“Is something wrong?” Her words were fast and filled with panic. She was immediately awake.
“No, nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to talk.”
I just wanted to hear your voice.
Silence met his ears and he wondered if she’d hung up on him. He closed his eyes when he finally heard her voice. “You called and woke me up at half past midnight to talk?”
“I was dreaming of you and it woke me up.”
More silence filled the other end, but he could hear her even breathing and knew she was still there. “What was the dream?”
“Your fall. I still have nightmares about it. Hell, it’s been twenty years and I can’t let it go.”
“The accident wasn’t your fault. You’ve got to let it go. Your guilt … it could be driving you to make poor decisions.”
What poor decisions?
“In my head, I know it was an accident … but in my heart, I feel I’m to blame. I was trying to chase you away, make you leave me alone. I was being mean and for that, I’m sorry.”
More silence. Liam almost thought she hung up on him. “It was long ago. I don’t remember it quite like you do. I just recall you playing, chasing me across the yard.”
“I wasn’t playing. I didn’t want to give you that kiss, and I was trying to get you to leave me alone.”
“I don’t … remember that.” Her voice was breathy and it did things to his body. He adjusted himself in the bed and his cock began to thicken. He wanted her to talk to him like that all night long.
“You did ask me for a kiss.”
“My memory of the day is spotty at best.”
“Mine’s not. I remember it all. You had a crush on me when you were little. I hated it. But I was twelve. Funny how the shoe’s on the other foot now, hmm?”
“Just how is the shoe on the other foot, Liam?”
“Now I’m the one with a crush.”
A deep sigh sounded in his ear. “No, you’re just being silly.”
“I’m not. You keep pushing me away and it’s driving me insane. I want to know you better, Olivia. I want to know the woman you’ve become.”
Silence filled his ear yet again. He had pushed her too far, after she pleaded with him to keep it professional. But he couldn’t. He wanted her with too much passion to be denied the chance to be a part of her life. His chest ached the longer the silence drew on, and he was about to move the cell from his ear and hit End when he heard her softly clear her throat.
“Liam … that crush…” Her voice caught and she paused.
When she didn’t continue, he had to prompt her. “Yes?”
“It never stopped.”
It never stopped.
Had she carried a torch for him for twenty years? Elation filled him, along with a speck of disappointment. Had he opened his eyes to her sooner…
“I know I said I wouldn’t cross the line, but … I can’t stay away from you. You’re on my mind constantly. Perhaps I can let it go if you agree to dinner.”
“Emotional blackmail?”
“No. Give me better memories to erase the bad.”
The other end was quiet for a moment. “Yes, I’ll go to dinner.”
He smiled, feeling the win all the way down to his toes, even with the hesitancy he heard in her voice. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow night, Babycakes.”
“If you call me that one more time, you can call the whole thing off.”
“Yes, Miss Owens.”
* * * *
Olivia worried over her dress, pulling down the hem and the bust line up. Why she’d ever allowed the fussy store clerk and her mother to talk her into buying it, she’d never know. The longer she looked at herself, the more she wanted to believe what they’d told her. Perhaps her body wasn’t as bad as she thought it to be. It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t as horrible as she’d told herself over the years. She turned to and fro, staring at herself from different angles. Maybe she was passable.
Yet she couldn’t quell the desire to open her closet and haul out a pair of jeans and a sweater, run to her comfort zone. But she needed to pull away from her comfort zone and prove to everyone, including herself, that she could stand on her own two feet.
Tonight, she was getting what she’d wanted for years. A date with Liam Palmer. Now she was the one feeling guilty, like she was doing something she shouldn’t. It all felt so wrong. Her dreams of this moment weren’t like the reality it had become, a tangled web of emotions, guilt and remorse swirling with the lust she felt for him. When she was near him, only the desire was present, but once he was gone, her doubts continued to torment her, making her wonder if she should play a part in this drama. He’d ended a relationship for her. For her? What was he thinking?
And what in the hell had she been thinking, telling him her secret last night? The late hour, his sincerity, the nightmare—it all coalesced into her downfall. He’d gotten to her, when she’d promised herself she’d be strong.
Olivia heard the doorbell ring, and the butterflies in her stomach spun even faster than they had moments before. Her gaze drifted to the closet, her mind reaching out for jeans and a sweater. There was no time to change, unless she made him wait. She left the cashmere and denim behind, knowing she needed to try something new if she wanted to draw herself out of the shadows.
One quick last glance in the mirror and she almost saw herself as pretty for a moment. The dress accentuated her hourglass figure. The updo she’d gotten kept her curls off her neck, making it look longer. A small dab of mascara and lip gloss and she was no longer the drab girl who hid in the shadows. The figure in the mirror smiled at her, and she saw a glimpse of the woman her family and friends had always said was there.
Was this what Liam saw when he looked at her? If so, she needed to smile a little more often. She wasn’t what society thought was beautiful, but she needed to learn to be comfortable in her own skin.
A few moments later, the short heels she’d picked to wear clicked down the oak treads as she came to meet Liam, the noise echoing in the wide foyer. She saw him gazing up expectantly, his mouth open wide as he stared. Her mother stood at the door, a silly smile coating her face. The impulse to run back upstairs was strong.
“Olivia … you look stunning.”
Liam’s words caught her short. She could barely breathe as he stood there looking awestruck as he gazed up at her. Quasimodo was gone. Cinderella had moved into her spot. She felt ready for the ball.
“We’ve been telling her that for years and it’s fallen on deaf ears. Perhaps you’ll have more luck, Liam.”
“Mom, please.” Olivia managed the last few steps and came to a halt just before Liam. Even with the heels, he hovered several inches above her height, making her feel tiny. Her palms were clammy, unsure of what she was supposed to do next.
She’d had a couple of dates in college, if you could call them that. None had stood up against Liam’s wide shoulders and muscled build, or his boyishly handsome face and smile. None had stood up against the intangibles, either. Liam had charisma and charm, as well as a strong sense of right and wrong. He was capable, confident, and made her yearn like no other. No one else could ever come close. Compared to the man he was now, there was no competition.
The fact he’d spent his life searching for her cure was daunting. His proclamation at the coffee shop replayed in her mind. It still hadn’t sunk in completely yet. He was who he was because of her. She wasn’t sure if she should feel pride or pity for the man. His “cross to bear,” as her mother had put it, had been heavy for it to push him so firmly into the direction it had.
Olivia looked up at him, his wind-whipped dark hair tousled around his clean-shaven face. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and handsome as sin. He was a Greek god incarnate, with the Fates standing at his side. He had staggered along with her, bearing the burden of her accident all these years, his shoulders heavy under the weight he bore. No one could see the scars he bore inside, or the way he suffered. No one would see through the perfection they witnessed.
She sucked in a breath as the realization came to her. In his own way, Liam limped as well, hobbled by the weight of his own guilt, guilt for something that wasn’t even his fault. He was in need of “fixing” as much as she, with a need for that weight to be lifted from his shoulders and she wasn’t sure the surgery would ever be enough to free him. She wasn’t the one who needed saving.
He was.
The surgery was the key. Perhaps she could bask in the glory of having her time with the man of her dreams, knowing once he’d done what he’d set out to do he could be gone. It would be her little touch of heaven, and maybe she could get him out of her system and move on.
She could get burned. But then, she’d always been hurt. Maybe now was the time to stand up and face the fire. Could she remain standing once she was on the other side?
Chapter 10
“Are you ready? You’ll need a coat; it’s brisk outside.” Liam watched as Olivia floated down the last of the stairs. She looked prettier than he could ever recall, the black dress hugging her ample curves. Heat rushed through his body with the need to have her, bordering on crazed desire. He’d never felt this drive to pursue a woman before, to claim her as his own. Olivia made him want more, his inner male screaming at him to scoop her up and carry her away.
He’d always been distant with other women, knowing his career came first. He’d put off thoughts of marriage and career, knowing Ms. Right would happen upon him if and when it was the right time.
Was she his Ms. Right?
He wasn’t completely sure, but this was the first time he’d ever felt like a lovesick pup, ready to think about a potential future. He was a grown man, far past the point where he should feel like a schoolboy. The fact she had that kind of impact on him was amazing. He hadn’t been this excited to spend time with a female in years. Hell, he couldn’t remember ever feeling this eager.
It made his head spin when he considered how his thoughts for her had shifted so quickly. One day she was a family friend who he’d never seen in a sexual way. The next, he couldn’t stop thinking of getting his hands on her, of making her his own. Confusion swirled around him as Jenny’s words came back to haunt him a bit. Had there been something to it? Maybe his guilt was propelling him to make things right for her.
But he didn’t think it was that. Yes, he wanted to make her whole, to correct that which he’d taken from her. Outside of that, he knew her life was her own to lead. Surgery or not, she had a future he wanted to be a part of. And he wanted it with a desperation he’d never felt before.
Olivia had been there all along. He’d watched her grow into the woman she was, never suspecting she would one day floor him with her luscious curves, making him realize she was all woman. Olivia had always had a special spot in his heart. He’d spent time at her bedside as she’d convalesced, and then watched from the fringes as she grew into a young woman. It wasn’t until the night they’d had dinner that he saw her as more than the little girl she’d stayed all along in his mind. His reaction had been wholly visceral, but he also knew she was smart, well educated, and had a wicked wit. If he could get past her walls, he knew there was the treasure of her love waiting to be explored.
Love?
Is that what he wanted? The relationship hadn’t even gotten off the ground yet. It was too early to speculate, but he could see a future with her in it. For once, he felt willing to give everything to a woman. If she’d only have him.
He’d prodded her to get this date. He was willing to do whatever was needed to get past her defenses, even if it meant using every trick in his book to get her to spend time with him. She was too uptight and needed him to loosen her up. Liam sensed a fire raging below the surface and he wanted to see it aflame and then bask in its glow.
Once she was safely ensconced in his car and they were roaring down the curving lanes toward downtown, he finally released the breath he’d been holding. When he’d first seen her, she looked ready to flee. He’d half expected her to run back upstairs and lock herself in her room. Was that because he was intimidating her or because she lacked experience with men? He sensed she hadn’t dated much, so he would need to calm himself around her before he scared her off, no matter how much he wanted to push her to spend time with him. There was a fine line he’d have to tread with her and he hoped he could manage the balancing act.
His small sports car navigated the turns with ease, the cramped space inside feeling claustrophobic as he feared his fingers would do exactly what they wanted. He bit his tongue to draw him from the edge of lust, reminding himself he was a gentleman, not this mauling beast he felt raging inside. Sweat began to bead along his neck and brow, his attempt to hold back taking physical exertion.
“Last night’s call—” She jostled in her seat, apparently uncomfortable. “I think I said too much. I think we still need to keep our relationship professional. At least until after the surgery.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea at all.” His stare pinned her to the seat, her eyes widening, a flash of lust swirling within her gaze. “There’s no point in denying the inevitable.”
“Inevitable? What’re you talking about?” She turned from him and faced forward. He did as well, swerving back into the lane of traffic he’d not realized he’d strayed from. Luckily, there were no other cars on this stretch of road.
He settled in his seat and tried to ignore the passion he felt, knowing if he didn’t focus on what lay ahead, he could get them into an accident. If she were hurt yet again by his doing, he’d never forgive himself. Instead of arguing the point, he continued to drive, leaving their conversation hanging unanswered in the air between them.
Did he have to spell it out for her? He saw the heated looks and the passion in her stare, knew it mirrored the emotion he felt within himself. Was her lack of confidence so poor that she thought of herself as less? She’d said in the café her accident had shaped who she was.
“Is this your first date?”
“No!” Her answer was forceful and agitated. Had he struck a nerve?
“How many dates have you been on?”
“A few.”
“How many?”