Their eyes locked for a moment and for the first time, Olivia let herself fall completely into them—into him and that incredible thing he did to her.
The corner of his lips rose slowly. It was the only thing she allowed to distract her from his intense gaze and she smiled too.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?’ he asked with a sweet smile then pecked her lips softly.
“Yes,” she whispered, feeling a little choked up suddenly. “I don’t know how I got so lucky, Lorenzo. But you’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of in a guy. Everything any girl would dream of. I still can hardly believe this is true.”
“What’s so hard to believe?” he asked, still gazing into her eyes and looking a bit amused.
She shook her head softly, surprised that he wouldn’t know. “That a guy as perfect as you, both on the inside and the outside, would even be looking for an exclusive relationship much less demand one so early on.”
Lorenzo laughed, tightening his hold on her and kissing her temple. “First of all, you’re damn right I’m demanding one. We wouldn’t be here if that weren’t the case. And second, I’m not stupid, so I won’t throw myself under the bus and give you specifics. But I’m sorry to tell you your boyfriend is far from perfect. You’ll see soon enough. Hopefully my imperfections won’t scare you off.”
“Never,” she whispered, feeling completely mesmerized.
He stopped talking and kissed her instead: softly, tenderly and so deeply. As always, it made her insides turn to mush and the tingling between her legs started up. Olivia didn’t care what he said; he was perfect. Even his intensity made her shiver but in a good way.
Groaning softly against her mouth as their kiss intensified, he adjusted himself under her, and she could feel how hard and ready to go he was already. Feeling instantly aroused by that, Olivia cradled his face, kissing him passionately, then pulled away to look him in the eyes. “I can already tell we’re gonna be up all night.”
Wrapping his big arms around her, he growled against her mouth, pulling her down into the center of the hot tub, submerging both of them into the heavenly hot water.
~~~
Waking up under the blue sky, with the sound of the ocean waves and surrounded by the flowers her new incredible boyfriend had showered her, with should’ve been enough to make Olivia feel as if she’d woken up in heaven. The things they’d done yesterday and all last night had her body and heart feeling so amazingly content.
For a moment, she questioned if it’d been wise to admit to her boyfriend how perfect she thought he was, but she was glad she had now. Rose had been so right. Lorenzo was amazing. He was sweet, romantic, thoughtful yet hot and dirty at just the perfect times she wanted him that way. It almost scared her how perfect he was. Could she possibly keep him interested in her? She knew everyone was flawed in some ways, yet since he’d admitted to trying to fight his feelings for her and failing miserably, he’d been faultless. Sure she’d thought him cold and possibly even full of himself before she knew why he’d been fighting the idea of a relationship. But since then she’d yet to find even one flaw in him.
Even the few times their conversations had gotten a bit intense, she got it. He explained it well enough. He’d been burned badly, and he was just making certain it didn’t happen again. Protecting his heart. He was being smart, not to mention completely honest. While Olivia herself knew the heartache of being cheated on, she knew it was way different for her. She’d since concluded that she’d never actually been in love with Jay. She’d confused loving him with him being her longtime friend who she felt sorry for because of all his family issues.
She’d likely never admit to Lorenzo what she knew now had been her biggest hang up with Jay. It’d taken her long enough to admit it to herself, but she finally had. Jay had introduced her to her love of sex. She’d been fascinated by the pleasure it gave her body. Olivia had questioned it before, and now she had her confirmation. Unlike with Jay, it wasn’t just her body that yearned for Lorenzo. What she felt for him ran so much deeper and in such a short amount of time. Maybe it was his straightforwardness even that first night. It hadn’t wavered since. He held nothing back, and it made her feel as if she could trust him with her life.
With Jay it was the opposite. He was dangerous. He lied. He mocked her on more than one occasion, and she’d never trusted him, but she’d felt too addicted to him to cut him out of her life. And now that she knew the difference, she could conclude without a doubt she’d been hopelessly in lust with Jay. Not love.
With all certainty, Lorenzo had already picked up on the fact that she really enjoyed sex. She’d seen and felt his reaction when he realized she shared his carnal enthusiasm. Clearly he was all for it. More than once yesterday he’d expressed the same thing she’d been thinking about him.
“How the hell did I get so lucky?”
Olivia had been so ravenous last night just like the first time, and she wondered how long it would be before Lorenzo began to question how she’d gone over two years without sex. All she could hope now was that he wouldn’t ask. She was ashamed to admit now what a number Jay had done on her mentally.
The most ironic thing about what she felt for Lorenzo—that draw she felt to him almost from the moment she met him—was that she knew now without a doubt that if it hadn’t been him who approached her that night she wouldn’t have gone through with her first ever one-night stand. Jay would still be her sole sexual experience. That was what made waking next to Lorenzo feel more heavenly than any of the other things that had happened yesterday: that unexplainable connection she felt to him. So far he’d been spot on when he read her. Most alarming was how close he’d been to hitting the nail on the head when he questioned her about Jay that first night he asked her about him. While she hadn’t been saving herself out of loyalty to Jay because she didn’t have any intention of ever getting back with him, in many ways she had avoided new experiences out of fear that they would never live up to the ones with him. Now she knew how wrong she’d been.
Thinking of all this reminded her of something. Both times Lorenzo had questioned her yesterday about her texts she’d had a curious new text she hadn’t opened. The first time he’d asked about it, aside from the Elton text she told Lorenzo about, she’d had a new one she didn’t mention—from Jay. The second time when she told him about the texts from her brother and Rose, she also had another she didn’t mention—one from Margie. She hadn’t bothered to read either mostly because, before anything even happened between her and Lorenzo, she’d already decided she had no interest in even speaking with Jay ever again. She was still on the fence about whether or not she’d ever allow Margie back in her life, but she hadn’t read them because she didn’t want Lorenzo picking up on anything that might change her mood. She had to admit though, now that they’d both texted her, she was curious.
Careful not to wake him, Olivia slid out of the bed. She picked up the robe off the side of the bed and slipped it on. Last night, after checking her phone when he’d practically asked her to, she’d made sure to leave it on silent.
Not wanting to risk him seeing her being sneaky about checking her phone, she grabbed it from her purse and went into the bathroom. As soon as she locked the door, she tapped away at the phone’s screen. She had new texts now too, but she skipped the one from her sister because she knew Emi was likely just dying to know what the big surprise was.
Taking a deep breath, she scrolled down and read Margie’s first, and immediately her heart rate sped up.
I know you probably hate me, and I don’t blame you. But I need you more than anything right now, Ollie. I was so wrong about Jay, and the worst thing about it is my gut told me all along. Like an idiot I just chose to ignore it. PLEASE call me when you get a chance. I need you.
Bringing her hand to her mouth, Olivia considered calling her right then but then decided against it. Having a conversation with her best friend about Jay at Lorenzo’s place wasn’t the best idea. It was
the only thing that so far had brought out that dark side of him. She didn’t want to ruin what he’d put so much thought into and so far had been perfect.
Instead, she sent a quick text telling her she’d call her later that night. Then she scrolled down to Jay’s text, wondering what in the world could have Margie so upset. Had Jay done the same thing to Margie that he’d done to Olivia? The thought had her holding her phone a little tighter. Without any further hesitation, she read his first text, the one she’d gotten at the restaurant yesterday.
You can’t ignore me forever. We ARE going to talk about this. We may as well get it over with.
He was doing it again. Or at least he thought he still could. She shook her head, pressing her lips together, and scrolled to the next one.
One way or another, this is going to happen, Ollie. I know you want to talk to me. It’s why I did it. You left me no choice. I knew you were waiting for me. You just wouldn’t admit it even to yourself. It’s what you’ve always done. Why deny it now? Even Margie knows the truth now too. As usual, you just needed a push. Talk to me, baby. Call me.
Ironically, his “I knew you were waiting for me” text had come right when she was in the bathroom getting naked and slipping into her fuck-me shoes for her new boyfriend yesterday. She reread all three texts again, pondering them for a few minutes before deleting Jay’s. Margie would be hearing from her, but Jay could kiss her ass if he thought she’d be getting sucked into his head games again. No way was she risking not only upsetting Lorenzo but possibly losing him. He couldn’t have made it any clearer than he already had. He wouldn’t tolerate any kind of relationship between her and Jay. Maybe if she actually wanted one she’d put up an argument. But she had zero interest in speaking to Jay ever again, especially now that she was beginning to understand what could be going on. Jay had used Margie to get to Olivia, and it appeared he was claiming this was Olivia’s fault—she’d left him no choice. To hell with him.
After splashing her face and rinsing her mouth out with mouthwash, she stepped out and gasped when she came face to face with Lorenzo. His startling her seemed to startle him too. He actually lifted his hands in front of him.
“I was just about to check on you,” he said, half smiling as his eyes went from hers to the phone in her hand then back up to her eyes again. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t,” she assured him. “You were just so sound asleep when I got up I didn’t think you’d be awake yet.”
“Everything okay?” he asked, glancing down at her phone again.
“Yeah.” She nodded with a smile, lifting her phone. “I just thought I’d check my phone. I knew Emi would be anxious to know how last night went,” she said, feeling guilty that she’d been so consumed with Margie’s and Jay’s texts that she hadn’t bothered to read her sister’s. “She and I discussed our theories of what you might have planned in length yesterday morning, so I knew she’d be dying to know what they’d been.”
He smiled now, looking a little less tense than he had moments ago. “Did you talk to her?”
“No.” She shook her head quickly, but she wouldn’t lie. “It was just a text. We’ll talk when I get home. We can go on and on forever, so I thought I’d wait to actually talk to her later when I have more time.”
That was the truth. Technically, it was just a text—from Emi to Olivia—one Olivia hadn’t bothered reading, but those were minor details. The important part was she hadn’t lied. She and Lorenzo had only been officially together for a little over three weeks now, but she knew damn well any lies were not going to fly with him, not after what he’d been through. As perfect as she thought him, in many ways he reminded her of her brothers. He was one of the sweetest guys she’d ever met, but as slight as it’d been, she’d had a peek into his dark side. It wasn’t a side of him she wanted to revisit.
“C’mere,” he said, reaching out for her hand.
She smiled, slipping her hand in his and was quickly pulled her into his strong embrace. Then he kissed her. To her surprise, his mouth tasted sweet. Real sweet.
Pulling away, she licked her lips, trying to make out what she was tasting.
He smiled, licking his own lips before clueing her into his thoughts. “You mentioned you’re not big on heavy breakfasts, right?”
Curiously, she nodded. Lorenzo smiled smugly, tugging her hand gently, and began to walk. “I have something for you out on the balcony.”
Obviously whatever he had for her was sweet. She licked the corner of her lip again, trying to make out the now faint taste of sugar. When they turned the corner, they came to the cozy sitting area she’d seen yesterday when he’d given her the grand tour: the one in a comfy corner of the courtyard just outside the privacy walls, overlooking the ocean. She’d even mentioned it seemed perfect for sitting and enjoying a nice cup of coffee in the morning. The morning was hazy but crisp and felt as romantic as she imagined one might be at this beach house.
Looking up at the sweet smile that spread across his face coupled with sexy morning stubble that begun to shade his strong jaw and chin nearly melted her. How she got so lucky the one night she decided to take a chance and it turned into this would forever be a mystery. Up until now her life had pretty much been a series of bad luck and bad choices. Jay was an all-too-annoying reminder of that.
As they got closer to the table on the balcony, she could see the pink pastry box and the orange juice carafe. A single cup coffee maker was set up on a side table with cups and a container of creamer.
“It’s what woke me actually,” he explained. “I set my alarm because the bakery up the street delivers, and I’d put in my order yesterday, but I couldn’t help myself. I bit one of my favorites when I was setting this up while you were in the bathroom.”
Lorenzo lifted the lid on the box for her to see fresh muffins, croissants, and a delicious-looking array of cream puffs and mini tarts.
Olivia’s mouth fell open. This was exactly the kind of breakfast she preferred, and she’d mentioned that to him in one of their marathon phone conversations they’d had almost nightly even after they’d spent hours together.
“You don’t like bacon and eggs and hash browns?” She remembered him asking her, sounding completely horrified. “No chorizo and potato burritos either?”
She’d laughed, explaining on occasion she did but generally she preferred what most nutritionists would consider an abomination: a light breakfast, a bigger lunch, and an even heavier dinner.
“This is perfect,” she said, bringing her hand to his scruffy face and kissing him softly. “You thought of everything.” She turned to the coffee maker and creamer. This close she saw the flavor and smiled even bigger. “Oh my God, Girl Scout caramel and coconut! That’s so hard to find.”
“Yeah, it is,” he agreed immediately with a playful frown. “I went to like five different markets searching for it.”
Olivia couldn’t help giggle. “You could’ve gotten the regular coconut cream one; it’s way more common, and I like it just as much.”
“Now she tells me.” The exasperated look he gave her made her laugh even more.
But he kissed her on the nose and pulled out a chair for her. A cup was already in the coffee maker, and he slipped in a k-cup and hit the start button. A few minutes later Olivia was enjoying her coffee and a chocolate-filled croissant. She took a deep breath of fresh ocean air. “I can’t even imagine waking up to this every morning. It’s so beautiful.”
She turned to see him staring at her in that way that made her melt every time. It was almost silly after everything they’d done last night and all the time they’d spent together in the past three weeks that a simple look from him could still make the butterflies in her belly go wild. But it did, only it wasn’t nerves anymore. It was absolute bliss she was feeling. Everything about him, from his looks to the way he treated her and claimed he felt about her, felt like an absolute dream.
His lips pressed together suddenly, and he began to say
something then hesitated. Her paranoid mind wondered if somehow he knew about Jay’s texts. For a moment, she considered just telling him, being completely honest. She’d done nothing wrong after all.
Then he stood suddenly. “Wait here. I’ll be back.”
Before she could even respond, he’d rushed off and she watched as he turned the corner and out of sight. Olivia sat there mid-chew, wondering what in the world he could be doing. Again instead of thinking maybe he had another sweet surprise for her, she was already thinking the worst. What if he was headed to get her phone? What if Jay had texted her again?
She took a sip of her coffee, trying to stay calm. He wouldn’t ruin such a perfect morning. Would he?
A few agonizing minutes later, he was back holding his hand behind him, and she couldn’t make out the odd expression on his face. “I don’t want you to freak out or anything, okay?
The comment together with the troubled expression on his face already had her freaking out.
Ten
Lorenzo
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. He’d been second guessing himself from the moment he’d bought the first one. When he took that one back, he hadn’t even replaced it. Then after a couple of days he’d gone back and bought this one. He knew it was soon, but he wanted to do this, and he’d finally convinced himself it wasn’t such a big deal.
Now the deer-in-the-headlights expression on her face had him rethinking it again. His heart had been getting a major workout since he’d met this girl, and this morning was no exception, from the moment he raced to get everything set up on the balcony before she was done in the bathroom to the moment he realized not only had she been in there long enough for him to do so she’d been on her phone the whole time. But he’d let that go without asking too much because he had to. Since his conversation with Vince this past week he’d been doing his damnedest to take his brother’s advice and not fuck this up. It wasn’t fair to Olivia and Vince was right. It’d be just a matter of time before she got sick of his perverse suspicions, but his heart had gone into overdrive nonetheless.