“I know, Dad. I’m sorry, but the trip to Boston was exhausting. Law had a hard time with everything, and well, let’s just say, I’m glad to be back in Dunlap.”
“So, are you going to tell me who he is?”
My heart skipped multiple beats, and I could feel my face growing red and hot.
“What are you talking about, Dad?”
“Kid, you can’t fool this old man. You’re happy, Livie. I can see it in your eyes, and you’re smiling like you’ve just hit the Powerball.” I laughed at my dad.
“It’s that obvious, huh?”
“You remind me of your mother when we met. Her smile could light up the entire universe.”
“Your entire universe,” I corrected him, and he just smiled back. “You okay, Dad? You look really tired. Is something going on?” “Everything’s fine, kid. Just worry about yourself. I have to get going, but there is a package waiting for you at the front desk, and I’ll give you a call later on tonight, okay, kid?”
“Yeah, okay, Dad. I love you, Clooney. You would tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”
“You know I would, kid. I love you always, kid. Talk to you soon.” I waived goodbye and closed the laptop. Something was wrong. The last time he looked so run down was when he left my mom and when she died. Any other time, he always looked polished and sharp in his business suits. I looked around the suite and decided I should start packing things up. When Ocean and Law would get back, I’d have them help with finding my new apartment.
I walked over to the desk phone and rang the front desk.
“Yes, Miss Acosta, how may I help you?”
“I believe I have a package waiting for me. Can you please have someone run it up to me?”
“Of course, right away.”
“Thank you.” My curiosity was getting the better of me, and I wanted to know what my dad had sent. Minutes later, there was a knock at the door. I looked through the peep whole and it was Peter. I opened the door, excited to see a familiar face.
“Peter! How have you been?”
“Hey Livie, I’ve been good. Glad to see you’re back. We’ve missed having you around. The guys from the gym miss watching you work out,” he said laughing, and I couldn’t help but join him.
“Oh, here, this came for you last night.” I grabbed the thick manila envelope, and immediately recognized my dad’s girly handwriting.
“Thanks, Peter.” I gave him a quick hug, and in that moment, I saw both Law and Ocean step out of the elevator, and Ocean did not look like a happy camper. Shit!
As he stalked his way toward us, I pulled back a little too awkwardly, and Peter followed my gaze. He swallowed loudly, and I seriously felt sorry for the kid. Ocean raised his eyebrows at me, and his mouth turned into a sideways grin that had him looking so fuckable right then. As the guys got closer, I turned to Peter. “Thanks for bringing up my package, Peter. I’ll see you around. I’ll probably be checking out for good in a day or so.”
“Yeah, no problem, Liv.” Ocean walked right up to me and weaseled himself behind me and my room door.
He brought his arms around me, moved my hair off my neck, and kissed me in his favorite spot. Peter looked at him rolling his eyes, and I could have died laughing, but I didn’t dare move.
“See you around then,” were Peter’s last words as he turned and walked toward the elevators. Passing by Law, they exchanged a couple words and high fived each other. Weird.
“I leave you for a couple hours, and you have guys lining up at your door.” Oceans deep voice rumbled against my earlobe.
“Down boy.” I said laughing. “Peter was just bringing up the package from my dad that I called for earlier, relax.”
“Oh, baby, I’m relaxed, but you on the other hand, are tense as hell. You need me to loosen you up?” I dug my elbow into his stomach, and he picked me up and stepped inside my room. Law walked in looking all extra Paul Walker cute with his fitted American Eagle polo and washed out jeans.
“Really? Come on, guys.” He was teasing, and I loved the smile that went from his perfect lips all the way up to his piercing blue eyes.
“Ocean, you need me to give you like three seconds, because that’s all you need to get the job done, isn’t it.” I busted out laughing so hard I snorted, and Law joined me in my laughing fit.
“Is that how you feel, Liv.” Ocean asked me in a serious tone, but his eyes were mischievous and up to no good. I went to turn around, but he reached out picking me up and launching me over his shoulders. He smacked my ass so hard the sound echoed in the bathroom, and the fact that I was only wearing my black leggings didn’t help much. He tossed me on the bed, and I bounced up and down like a yoyo. I couldn’t lie… when he manhandled me, it drove my body wild. If Law wasn’t there, I’m sure he would have me naked in no time, and that was fine by me.
Ocean plopped down on my bed next to where I landed. I rolled onto my stomach, and he lay back resting his head on the middle of my back. I propped my upper body up on my elbows and held my face in my hands. Law posted himself up on my dresser.
“Now that Donkey Kong over there is settled down, I need to talk to you about something, Sunshine.”
I looked at his face, and he was trying not to laugh. Okay so this isn’t bad news. I looked over my shoulder at Ocean, and he was smiling too, so I turned my attention back to Law.
“Talk about what? Is it about the studio? Is something wrong? Did something happen?” Law pushed himself off the dresser and took a seat next to me on the bed.
“Everything’s okay, Sunshine. I just have a proposal for you.”
“Which is?” I hated wasted suspense. I just wanted him to spit it out.
“Well you need to get out of her before you have to start paying for the room out of your own money, right?”
“Yeah, I was actually going to have you guys help me move my stuff out. Why?”
“Well, I need to move out of mom’s house, and Ocean needs to find a place now that he’s going to be my business partner.” I looked between the two again and frowned. “Sunshine, you’re moving in with us!”
My face lost all expression and emotion. I couldn’t move in with them… what if I got caught cutting… what if Ocean and I got into a fight…
“Sunshine, so what do you say? Will you move in with me and Ocean?” I felt Ocean sit up behind me. I didn’t know what to think, and I damn sure didn’t know what to say.
“Sunshine, I know you’re probably scared, but it’ll be okay. We need you around, and if you’re going to be the assistant manager, you’ll practically be around us 24/7 anyway.
“About three blocks away from the studio, there are these new sweet condos, and they’re huge. There’s more than enough room for all of us. Mackenzie actually co-owns the development, and it’s amazing, Sunshine, and you’ll love it. I already signed the lease for the first year, and it’s a three bedroom. Each room has basically a master suite with its own master bath, so you’ll have your privacy.” He looked at Ocean and smiled. “Well, you’ll have your privacy from me, anyway.”
I stared at him and once I processed everything, he said, I let my face fall into the mattress.
“I’ll give you sometime to make up your mind. Just let Ocean know when you decide.” He leaned down and kissed me on the head. “See you guys later,” he said as he walked out of my room.
“So, what do say, Liv? Will you move in with us?” I turned my face to the side on the mattress so that I could breathe again.
“I don’t know, Ocean. I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’ve never lived with anyone else, and I just… I don’t know.”
“Can I convince you to say yes?” Ocean slowly moved his hands up along the back of my legs all the way up to my hips and gripped them tight.
“What if things don’t work out… I mean with me? What if you get tired of me, or I mess up and do something bad?”
“You mean what if you get caught cutting?” He hooked his fingers underneath the wa
ist of my leggings and started to pull them down slowly.
Breathless I replied. “Yeah.”
“Liv, we aren’t going to heal overnight. I don’t expect you to be perfect. I know how hard it is, but you just have to try. You have to try to trust in us. Trust in me, Liv. We care about you, Liv. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“That’s just it, Ocean. You’re not responsible for me, and I’m not okay with you and Law babysitting me. It’s not fair to either of you.” My leggings where now down to my knees.
“Baby, we’re grown men, and if we want to take care of you, then that’s exactly what we’re gong to do.” He slid my leggings along with my laced boy shorts off. He positioned himself behind me. “Sit up, Liv.” I obeyed and rocked back onto my knees. When my back hit his bare chest, he lifted my t-shirt off and unhooked my bra. As he tossed my clothes onto the floor, I looked at my naked reflection in the mirror of the dresser right in front of my bed. Ocean caught me starring, and his hands came around my body caressing my flat belly with one hand and rubbing my breasts with the other. I laid my head back onto his shoulder as his hands moved down to my thighs where my skin was covered with scars. There was something powerful in the way he caressed my scars and loved them individually that drove me wild with need.
“Change your mind yet?” I shook my head from side to side slowly on his shoulder, and the heat of his breath assaulted my ear. I heard his zipper come down, and I jerked forward trying to get away, but he cupped my breast and squeezed hard. I cried out with pleasure as he squeezed my nipple between his rough but gentle fingertips.
“Lay down, beautiful.” I leaned forward and relaxed my body onto the mattress. Ocean leaned forward pressing his body against mine, and my belly started quivering with anticipation. Note to self, I need birth control, pronto! He kissed my back and neck gently using his hands to massage my sensitive skin.
He worked his way down my back, and when he got to my hips, he held them firm and pulled them back, making my legs bend at the knees. I placed my hands in front of me to keep me steady.
“Baby, look in the mirror. I want you to watch me as I love what’s mine, because you are mine, right, baby?” His fingers slid across my clit, and I automatically pushed back onto him. “Come on, Liv, tell me you’re mine.” He rubbed harder against me, and I closed my eyes, biting my lip and trying not to scream.
He slammed two fingers into me, and I couldn’t hold back the cry that ripped through my throat.
“I want your eyes open, Liv. Look at me.” I opened them and looked into the mirror letting my eyes roam his rock solid body behind me. He looked wild and untamed. “Baby, by the time I’m done with you, you’ll be screaming the words I want to hear. If you tell me you’re mine, and that you’re moving in now, I wont make it hurt.” Any other girl probably would have caved, but I was not any other girl. The pain he caused my body when he was inside me was amazing, and I craved that new pain that I never knew existed until him. I craved Ocean. I craved the way he made my body feel like jello when he was done with me. I grinned into the mirror at him, and he raised his eyebrow at me.
“Bring it on, Ocean. Give me what you go…” He slammed his hardness into me before I could finish, and I lost all abilities to speak.
He rocked violently in and out until all I could hear were my cries. I cried out his name and begged him for more then begged him to stop. I growled and cursed his name all at the same time. When I climaxed, my head fell back, and he grabbed me by my hair and sucked hard on my neck. His breathing was hard and husky.
“You done, baby… you ready to tell me what I want to hear?” A pitiful sound that sounded like the word no escaped my lips, and before I could catch my breath, he was slamming my hips back into him. He spread my legs further apart with his knees, and that’s when I caved. “OCEAN! OCEAN I’M… I’M YOURS! OCEAN, I’M YOURS!”
“What else, baby?” He smacked me hard on the ass, and I growled in response.
“I’LL MOVE IN, BABY. I’M YOURS, AND I’LL COME!” As soon as I said come, he groaned his release and slowed his pumping to a smooth and steady pace. I let the weight of his chest push me down onto the mattress as his body trapped me in place. He turned sideways, careful not to pull out of me yet, and pulled me into the arch of his body spooning me. As we both struggled to bring our breathing back under control, he brushed my hair back and away from my neck. He placed light kisses along my neck.
“Thank you, baby.”
“For what, Ocean? I think my body should be thanking you right now,” I said breathlessly.
“For telling me what I needed to hear, baby. This was never about what I wanted to hear. I needed it like I need you.”
I pulled his arm tighter around me.
“Baby?”
“Yes, Ocean.”
“Are you on birth control?” I laughed to myself.
“No, I’m not, but that was numero uno on my to do list for today.”
“Good, I’m going with you when we get up.”
“Okay.”
“Baby?”
“Yes, Ocean?”
“I love you, Livie. You might not feel the same about me yet, but I know that my heart bleeds for you.” My heart stopped and started, and stopped and then started again. I remembered hearing him say it once before, but I wasn’t sure I was fully awake at the time. I pressed my back deeper into his arms.
“I love you more, Ocean. Just remember, you promised not to let me drown,” I said squeezing his arm around me again.
He kissed my neck and whispered against my ear. “If you drown, I drown, baby.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Livie
The smooth and melodic voice of Jason Mraz woke me up from the best sleep I’ve had in years. I yawned and drew in a deep breath catching the scent of my kryptonite. Ocean smelled like the cool refreshing breeze of the sea. His arm curled tightly around me. “Don’t move, baby. I don’t want to get up yet.” He sounded like a little kid whining at the thought of having to get up. I giggled as his phone went off again. It was Jason Mraz’s I Won’t Give Up playing as his ringtone. I prayed I was the inspiration behind that song.
“What if it’s an emergency, Ocean? Answer your phone.” He threw his head back and moaned aloud. Instead of getting up and going around the bed to pick up his phone from the floor, he rolled over me, dragging my body along with his like a rag doll, and I couldn’t stop laughing. This man was unbelievable, and his damn armpit was suffocating my face, but the alternative of not having him so close made me appreciate him all the more. He answered the phone with his usual aggravated tone.
“What! No, I’m still with Liv. You sure about that? Sounds good, hope she doesn’t kill you.” He laughed and I inched closer to his face, but he pushed me back grinning down at me. Damn cave man! “Hey, is Aunt Layla at the hospital yet? Mind your fucking business, man. Yeah, I know that. Give us two hours, and I’ll be there. Shut up, dick!” He ended the call and threw his phone back onto the floor. “Has anyone ever told you it’s rude to listen in on adult conversations,” he said as he rolled back onto his back taking me along with him. I sat up straddling him and frowned.
“I would say that was more of a douche bag conversation.” He reached up and ran his ringers through my hair. “So what’s on the agenda for today, O?”
“You on your back, me between your legs, or you against the wall in your shower. You decide, babe.” I felt him growing beside my thigh, and I jumped off racing to the bathroom. I didn’t bother to look back, because I knew he was on my heels. We both slammed into the bathroom door because I didn’t open it fast enough. Bursts of laughter poured out of both of us as he reached past me and opened the door. “Midgets first,” he said pushing me through the door.
“Asshole.”
“Thanks, yours is cute, too.”
“Ocean, behave! I have a lot of things to get done today, and with that attitude, we won’t get shit done.”
He cocked his head to th
e side and licked his Tom Hardy lips. “Sorry, baby, I’ll behave.” His voice was low and deep, and it sent shivers down the spine of my naked body. Who would have thought I’d be standing before this man, or any man for that matter, naked with all my scars to see. I looked down at my thighs and turned to walk toward the shower. His hand came around my elbow, and he pulled back into him and forced me to look into the mirror. I rolled my eyes and shifted growing uncomfortable with the reality of this situation.
“Liv, don’t do that, baby. Don’t you ever feel ashamed of your scars, and don’t hide from me. When I told you that I love you, that includes your scars, too.” I tried to smile, but tears fell from my eyes instead. He turned me to face him and hugged me tightly in his strong arms. “You drown, I drown, Liv. I meant it.” I breathed in deeply and regained my composure. I grabbed his hand and headed for the shower.
***
When he pulled his car up to the hotel entrance, I couldn’t help but feel like today was going to be a rough day. I grabbed the package my dad sent me off the dresser before coming downstairs. I didn’t trust myself opening it alone, and I hoped Ocean didn’t mind doing it for me. I was thankful that he behaved during our shower and kept killer kujo to himself. Settling into the front seat of his Range, I immediately handed him the envelope. He took it from me without question and placed it on his lap. He drove out of the pickup drop-off area and pulled into the closest parking lot, but left the car running.
“From your dad?”
“Yeah, I couldn’t open it alone, and I hoped you wouldn’t mind doing it for me.” I said shyly.
He smiled, reassuring me and ripped open the envelope. The first thing that fell out of the envelope and into his lap was a family picture of my parents and me when we were a family. Immediately, my heart rate sped up, and the hot and cold chills started coating my skin from head to toe. I wanted to look away from the picture and forget. I wanted to forget everything about that life I used to have, but I couldn’t. My hand picked up the picture on its own will and held it close to my face. I was five years old in the picture with a pretty French braid in my hair and a really pretty yellow dress. It was Easter. My mother wore a white summer dress that hugged her beautiful body and showed off her legs. In the picture, I was running toward them and my dad was knelt down in his black tuxedo with open arms waiting for me.
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