Beach Reads Boxed Set

by Marie Force

  “Of what?”

  “That you’ll find someone you like better—”

  Oblivious to the other people passing on the sidewalk, he captured her mouth in a quick but passionate kiss. “It’ll never happen.”

  “You have women throwing themselves at you everywhere you go.” She looked away. “So many opportunities.”

  “None of which would ever tempt me.” Cole suddenly realized this was the most important conversation he’d ever had. “Not when I have you in my life. Not when I finally have everything I’ve ever wanted.”

  The obvious battle she waged with her emotions touched his heart. He hated that she now had one more reason to doubt his love for her.

  “How about we get back to our day?” he asked, forcing a cheerful tone. “Ready to paint the bridge?”

  Despite her nod, he still saw concern lingering in her expressive eyes.

  “Everything’s going to be okay, Liv. I promise.”

  She attempted a smile. “Let’s go.”

  They drove to Golden Gate Park where the bright sun kept the fog from consuming the bridge.

  “Do you want to paint it from this side or the other?” Cole asked.

  Mesmerized by the view, Olivia said, “This is fine.”

  He came up behind her, put his hands on her shoulders, and rested his chin on the top of her head. “Want me to disappear for a while?”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “You don’t want me watching.”

  “I wouldn’t mind if you did.”

  “Really? I thought you artist types were very secretive about your works in progress.”

  “Other artist types maybe. But not me.” She went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “And not if it’s you who’s watching.”

  “I’m honored.” He stole another kiss and went to get her supplies from the trunk of the car. “I should’ve gotten you an easel, too,” he said, surveying the picnic table she had chosen.

  “And how would we have gotten that home?”

  “I do have a few connections with the airline, you know.”

  “The table is fine.”

  “Do you need anything else?”

  She cracked open the bottle of water they had bought for her to use with the watercolors. “Not a thing.”

  “And you’re warm enough?”

  “I’m fine,” she said with a giddy grin. She couldn’t believe where she was and what she was about to do. “I hope you aren’t going to be bored.”

  He bent down to kiss her cheek. “Take your time. Minutes, hours, whatever you need.”

  Squeezing the hand he had placed on her shoulder, she said, “Thank you,” and got busy setting up the table to her satisfaction.

  “Are you sniffing the paint?”

  “I love the smell of new paint.” She held it out for him to take a whiff.

  His face crinkled with disgust. “Ew.”

  “It’s an acquired taste.”

  “Apparently. I’m going to take a walk so I don’t mess with your groove.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I know.” He kissed her nose. “Have fun. I’ll be back in a bit.”

  “Okay.” Olivia watched him go and then turned her attention to the bridge.

  She studied the span for several minutes as her mind wandered back to the incident in Sausalito. Another woman from Cole’s past. They seemed to be just about everywhere. If she was wise, she’d run from him as fast as she could before he could do to her what he’d done to them.

  As she puzzled over the situation, Olivia kept coming back to a saying of her father’s: Call ’em like you see ’em. In other words, judge people by the way they treat you, not by what others say about them. If she were to judge Cole solely based on the way he’d treated her, he’d get a gold star.

  Here she was sitting in Golden Gate Park about to paint the bridge she’d dreamed of seeing in person for most of her life. He’d done that for her. He’d brought her here, bought the paints, and given her all the time she needed to indulge her passion. On top of that, he’d encouraged her to apply to art school. That was the Cole she knew. That was the only Cole she knew. And that was the Cole she would love and believe in, unless he gave her a reason not to.

  Determined to have faith in him—and in them—Olivia dipped her brush into the paint and got busy.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Cole walked for an hour along the scenic path that overlooked the bay, all the while resisting the urge to go back to see what Olivia had gotten done. But he kept walking because he wanted to give her time to work without any distractions.

  Along the way he thought about Chelsea and the brief but passionate affair that had followed the landing in the snow. The media had gone wild over the romance between the hero pilot and the grateful passenger. They’d been on the covers of two magazines and were recognized everywhere they went. In the midst of all the madness, they’d struggled to find time alone together, and Cole had struggled to figure out why he was unable to feel even the most basic of emotions for a wonderful woman who adored him.

  The affair had ended as suddenly as it began when Chelsea came right out and asked him if he loved her, or if he thought he ever would. When he’d said nothing, she’d had her answer. For a long time afterward, he’d thought about the stricken expression on her face when she realized he didn’t feel the same way she did. He hadn’t seen or heard from her since then. Until today. And of course, it had to happen when he was with Olivia.

  Cole was ashamed of many of the meaningless interludes in his past, but he didn’t regret anything about his time with Chelsea. He’d tried as hard as he possibly could to make it work. At one point, he’d almost had himself convinced he was in love. The niggling feeling that something elemental and necessary was missing had kept him from saying the words she’d needed to hear. It took meeting Olivia to understand what had been lacking with Chelsea, and now that he had it, he’d do whatever he could to keep it.

  He looked up to realize he’d traveled further away from Olivia than he had intended. Turning around, he headed back. As he got closer to her, he saw an older man talking to her. A small white dog on a leash waited patiently at his feet while the man talked with animated hands. Olivia hung on his every word.

  Cole’s heart began to beat faster, and he broke into a run. What was I thinking? I shouldn’t have left her for so long in a strange place.

  “Hey!” he called to let her know he was coming.

  Olivia looked up at him with a bright smile. “Cole! You won’t believe it!”

  He arrived at the picnic table and moved to position himself between her and the tall, distinguished man with white hair and warm blue eyes. He looked nothing at all like the predator Cole had conjured up from a distance.

  “This is my, um, boyfriend, Cole.” Olivia’s cheeks flushed with color. “This is Victor James. He walks his dog here every Sunday.”

  Still eyeing him warily, Cole shook the other man’s hand.

  “I know you from somewhere,” Victor said, his eyebrows furrowed in thought as he studied Cole.

  “He’s the pilot who landed the plane in the blizzard and then saved the captain’s life,” Olivia said proudly.

  “Captain Incredible!” Victor cried. “Of course!”

  Cole cringed. If he never heard that stupid nickname again, it would be too soon. “Guilty as charged.”

  “Well, it’s a great honor to meet a true American hero,” he said, shaking Cole’s hand. “I was just telling Olivia that I have a large collection of San Francisco area art, and I love her view of the bridge. She’s wonderfully talented.”

  “Yes.” Cole’s heart tripped with excitement for her. “She certainly is.” He glanced down at the table and did a double take. The painting was magnificent. It was the bridge, but it was so much more. Hues and textures and depth. And that she’d managed to do it in just an hour’s time. “Oh, Liv. Wow.”

  “My sentiments exactly, young man. In fact, I was just
about to offer your lovely lady a thousand dollars for it.”

  Olivia gasped. “What?”

  Victor took another long look at the painting. “You’re right,” he said thoughtfully. “A thousand’s not enough. How about three?”

  “She accepts,” Cole said when he realized Olivia had gone mute. “Three thousand it is.”

  Victor reached into his breast pocket. “I only have a thousand in cash on me. Will you take a check for the rest?”

  “She’d be happy to.”

  Cole accepted the ten one-hundred-dollar bills and spelled Olivia’s last name for Victor, who tore the check out of his checkbook and handed it to Cole.

  “But,” Olivia sputtered, “it’s not finished.”

  “I love it exactly as it is,” Victor insisted.

  “Sign it,” Cole said softly.

  Dazed, Olivia glanced at him. “What?”

  “Sign it,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Oh. Right.” She dipped her brush into the blue paint and put her name in the corner.

  Only Cole noticed the slight tremble of her hand. He lifted the painting off the table and held it for Victor. “Give it a minute to dry.”

  When Victor’s white toy poodle realized they were about to resume their walk, it began to dance around at his feet.

  “Nice doing business with you, Olivia.” Victor held out his card. “I’d be interested in seeing more of your work, especially anything local.”

  Since Olivia now seemed paralyzed as well as mute, Cole took the card from Victor and handed over the painting. “She’s working on something at Fisherman’s Wharf, too. I’ll have her manager get in touch.”

  “See that you do.” Victor made a kissing sound that got the dog’s attention. “Come along, Tootles. We need to hit the frame shop.”

  After they had walked away, Cole let out a loud whoop, hauled Olivia into his arms, and swung her around.

  “Oh, my God,” she whispered as she clung to him. “Did that seriously just happen?”

  “What? You making three grand or introducing me as your boyfriend? I’m not sure which part I liked best.”

  “Cole, he paid me three thousand dollars for my painting. That’s the first time…”

  “I know, baby.” Wiping a tear from her cheek, he smiled. “You’ve got a client. A real, live client.” Leaning in, he kissed her softly and then reached for her hand, putting the stack of bills and the check on her palm and curling their joined hands around it. “I’m so proud of you I could bust.”

  “Before you bust, do you mind answering two questions for me?”

  “Shoot.”

  “Who exactly is my manager, and how much of a cut is he expecting?”

  Cole tossed his head back and roared with laughter.

  Olivia floated on air. She had relayed the story four times now—to her dad, both her brothers, and Jenny, and it hadn’t gotten old yet. Three thousand dollars for something she had created! It was beyond her wildest dreams, and the money gave her a financial cushion that would be a huge relief as she moved into her apartment.

  Cole, who was just as excited, waited patiently while she made her calls. When she hung up with her brother Andy, Olivia crossed the room to flop down next to Cole on the sofa. The wad of bills and the folded check sat on the table in front of them.

  “I still can’t believe it,” she said, staring at the money.

  “Just think, we have all day tomorrow, too. You can do Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, Pacific Heights. At the speed you work, I’ll bet you could triple your take in the time we have left.”

  “I wouldn’t know what to do with that kind of money.”

  “The first thing you’re going to do is pay your taxes.”

  “I am?”

  “You’ll need to file a 1099 with the IRS.”

  “A ten ninety what?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I have a friend from home who’s a CPA. I’ll get you hooked up with him.”

  “It’s only three thousand dollars, Cole. I don’t need an accountant.”

  “It’s just the start, Olivia, and you do need an accountant.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Hey, I’m your manager, right? You need to listen to me.”

  “How much is this piece of advice going to cost me?” she asked warily.

  His face lifted into a lascivious grin. “I’ll let you pay me back in trade.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh, gee, lucky me.”

  “No, lucky me. I’m sleeping with the art world’s next big thing.”

  “I don’t like to mix business with pleasure, so if you’re going to be my manager, we’ll have to cool it in the bedroom.”

  “In that case, I quit.”

  Olivia laughed and reached for him.

  He brushed his lips over her cheek in a soft caress. “Are you happy?”

  “I never knew it was possible to be this happy. You’ve changed my whole life. You know that, don’t you?”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t do it. You did.”

  “You had faith long before I did.”

  “Maybe, but it’s your talent that’s opening these doors for you, and tonight we’re going to celebrate you and all your good news.”

  Her tongue danced lightly down his neck. “Could we maybe have a private celebration first?”

  “What’d you have in mind?”

  She whispered her suggestion in his ear.

  He cleared his throat. “We might be able to fit that into the schedule.”

  “Now aren’t you glad you’re my ex-manager?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  Cole emerged from the bathroom wearing a dark blue suit with a starched white shirt and a royal blue tie.

  Olivia stared at him.

  “What?”

  “As you would say, wow.”

  “Same to you, my love.” He nibbled on her neck and dragged a finger into the plunging neckline of her black dress.

  She hoped he wouldn’t notice that it was the same dress she’d worn to their dinner at the airport. However, he didn’t seem to be noticing anything but her cleavage at the moment. “Where are we going?”

  “Somewhere the concierge recommended. Asian fusion cuisine—whatever that is.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  He wrapped a shawl around her bare shoulders. “You look gorgeous, Liv. Every guy in the place will be checking you out.”

  “You’ll turn a few heads yourself—like you always do.” She adjusted his tie and then reached up to kiss him. Wiping the lipstick off his lips, she studied his handsome face.

  “You’re staring again,” he said with that half grin she loved so much.

  “I can’t seem to get enough of you.”

  Putting his arms around her, he brought her in for a kiss that quickly spiraled out of control. He appeared dazzled as he pulled back from her.

  “Just say the word and we can stay in,” she said.

  “No. We’re going out to celebrate.”

  She stopped him with a hand on his arm. “I don’t need anything more than you to have a celebration.”

  “I love you.” He kissed both sides of her face and then her lips. “Have I mentioned that lately?”

  “Not in the last half hour or so.”

  “I don’t mean to be slacking off.”

  “That’s all right. You did a pretty good job of showing me a little while ago.”

  “Mmm,” he growled into her ear. “Just pretty good?”

  She giggled. “Very good.” The thought of it made her want more, but since he was determined to go out, she turned him around and pointed him toward the door.

  After dinner, they went dancing at the Top of the Mark sky lounge. “I’d love to paint this,” Olivia said wistfully as she swayed with him to the sounds of a jazz band. Over his shoulder, she took in the sparkling lights of the city that stretched for miles below the nineteenth-floor landmark.

  “We could probably arrange to get you u
p here tomorrow.”

  “I meant the night view.”

  “Could you commit it to memory and paint when we get back to the room?”

  “You wouldn’t care?”

  “Why would I? I have to learn to take the bad with the good if I’m going to be your kept man.”

  Olivia laughed softly. She had been delighted to discover he was a smooth, graceful dancer. Their bodies were locked together in sensuous movement that wasn’t all that different from lovemaking. His cologne, a dark and spicy scent that suited him perfectly, filled her senses as his arousal pressed against her, an ever-present reminder of the passion they shared.

  “Remember when I told you yesterday was the best day of my life?” she asked.

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “I can’t believe it’s possible, but today was better.”

  Cole tightened his hold on her. “I wonder what tomorrow has in store for you.”

  Glancing up, she found his eyes closed and his face relaxed. “Nothing could top this.”

  He opened his eyes and dipped his head to kiss her. “You never know.”

  They had apple martinis and danced for an hour at the sky lounge before they strolled back to the Fairmont. In the elevator, Cole kept his arm around her. She rested her head on his chest. “Thank you for yet another unforgettable evening.”

  “Congratulations on all your good news.”

  She choked back a yawn. “It wouldn’t be half as good if I couldn’t share it with you.”

  “Are you too sleepy to work?” He opened the door to their room and ushered her in ahead of him.

  “I told you that second martini wasn’t a good idea.”

  Cole pulled off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. “What you need is some sleep to recharge. You can get up early in the morning and get to it.”

  She reached up to caress his face. “You’re right. It’s too late to start anything now.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Anything?”

  Laughing, she said, “Too late to paint.”

  “Better.”

  As he took off his suit coat, Olivia went into the bathroom to change into the last of the silk nightgowns she had bought for the trip. This one was black with lace trim and fell to mid-thigh. She slipped on the matching thong and washed the makeup off her face. Filled with giddy anticipation, she brushed her hair and teeth.