Vince snapped his fingers in front of him, biting his lower lip as if he were trying to remember something, then smiled big. “Rage,” he said suddenly. “Your brother’s nickname. I remember Romero saying something about that one time.”
For the first time in the conversation, Olivia’s smile flattened. “He was dubbed that a few times by local papers, but I wouldn’t say it’s a nickname.”
Lorenzo managed to take his eyes off her for a second in time to see Rosie’s curious expression. “Why did they dub him that?” Rosie asked.
Clearly the mention of her brother’s nickname had changed Olivia’s disposition. That cute little mouth of hers, the one he was trying so hard to not imagine devouring, puckered a bit and she shrugged. “He’s been in a few fights on the field over the years, and the press is quick to slap nicknames on players, but we . . .” She cleared her throat. “Well, he doesn’t mind it so much, but my older brothers and I don’t care for the nickname. It has a negative connotation. It’s not what we want him to be known for.”
“He’s a hothead, huh?” Vince chuckled, kissing Ruby on the head. “No wonder Romero talked about it in a good way.”
Despite Rosie’s somewhat silly mental state, she seemed to pick up on the change in Olivia’s mood too. She quickly changed the subject, asking Vince something else about the Raiders game. With the subject back to football, Vince opened the door, telling Lorenzo the game had already started and they needed to get the beer in the fridge.
“You gonna hang out and watch the game with us?” Vince asked Olivia.
Lorenzo’s heart had just started thundering at the thought of hanging out with her the whole night when she quickly—a bit too hastily—declined.
“No, no,” she said, bringing her hand to her chest and shaking her head in a way that had them all peering at her strangely. “I uh,” she continued a bit nervously. “I can’t. I have to be getting home soon. But thank you.”
Without further explanation, she turned to Rosie, who smiled and turned back to Vince. “I’ll be in, in time for the second half, babe.”
Lorenzo nodded his goodbye to Olivia before turning and stepping into Vince’s front room. Clearly since she and Rosie were still going to hang out and chat until the second half but outside instead of joining him and Vince, Olivia’s need to get home wasn’t as urgent as she’d made it out to be. Why that bothered him he didn’t know, but after being around her again tonight, it did.
A lot.
He knew one thing with all certainty. The night he’d met her she’d been attracted to him. Their chemistry had been off the charts, regardless of how she was acting now. So the only thing he could make of her lack of interest now was that his being an asshole at the repast had undoubtedly been a real turn off. It was either that or she was in a relationship. That shouldn’t piss him off, but it did. God, did it ever.
One good thing about tonight was that if Rosie didn’t know whether or not he’d met Olivia then they’d obviously not spoken about him, but that still didn’t kill the annoying curiosity that seemed to grow with every time he ran into her.
Another thing he was certain of and he was counting on now, was that he was definitely getting something out of Rosie tonight. But why he wanted anything was the question. He’d already established that doing so was a bad idea. The last thing he needed was to get caught up with another seemingly nice girl who had it in her to cheat. Even if he were wrong about that, he’d sworn off relationships. One meaningless night with this girl already had him feeling all twisted. Doing anything more with her would be just stupid. So why the hell was he here to begin with? He could’ve easily told Vince he had unexpected company or a last-minute date. And even with everything his brain had gone over since the night he met her and each time he’d run into her, why was he suddenly even more anxious about finding out more about her?
He and Vince traded as soon as he was in the house. He handed him the bag with the snacks, and Vince handed him his beautiful niece, who wore a Raiders onesie and matching booties. Vince also took the beer from him and headed to the kitchen. Just looking at Ruby’s pretty big eyes, which were usually closed, made him smile and momentarily forget his angst about Olivia.
“Hey, baby girl. For once you’re awake.”
“Of course she’s awake,” Vince said from the kitchen. “She’s ready to watch the Raiders kick some ass.”
“I’m surprised you’re not wearing a Charger outfit,” Lorenzo said, holding her up to get a better look at her Raiders gear. “I thought your mommy would have you all bolted out.”
“She did,” Vince said, walking out of the kitchen with two beers. “I took that shit off her. You can put her down in her swing.” Vince motioned to the swing placed strategically so she could watch the game with them. “She’s a good baby, man. She’ll sit there for a long time just chilling without fussing or anything.”
Lorenzo smiled, kissing her on her little cheeks. “I got her for now,” he said, sitting down on the sofa.
He cradled her in one arm then took the beer from Vince. His brother was right about Ruby. The whole time they sat there watching the better part of the first half she’d sat peacefully in Lorenzo’s arms, just cooing. Even when they got loud she’d been cool. He eventually had to put her down in her swing so he could use the bathroom, and by the time he got back, she was dozing off.
As promised, Rosie walked in just before the start of the second half.
“Okay, no more coolers on girls’ night,” was the first thing she said. “Olivia is worse than me, so she only drank one since she’s driving, which meant three for me.” She giggled, walking toward the kitchen. “I need water or I’ll probably have a headache tomorrow.” She turned to them as she opened the refrigerator door. “Honey, did you know they’re building a Fresh & Easy on Vine over by Joanne’s Fabrics?”
“No, I didn’t,” Vince said, changing the channel on the television.
Rosie went on about the new store and how much she liked it. She quickly moved on to what a great job Olivia had done on Sheba and then touched on how exciting it would be to actually know a real big league player. When her back was turned, Vince opened and closed his hand, shaking his head. Rosie was on rambling roll. The moment Lorenzo had the chance he made a casual comment, knowing she’d run with it.
“I didn’t realize you were so tight with Romero’s cousin.”
She smiled big. “It’s only been a few weeks. I just met her at the repast for Janks, but she’s the sweetest thing.”
Rosie told him about how they were the same age, so therefore they had a lot in common, except of course that Olivia was single, and then, bingo, she started telling them a little too much.
“I feel so bad for her.” She stopped and brought her finger to her lips then shook her head. “No, it’s not a secret. She said her siblings know. Still they don’t know everything, so if you guys ever, you know, talk to her brothers or anything, don’t mention it, but her best friend is engaged to her ex-boyfriend now.” Rosie waved her hand in front of her then leaned over and kissed Ruby. “Well, ex best friend now. She just found out about it not too long ago, and they’re not speaking anymore. But isn’t that scandalous? I mean can you imagine? She said they were like sisters—best friends since they were kids—and this witch goes and starts dating Olivia’s ex, which let me tell you . . .” She took a moment to take a long swig of her water as Lorenzo waited with bated breath. “She says she’s over him, but, c’mon, he was her first everything. They only broke up because she moved out here, so how over him can she really be, you know?”
Rosie moved on to talk about how technically Sheba didn’t need to be groomed this often and Olivia wasn’t charging her for the comb outs like today’s. Rosie was only paying her for the full grooming the poodle needed only every six weeks or so, but because Olivia no longer spoke to her best friend and apparently didn’t have many friends out here yet, she liked stopping by when she got the chance for girl talk like tonight. Someth
ing that Rosie seemed excited about.
Lorenzo had heard enough. He didn’t bother probing for more. If he’d been adamant before about not getting involved with this girl, he sure as hell didn’t want to now. The last thing he needed was another chick who was still pining over an ex.
No fucking thanks.
Four
Olivia
Unbelievable.
Lorenzo was Rose’s brother-in-law. Again, what were those freaking odds? Olivia had known Rose might know him, maybe even well, but not this well. She was only glad now that she’d had the presence of mind to not tell Rose who her one-night-stand had been with. But still Olivia had given her new friend details of her night with him, and it turns out the guy was Rose’s husband’s brother and she was “very close” to him?
Olivia’s had to practically pick her jaw up from the ground when he drove up tonight and she heard Rose’s words. “Oh, look. It’s Enzo, my brother-in-law.” And then Olivia had watched in horror as he got out of the car, looking as hot as ever.
Having to stand there and talk to all of them in front of him while keeping her cool had been a huge challenge. She’d been doing just fine until Vince’s unexpected invitation to join them watching the game. Olivia couldn’t spit out her “no” fast enough, and she was certain from Lorenzo’s expression her fumbling words hadn’t gone unnoticed. But at least she’d managed to come up with something, even though it didn’t make sense. Olivia hadn’t finished telling Rose about her one-night stand, so she knew Rose would want her to finish. This was why they’d kept talking outside even after the guys went in. Fortunately, Rose hadn’t questioned why she stuck around if, in fact, she had to get going as she’d claimed.
If Rose’s brother-in-law had been anyone else, Olivia just might’ve hung out with them tonight. It wasn’t as if she had anywhere else to be, and she was really beginning to enjoy her new friendship with Rose. But, of course, hanging out with them with Lorenzo making her heart thump the whole time was out of the question. She actually felt kind of sad about the whole thing.
After he’d gone into the house, Rose told her she and her husband do a lot with Enzo. It was likely that, if she and Rose ever did start doing some of the things they’d talked about like Oktoberfest at Gaslamp, he’d probably go too.
Olivia didn’t ask Rose, but the way she spoke of him hanging out with her and her husband a lot and the fact that he’d showed up alone tonight, it appeared he was single. Rose never once mentioned a wife or fiancée or even a girlfriend.
If that were the case, then one thing was even clearer. His lack of interest in anything more than the one-time romp they shared had nothing to do with guilt or being unavailable. It was genuine disinterest in her. Olivia took a deep breath, doing her best to squelch the sting this reawakened. It reminded her of all that time Jay could never commit to anything with her despite what she thought she’d felt from him, but he wasn’t just committed to Margie now—he was engaged to her.
It was a dumb thought, she knew, but it made her wonder if something about her repelled guys from wanting to commit to her. She’d sworn she would never have such insecure thoughts again. Jay had made her that way. Yet, she couldn’t help feel the insecurity seep in.
The only way she’d be able to be around Lorenzo was if her feelings for him were mutual. But after tonight she had to admit if she were around him more than the few minutes she’d had since their night together, she’d just be torturing herself, even if he continued to be kind of a jerk as he’d been at the repast. She’d like to say she was as uninterested in anything more between them as he appeared to be.
The truth was every time she’d seen him so far her legs had gone weak. Every time she took in how incredibly sexy he was, she’d remember his kisses, and her insides would turn to liquid. And every time he looked at her in that way that confused the hell out of her, she knew she’d get her hopes up that maybe he was feeling a little of that same undeniable connection she’d felt for him that first night.
She couldn’t be around the guy and not start falling for him. They’d barely exchanged a couple of nods and words, and already she was thinking about him way too much. Even before tonight, she’d caught herself thinking about him and their one night together too many times. She’d spent entire grooming sessions daydreaming about the possibility of it ever happening again: Running her hands over those glorious muscles on his arms, shoulders, back, and chest. Having him devour her lips and mouth as he had with such fervor that night, making her feel something so profoundly intense as she never had before. Having him inside her again.
Okay, stop.
This had to stop. She shook her head as she climbed out of the van, ashamed that the tingling between her legs had once again started up just thinking about him. But any tingling or thoughts of Lorenzo were quickly snuffed when she walked in the house to face her two older brothers’ lethal glares.
“You wanna explain this to me?” Isaiah held up an envelope.
From where she stood, she couldn’t see what it was, but she had a pretty good idea. Even so, she put on the oblivious act. She had to buy a little more time. She knew the day was fast approaching when she’d have to tell them, but she’d been so distracted lately with thoughts of Lorenzo she’d stopped rehearsing how she’d explain it.
“What is it?” she asked, putting her things down on the coffee table.
“A contract between you and Hollingsworth,” Isaiah said, his voice even more severe. “I told you I didn’t want you involved with that asshole in any way.”
“What happened to the money, Liv?” Nathan asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe to the hallway.
At least Nathan was respecting her wishes to not be called Ollie anymore. To her siblings, she’d always been Olivia or just Liv. Occasionally, they called her by the nickname Jay had bestowed on her early on because they’d gotten used to hearing it. It was also what Margie called her once she’d heard it enough from Jay. Olivia hated hearing it now and had asked them to stop.
“I still have it,” she explained. “All of it.”
“Why didn’t you use it?”
“Because we’re gonna need it for Emi’s school and Nathan’s attorney fees,” she said, seeing that undeniable spark in her oldest brother’s eyes. “Two years is more than enough time for me to pay the money back. I’m halfway through the first already.”
“Damn it, Liv.” Isaiah threw the envelope on the counter. “I told you I’d figure out Nathan’s attorney fees, and Emi will likely get a scholarship with her grades. I didn’t want you in any way indebted to that prick.”
“Emi’s talking ESU, Isaiah,” she said, her eyes pleading for him to understand. “It’ll be so much harder for her to get a scholarship to an Ivy League school, and it’s super expensive.”
“Is it just the money the asshole’s asking for?” Nathan asked, moving away from the doorway and walking toward her.
“Yes, of course!” she said a little too quickly—loudly—so she toned it down, hoping they wouldn’t pick up on her panicked insincerity. “It’s all in the contract. He hasn’t asked for anything else at all.”
Of course that was true if you didn’t count the numerous times the guy had gone back to suggesting, off the record, that he’d be willing to knock off some of the loan if she’d just do him the honor of accompanying him for a day on his boat or at his mountain cabin. When he first made these suggestions way back, he insisted it would be money well spent just to be able to enjoy the time with her. He told her to look at it more like a sponsorship and insisted he’d be a perfect gentleman. And while she, of course, had turned him down politely but firmly, she still had to put up with him showing up unannounced sometimes at her appointments. He always said he was just in the area and wanted to check on her and the van.
That was usually when he’d make his subtle suggestions about his boat or cabin or even just dinner. She also had to deal with his phone calls, especially during months she knew she might
be short with the payment and she had to play nice. It was why every now and again she’d agree to go to lunch with him, especially when he’d conveniently happen to show up around lunch time and he’d wait for her to be done with her client.
It just sucked that, until she paid him in full, technically the van and her business was his. But until she was done paying, he had full access to her schedule. He knew when and where she’d be on any given day she was working, but her brothers didn’t need to know all that.
“It’s not fair, you guys,” she began the speech she’d had planned for months. Careful not to insult anyone, she was including herself in said speech. “Our father left that money for all of us. It was clear in his will that he wanted us to invest the money in our future. While I think being a firefighter is admirable, I’m pretty sure Dad meant college. Emi is the only one of us with aspirations of attending college. AJ’s already made his choice, and it’s the best one for him. He was born to play ball and me . . . Well, dog grooming isn’t exactly—”
“Don’t do that.” Isaiah’s face instantly contorted. “I hate it when you do that, Livi. It takes skill and talent to do what you do. And this is your business and passion, not just a job. You have a waiting list for a reason because you’re damn good at it, and your clients recognize that. Regardless of how long it took you to get formally trained, you deserve to use this money just as much as Emi does.”
“And I did,” she reminded him. “I used part of it for the training. But I can pay for the van on my own,” she insisted. “I have been. When Emi goes to school, especially one as academically demanding as ESU, she won’t be able to work full-time to pay for it. And you said yourself Nathan doesn’t stand a chance of getting past the fire department’s background check unless he gets those charges expunged from his record. So, technically, his attorney fees are for his future as well. It’s a win-win, Isaiah. Please don’t be mad.”