Just then, Alexa pulled up in front of her. She jumped out of her car and grinned at Olivia.
“Is that all you brought for the whole weekend?”
Olivia pulled her little sister into an enormous hug.
“It’s a deceptively large bag—looks like a briefcase, but I can fit a weekend’s worth of clothes in it. Plus, I know if I buy anything and need to bring it back, I can steal one of your many tote bags.”
They smiled at each other as Olivia tossed her bag into the back seat of Alexa’s car.
“Good to have you home. I’m a terrible little sister for not coming down to visit you yet—just give me the best weekend to come and I’m there.”
Olivia relaxed into the front seat of the car.
“You’re not terrible, but we’ll sit down with our calendars while I’m here and figure out a time. I’m just glad you were free this weekend for this last-minute visit.”
Alexa glanced at her as they drove out of the airport.
“Speaking of, that was unlike you. I’ve never known you to do a last-minute anything, unless it was for someone else, whether it’s a celebration or some sort of a crisis.” She raised her eyebrows. “What friend are you in town for this weekend?”
Damn her sister for knowing her too well.
“Um. So, actually . . . it’s not exactly . . . there’s something . . .”
Damn it, why was she struggling with this so much?
Alexa laughed.
“See, I knew it. What is it?”
Olivia took a deep breath.
“I’m dating someone. He’s in town this weekend for . . . work, so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and get to see you and him, too.”
Alexa squealed, just as Olivia knew she would.
“Livie! That’s so exciting! Who is he? How’d you meet? How long has this been going on? I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on me, I need all the details.”
Olivia was glad her sister had to concentrate on the busy road in front of them and couldn’t see her face.
“So. Well. As to how we met. The thing is . . . you remember? When I first got to L.A., and I called you from my hotel, because I met this guy at the bar, and he turned out to be—”
“YOU’RE DATING MAX POWELL? SENATOR MAX POWELL? ARE YOU SERIOUS?”
Alexa yelled so loud Olivia was sure half of Oakland heard her.
“I’m serious, and it’s . . .”
Alexa didn’t stop yelling.
“I CANNOT BELIEVE MY SISTER IS DATING MAX POWELL, HOLY FUCKING SHIT, NOT ONLY IS HE A SENATOR, BUT HE’S HOT AS HELL.”
Olivia held up a hand.
“Alexa! You’re married!”
Alexa glared at her.
“I may be married, but I’m not dead! Hold on, I can’t have this conversation while I’m driving.”
She pulled into the parking lot of a Dollar store and turned off the car.
“Okay.” She took off her seat belt and turned to face Olivia. “Someone finally kept a secret from me. Now, tell me everything.”
Olivia shook her head and laughed. And then she told her. Everything.
“He told you he loved you?” Alexa yelled. “And? What did you say? Do you love him?”
Olivia didn’t meet her sister’s eyes.
“He said he was falling in love with me, not that he loves me.”
Alexa brushed that aside.
“That’s a distinction without a difference. Answer the question.”
Why had she let her sister go to law school, damn it?
“I . . . I didn’t say anything. That was around a month ago, and I still haven’t said anything.” She dropped her head in her hands at the expression on her sister’s face. “I know, I know. I KNOW. But even he acknowledged that it was early, you know! And you know I need time to make my mind up about these things! He said he didn’t need me to say anything back, but . . .” She looked at her sister, a tiny smile on her face. “I might. Soon.”
Alexa threw her arms around her.
“Oh, Liv, I’m so happy for you!”
Olivia let her smile get bigger.
“I’m still not ready to say . . . that, but, Lex, I really like him. More than I’ve liked anyone in a long time. I’ve been hesitant, not just in telling you, but in everything about him. It was just . . . it all seemed too good to be true, everything about him did. I think I’m starting to believe it’s all actually true.”
It felt scary to say that. But over the past few weeks, she’d finally let herself think it.
“Even though it’s hard for me to really . . . let go in that way.”
Alexa nodded.
“I get that. It was hard for me, too. Even after Drew moved up here and everything. It was hard to really trust him. Trust us. I’d had so many bad experiences before, I guess I started to believe that kind of love wasn’t for me—that no one would fall in love with me. So when Drew did, it took me a while to really believe it.”
Olivia looked at her little sister. She’d had no idea.
“That sounds . . . familiar.” She laughed. “It’s weird, but he gets me in a way no one has really seemed to. And the more he sees the real me, the more he seems to like me, which is pretty incredible—I can talk to him about work, or volunteering, or how much I love using power tools, or things I’m worried about, and where other men wouldn’t like all of those sides of me, or get bored, or talk down to me, he listens, really listens and wants to know more. The two of us are very different—he’s sort of an idealist, while I’m the conventional one, which is funny enough in itself—but it feels like we complement each other?” She bit her lip. “Things feel good.” She let herself smile. “Really good. I’m not sure I knew things could feel this good, actually.” She shook her head. “Oh God, I hate that I said that out loud, I feel like I’m jinxing things, but . . .”
Alexa shook a finger at her.
“No such thing. But . . . I do have another question. Who else knows about you two? And . . . are you ready for what might happen if and when it’s not secret anymore?”
Leave it to her sister to ask the hard questions.
“I know, it’s going to be a big whole thing when we get there, but I’m not going to worry about that yet. And in answer to your other question, only Ellie knows.”
Alexa started the car and smiled.
“You said when, you know.”
Olivia put her seat belt back on and raised her eyebrows at her sister.
“What do you mean, when?”
Alexa smiled.
“‘When we get there.’ Not ‘if.’ ‘When.’ I like it.”
Olivia opened her mouth to protest. Then she closed it without saying anything. Alexa drove on, a smug look on her face.
Before they walked into Alexa’s house, Alexa nudged her.
“Can I tell Drew about this? He won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
Olivia laughed.
“Yes, of course you can tell him, but no one else. And definitely not Mom and Dad, not yet!”
Drew had Olivia’s favorite Chinese takeout waiting for her, so they all sat down to eat. And then Olivia told an edited version of her Max story, this time to Drew, whose eyes just got wider and wider.
Right when Olivia finished, Alexa dropped her chopsticks.
“Oh my God. I just realized something. You said he’s in town for a fundraiser?” A wide smile spread across her face. “I’m pretty sure that the mayor of Berkeley—and his chief of staff—will be at that same fundraiser tomorrow night.”
Olivia dropped her head onto the table, barely missing the chow fun.
“Oh no. Oh no oh no. Is this some sort of anxiety dream? My little sister is going to be at the party with my boyfriend tomorrow and I can’t go?”
Alexa looked gleeful.
Drew stood up to go into the kitchen.
“Hold on. I think we need more wine for this conversation. I’ll be right back.”
Alexa jumped up.
“Oh, wait, I know just the bottle, I’ll help you find it.”
While they were gone, Olivia checked her phone, which she hadn’t done since she’d gotten in Alexa’s car.
At dinner with these tech dudes; almost done, thank god, they’re so annoying. Can’t wait to see you soon. I hope you’re having fun with your sister!
She looked up from her phone to find her little sister pointing and laughing at her. It felt like she was back in high school.
“What are you laughing at?” she said to Alexa.
“Oh, nothing,” Alexa said, with that same smug look she’d gotten since she was a toddler and was telling on her older sister. “It’s just that gooey look on your face makes it very clear who you just got a text from.”
It was even more annoying when her sister was right.
“I don’t . . .” She was about to say “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” like she would have said twenty years ago, but realized that was ridiculous. They both knew exactly what Alexa was talking about. So instead she just let her smile get as gooey as she wanted it to. “He says he’s almost done with his dinner and hopes we’re having fun.”
Alexa’s whole face softened.
“Oh, that’s so nice.”
Olivia sighed and dropped her phone on the table.
“He is so nice, that’s the problem with him, Lex! He’s so nice! He’s smart! He’s generous! He’s attractive! He’s rich! He’s funny! He’s perfect!” Now she rolled her eyes at herself. “Okay, fine, that’s an exaggeration, but you know what I mean. What happened to me?”
Alexa put her hands down on the table.
“Are you telling me that in the three or whatever months you’ve been dating this man, you haven’t discovered any of his flaws?”
Olivia took the glass of wine Drew handed her.
“No, it’s even worse—I’ve seen plenty of his flaws! He’s hotheaded, he’s impulsive, he has an enormous ego! He’s used to the whole world doing his bidding, in a way he doesn’t even realize; he’s incredibly privileged, which he sort of realizes, but not anywhere to the degree he needs to. Also, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him eat a vegetable. And his shoes are all just impossibly ugly. He has these old brown suede shoes he wore one day straight from the airplane and I realized he was on the actual Senate floor with those things on and I wanted to throw them in the garbage immediately, but I don’t think we’re at a place yet where I can do that. But the bad part is, I know all of that, and I still get that fucking gooey look on my face when he texts me! I can tell I get it! I try not to get it! But the goo just spreads over my face and I can’t make it stop!”
Now Alexa and Drew were laughing so hard they couldn’t speak, and Olivia joined in.
“I know this all sounds so stupid,” she said as soon as they all recovered.
Drew shook his head.
“It doesn’t sound stupid at all. It sounds exactly like how I felt when I met this one.” He poked her sister in the arm. “At least you’re being more mature about it than I was, and you’re not pretending you’re not falling for him.” He reached across the table and pushed her phone toward her. “Text him back. Tell him we’re almost done with dinner and you’ll be on your way to the hotel soon.”
She picked up the phone and smiled at him.
“I’m glad my sister married you.”
Drew reached for Alexa’s hand.
“I’m glad your sister married me, too,” he said. “What hotel is your senator boyfriend staying at?”
Olivia grinned.
“The Fairmont.”
Chapter Twelve
Olivia walked into the hotel lobby and checked her texts for Max’s room number.
Just getting on the elevator!
She got off the elevator without incident and walked down the hall to his room. But before she could even knock on the door of room 1624, the door swung open.
“There you are.” Max grabbed her arm and pulled her inside.
“Here I am,” she said as they wrapped their arms around each other.
“I missed you so much.” He traced her face with his fingertips, like he was memorizing it.
“I missed you, too,” she said. She ran her fingers through his hair. It was slightly longer than normal—he usually got a haircut from the same guy in L.A. every three weeks on Saturday mornings, and tomorrow was his regular haircut day, so it would have to wait until next weekend. It felt ridiculous, and wonderful, that she knew that.
“It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve seen you,” he said. He pulled her silk blouse out from where it was tucked into her jeans and unbuttoned the first button.
“It was only a week ago,” she said. Why did she still always go breathless when he touched her like this?
He nodded and unbuttoned two more buttons.
“I know. But I spent two days thinking I would have to go two weeks without seeing you. I can’t even tell you how much I missed you those days.” He dropped a gentle kiss on her lips as he unbuttoned another button. “It made me realize a week is my limit.”
Maybe that was why she’d missed him so much this week, too.
“Did you have fun with your sister?” he asked as he stroked her cheek.
She smiled as he kissed her earlobe.
“I did. I finally told her about us, and she freaked out. And . . .” Damn it, she had to tell him this part when he wasn’t distracted. “Max, wait, hold on a second.”
He pulled back a few inches but kept hold of her waist.
“Why, is something wrong?”
She shook her head.
“Not wrong, exactly, but I should warn you—my sister’s boss is going to be at that fundraiser tomorrow night. Which means . . .”
He dropped his head on her shoulder.
“Which means your sister is going to be at the fundraiser, too. And you’re not.”
She ran her fingers through his hair again. She liked it a little too long like this.
“Exactly. Sorry to spring this on you at the last minute. She’s very nice!”
He stood up straight and laughed.
“Oh, I’m sure she’s very nice, just like you are, and a shark, just like you are, too.”
Well, Olivia couldn’t disagree with that.
“It’ll be fine! Though I wish I could be there to see this.” She kissed him on the cheek. “How was the event today? And the dinner tonight?” she asked him.
He reached for her buttons again.
“Great, and very boring, in that order. But that last part doesn’t matter, because I have you with me right now. I’ll tell you all about both after.”
She raised her eyebrows at him.
“After what?” she asked.
He unbuttoned her last button.
“After I pull your clothes off, throw you onto that big bed over there, and have my way with you for hours, woman who asks silly questions.”
He unzipped her jeans and pushed them over her hips onto the floor as she giggled. Then he bent down and threw her over his shoulder, which only made her giggle harder.
“Oh my God, what are you doing? If you throw out your back because of me and you’re out of commission for weeks, I’m going to feel so guilty!”
He walked across the room with a few strides and tossed her onto the huge bed. She laid back on the pillows and smiled at him as he pulled his own clothes off and dropped them to the floor.
“It would be worth it,” he said as he landed on the bed next to her. “It’s too fun to surprise you to restrain myself just for fear of my ag
ing back.”
Olivia turned to look at him, and before he could move, she pushed him down, flipped over, and knelt over him.
“Now it’s my turn.” She smiled down at him, and at the surprised—and aroused—look on his face.
She kissed him hard, and he kissed her back just as hard. All of her longing and frustration and confusion and joy about him came out in that kiss. He was everything she wanted, he was everything she wasn’t sure she could have, he was everything she was unsure about, he was everything that made her happy.
“You’re so fucking incredible,” he said as he reached around to unclasp her bra. “Sometimes I don’t believe you’re real.”
He pulled her bra off and caressed her breasts in just the way she loved. He’d figured that out so fast.
“Likewise,” she said as he slid down so he could suck her nipples into his mouth. When she felt the gentle scrape of his teeth against her nipple, she moaned, and then caught herself.
“Oh shit,” she said in a whisper. “Do we have to be quiet? Do the people on either side of you know who you are?”
He pulled back, but kept her nipples between his fingers.
“I don’t think they do, but . . . just to be safe, we should probably be quiet.” He grinned. “I guess I should have thought of that before throwing you on the bed, huh?” He danced his tongue around one breast while he squeezed the other. She held her lips together so she wouldn’t cry out.
“Thank goodness this bed has so many pillows for me to scream into,” she said.
He pulled her underwear down with one hand, and she kicked them onto the floor.
“I’m going to make it my goal for you to need all of those pillows,” he said. He slid a finger inside of her, hard, and she gasped. His thumb moved in first slow, then fast circles, with his other hand still squeezing her nipples. Dear God, it felt incredible.
Then, suddenly, it wasn’t enough. She reached down to stroke the hard length of him, and it was his turn to gasp.
“I need you inside me now.” Sure enough, he’d left a pile of condoms on the bedside table. She grabbed one and opened it. “I knew you’d be prepared.”
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