Liar

by Cole, Fiona

  Jacob broke the silence first. “Like once?”

  I glared across the table. “Like seriously, asshole.”

  “Language,” Mom reprimanded. Her eyes darted over to Ava, who had resumed playing in her food.

  “I think it’s about time,” Lily said.

  She always told me it was a matter of time, I just needed to find the right woman. My brother found it hilarious that she was so dead-set on me falling in love. Especially when I hadn’t even been looking to settle down.

  I returned Lily’s smile, feeling good to have someone’s support and confidence.

  Somewhere along the drive to our family dinner, I decided to tell someone about Olivia. Maybe saying it out loud to someone would help with not being able to say it out loud to Daniel. I also knew I couldn’t stand much longer without punching anyone who dared to look at what was mine.

  “Well, why didn’t you bring her?” my mom asked.

  A knot eased in my chest at her raised eyebrow. Sharing my relationship with Olivia felt like handling a bomb. You were careful with it, but in the wrong hands, it could go off in your face. And like Mom always did, she handled everything with care.

  “I want to meet the woman who can make you stop for more than a date since Ivette.”

  “She’s busy tonight.”

  I toyed with the idea of bringing her, but she’d had to study for an exam and prepare a presentation.

  Because she was a college student. A twenty-one-year-old college student. That was seventeen years younger than me.

  The knot that had eased a moment ago twisted again. I could sit here and pretend that the worst part was announcing that I had a girlfriend, but what would their reaction be when I told them how young she was?

  “Well, don’t make us drag it out of you,” my dad said. “What’s she like?”

  An easy smile stretched my lips just thinking about her. “She’s beautiful, of course, but she’s also so full of life. She’s smart and tenacious, always going after what she wants. She definitely keeps me in line with her smart mouth.”

  “Someone needs to,” Jacob murmured.

  I ignored his comment. “She’s also ready for anything. Just as excited to try new things as I am. Challenging me to push harder. She makes me a better man.”

  Mom’s hand was pressed to her lips. She had that look that could only be described as a proud mom look everyone knew and loved. The one that you got when you scored a goal in soccer, when you graduated college, when you opened your first hotel, and apparently when you fell in love.

  “She sounds like a much better fit for you than Ivette,” Dad said.

  Mom shook her head. “That woman was too controlling and not a good match for your free spirit.”

  “That woman had a stick up her ass,” Jacob said.

  “Language,” both Lily and Mom reprimanded.

  Jacob held his hands up in surrender.

  “I can’t wait to meet her,” Mom said.

  “I can’t wait either.”

  The thought of Olivia at this long formal table filled with laughter and love had my heart stretched too big in the confines of my chest. She’d slide perfectly into my life. I ached to have her here, but all that excitement at imagining her by my side was always dimmed by the complications of our relationship. I wanted to ignore them, but the deeper we got, the harder it became to pretend nothing stood between us.

  “Make sure you bring her next time,” Mom ordered.

  I swallowed, and my smile slipped. “Of course, Mom. She’d love to come.”

  I was sure my hesitation was too quick to notice, except when I looked across the table, Jacob was staring back, questions written all over his face, and I knew I wasn’t getting home without him grilling me.

  Conversation moved on to everyone else around the table, and I managed to avoid Jacob’s interrogation until each of us had a beer in hand, sitting in the rocking chairs on the back porch. He let me enjoy the night for a moment, looking out over Mom’s dimly lit oasis she’d created in our large backyard.

  I was about halfway done with my beer when he finally spoke up.

  “So, what’s wrong?”

  Deny, deny, deny.

  “Nothing’s wrong.”

  His stare burned into the side of my head. “Really? Because as soon as Mom brought up bringing this mysterious woman who’s ensnared you, you shut down.”

  “Nerves, I guess. Haven’t brought anyone home since Ivette.”

  “Bullshit. Fess up.”

  I drained the rest of my beer and held off answering, as long as I could. These doubts and concerns over Olivia and I had been locked inside, and I hadn’t realized until that moment how much I needed to say them out loud. I needed someone to tell me I wasn’t insane for loving her. Usually, the person I’d go to was Daniel, but obviously, that was out of the question.

  So, letting it all come out to Jacob sounded damn good right then.

  “She’s twenty-one.”

  Jacob choked on his beer, lunging forward, so he didn’t spill on himself as he coughed up a lung.

  I clenched my jaw while he was folded in half, a mixture of coughing and laughter shaking his body.

  “No wonder she’s full of life. She’s a baby.”

  “She’s not a baby,” I ground out.

  Jacob wiped his eyes and finally looked up to find how serious this was to me. “You really do care about her.”

  My heart rolled around in my chest. “More than any woman I’ve been with.”

  He leaned back with a groan, swiping his hand across his face. “Listen, Alex. If she makes you happy, then so be it. You’re both adults, and it doesn’t matter what people think.”

  Some of the weight crushing my chest lifted, and I breathed in the crisp night air.

  “Besides, Mom always wanted another granddaughter.”

  He scooted his chair back, barely missing the slap to the side of the head, I reached to deliver. “Fuck off,” I growled. But I also smiled, not able to help myself from joining in on Jacob’s laughter.

  A few more minutes passed, and I had to decide whether to be completely honest or to enjoy the relief of Jacob’s approval. In the end, I knew I’d be confessing all my sins. I wasn’t a man to hide from admitting my faults, and I didn’t want to hide behind a half-truth to make myself feel better.

  “There’s one more thing. She’s D’s niece.” Jacob’s chair stopped rocking, but I didn’t look to see his expression. I knew it couldn’t be anything good. “And she doesn’t want to tell him.”

  The silence stretched on until I thought I would scream just to break it, but before I could snap, his chair began rocking again.

  “You are truly fucked.”

  Damn. I’d hoped for anything other than confirmation that this was a goddamn mess.

  “I know,” I admitted wearily.

  “Is this just a fling? Maybe some daddy issues?”

  “No,” I grumbled. “She doesn’t have daddy issues. Why would you say that?”

  “Because she’s twenty-one, Kent. I couldn’t settle on what I wanted for dinner at twenty-one, let alone a solid relationship.”

  “Mom and Dad were high school sweethearts,” I argued.

  “Yeah, and they were both young. They grew together. You’re almost forty—settled. Is she going to want to settle with you when she grows into adulthood?”

  Of all the issues that laid between us, her changing into someone I didn’t fit with never crossed my mind. We had too many other external forces working against us, I never looked beyond them.

  I couldn’t deny his words. Jacob wasn’t wrong.

  “Fuck,” I breathed.

  “Yeah. Fuck.”

  “I just never thought about it.”

  “I can see that.”

  “She’s solid though. She’s confident in who she is. She’s not an immature girl searching for herself. I know that.”

  And I did. Yes, his worries were valid, but only from someone who didn
’t know the woman Olivia was. Despite his concern, I was confident in her—in us.

  “Then there’s just one question you have to ask yourself.”

  “What?”

  “Is she worth it? Even if it all falls apart. Would she be worth it?”

  Olivia’s playful smile and devious smirk flashed through my mind. The way she threw her head back and laughed, her blonde hair spilling down her back. The way my heart beat twice as hard when I walked into the hotel to find her sharing her brilliant ideas. The way my mind calmed as soon as she was in my arms. The way her eyes always dared me for more.

  God, I loved her.

  “Yeah, she’s worth it.”

  “Good, because she may be all you have by your side after telling Daniel you’re fucking his baby niece,” Jacob said with a laugh.

  Losing Daniel was the least of my worries.

  What scared me more was even if we did tell Daniel, she’d still leave me.

  And no matter how much I wanted to deny it, the fear planted itself deep.

  25 Kent

  “I really appreciate you coming, Mr. Kent,” Elizabeth Arden said, opening the door to the auditorium.

  “It’s an honor to come and speak to our future entrepreneurs.”

  “Hopefully, our future entrepreneurs. I’m not sure all of them will make it.” She sat her books and papers down and leaned against the wooden desk to face me. “Miss Witt seems like she’ll be one of the ones to make it.”

  My heart galloped harder and squeezed in on itself all at once at the mention of Olivia’s name. We weren’t doing anything wrong, but I was sure a student fucking the man helping with a school project would be heavily frowned upon.

  “I would expect nothing less,” I managed with a smooth tone.

  “I was worried she would end up failing this class. She was very apathetic when she started, but once she began interning for your business, she seemed revived and more excited than I’d ever seen her.”

  “She’s very talented. I—my company was very lucky to have her help.”

  Dr. Arden’s hair fell forward when she looked down and laughed. “Yes, she bragged a bit about her ideas being utilized.”

  I looked down too, to hide the smile I knew gave away my adoration. When I looked up, Dr. Arden was taking me in, biting her lip. “Maybe we can grab lunch after this if you’re free.”

  She was a beautiful woman close to my age. This time last year, I would have jumped at the chance to fuck this woman, taken the opportunity to play out any teacher fantasies I had. But not anymore. Now, the idea of changing from one woman to the next sounded exhausting. If I had any teacher fantasies, I knew Olivia would be more than happy to play them out.

  “I appreciate the offer, but I have to get back to the office before flying out.”

  If she was embarrassed by my rejection, she didn’t show it. She simply shrugged a shoulder. “Of course.” Standing from her position, she turned to shuffle through some papers. “Feel free to set up whatever you need. The students should be piling in any minute.”

  On cue, the door opened, and they trickled in. I did my best to not search for Olivia, but I didn’t need to bother. The energy around me changed when she was near, like her body called to mine. She held my gaze for only a moment. Just long enough to make sure I saw the way her tongue slicked across her lips, and the way she scanned me head to toe.

  My cock hardened, and I shifted to stand behind the lectern to hide what she did to me. I struggled to get my arousal under control when she sat in the front row and kept running her fingers along her exposed collarbone just under the silver chain. She wore a floral print dress that teased around her thighs with thin straps. She had on a thick cardigan, but she let it slide off her shoulder, and even that simple flash of skin had me wanting to bite her—mark her there, so everyone knew she was mine.

  Especially when that pencil-dick little twerp plopped down next to her and couldn’t take his eyes off her cleavage. Olivia glared, and tugged the sweater back up, scooting away as much as she could in her tiny seat.

  Dr. Arden introduced me, and I began my speech about how I got into business and my success with it. The entire time, my emotions swayed from raging jealousy, wanting to rip A-a-ron apart to heated desire imagining fucking her in front of everyone.

  By the time we made it to the Q and A, my dick was stretching the limits of my pants.

  I became even more turned on when Olivia glared at each girl who asked a question overtly flirting with me.

  “Do you make sure to test all the beds in each of your hotels to make sure they have enough…bounce?”

  “How do you make sure the furniture is sturdy enough for any rough visitors?”

  I didn’t know why I was surprised by their bold questions considering Olivia had pursued me rather overtly, but answering them felt like walking through a minefield. I was grateful when Dr. Arden let us know class was over.

  “I have to run,” Dr. Arden said. “Take your time. No one uses this room for the rest of the day.”

  With a few more thank yous, she was gone.

  Some of the girls lingered, but when I didn’t pay them any attention, they quickly left. Olivia took her sweet time packing up her notebooks, ensuring she was one of the last to leave the room. When the class was almost empty, she made her approach. She’d just opened her mouth when Pencil-dick threw his arm around her shoulders and tugged her close.

  “How’s our girl doing, Alex?”

  My whole body clenched, watching his arm around my woman. The fact that he was an arrogant prick addressing me like he knew me was only icing on the rage-filled cake. My muscles ached from restraining to not pulverize a fucking student.

  I didn’t even register Olivia’s reaction, I was so consumed with coming up with ways to murder Aaron and hide his body. When I was sure I could get away with it, I took a step forward. But just as I did, Olivia reacted.

  She twisted her shoulders and ducked under his arm, shoving him for good measure. “I’m not your girl, Aaron,” she snarled. “I can’t believe how disrespectful you’re being right now. Especially in front of Mr. Kent.”

  Aaron, undeterred and apparently missing the warning signs that he might not make it out of this room in one piece, stepped back into Olivia’s space. “You may not be my girl,” he said with air quotes. “But you’re my Netflix and chill. I’m sure Alex understands. He was in college once.”

  That was it. He was dead. My hand was already lifting when Olivia side-stepped to get between Aaron and me.

  “What Mr. Kent,” she said, enunciating my name, “did in college doesn’t matter. What matters is that you stop touching me.” She stepped forward, and Aaron must have read something on her face because, for the first time, he backed up. “Stop assuming I’m yours. Stop calling me. Matter of fact, A-a-ron, just stop remembering I exist and fuck off.”

  Pencil-dick swallowed, and I barely held back my laugh at him being so scared of this fireball in front of him. It didn’t take him long to recover though. He pulled his shoulders back and screwed up his face. “Whatever. Your loss.”

  And with that, he was gone. Hopefully, forever.

  Olivia’s shoulders rose and fell on a deep breath before she turned to me with an embarrassed twist to her lips. “Sorry about that.”

  My first reaction was to pull her in my arms and tell her how proud I was of her being a badass, but somehow, I held back. Instead, I reacted with the desire and need that had been brewing for the past hour. “Close the door,” I ordered.

  Her eyes widened, and color rose on her cheeks. “Kent, we can’t.”

  “Did I ask for your permission?”

  “No,” she breathed.

  “Then go close the door.”

  She swallowed, turning to do as she was told. By the time she turned back to me, I stood beside the teacher’s desk, waiting for her.

  “Come here.”

  Her steps were almost silent as she crossed the room until she stood in
ches from me. Her tongue slicked across her full lips, and I fought from leaning in to bite them, to suck her tongue into my mouth and taste her.

  “Put your hands on the desk,” I ordered.

  She looked so innocent with her wide blue eyes, smooth skin, and the classroom behind her. It shouldn’t have turned me on as much as it did, but I couldn’t help it. All that innocence masked the wild, erotic woman beneath. She placed her hands on the edge of the desk and adjusted her hips, widening her legs without even being told. She presented her ass perfectly.

  She jumped when my fingers caressed the back of her thigh but didn’t move. Up, up, up, my hand trailed, leaving goosebumps in their wake until I reached the plump curve of her ass. I delicately lifted the skirt of her dress and rested it above her hips. Her white lace panties only half covered the pale cheeks. I stroked the skin, massaged her in my hand, never reaching between her legs, no matter how much she squirmed.

  “Kent,” she breathed.

  Smack.

  The crack against her ass vibrated through the room, immediately followed by her yelp and then a moan.

  Smack, smack, smack.

  I rained down quick slaps, covering each pale inch with the red mark of my hand. Stopping to take time to smooth out the burn, only to spank her again. By the time I was done, she was whimpering and rubbing her thighs together, but I quickly gripped her hips and kicked her feet out, making room for myself between her thighs.

  I dragged my hand down and cupped her wet pussy, holding tight. “You are mine,” I growled against the back of her neck. I needed to hear the confirmation, even if it was redundant. Watching Aaron’s hands on her, my brother’s doubts, the chance of losing her—all of it weighed on me, and I just wanted to hear her say it.

  “I’m yours.”

  It was the only confirmation I needed before tugging her panties aside, and freeing my cock, not waiting a second before pushing all the way in. We both groaned, finally relieved to take care of the ache that had been consuming us the past hour. We’d stopped using condoms, and each time I entered her, her wet heat brought me to the edge.

  “Hold on, baby.”