Made To Love

by S. M. West

  “Hey darlin’,” Jonah greets Sin, along with a kiss and hug.

  Sin laughs mischievously and hugs me as she says, “Sam, it’s so good to see you.”

  She looks from Olivia to me and waggles her eyebrows, Jonah joining in on the fun. The both of them clearly want to bug Olivia about my presence. Olivia rolls her eyes and huffs in what I think is mock frustration.

  Jonah pats me on the back, then fist-bumps Drew before slipping in beside Sin. Patting the empty spot beside him, he motions for Millie to join him. Good man. I knew I liked him. Olivia slides in beside Drew with me sitting on the end of the banquette, beside her.

  After our drinks and food are ordered, I sit silently and observe Olivia with her friends. Joining in occasionally, I’m content to mostly listen and learn. I like seeing Olivia in her element. I want to learn as much as I can about this complex, interesting woman and something tells me she’ll try to hide from me.

  “Drew, how’s school?” Jonah asks. “Still headed for law school?”

  “Good, just glad exams are over, and yup, that’s the plan.”

  “Honey, the plan can change if you want, you know that right?” Olivia adds.

  “Yeah, I know that Mom. This is what I want.”

  “What does Erin say?” Sin asks. “I think she said she wishes she’d taken a year before going to law school.”

  “Yeah, we talked. I’m going to do what I want to do,” he responds defensively. Unable to see Drew since I’m on the same side of the table, with Olivia in between us, I sense from his tone a strong distaste for the topic, or perhaps it’s the mention of Erin that has him annoyed?

  “Honey.” A tall, dark-haired man saunters toward our booth with his hand wrapped around the bicep of a pretty, blonde teenager. She’s chewing her lip as she scans our table and stalls when her gaze lands on Sin.

  “Pippa, what are you doing here?” Sin shrieks, nearly pushing both Jonah and Millie out of the booth.

  “I found her in the kitchen talking to Lou,” the man states with a grim expression. “Hey,” he says to the table.

  “Hi Colin,” Olivia says, and both Jonah and Drew chime in with greetings of their own. Olivia quickly introduces us; Colin is Sin’s husband.

  “What on earth are you doing here?” Sin’s distress is evident in her voice, and I’m guessing the girl is her daughter. “And who is taking care of Tom and Claire?”

  “Mom, Claire is taking care of Tommy. I just came to ask Uncle Lou if he’d take me out driving this weekend,” states the blonde girl—Pippa, apparently.

  “Have you ever heard of a phone?” Sin retorts, anger now strong in her tone. “You should have called Uncle Lou. Young lady, you’re supposed to be watching your brother and sister. Claire cannot be alone with Tom. Seriously, Pippa, what am I going to do with you?” Without waiting a beat for her daughter to respond, Sin continues, “And you can forget about driving with Lou this weekend. You’re grounded for pulling this move, and we’re no longer paying you for babysitting your brother and sister since you’ve no clue what that means.”

  “Mom, seriously,” Pippa wails with an eye roll. “Claire is twelve, she’s legally old enough to babysit. Besides, I was only going to be gone for thirty minutes, tops. I’m heading home now.”

  Colin turns her to face him. “Pippa, you know better. Claire may be legally of age, but there’s a reason we asked you to babysit Tommy and not her. One of us will take you home.”

  “I don’t need either of you to take me home. I’m seventeen and fully capable of getting home by myself,” Pippa gripes.

  “Excuse me.” Sin motions for Jonah and Millie to move so she can exit the booth. “Well, you could’ve fooled us with this stunt. It’s late and dark out there, you’re not walking back by yourself.”

  Pippa huffs, crossing her arms over her chest and glares at her parents. They share an exasperated look and Colin shakes his head, leading the way.

  “Hey, Aunt Sin, Uncle Colin, I can take her home,” Drew calls out.

  Turning, Pippa’s features soften once her eyes land on Drew. Her cheeks heat a dark pink and she immediately shifts from spunky to demure with her head slightly down. “Drew, hi. I didn’t see you there.”

  “Hey, Pip. Uncle Colin, you’re working, and Aunt Sin, stay and enjoy your night out. I was going home soon anyway. I’ll take Pippa home.”

  “Yeah, that’s a great idea,” Olivia adds. “Thanks honey.” She nudges my thigh and we scoot out for Drew.

  Gone is her sassy teenager attitude; Pippa is now all smiles and compliant, eagerly nodding as her parents thank Drew and agree to his offer.

  As Sin and Colin escort Drew and Pippa out, Jonah chuckles, “In case you missed it, Pippa is gaga for our man, Drew.”

  Olivia smiles, nodding. “Yes. It’s been that way for a couple years now. It’s just an innocent crush. They’ve known each other since they were babies, and I can’t blame Pip for crushing on my boy,” she says like the proud mama bear she is.

  “I’d watch that if I were you. Miss Pip is no wallflower—she’s the type to go after what she wants, and Drew seems to be in her sights,” Jonah adds.

  “Nah, leave her alone. You make her sound like a man-eater. She’s just a girl,” Olivia says dismissively.

  Shortly after our meal, Jonah announces they’re leaving. Millie appears flustered and excited all at the same time, adoration plastered on her face as she watches Jonah. “You came with us, how are you getting home?” Olivia asks.

  “I’ve got an Uber on its way.” I smile appreciatively at the guy.

  Jonah may not know it, but that means I’m finally getting my alone time—that is, unless Sin returns, which is a distinct possibility as she’s been gone a while now and hasn’t eaten. Olivia says Sin’s with her husband doing who knows what in the manager’s office. Good for her.

  Once they leave, I take Olivia’s hand, turning to her. “Alone at last. I finally have you all to myself.”

  Leaning into her, oblivious of our surroundings, my lips are on hers, kissing, licking, and drinking her in. Her taste is as I remember, as I fantasized. Addictive. Sweet, fresh, and something indescribable yet tantalizing. Something entirely Olivia.

  She fists my shirt, pulling my solid chest against her soft, inviting curves. Closer. Her breasts press into me, and she shudders at the contact. Our shallow breaths mirrored. Wanting. My hand sinks into her thick waves, gripping the nape of her neck. My other hand latches onto her trim hip, steadying, holding her in place.

  Feasting on her mouth like a starving man, I’ve never felt more full of life, brimming and vibrating. Her eyelids close and long dark lashes fan her cheeks as I swallow her whispery moans. Her slender hands roam my body, exploring.

  With each sweep of my tongue, each touch of my hand, my already thundering heart rate accelerates. I’m crazy with need, wanting nothing more than to have her, take her, here and now. She breaks our kiss and her retreat elicits a deep, feral growl from me. The loss is so frustrating.

  “Sam, stop,” Olivia admonishes.

  Pulling back, she wipes at her mouth, eradicating our passion like it never happened. Straightening her clothes and hair, she misses the downcast of my eyes, echoing the pang of offense within my chest.

  When she finally looks my way, her lips are puffy, red, and damp. Despite her rebuff, she’s like a neon sign advertising our hot-blooded necking, her desire alive in her shimmering eyes, tousled hair, and rouge cheeks.

  I gently squeeze her hand, which she quickly removes, picking up her glass and taking a sip. It’s not lost on me that her move is a mediocre attempt at occupying her hand. Like that’s going to stop me.

  Choosing to not push it right now, I change the subject. “Speaking of crushes, does Jonah realize Millie has googly eyes for him?”

  “Googly eyes?” She laughs and I nod, smiling. “I’ve noticed and have mentioned it to him, but he’s in denial.”

  “Is he? Are you sure that’s what it is? Or perhaps he d
oesn’t care because he’s got eyes for someone else.”

  Her eyebrows draw together. “Who?”

  “You.”

  “What?”

  “In case you missed it, Jonah is in love with you. Even a blind man can see that he adores you. Has he ever made a move?” I bravely ask, doubt clouding my mind before the final word leaves my mouth.

  What if he has and she’s welcomed it? What if she has no clue but would want something with him, and now I’ve stupidly enlightened her to the potential of it?

  My hesitation is so unlike me, yet it’s not surprising as Olivia has me experiencing many firsts. My first dogged pursuit of a woman. My first blush. My first case of indecision about my moves.

  “What? You’re off your rocker. Jonah and I are friends. He’s like a brother to me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  It’s not jealousy prompting me to ask the question. Rather, I want to be aware of my competition. I’m not wild about the long distance between us; it’s one of many things Olivia uses to put obstacles in our way. I need to understand the playing field, know where other barriers lie so I can prepare to annihilate them. Make no mistake, I intend to obliterate all her excuses, one by one.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Besides, he’s tried to set me up on a date with one of his friends, so stop. That’s just…eww. He’s twelve years younger than me.”

  “Not that again. Like that would stop him, or any other guy, for that matter. When are you going to get that out of your head? Olivia, you’re a beautiful woman and men don’t care about your age.” Shaking her head at me, she finishes her drink. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

  “Working. I’ve got an appointment first thing in the morning with a supplier, then I’m in my office for the day. Why?”

  “I’m thinking about opening another restaurant and have a few potential locations to view tomorrow. I’d love for you to come with me. They’re all in the afternoon. We could grab some lunch, then meet my agent. What d’ya say?” The hope in my tone is undeniably clear.

  “I…I suppose, sure,” she replies, though not with as much conviction as I’d hoped for.

  Grabbing her slender hand again, I lightly kiss the top of it and squeeze. She smiles, her cheeks lightly tinged. The joy of her agreeing to join me outweighs the trepidation coming off her in waves as her eyes dart around the room at anything and everything but me. I wonder if I’m reading her correctly—it feels like she’s gearing up to let me down rather than getting ready to build on this, on us.

  Olivia

  “Wow, this is beautiful.” I scan the large open space, visualizing it as a restaurant.

  Sam’s ahead of me, his broad shoulders and well-defined back taking up a significant amount of my view—but I’m not complaining. Taking a moment, I give in to my desire to admire him. He’s not only gorgeous on the outside, he’s also a wonderful person. I still can’t believe he came to Toronto to see me. I wanted to talk to him last night about us, about whatever it is we are doing, but Drew was there when we got back, then later, I lost my nerve.

  The remainder of the evening was one big blur after our kiss. I couldn’t think straight, let alone recall what we talked about. I had to put some distance between us or else we would have been going at it in the middle of the Bow. I can still feel Sam’s strong arms, his hot lips devouring me, owning me. My knees buckled the moment his soft, firm lips covered my mouth—thank goodness I was seated or I would have ended up on the floor.

  “Olivia?” Sam quizzically studies me. “What do you think?”

  “Sorry?”

  “Patti was saying the electrical and the floors need work, so we could most likely knock the price down, get a better deal. What do you think?”

  “Yeah, you could. I’d want to get someone to look at the electrical, make sure it’s not worse than they say before making a bid, if you want to. It’s a great location and you’d get both weeknight and weekend traffic,” I add.

  We are a stone’s throw away from my house in the Annex. This is the final location we’re seeing today and it’s in the best neighborhood. The Annex is in the heart of Toronto, an affluent, vibrant, and diverse community—a great spot for a restaurant.

  Patti Darvin, Sam’s real estate agent, leads us to the kitchen, which needs a lot of work. In fact, all the locations we’ve seen today need work, some more so than others. I, for one, get excited about projects like this. As an interior designer, these locations are like a blank canvas to a painter, so many possibilities. I love taking a space and making it functional and reflective of the people and its purpose, creating an energy and ambience that capture the essence of the inhabitants.

  “Bonjour,” a woman’s voice calls from the front. With clicking heels, Yasmine Thibault steps into the doorway. My heart sinks and I bite my lip to prevent the sneer from forming. What the hell is she doing here? Did Sam ask her to come?

  “Yasmine,” Patti and Sam say at the same time, both going to do their French thing of three kisses on alternating cheeks.

  Yasmine’s eyes lock with mine, the diabolical glint in her eye unmistakable. With her hand on Sam’s forearm, she plasters on a phony smile. “Olive, lovely to see you.” She gives me a weak wave.

  I return the gesture, pursing my lips into a thin line. I don’t think I’m capable of hiding my disdain, nor do I care to. Sam corrects her, politely saying, “It’s Olivia.” He steps away from her, coming to my side, and places his hand at the small of my back. His presence is reassuring, though I’m still not certain if she was invited or not.

  As if he’s reading my mind, Sam clears up the ambiguity. “Yasmine, what are you doing here? How did you know we’d be here?” His tone is neutral although it’s lined with a slight suspicion.

  “Oh, she called…” Patti starts, but Yasmine rushes to cut her off. “Patti called me and mentioned what she was doing and since I was in the city, I thought I’d stop by. Papa will be thrilled to hear you’re looking, although I know he’s partial to Montreal.”

  It’s clear she’s lying. She likely called Patti and grilled her on Sam’s whereabouts or something like that. I’m pretty sure Sam sees through it too, if the crease in his brow and tight lips are any indication.

  With Yasmine’s arrival, Sam cuts the visit short. Out of the blue, he thanks Patti and barely says goodbye to Yasmine, making it my turn to do the sad wave toward the plastic blonde. I can’t resist donning my satisfied smirk as Sam ushers us out rather abruptly.

  I’m not sure what it is about Yasmine that irks me the most. I’m not particularly threatened by her, although maybe I should be because Sam is definitely her target. I’m used to her kind of woman—just look at my BFF, Erin. As I give it more thought, it’s her damn age. She’s younger than Sam—I’d guess mid-twenties, at most—and I simply can’t compete with that.

  Back at my place, we’re sitting around the kitchen table when I ask Sam, “So, which one was your favorite?”

  “I think the last one. You?”

  “Me too. I think it has a lot of potential. For the front space, you could shorten the foyer and extend the area just before the dining room into a funky waiting space with tables for drinks. It could have a vintage French vibe. You could also knock down the wall behind the serving area and make it an open kitchen like Beaulieu’s, or you could just cut out a space at the bar to make it like a sneak peek into the kitchen so all your adoring fans could get their Samson Beaulieu fix.”

  Sam grabs me around the waist and pulls me into his lap. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?” he taunts.

  His lips skim my collarbone with small pecks as he moves up the column of my neck. A tingling sensation shoots from where his mouth is worshipping throughout my body.

  “I told you there’s only one woman I want adoring me. And.” A kiss just under my jaw. “That’s.” A kiss behind my ear. “You.” A kiss on the corner of my mouth.

  With his hands secure around my waist, he twirls me so I’m forced to straddle him. My f
ingers sink into the soft strands of hair behind his neck as his hand latches onto the back of my head, guiding me toward his mouth.

  I should stop this. We’re moving too fast. I need to keep this casual, no strings, but what he’s doing to my body is making it hard for me to think. Cupping my neck, he kisses me full on the mouth. Our lips glide, skim, and mold together, each of us willingly exploring the other like this is our first, last, and only kiss.

  His lips are warm, firm, and alluring. As his hands travel down my lower back and cup my bottom, butterflies take flight, low in my stomach. God, this feels so good.

  Still feeding on my lips, he stands and I circle my arms tighter around his neck and my legs around his waist. He effortlessly carries me, heading for the stairs.

  “Bedroom?” he mumbles against my lips, making sure I’m okay with this.

  Am I? I’m not sure about us long-term, but I’m sure about this right now. I haven’t felt this sexy, this wanted in eons. I’m alive, on fire. As much as my mind is warning me, telling me to slow down, my body’s taken over. My body wants this—now.

  “Yes,” I pant into his mouth.

  For a fleeting moment, Drew and Paige flash in my mind. Drew’s not home from work yet, and Paige is supposed to come over later. With Sam’s first step up the stairs, his hard abdomen pleasingly rubbing against my core, I groan into his mouth and all reservations evaporate like smoke.

  His lips wander my neck, peppering my tender flesh with wet, hot kisses that curl my toes. I tilt my head to the side to give him better access.

  “Mom,” Paige hollers from what sounds like the front door. We freeze at the top of the stairs. There are two voices speaking, and one sounds like Pete.

  Carefully putting me down, Sam rests his forehead on mine. With his eyes closed, he raggedly inhales. Without missing a beat, he gives me an understanding smile and gently kisses my forehead.