My yoga instructor came over after you left and …”

  “Dad, don’t! I don’t need to hear that shit! I was going to ask if we can leave now.” He was silent again.

  “I’ll call the airline and get the plane ready. I’ll come pick you up in an hour and, son?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re doing the right thing.” He hung up, and I got up off the bed to get my duffle bag together. I was a light traveler.

  My dad came to pick me up exactly an hour after we spoke. He was always a punctual man. I guess he traveled so much with me for my fights and training that he still hadn’t lost that since of urgency when it came to traveling. My cell phone went off and my dad frowned when Lil Wayne’s Steady Mobbin Song started blaring from my iPhone. I couldn’t help but laugh. Pulling out the phone, I recognized the number instantly. It was a number I pulled up at least twenty times a day to call but never did. Nervously, I answered the call.

  “Law?” There was silence on the other end, but I could hear his erratic breathing.

  “Hey, Ocean… I didn’t think you would be up so late or early, or whatever. If you’re busy, I can call you back.”

  Uh oh, the man sounded nervous and rambling. This wasn’t good. “Naw, man you’re good. I’m actually glad you called. What’s up?” I heard him breathe out trying to calm himself.

  “I really don’t know all the details, but my dad is trying to take the house from my mom. I’m not sure if Unk knows but something is going on with mom, and I’m worried. I… I know we haven’t talked shit out, but I need my brother.”

  Hearing him breakdown on the other end, made me want to visit his father personally and beat the shit out of him, and then let Law get his own beat down in. “I know, Law. Dad told me something was up last night, and we are on our way to Dunlap now. For the record, you kind of saved my life sending me to rehab, so let that shit go, bro. We don’t have anything to work out. You’re still and will always be my brother.” I heard the relief in his voice as he spoke and I couldn’t wait to get to Dunlap.

  “Um, there’s also something else. There’s this girl, and her name is Livie and she is… she’s something else, man. She’s a fighter and came to my studio looking for a job, and I fucking hired her after she put me on my ass twice.” I busted out laughing imagining a chick putting him anywhere, and especially on his ass. “I know, right? I never thought I’d see the day, but this woman is special, Ocean.”

  “So you planning on marrying her or something?” I asked still cracking up.

  “No, man… it’s not like that. I mean, she has a fucking hot little body, and her face is so fucking exotic. I can’t lie that when I first saw her I wanted to fuck her right then, but things changed somehow. She’s hiding from something… she’s hurt and I can’t do that to her. I… I feel the way you felt about Stormie. I have to protect her… keep her safe.” The laughter left my face and my heart started hammering in my chest.

  “I don’t mean to bring her up, man. You know I loved her like my own sister. Ocean, this girl is special, and we have to protect her. You okay with that?” I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I wanted to say okay, because I could feel the raw honesty coming from Law about this girl. But, the other part of me, the damaged and conflicted part of me, knew I couldn’t even protect my own sister from dying, so how the hell was I going to prote
ct some random girl. I clenched the phone in my hand.

  “I can’t make any promises about the girl, but I’m here for you, Law. I gotta go. See you in a few hours.”

  “See ya, thanks, man.”

  “Yeah, bye.”

  For the rest of the ride, my body was on autopilot. My brain was going a million miles a minute trying to comprehend what Law was really trying to tell me about this chick. What could be so special about one girl, and why wasn’t he claiming her for himself if she were that special to him? It isn’t like Law to give any woman other than his mom any piece of his heart. The way he was freaking out about this girl, he had me fucking scared. By the time we boarded my dad’s private plane, I slumped into the nearest seat, fastened the belt, and closed my eyes. Flying always had a calming effect on me, and I was happy for it right about now.

  ***

  I was thankful for the short flight because I really couldn’t wait to see Aunt Layla again. Law asked me if I could meet him at the Starbucks downtown for breakfast but screw it. I didn’t bring my sorry ass all the way here to eat breakfast. I jumped in my Range that I had requested be ready for me at the airport and started my drive toward Law’s house. No fucking way was I waiting.

  As I pulled up into his driveway, I saw his badass new truck. It was sweet but not better than my range. I took another long look at it, but then shook my head. Nah, no fuckin way. My nerves were getting the best of me, so I pushed my door open slammed it behind me and practically ran to the front door. I was getting ready to knock but then thought better of it. Shit, at one time, I practically lived here, and I still felt like I did. So I did what I thought best and walked right it.