She nodded and lifted her hand to wipe something off my chest. A flash of color near the opening of my door had me glancing over to see Olivia.
"Oh. Sorry. I'll come back." Her expression tightened a little, leaving her impossibly beautiful. Her black pencil skirt hugged her hips, her button-down blouse fit her perfectly, accenting how full her breasts had gotten. Every part of me screamed mine.
"No. We were just talking. Come on in." I moved away from Annie as Olivia hovered in the doorway.
"No, it's fine. I was just coming to verbally beat you up a little. I can do that later." She gave me a hard stare and turned to Annie with a sheepish smile on her face. "I'm thinking Caden and I might be butting heads quite often."
"Join the crew, love." Annie moved past Olivia and paused. "Though it's usually Luke we all butt heads with."
"Close the door. Let's keep our problems just between us, hm?" I moved toward her and stopped right in front of her as she turned back from closing the door and yelped.
"Move back. Shit." She put her hand in the center of my chest and I reached up to trap it there before walking toward her. "Caden. Stop."
"Not happening." I left a small gap between us and reached up, grabbing a soft strand of her hair and carefully running my fingers down it. "I hate you for being here. I was over you."
"Good. Stay over me. We were kids."
"You're not over me though." I ran my hand over her shoulder, letting my eyes move down the line of her body as my pulse spiked.
"Yes, I am." Her words were sensual due to the soft pants they rode on. "Back up. Now. I'm serious."
I took a step forward and reached up to grip her chin as I pressed myself to the front of her. "If you're over me, then why are you so fucking pissy about going to Texas with me? It doesn't bother me a bit to go with you."
"I'm your brother's girlfriend. We'll be married in a few years." She pushed at my chest, forcing me to take a step back. The loss of contact with her left me cold immediately. "And this is why I don't want to go. You cocky asshole. You act like you have something to prove."
"I do have something to prove!" I turned and walked from her as my heart hammered in my chest. She was so far beyond everything I imagined her to be. I'd have given anything to have her, but the past wrapped me in denial and the present tied my hands completely. She was Luke's. My older brother, who I loved even with all of his shitty faults.
"And what is that exactly?" She walked toward the desk and pressed her closed fists to it.
"That I'm over you. That I was over you the day you fucked up our lives and stole every dream I'd had as a boy." I sat down and turned toward my computer as she sucked in a quick breath. I couldn't look at her. I knew what I would see, and I didn't want the reminder that she'd won all those years ago. Whatever I'd done wrong to have her turn against me was a question for the past. I was done talking about it. It was better if we were at each other's throats anyway. That would keep me from dropping to my knees before her and begging for another chance, though it should have been her groveling, not me.
"How dare you."
"Get out. I'll see you at lunch." I glanced up, hating myself for the pain on her face. What the fuck did she want from me that she didn't still have? "If you don't want to go on the trip, go tell your lover to get you off the account. Seems like that's an ace in the hole, literally."
"Un-fucking-believable." She turned and walked to the door, opening it and glancing back at me. "I hate you."
"Good. That makes two of us."
The door slammed as tears blurred my vision. I hadn't cried more than three times in my life, and all three were because of her." I stood up and pushed the papers from my desk as a growl left me. Fucking bitch. I was going to have to tell Luke to find some other place for her to work. I couldn't work with her. There was too much between us, and my focus would be solely on her, as it had been in my younger years. How many times had coach chewed my ass for staying up all night with her and playing like shit during practice?
"Boy, you need to dump that girl. She's nothing but trouble. All of them are trouble. They steal dreams and ruin lives. Get out of there before she takes you down."
"No shit," I mumbled and grabbed my keys. I'd meet them for lunch in an hour, but I wasn't sticking around the office for another minute. With my luck, she'd come back in to blast me for being such a dick. No thanks.
"Where are you going?" Luke stopped outside my office as I pulled the door open a little harder than I should have. "Hey. You all right?"
"No. I'm not." I turned and walked toward the receptionist’s desk.
"You wanna talk about it?" he called after me.
"No. I'll see you at lunch. It's at eleven thirty at Darek's Steak House." I didn't hear his reply. He had nothing to say that I cared to hear. No one did. Well, almost no one.
***
"You two are fucking bumming me out today. What's the deal?" Luke chuckled, but the sound fell flat.
"I'm sorry. Just trying to think through a few things that aren't working right. The S&P moved-"
"I know, right?" Luke butted in. "We'll figure it out. Stop being so depressing. Both of you." He reached out and ran his hand down Olivia's leg under the table.
My stomach clenched at the thought of him touching her. Kissing her. Fucking her.
"I'm running to the restroom." She got up and walked away without another word.
"What the fuck?" Luke looked over at me. "Is something going on? Did you upset her?"
"Yeah, maybe. I'll fix it. Sorry. I'm harsh at work. You know that." I got up and laid my napkin down on my plate.
"Yeah, but she's my woman. You need to watch yourself. She'll be in the family soon, Caden, and if nothing else, respect her resume. She's done some great shit." His eyes narrowed a little. He was right.
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm just leery of her taking my place," I lied and walked toward the restroom, waiting for her to come out. What the fuck was I going to say? I meant everything I'd said in my office. The tension between us was thick enough to choke on, and I couldn't live like that, nor could she or Luke. Fuck, none of us deserved to, and this was her first day in the office.
She walked out and stopped short. "No. Don't talk to me."
"Yes, I am going to talk to you." I reached out and gripped her wrist to pull her a little closer to me. "I'm angry. I'm hurt. Give me time to get used to whatever the fuck just happened to my world. You were a ghost-"
"So were you, you bastard." She slapped me. Hard. "You fucked up my life and you expect me to bow down and play second-string fiddle to you just because we got tossed into this dicked-up situation together? Well, you can fuck off."
I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help myself. I gripped the back of her neck with my free hand and pulled her in tightly before leaning down and pressing my lips tightly to hers. I had to know if she still tasted faintly of cinnamon and sex.
A groan left me as I tilted my head a little and pressed my tongue deep into her mouth. Everything inside of me melted and I felt like home was accessible though I'd not moved an inch. She was my serenity, my peace, my heart.
Though she returned the kiss, she jerked back and slapped me again as tears filled her eyes.
"I'm going to Texas to take over this account, but hear me clearly." She took a step back and wobbled. I reached out and grabbed her arm to have her pull it from me angrily. "I'm with Luke. He's going to be my husband one day and be the father to our kids. Not you. That ship sailed before I knew what a good man looked like."
"Do you love him? Like you loved me? Like you still do?" I released her and forced myself to stay in place, though my entire body ached to be closer to her.
"I don't love you. It was a silly fling and we were kids. Grow up."
"I don't think so. I find it almost ironic that my brother happens to be dating the only girl I've ever loved."
"That girl's dead, Caden. You made sure of that." She moved past me, brushing my shoulder and leaving me to drink in he
r words. She didn't mean a damn one of them. Of that, I had no doubt.
Chapter 15
Olivia
The only girl he'd ever loved?
Pain radiated through my chest as I made my way back to the table and forced a tight facade into place. I sat down beside Luke and gave him a warm smile.
"Sorry about that." I squeezed his hand and leaned over to kiss his cheek.
"It's all right. You sure there isn't something I should know? If Caden is-"
"He's not." I touched the side of Luke's face and leaned in for another kiss, this one on his lips. The memory of Caden's body pressed against mine, his soft lips against mine as he forced his tongue into my mouth left me wet and far more needy than I could remember being in years.
"Hmmm... I love your kisses." Luke kissed me once more and moved back. He pulled out his phone as I settled back into my chair and tried not to look around for Caden. We would get through lunch and then I could go hide out in my office all afternoon. I would simply ask Luke if he could go to Texas with us. He might not agree to, but it was worth a try.
"Well, shit. That's him. He said something came up and he'll see us later back at the office." Luke smiled and turned toward me. "I like it. Lunch with just the two of us. I'll be your welcoming committee any day."
I chuckled and picked up my wine. "To a new adventure. May we take on the world together. You and me."
"And my brother. Don't leave him out. He gets sensitive over that shit." He smirked and tapped his glass to mine.
"And your brother." The only boy I've ever loved.
***
I glanced up from my computer as someone tapped at the door. Caden. Awesome.
"Hey. We have an emergency that I'm going to be working on for tomorrow. I guess one of our large clients had half of his investments with us and the other half with another firm. The other firm is under SEC investigation for insider trading. It was just announced. Time for us to slip in and steal the rest of their business. It's one of Perry's old accounts."
"Sounds interesting." I kept my voice steady as if I were talking to Jeremy or anyone else at the firm.
"Should be." He ran his fingers through his dark hair. "He asked that you join me in the presentation. The CEO of the company is a female, and with your wits and confidence, he thinks we can win the rest of their business."
"All right. What do I need to do?" I stood up as excitement bubbled through me. Caden and I had a lot to work through, or forever ignore, but for the moment, I could let it go. I loved what I did enough to concentrate solely there for the time being.
"Annie is pulling the files and they'll be laid out in conference room A in a few minutes. I know it's almost five, but I'll be pulling a late night tonight, trying to get it all together."
"What time is the presentation?" I grabbed a notepad and a pen and walked toward him. I forced the memory of our kiss earlier out of my mind. It would do nothing but hurt me to go over how good it was, how right it felt.
“It's at eight in the morning. This is going to be a ball-buster, but if we can pull it off, it'll be a great win for the firm." He moved back as I walked through the door.
"Good thing you're the only one between the two of us that has balls." I walked into the conference room to find it empty. "Who else is working with us on the presentation?"
"Zander will be. Jeremy should have been, but his wife is pregnant and due any day. We're trying to respect that and get him out of here at a normal time for most people." Caden stopped at the door as I turned to look him over. "About earlier. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"No, you shouldn't have, but it's over. You and I can work together as professionals, hopefully. Just remember that I'm no different than Jeremy or Zander."
A thin dark-skinned guy with jet-black hair and a great smile walked in and pushed past Caden. "I'd say you are far prettier than Zander, but that's just my opinion."
Caden rolled his eyes. "Olivia. This is Zander. He's our resident party-boy."
"Nice." I extended my hand and gave him a warm smile. "Nice to meet you. Are you bringing the vodka to this event tonight, or do we need to send Caden to the store?"
"I like you already." He shook my hand and turned back to Caden. "Can we keep her Dad?"
"Oh Lord." Caden turned and walked out of the room.
"So, welcome! I've heard a little bit about you, but not nearly enough." Zander pulled out a chair and offered it to me before pulling out another for himself. "Tell me all about you."
I laughed and set my notepad down before taking the chair beside him and crossing my legs. "I'm from Texas. Went to NYU and got my finance degree. Graduated last year and-"
"Damn... I thought you were describing Caden there for a minute. He's from Texas and went to NYU. He graduated a couple of years ago though. Dude's smart as shit. Got out at twenty-one." He tapped the side of his head. "You're like a female version of him."
I shook my head. "I'm not sure about all of that. Tell me something about you."
"I love women, weed, and alcohol." He smirked as Caden walked up and clamped his hands down on the back of Zander's shoulders.
"Don't believe a word he says, Olivia. He's full of it." He moved back as Annie walked in with files. "Zander, take these three files and make two copies so that Olivia and I aren't here all night."
"Yes, Sir, Boss." He got up and grabbed the files before walking back out with Annie.
Caden leaned over and fingered through one of the two files left on the table. "These people are richer than God. It would be a huge win for us to get the account."
"The rest of the account?" I let my eyes drag down the line of his body, coveting the thick muscles that flexed in his back and shoulders as he shifted forward a little. He'd been well-built as a boy, but now... I couldn't even begin to imagine. Luke was lean and well-built too, but I'd fallen in love with a more meaty-thick body type a long time ago.
"Yeah," he breathed out and glanced over at me. "You know we're going to act like teenagers with hormonal issues around each other for a while, right? We gotta make up for the last six years."
"Are we? I don't feel hormonal around you."
"I don't mean turned on. I mean the need to be nice to each other and yet we're pulling each other’s hair out and screaming about the color of the carpet. It's insane, but I figure it's all part of the deal. You being here is going to be good for us, and you were right." He shrugged. "You are my brother's girl and will be part of the family. I'll be Uncle Caden to your kids. Weird as fuck, but we'll work it out."
Sickness rolled through me in suffocating waves. Uncle Caden? That sounded heinous. My worst nightmares grew legs inside my mind and ran around, attacking the last remaining hopes and dreams I had of really finding true love.
He reached over and tapped my knee. "Did I upset you again? Tell those hormones to fuck off."
His smile was radiant and left me speechless. Was I really this much of a basket case around him? Sure felt like it.
"No, I'm good." I stood up as Zander walked back in. There was no way to tell if he was fucking with me, or being sincere. I was done trying to figure it out. We had a presentation to work through, and I wanted a win under my name, even if it meant Caden's was stamped right next to it.
We worked for the next three hours as a congealed team, which was surprising and yet incredibly rewarding. A little after eight, Caden stood up and stretched, yawning loudly.
"Zander, get out of here, man. Come back at six tomorrow morning and we'll go over the rest of your notes. Olivia, you can go too. I'll wrap this up." He rolled his shoulders and stretched his hands up to the sky.
"I'm out!" Zander got up, grabbed his keys from the table and jogged toward the door. "See you at ass-dark thirty."
I laughed and stood, stretching my back as well. "I'm good for another hour or so. Whatever it takes."
"I never would have imagined you in investment management." He pressed his hands to the table beside mine and turned to look u
p at me. "Maybe as a nurse, or a caregiver of some kind, but not investment management."
"Because I'm not capable of this?" The need to defend myself, though he hadn't directly attacked me, was almost overwhelming.
"No, of course not. You were one of the smartest girls in our school." He stood up and turned to face me. "I just remember all that community service stuff you used to do."
"I still like to do that stuff." I tried to ignore him, but the weight of his stare was almost suffocating.
"When are we going to talk about it, Olivia?"
"Talk about what?" I turned to face him and took a shaky breath. Dammit. Why did he have to have the greatest pull on me of anyone I'd ever known in all of my life?
"About what happened?"
"We're not." I shrugged and turned back to the table. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared blankly at the papers scattered before us. "And I'd rather you didn't bring it up again."
He moved in behind me and slid his hands up my arms to my shoulders.
I closed my eyes and tried hard not to let the torrent of emotions bubbling up inside of me spill over.
"Please don't," I whispered.
"I'm not." He leaned down and kissed the side of my neck softly before pressing his lips to my ears. "If you want the memory of us to remain a tragedy, then so be it."
Chapter 16
Caden
I needed to know why. There was no way I could placate myself into believing that I would be good getting by without knowing why she'd turned on me all those years ago. It was childish and stupid, and yet I couldn't get past all of it and actually find someone else until I understood what the fuck I'd done to deserve the dagger in my back.
The covers were much too warm the next morning as I lay in the darkness thinking about her. She might have been pissed about the kiss at the restaurant the day before, but she leaned into it, opened her sweet mouth up to me and let me penetrate her.
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