Come Together Page 19

  I nodded.

  “You have got to let go. You’re killing something beautiful here.” I inhaled sharply and tried to look away, but he caught my chin. “Trust me like I trust you. If you leave me now, I’m the one who will break. Is that what you want? You’re it for me. It’s you. I love you, and no matter how much shit you put me through, nothing will change that.”

  My chest stuttered with short breaths as he tore away at my exterior, forcing me to confront my fears or lose him.

  “I won’t let anything hurt you, my love,” he said. “And if it does, you’re strong enough to handle it. You’ve been so strong for fifteen years.”

  My eyes widened, and I unexpectedly burst into tears. I tried to look away, but his hand held my chin firmly.

  “Since the divorce, you’ve carried this fear with you. You’re strong, you’ve proved that. Let me take over now. Give it all to me, and let me be strong for you. Please, let go so I can take care of you.”

  I pulled away finally and sobbed into my hands. After another moment I felt his hands pulling on my wrists. His voice was deep when he said, “Don’t hide from me.”

  “David,” I said through uncontrollable sobs. “When my parents divorced, I realized that there was no such thing as forever. That things could be taken away in an instant. And it scares me to death how strong our connection is because,” I paused, whimpering with despair, “because the thought of you taking it away is too much to bear.”

  He set my hands back on his knees and tucked some hair behind my ear before cupping my face.

  “But since the moment I saw you,” I continued, “I’ve felt something that I didn’t think existed. Real and true love. I didn’t recognize it at first, because I didn’t know what it was.”

  “You’re there, Olivia,” he said, his eyes boring into mine. “Give me all the shit, everything you’ve been through, and I will take it. Let it go.”

  I nodded. “I want to let it go.”

  “So do it,” he said gently. “You’re there, just do it.”

  My face contorted as his words ran through my mind. Do it. Let go. He said I’d been strong. He knew the load I carried, and he wanted to take it. I wanted to give it to him. I nodded and surprised him by throwing my arms around his neck. “I trust you. For you, only you, I can do it,” I whispered and cried into his shoulder. I cried because the little girl in me, my thirteen-and-a-half-year-old self, could finally let go. She could finally trust someone enough for me to love and to let love me. I cried because I thought I would never know what it meant to open myself and be at the mercy of another person – pleasure, pain and all.

  His arms were tight around me, his hand stroking my hair.

  “All I ever wanted was to let go,” I said into his neck. I pulled back and looked him in his sweet, chestnut-brown eyes. With tear-streaked cheeks and a runny nose, I said, “I love you.”

  “I know,” he replied, running his thumbs under my eyes and wiping away the wetness. “I’ve always known.”

  ~

  I watched from over the rim of my wine glass. David poked at a steak on the grill as he and my dad talked very masculine things I didn’t care about. I had done it. I had taken the plunge, and I was scared to death. But more than that, I was blissfully happy. He had broken through something in me with his words, his eyes, his love. How did he know there was a girl in me who couldn’t let go? Who’d been hanging on to something for so long, she couldn’t remember a life before it? David was the only thing I wanted in my life and if it didn’t last, at least I would have these moments with him. He looked over at me and winked, and I wondered if I’d ever seen a more beautiful sight than that.

  It was a perfect night in Dallas, and the sun set over us as we cut into our steaks.

  “So,” my dad said, “what happens next with Bill?”

  I sighed as my bliss bubble popped. Peace was always fleeting. “Well, he has been clear about the fact that he’s not going down without a fight. I guess that means we’ll be going to court.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. I always knew he had a little weasel in him.”

  “Dad,” I admonished. “I’m in the wrong here. Because I was unfaithful, he wants me to pay.”

  “It’s an empty threat,” David said. “Illinois is a ‘no fault’ state, meaning that infidelity will have hardly any impact on the division of assets. I talked to my lawyer.”

  “You did?” I asked.

  “Of course.”

  “Do you think Bill knows that?”

  “Of course he knows that, Olivia,” David said. “He’s a lawyer, for Christ’s sake. He was just trying to scare you. What sorts of assets do you two have?”

  “Not much, I guess. We rent the apartment. We own a car, furniture, bank account. The car’s in his name.”

  “Do you have any debt?”

  I shook my head. “Dad paid for all my school, and Bill’s debt is minimal if anything. He was – is very frugal. We were pre-approved for a loan on the Oak Park house, but that’s it.”

  “I didn’t know you’d made an offer,” Dad said. “Thank God they didn’t accept it.” My fork stopped mid-way to my mouth, and David turned to look at my dad. “What?”

  “They didn’t accept it because I bought it,” David told him.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “I bought the house out from under Bill. For Olivia.”

  “That’s a little extreme, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, sir. But I always trust my gut, in business and otherwise. And my gut told me Olivia would eventually come around.”

  No amount of struggling could suppress the smile that broke out over my face. David took my hand under the table and squeezed it.

  “Well, well. There’s that smile,” my dad said. “I haven’t seen that in too long.”

  “Dad,” I said, embarrassed.

  “Bill never made you smile like that. Not that I ever saw. Honestly, it . . .” To my horror, he stopped and sniffled. “It brings a tear to my eye.”

  My chin quivered, an automatic response to seeing my dad cry for only the second time in my life.

  “No, no,” he said, wiping his face with his napkin. “No more tears. Let David finish his thought.”

  David hesitated, and I couldn’t help but laugh through the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry, honey, what were you saying?” I asked.

  “Um, well . . . how attached are you to the car and the furniture?”

  “God, I hate that piece of shit car.”

  “I offered Bill the Shelby for your birthday present this year,” Dad said. “He wouldn’t accept it. Said it was impractical and too expensive to maintain.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Are you kidding? He would say that. He’s stingy. And proud.”

  “So then the bank account is the only real problem,” David continued.

  “Doesn’t sound too bad,” my dad said. “I taught you all about socking away savings.”

  I cleared my throat. “It’s paltry. It’s nothing, actually. Most of my savings are in our joint account, which I don’t have access to right now. Bill canceled my cards.”

  David’s face changed instantly. “You didn’t tell me that.”

  “It happened a few days ago. Anyway, my savings aren’t enough for a divorce lawyer.”

  “Mr. Germaine – ”

  “Harvey.”

  “Harvey,” David said, “I know you’ve been through a divorce.”

  “Two,” I interjected.

  “I want Olivia out of this marriage as quickly as possible. If it were up to me, it would already be over. I’d like to just wipe the slate clean.”

  “David, what – ”

  “I don’t know if she told you,” he interrupted me, “but he was unnecessarily rough with her.”

  “Pardon?” Dad said, leaning forward in his seat. “Is this true, Olivia?”

  “He just grabbed my arm,” I stammered.

  “And left marks,” David added.

  “His pride was hur
t. He’d just learned that David was the one who bought the house.”

  My dad ran his hands over his face.

  “David broke his nose though,” I said quickly.

  David rolled his eyes. “Trying to make a good impression here,” he said under his breath.

  My dad laughed darkly. “What are you asking me for, David? Money?”

  “No, sir, just some backup if Olivia plans to fight me on this. I’ll get her out, no matter the cost. I’ll pay to have everything taken care of as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, it looks like six months is the soonest it would become official, and that’s if Bill is compliant.”

  “David, I can’t ask you to do that,” I said, my eyes wide.

  “You didn’t. I’m saying,” he continued, turning back to my dad, “I want to do it. I want to spare her the pain of a long, drawn-out process. Let Bill keep everything – the money, the car, the furniture, whatever. No alimony. I have more than enough for the two of us plus a family, and just so you feel secure, Olivia, you’ll have your salary like we discussed. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  “David – ”

  “You’d do that?” my dad interrupted.

  “In a heartbeat.”

  “No,” I said adamantly.

  “I tell you, sugar, divorce is a bitch,” Dad said. “I’d hate to see you suffer through it when there’s another option.”

  I looked between the two of them, speechless.

  “I want to do it, Olivia. You’ve dealt with a lot from Bill. I know he’s been hard on you. Let me take over from here.”

  “So we’re just going to let him have everything?”

  “Do you care?” David asked.

  “No. I hate to put you in that position, though.”

  “Don’t look at it that way. Anyway, I own my apartment. This is what we talked about,” he said, staring me down. “Giving up control. Letting me help. It’s nothing for me.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “This is no longer just about you. It involves me too, and this is how I’m going to handle it.”

  I gaped at him. “Okay,” I said slowly.

  My dad reached over to shake David’s hand. “You’re a good man, David. I think I might be happy that you’re looking after my girl.”

  ~

  “I wish you would just stay here instead of the hotel,” I said to David, running my hands over the fabric of his sweater. The soft cashmere, as always, was the perfect complement to the muscles underneath.

  “So do I,” he said. “I’m feeling . . . restless.”

  I tugged on the waistband of his pants. “Stay then.”

  “It’s not appropriate, and I don’t want your dad to feel uncomfortable.”

  “What a gentleman,” I teased.

  “Would a gentleman do this?” he asked, squeezing my ass to pull me against him.

  I responded with a lustful groan. He was pressed against me in all his glory, and a carnal need blossomed in me. “I can’t wait,” I said with finality. “Sex. Now.”

  He laughed and brushed a piece of hair from my face. “If I can, you can. This weekend is about me getting to know your dad.”

  “This weekend!” I exclaimed, trying unsuccessfully to push him away. “Don’t tell me you plan on abstaining the whole weekend.”

  “Sorry, baby, but we’re not goddamn teenagers. We can handle it.”

  I grumbled to myself as he took my hand and led me to the car. “How do you like my rental?”

  “I hate it,” I said with a pout, and he roared with laughter.

  “Don’t take your frustration out on the car.” He leaned in to give me a sweet kiss. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Tonight.”

  I smiled reluctantly and pressed his hand in mine. “I’ll see you in the morning?”

  “Try and stop me.”

  I turned away, but he pulled me back by my hand for another series of pecks. He let go finally and smacked me on the ass. “Bye, gorgeous.” He hit the key fob as he walked away, and the car beeped.

  “David?”

  He looked at me over the roof. “Yeah, baby?”

  “I love you,” I said.

  He stared at me a moment before responding. “I love you, too.”

  I curled into my sweater and headed back into the house. I’d finally told him how I felt, but it wasn’t nearly the truth. I didn’t just love him. What I felt was so much greater than that.

  CHAPTER 18

  THE DISTINCT AROMA of brewing coffee lured me from my sleep. It was earlier than I preferred to wake up on the weekend, so I grumbled on my way downstairs.

  My dad sat at the kitchen table, barely acknowledging me as he browsed The Dallas Morning News. I poured myself coffee and tried to seem casual. “So, what do you think?”

  “’Bout what, kiddo?” he asked the newspaper.

  “David.”

  He folded the paper in his hand and looked at me over it.

  “Please be honest,” I said. “The best way to protect me now is to tell me the truth.”

  He considered this a moment. “I’ve dealt with a lot of people over the years, and I’m a good judge of character. I like him. Thing I like best is that he adores you. That, and I can see he’s strong enough and smart enough to make tough decisions. You don’t get that far in business by pussy-footin’ around.”

  “Do you like him because he’s a good businessman or because of the person he is?”

  He chuckled. “He’s a good guy. And Bill was too. The difference is that Bill didn’t quite know what to do with you.”

  I blushed because the first thing that came to mind was the one enormous, mind-blowing change in my sex life.

  “You up for a run?”

  I wrinkled my nose. “A run? Like exercise?”

  “Yes, Olivia, like exercise. Call up David and invite him.”

  “You want to go for a run with my boyfriend?”

  He bristled. “I don’t see any reason why not.”

  The reason why not was that he’d never done such a thing with Bill. “I think he runs,” I said with my eyebrows furrowed. “But I doubt he brought anything with him.”

  “I have shoes he can borrow.”

  I shook my head before I fell into a fit of giggles. He only stared at me with confusion. When I could speak again, I gasped, “He’s . . . a size . . . fourteen and a half.”

  “Oh.”

  I smiled as I shook my head again and dialed David’s number. “My dad wants to go for a run with you,” I said when he picked up.

  “Are you coming?”

  “Me? I’m going for a breakfast burrito.”

  He laughed. “I’ll be right over.”

  The smartest thing I did in Bill’s apartment was grab a bikini. It had been too long since I’d been poolside, and I was happy to park myself in the Texan sun while David and my dad exercised.

  I was sufficiently relaxed and reclined on a latticed lounge chair when they returned. I waved from across the water. My dad excused himself to shower, and David followed the perimeter of the pool until he was standing over me.

  He bent at the hip and crooked a finger under the string between my breasts, pulling up slightly. “Nice bikini,” he remarked before straightening up again.

  I lowered my sunglasses and checked him out. He wore only red and white basketball shorts, having already peeled off his shirt, and the planes of his chest glistened with a sheen of sweat. I wrapped my hand around the back of his knee and ran it up the opening of his shorts.

  “How long have you been out here?” he asked.

  I shrugged, and slid my hand back down his leg. “As long as you’ve been gone.”

  His eyes scanned my body. “Won’t you burn?”

  “I’m wearing sunscreen.”

  He picked up the sunblock from the side table and examined it. When he seemed to decide it was suitable, he held it out to me. “Put more on.”

  I pouted. “But I’m t
rying to get a tan.”

  “Your skin is good the way it is. This shit,” he waved in the general direction of the sun, “is bad for it.”

  “But – ”

  “More,” he cut me off.

  I sighed and took it from him. I squirted some onto my stomach and chest and began to rub it in, careful not to miss anywhere that might give me funny tan lines. I lifted the band of my bottoms and smoothed it under. When I looked up, David watched from under heavy lids.

  “Perv!” I cried. “You just wanted to watch me put it on.”

  He grinned. “A perk.”

  I rolled my eyes. “So, hmm, Saturday morning, huh?” I asked, massaging a handful of lotion over my thighs. “It’s going to be a long, long weekend.” I lifted my left leg, rubbed the lotion down my shin and then moved to the right, where I made my way back up.

  With a small growl, he adjusted his shorts. “Give me that,” he demanded impatiently.

  “I’m not finished.”

  “Now, Olivia.”

  Without looking up, I passed him the bottle.

  “Sit up.”

  I obeyed, leaning forward and wrapping my arms around my legs.

  He threw a long leg over the width of the chair and sat behind me. I dropped my forehead on my knees and sighed while he massaged sunscreen onto my back. With my breasts pressed against my thighs, I held my bikini top in place when he pulled on the tie and let the strings drop.

  Even after he’d run out of sunscreen, he continued to knead my skin. His muscular hands pushed into me hard, but I suspected he wasn’t even using half his strength. I groaned into the ache as he worked my shoulders and then up my neck. He inched forward, closing any space between us, his erection digging into my lower back.

  I bit into my knee, already wet in my bikini bottoms. He swept my hair over one shoulder and pressed his lips to the top of my spine. His hands slipped between my chest and thighs to cup my breasts while he kissed the length of my neck.

  “Are you feeling me up in my dad’s house?” I whispered.

  “Mhm.” My nipples tightened under the gentle force of his fingers. “I want to be inside you,” he said into my ear. I sucked in a sharp breath just as his hands fell away to retie my bikini.

  “No,” I groaned into my knees.