by Jackson Kane
“And when they do, Romeo will be here to defend you.” Bastien smirked, choosing to take my obvious sarcasm at face value.
This man was so frustrating!
“Besides, you used to love dogs,” he added with a smooth wink.
I just wished he wasn't so damn charming about it.
“Yeah, I grew out of that.” I took a hard look at the man who crashed back into my life as abruptly as he disappeared from it so many years ago. “I grew out of a lot of things.”
Charming or not, I didn’t want him messing me up all over again. It took so long to get over him and now he was here to ruin all the progress I made.
Bastien's cockiness faded into a knowing glance. 'You can't outgrow me, Olivia,' the look said. I felt pressure to blurt out 'Yes, I can!' But I held my tongue. Somehow, I felt that lie still on my face and quickly shifted my gaze toward the kitchen. I needed something to wet my suddenly dry throat.
He was the only man I'd ever met that could break me down with just a look. Even the thought of Bastien was scandalous. The damage he could do to my career, to the life I'd worked so hard to build...
He'd always had this hold over me growing up. Bastien was this larger-than-life figure that always got his way, even during the bad times. It made helping him after the tragedy so much harder.
“So you gonna give us the tour or what?” Bastien, now wearing just the fitted gray tank top, had crouched down to play with Romeo. He'd stripped off his button-down and tied it around his waist, completing his ninety's grunge look. Bastien's huge, defined arms flexed slightly as he scratched behind Romeo's ears.
I couldn't believe how different he looked from high school. He'd always managed to walk the line of being incredibly fashionable, while looking like he hadn't put any thought into it at all. He was our school's rock star without ever picking up an instrument. If Bastien wore it, you'd better believe every other popular guy would follow suit.
It wasn't just his style that was completely different, but his physicality too. Back in the day, Bastien was the epitome of lean, athletic kid. He was strong and extremely well defined. Younger-me can still recall the groves of his muscles more completely than my old locker combination.
“The tour...” I repeated automatically, not really paying attention. Now Bastien was this sculpted god of a man, massive arms and chest that were riddled with tattoos. Being an actor surrounded me with beautiful men all the time. That was the nature of the entertainment business.
They were a dime a dozen. But Bastien was a hundred-dollar bill.
He glanced over at me expectantly, to which I immediately looked away not wanting to get caught ogling him. I cleared my throat and took a sip of the water bottle I'd pulled from the fridge.
“I'm not your tour guide, there is no tour.” I was already flustered by this whole arrangement. I haven't seen him in forever and suddenly he's living with me? Younger-me's head would've exploded knowing he'd be sleeping under the same roof.
“Just pick a room.” I found my resolve and snapped a glare at him. “I don’t care what my father says. This is all temporary. You’re gone the second I find a replacement.”
“Good luck with that.” Bastien shrugged knowingly. “Any room? There are no roommates I should know about?” Bastien stood up, eyeing me. “Boyfriend? Girlfriend?”
What was that look? Was he already jealous at the thought of another person living with me?
“Of course not—” I blurted the words before catching myself.
You're not a teenager anymore Olivia! You don't answer to him.
“What if there is?” I tested his reaction. “How is that any of your concern?”
Bastien brushed by me to search the fridge. His touch lit tingles through my arm. I always kept my fridge stocked in case my agent or any producers wanted to come over and pitch me projects.
Bastien grabbed a beer, then looked at me. Using his ring, he popped the cap and drained a mouthful, all the while not breaking eye contact. “I like to sleep naked and I don't want to scare anyone.” Playfulness and sex dripped from every word.
My breath spiked. Damn him for putting the image of him naked in bed into my head. I eagerly chugged some more water, hoping that would put out the fire I felt in my lower stomach.
“It is good to see you again, Olivia.” His tone took on a more earnest quality. It almost sounded... sincere.
It was hard not wanting to fall into him, like I did on prom night. Memories about how much I cared for him swelled inside of me, to the point that I felt like I might burst. He was at arm's length for the first time in years. It took everything I had not to hug him.
It's alright, my heart cooed. Everything's alright now.
No!
Everything was not alright!
I turned and walked away from him. Years of worry and resentment churned within me. This was him. This is what he does!
I won’t be hypnotized by him, not again. I barely survived last time. Bastien's just going to disappear again, and I refused to go through that much pain.
I texted my agent and asked her how the search for auditions was going.
Kelsey said she was coming up empty, but would keep trying. Then, about as subtle as a sledgehammer, she texted me the names of several female actors and celebrities who were available. She was subtly encouraging me to start dating again to boost my image.
“Not yet.” I replied.
Between the attempt on my father’s life and Bastien being back, there was too much going on right now to think about a relationship.
And just because I fell for Samantha didn’t mean I was only interested in women. My career had already started to suffer from the shift in public opinion. I hadn’t been offered nearly as many roles lately which stressed me out a lot.
Velvet Intentions was the only big role I’d been considered for since Samantha and I got together. I couldn’t just blindly turn it down. Besides I didn’t want to turn it down! It was the first important role I’d ever do. Everything before this was generic young adult stuff. A serious, dramatic role like this could define my whole career.
I refused to let my father run my life any longer.
First thing’s first, I reminded myself, clearing my head.
“I'm giving this...” I waved my hands searching for the word. “Insanity two weeks tops. So, don't get comfortable.”
“And my dog?” Bastien's concerned voice stopped me right before I could climb the stairs and escape into my bedroom.
“Romeo?” I had to say his name out loud to mentally process the request. After Bastien got a dog, I all but begged my father to let me get one. He called it a waste of time and money, and said that I couldn't afford meaningless attachments if I wanted a career.
At the sound of his name, Romeo rushed over to me, tail wagging like crazy. He nuzzled my leg and barked, making the urge to pet him a hundred times harder to resist. It was then that I saw what was still tied to Romeo's collar. A stained, faded ribbon that looked so much smaller on the now grown dog.
Bastien had kept the ribbon I gave Romeo.
I sighed, feeling defeated by nostalgia. “Romeo can stay,” I said, giving in and scratching the top of his head. What kind of monster would I be if I separated him from Bastien after all these years? Maybe it didn't have to be all or nothing. “But on one condition. You'd better make sure that he doesn't—.”
Romeo, deciding to help with a visual aid, immediately started humping my leg. Bastien broke into mostly restrained laughter as I shook my head and pushed Romeo off.
“When you get a dog too excited,” Bastien hopped up to grab his dog. “Sometimes they just can't control themselves.”
Oh God, what have I agreed to?
Chapter 4
Bastien
Past
Where the hell was she? I scanned the packed gymnasium stands for her pale, mostly hidden face.
“You'd better limber up, Bastien, or the kid from Dorchester is going to crush you.” Coach p
ut a hand on my shoulder. He's right, I was being crazy.
“Who're you looking for?” Lenny looked at me skeptically. He'd already started stretching for his match, which was right after mine. He knew my dad was out in the Middle East, so I wouldn't be looking for him. “All the girls are right up front.”
The monster from Dorchester was on the other side of the gym with his team. He was older and much heavier than I was. I could only guess at the shady bullshit he had to pull to wrestle in a bracket beneath where he should be.
This beast should’ve been in the college circuit.
“Your mom, Lenny. She's gonna treat me to some chocolate pie when I win.” Insults were so commonly thrown back and forth that I barely registered saying it. I only said it to save face; I didn't want him knowing who I was really looking for.
The ref called for me and my opponent to step into the circle painted on the mats. I adjusted my wrestling singlet, the spandex always bunched around my cock, and walked out there.
“Well, it's a good thing you're not gonna win then. Nice knowin' ya, asshole!” Lenny shouted as I entered the mats.
I scanned the crowd one last time before getting into position. I still didn't see her. The bell went off and the rhino I was fighting hooked my leg, flipping me over. I landed on my back hard enough for my vision to blur for a second. Before I even knew what happened, he was on top of me, sliding in for the easy pin.
I was so fucked.
Where are you, Olivia?
Present.
I did a pull up. Olivia was only a few doors down, but that might as well be the surface of the fucking moon for how far we’d drifted from one another over the years.
It took me a few days to bring over all my work out equipment. I did it mostly at night when Olivia went to sleep. I wasn't being covert or anything, she knew that it was happening. I needed my equipment here to vent the built-up frustration at finally having her so physically close and not being able to do anything about it. I was flooded with feelings for her that I thought were long since buried.
The harsh reality of our time apart made me realize just how much she had changed. It was a sharp pain slowly sliding through my ribs. Before I came back, I had all these fantasies of who Olivia was now.
But to be so wrong?
It was a hard pill to swallow.
She had this flashy new lifestyle which was all so trendy and unnecessary, especially because she barely used any of it. The Peruvian coffee table made from volcanic sillar stone, the counter top flown in from Japan, the hand-stitched Italian leather sofa, all of it had the influence of her father, Delvin.
She used to hate the way her father decorated her childhood home, and now it looked like she’d followed suit and made her apartment look just as impersonal.
Even the spare bedroom that I took was overly extravagant. Everything was either cream or light brown colored with intricate gold filament patterns; the bed, the walls, the carpets, fucking everything.
I laughed at the thought, but the most restful sleep I’d gotten in the week I'd been here, was on the floor in the exercise room with Romeo.
I liked simplicity. I had spent so much of my life barely scraping by that when I came into unimaginable wealth, I honestly didn’t know what to do with it. Well there was one thing I had to do.
That one thing was the reason I went from cage fighter with a death wish to secret billionaire.
It still blew my mind when I thought about how it all went down. It was an easy secret to keep, because no one would believe me if I told them. As far as everyone knew, I was just the veteran protection agent for Solace Corporate Group.
And it needed to stay that way.
I did another pull up and tried to clear my head. If nothing else, the view was damn nice. I guess that could be said for every room in this condo, but for some reason I could appreciate it more when I felt the burn in my body from vigorous training.
I kept the lights off; the ambient glow flooding in from the city around us was more than enough for me to see. It was still early, several hours before sunrise. Hell, even Romeo was asleep beside one of the treadmills.
The next time I cleared the bar I could see the multitude of bumpy, uneven white scars along my knuckles. They were little reminders of the countless fights I'd fought over the years. With every impact and new scar that formed, I tried to push Olivia’s name farther and farther from my mind.
“What the fuck are you doing here, really?” I asked myself. With her family being threatened, Olivia needed protection. That was the easy answer; it’s what I had convinced myself of when I walked into the hotel that first time and pinned that reporter to the column. But there was a deeper reason that I was trying not to explore.
I didn’t have to spend millions bribing every protection agency in the country not to take her contract. But how could I not?
No one knew Olivia Ward like I did. No one could keep her safe like I could.
I dropped down from the bar, dried the sweat off my face and neck, then started wailing on the heavy bag. Romeo's ears stirred, but he was used to my grunts and the groans of the bag. He just shifted positions, yawned and went back to sleep.
Fucking Delvin Ward. To say he and I didn’t see eye to eye was like calling the ocean a big lake. I imagined his pompous, selfish face and the punching bag jerked from the impact of my right cross.
After the attack on Delvin Ward, the Solace Corporate Group offered our services and Delvin turned us down. When we asked around we found out that, aside from his personal bodyguard, he wasn’t going to hire any additional security for his family.
My brows furrowed in agitation as I dwelt on how irresponsible that decision was.
It wasn’t much of a leap to think that whoever had attacked Delvin might be coming for his family too. He was nearly killed and Delvin decided not to hire any private security for Olivia. He did want his only daughter to be protected, right?
That didn’t make any fucking sense to me.
So, I offered to protect Olivia for free. While initially hesitant to the idea, because of our history, he didn’t want the public to find out that he turned down free, reputable protection for his family. He had to say yes or damage that precious image of him being an all around good guy.
I could keep her safe, that’s why it had to be me.
It wasn’t because she was always the last thing I thought of every time I got into the ring while I was fighting. The chain holding the bag up whined under the strain of my barrage, popping back and forth on the hook holding it.
You're lying to yourself, the heavy bag seemed to cry out.
Rivulets of sweat ran down my face and burned my eyes with all the exertion. I didn't mind the sting. Pain was the only real constant in my life; I came to depend on it to keep me sane.
My fists connected faster and harder as I tried to drown out the sound of accusation in the creek and whine of the chain.
You're here for something else, the chain said, mocking me to tell the truth.
My mind and heart traveled back to my eighteenth birthday and the conversation with Delvin in front of my house. I'd gone over it so many times in my head that I could recite what was said word for word. I hated her father, but for once he was right. I had to leave.
“I left because I had to!” I growled the words beneath my breath.
You came back, the chain squeaked as it swung the heavy bag away from me. Because you still love—
I hit the bag so hard that it popped free of the hook holding it and smashed against the ground. The chain fell blessedly silent.
My fists radiated from the strikes. It was the guilt that ate me up inside. I felt stupid and exhausted, both mentally and physically. I just wished things could've been different between me and Olivia.
“That thing owe you money?” Came a groggy voice behind me.
Startled, I whirled around, fists raised and ready. Branching veins ran down my pumped forearms from the exertion. Seeing that it was only Oli
via, I lowered them.
She wore a short-sleeved shirt with loose fitting pajama pants and her hair was a fluffy mess. It wasn't the designer sleepwear that you'd imagine superstar Olivia would wear. It looked comfy and worn in, like she had it forever. It looked like something old Olivia would wear.
Maybe the girl I remembered was still in there somewhere.
The light spilling in from the hallway allowed me to look her over fully. Maybe the shirt, I thought. But there's no way she sleeps in those pants. That was just because she had company over. Her nipples poked through the thin cotton shirt and stirred hardness into my cock. I imagined her rolling into bed in just the shirt and a pair of cotton panties.
Then my mind stripped away her shirt too.
Romeo lifted his head and let out one groggy bark. It was more of an annoyed 'Keep it down, I'm trying to sleep' than 'Hey! Intruder,’ but I was happy for it either way. It kept me from visualizing Olivia completely naked, and the giant fucking hard on that came with that image.
“That's some guard dog you got there,” Olivia wiped the sleep from her eyes. Satisfied that Olivia and I got the message, Romeo lowered his head and went back to sleep.
“I gave him the night off,” I wiped the sweat from my eyes and drained half my jug of water. “I couldn't sleep so I figured I'd burn off some energy.”
A man could only jerk off so much. I didn't tell her that it was being so close to her after all these years that made it tough for me to sleep.
“I can see that. I hope that punching bag learned his lesson,” Olivia said, motioning to turn the lights on. I waved her off. It was better we kept it dark.
“He won't be giving you any more trouble.” I stretched and basked in the condo's central air conditioning for a moment before grabbing a towel. The chill felt good against my naked skin. “Did I wake you?”
“Nah,” Olivia yawned. “The earthquake woke me.”
“Earthquake?” I asked, trying to remember if I felt anything. How long had I been training for? Olivia smiled and shook her head. It was then I realized she was joking. There was no earthquake. I smirked, burying my face in a towel. “I'll try to keep it down to a dull roar.”
