by T. K. Leigh
“So are you,” she replied, poking her back and heading across the bar. Olivia kept her eyes on Kiera, making sure she didn’t slip off into a dark corner with either one, or, God forbid, both.
Olivia decided to take that moment to check her cell phone, noticing a few missed text messages from Alexander. Instead of texting him back, she decided to call him, wanting so desperately to hear his voice.
“Olivia,” he answered, his voice sending shivers throughout her body the way he caressed her name. “Are you okay?”
“Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?” she slurred into the phone, giggling.
“Well, it’s past midnight,” he responded. In all actuality, that had nothing to do with it. He had texted her several times that evening and never heard back from her. He became rather concerned for her safety. When his phone rang seconds beforehand and he saw Olivia’s name pop up, he finally breathed a sigh of relief for the first time all evening.
“Fuck! Is it really? Whoops.”
“Olivia, are you drunk?”
She giggled again. Then hiccupped.
“Well, I think I have my answer.”
“Oh, you think you have all the answers, don’t you Alexander. And why Alexander? Why not Alex?” The booze had made her rather bold.
“We’ll save that for when you’re screaming my name. I guarantee you won’t be able to pronounce my entire name when I’m making you come, Olivia.”
She was silent for a minute, having no idea how to respond to his words.
“Are you still there, Olivia?”
She found her voice and squeaked, “Yes. I’m here.”
“Who are you out with? Do I have competition for my affections, Love?”
There it was again. That word. Love. So full of hope.
“No. I’m with my friend, Kiera. She’s over talking to two creepy guys sitting at the other end of the bar.”
“Oh really? What makes you think they’re creepy?” She could hear the humor in his voice.
“Well, they’re wearing all black, which I mean, who does that? Are they in some sort of goth phase? Please! That was so ten years ago! Plus, they got to the bar almost immediately after I did and sat across the way from us. They’ve been staring at me this whole time. Kiera’s over there talking to them and they’re still looking at me. So, yeah. Creepy.”
Alexander’s heart dropped. After his discussion with his sister earlier that morning, he knew there was something going on. He didn’t have all the answers, but he did know that the woman he was falling in love with was the girl he failed early on in life. And that his father had lied to him about her death for some reason. He just didn’t know what that reason was yet. Until he figured out what was going on, he wasn’t going to take any chances.
“Olivia, I need you to do something for me.” She could hear the panic in his voice. “I need you to collect your things and very casually walk into the ladies room.”
“Why?” Alexander was starting to scare her. She guessed that he saw everyone as a potential bad guy after all his years in the security business.
“Please, don’t argue with me right now, Love.”
Ah, that word again. All he needed to do was say that and Olivia was putty in his hands. Or his mouth.
“Can you do that for me? I am five minutes away. I will call you when I’m there.” Alexander sounded serious. He was worried. But what could he possibly be worried about?
She got off the phone with Alexander and stood up from her barstool, casually walking to the ladies’ room as if nothing was wrong. She wondered how Alexander even knew what bar she was at. Of course. He could probably track her cell phone.
A few seconds later, Kiera came barreling through the bathroom door.
“Libby! There you are!” She dragged one of the creepy guys in with her. “This is Donovan. He really wanted to get to know you.” She winked at her friend.
Olivia looked at Donovan. It was the guy with the shaved head. He appeared rather intimidating. He was tall and muscular with a mean expression on his face. She glared at Kiera with a shocked look on her face. “Kiera! This is the ladies’ room! Get him out of here!”
Kiera looked around, finally realizing that she dragged a man into the ladies’ room, and giggled, saying, “Whoops! What was I thinking?” She turned to Donovan and, placing both hands on his chest, started to push him out the door. “Out you!”
And then he spoke, making Olivia’s skin crawl. “Okay. But we’ll be waiting.” He glared at Olivia and left. Her cell phone began to ring and she quickly answered it, seeing that it was Alexander.
“Olivia, are you safe?” Her hands were shaking.
“Yes, I’m safe. I’m in the ladies’ room like you asked.” She looked at Kiera who mouthed “What is going on?” Olivia held up one finger, signaling that she would tell her in a minute.
“There are two men dressed in black standing in the corridor. I have taken care of your bar tab. I will be in the hallway in one minute. Count to sixty and come out. Do you follow, Love?”
“Yes.” She hung up before turning to Kiera and, whispering, told her that Alexander was there because he was worried for Olivia’s safety.
Kiera squealed. “Oh! That’s so sweet. You’re like a damsel in distress!”
“No.” Olivia smacked her friend. “I just think he sees trouble in everything. It’s almost like he has this hero complex.” Would he still want to be with Olivia if he no longer thought she needed to be saved? The thought consumed her.
When enough time had elapsed, she told Kiera they were leaving and Alexander would meet them in the hallway to help them make their escape.
“Should I start humming the James Bond theme? Because I totally will!” Kiera laughed.
“Shut up, Kiera,” Olivia responded as she pushed open the door to the ladies room.
Alexander rushed up to embrace his Olivia. She steadied herself in his arms, deeply inhaling his scent, her eyes heavy. “Smell something you like?” he asked with humor in his voice.
She looked at him. “Oh, yes.”
He glanced over Olivia’s shoulder to the two men hovering in the hallway and whispered quietly in her ear, “We need to get you out of here, Love.” He was able to discreetly take cell phone pictures of the two men when he paid the girls’ bar tab. He planned to run the photos through facial recognition later.
Alexander grabbed Olivia’s hand and she, in turn, grabbed Kiera’s hand. Olivia looked at her dumbstruck friend as she mouthed, “Holy shit, he’s gorgeous.”
Didn’t she know it?
~~~~~~~~~~
Olivia gave the valet her ticket and he quickly retrieved her car. Alexander opened both passenger side doors when the car was brought around, allowing Kiera to collapse in the back seat before helping Olivia into the front. He ran around, tipping the valet, and got in the driver’s seat before taking off down the quiet Boston streets. Kiera had walked there because she lived around the block by the community gardens, but she was in no state to be walking anywhere at that moment.
After dropping Kiera off at her house, Alexander picked up his phone. “Burnham here. I want an overnight protection detail for a Ms. Kiera,” he looked at Olivia, wanting her last name.
“Murphy.”
“Kiera Murphy.” He listed off her address and Olivia gazed into the distance. Those two men at the bar really did concern Alexander. She wondered why.
After he hung up the phone, Olivia glared at him. “What the fuck is going on?” she blurted out.
He reached across the console of her car and placed his hand on her leg. He took a deep breath. He thought about telling her. But how would she react? She was clearly intoxicated. Could she be rational? Would the information set her back? Would she never speak to him again? He wasn’t ready for that to happen just yet.
“I’m not sure, Olivia. But I have a feeling. And my gut is usually right,” he responded, his voice soft and sensual, causing Olivia to soften her glare and practically
forget about the two men at the bar.
“Well, what is it you’re feeling?” she slurred, trying to sound sexy.
He laughed. “What am I feeling? Well, if you really want to know, I am feeling a whirlwind of emotions right now, Love. I’m feeling that you’re not just some girl I want to fuck and never see again. I care about you. Deeply. Which is a strange emotion for me, to be honest. I feel the need to protect you. To keep you safe. To make you happy.” He smiled at her. And to tell you that I finally found you after all these years.
“But, you can’t always keep me safe. No one could shoulder that burden.” She hiccupped and he laughed, breaking the tension that was building in the car. She didn’t know that he had made a pledge to protect her all those years ago and now that he found her, he could fulfill that promise.
Alexander pulled up outside of Olivia’s house and parked the car on the side of the road. He walked her to the front door just as two black SUVs pulled in front. She noticed Martin driving the first but didn’t recognize who was driving the second.
“Martin is here to take me home. And Carter will be parked out front keeping an eye on your place. It didn’t look like anyone followed us here, but I need to be sure.”
Olivia looked up at him, not ready to say good-bye just yet. “Stay with me, please.” She didn’t know what had possessed her to say that. She had never wanted anyone to stay over. Ever. Why now all of a sudden? Why that man? She couldn’t believe her own ears. But she really did want him to stay.
He exhaled and pulled her against him. “I want to, but…”
“But what? I just want to fall asleep in your arms,” Olivia said sleepily. “If you really want to make me happy, you’ll stay.”
“Ouch, Miss Adler. Using my words against me,” he said in mock shock.
“I know. How very unfair of me, isn’t it. I should be punished.” She laughed and looked into his eyes. They immediately became hooded as desire flooded through them, making her entire body tingle. Alexander could think of some ways to punish her and they would both enjoy every minute of it.
“Okay. I’ll spend the night.” His heart warmed when he saw Olivia smile at his words. “I’d do anything to keep that smile on your face.”
She turned to unlock the door. “Just knowing you’re in the world makes me smile.”
He pulled her into an embrace and sang a line from Elton John’s Your Song in her ear. Her eyes glossed over, his voice and those lyrics stirring a memory that lay deep within her subconscious. She turned to get away from Alexander so that she could clear her foggy head. She stumbled across the doorframe, tripping on her own feet and falling to the ground, most likely due to all the alcohol she had consumed throughout the evening.
“Are you okay, Olivia?” She turned to look at Alexander who stood in the doorframe, looking down on her as she sat on the hardwood floor.
She laughed. “I’m drunk.” All thoughts of that memory were now gone.
“We need to get you in bed before you do any more damage to that beautiful body of yours.” He closed the door and locked it. “Just to remind you, my company will be here tomorrow to install your security system.”
“Oh, I love it when you talk dirty to me.” She giggled again. She couldn’t stop.
He bent down and picked her up in his arms. “Where is your bedroom?”
Olivia leaned into his chest, enjoying the closeness of him. “Up the stairs. First door on the left.” She was suddenly getting sleepy. He carried her up the stairs into her bedroom and gently placed her on the bed. She was so tired that she didn’t think she could even muster the strength to find something to sleep in.
“Where are your pajamas?”
“Top drawer,” Olivia mumbled, raising her arm to point in the direction of the dresser.
He opened the top drawer. “Now, this is hot, but if you wear this, I don’t know how much sleeping you’ll do.” He winked as he held up a little black sleep slip. Olivia smiled.
He continued rummaging through her pajama drawer and found a black tank top with pink boy shorts. He walked over to the bed and helped her change into her pajamas, steadying her as she stood and lifting her shirt over her head.
“Like what you see, Mr. Burnham?” Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow as he gawked at the pink lace bra she had on underneath her shirt.
His eyes bore into her and his breathing became erratic when she slowly removed her bra, letting it drop to the ground.
“Fuck…” he exhaled, staring at her perfect breasts.
Olivia grabbed his hand, pulling him closer to her, and pressed it against her breast. He began to knead, tugging gently on her nipple. Olivia threw her head back, moaning, as Alexander leaned down, burying his head in her neck. He groaned loudly before reaching on the bed behind him and grabbing the tank top he had found for her to sleep in.
“Please, you need to put this on, Olivia,” he pled softly, handing her the top. “I want you so fucking bad right now, but you’re drunk and I don’t want our first time to be like this.” He leaned down and trailed feather kisses against her neck. “I want you to remember every single moment that I’m inside you, filling you,” he whispered, his warm breath against her skin sending waves of desire throughout Olivia’s body. “Okay?”
Olivia remained speechless, shocked at his words. She loved how sensual and sweet he could be. She simply nodded as Alexander lowered the tank top over her head, helping her balance as she finished getting ready for bed. After helping her out of her jeans, he laid her down in her bed before stepping back to take off his clothes.
Olivia eyed him as he slowly unbuttoned his blue button-down shirt, keeping his eyes connected with hers. She didn’t want to look away from his eyes but couldn’t help glancing down at his body when he slipped off his shirt. She had been wanting to see what he looked like with no shirt on since the night they met and she was not disappointed. His wide shoulders led down to a well defined chest and perfect wash-board abs. Olivia wondered how much he worked out to maintain that physique. Then she noticed a faint trail of dark hair leading from his belly button down into his pants. Alexander’s hands followed Olivia’s eyes as he unbuttoned his pants, removing them and his socks quickly. He stood in front of her, wearing only a pair of boxer briefs. Olivia couldn’t believe how lucky she was to share a bed with a man as beautiful as Alexander. She desperately wanted to see where that trail of hair led to, but knew it would have to wait. She was exhausted.
Alexander crawled into bed next to her after shutting off the lights. He pulled her to him, her back to his front. She could feel how turned on he was. “Sleep well, Love. I’ll see you in my dreams,” he said, his closeness causing her hair follicles to stand on end. Olivia drifted off to sleep, content to have a man sleeping next to her for the first time in her life.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
NOT YET
OLIVIA sat in the back of her parents’ car. She clutched Mr. Bear in her little arms. She knew what was going to happen. She knew her dad would tell her he loved her and then a car would slam into them from behind, forcing their car through a guardrail and then into a tree.
The green-eyed boy came to save her, just like he had been doing all week in her dreams. He placed her in a different car, telling her nothing bad would happen to her again. Then she saw a man dressed all in black come up to the boy and smash his head with the handle of the gun he was holding in his hand. The green-eyed boy stared at her and then fell to the ground.
“NOOOOOOO!” Olivia woke up screaming, covered in sweat.
The lights snapped on immediately as Alexander came rushing back to the bed, cradling her in his arms. “Olivia, Love. What is it?”
Her body convulsed from the aftereffects of her dream. Why was that dream becoming more and more vivid every day? She didn’t understand it.
“I’m sorry, Alexander. It was just a stupid dream,” Olivia trembled as he held her close, comforting her.
“Would you like a water?” he asked quietly.
“Yes, please.”
He planted a delicate kiss on her forehead before leaving the bedroom in search of water.
Olivia was so angry with herself for asking Alexander to stay over. She hated that he had seen her freak out after having a nightmare. That was not the way to win a guy’s heart.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Alexander asked when he returned with a bottle of water, sitting next to Olivia on the bed and wrapping his arms around her.
“It’s nothing.” She brought the bottle to her mouth, which proved difficult due to her shaking hand.
“Olivia, it is clearly not nothing. You’re shaking.” He looked at her, concern covering his face.
“I know. It’s just a dream I’ve been having ever since I can remember. It’s about my parents’ death. I still can’t believe it will be twenty-one years this Friday…”
Alexander’s face went pale. Olivia had been dreaming about the crash. If she was able to dream about the accident, maybe she was able to remember more than she had let on.
“What’s wrong?” Olivia asked. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, sorry. I just, well… I’m sorry you lost your parents.” He just couldn’t bring himself to tell her. Not yet. It was still too soon. He turned to look at Olivia. “What happens in the dream? If you don’t mind telling me.” He needed to know if she had dreamt about him.
“I was at our beach house and my mama was rushing me, wanting to leave quickly for some reason. I don’t think my mama felt well because she was asleep in the car. We sped through town before getting on the interstate. Finally, my father calmed down when we were far away from the beach house. I was in the back seat of the car holding Mr. Bear.” She smiled. “Mr. Bear was my favorite stuffed animal growing up. That much I can remember about my childhood.”
Alexander knew that bear well. Very well.
“My father looked back at me and told me how much he loved me, how much they both did. Out of nowhere, another car crashed into us from behind, pushing our car through a guardrail and into a tree. Usually that was where my dream would end, but recently it’s been different.”
