Chapter 13

thirteen

Olympia

Charlie:

You go, girl. And you show that asshole what his crappy attitude has him missing out on.

I love you, have I told you that lately?

As a matter of fact, no. You haven’t.

But I love you, too.

All I want to do is stay in bed.

But you have a new car and…you know…housing to win.

So, you won’t stay in bed. You’ll go.

I glare at the phone as I swipe mascara onto my lashes, lifting it to text back.

Yeah, I’ll go.

And you’ll have fun!

Do I even know what fun is?

Discover it. Tav is using you, just use him back.

It’s more complicated than that, Charls.

Because you have feelings for him.

I wish I didn’t.

Use those feelings to make sure you win this thing, babe.

Why did she have to sell me to Darius? None of this would be happening if things had stayed the way they were.

I think it’s better this way.

Well, that makes one of us.

Just have fun.

I dab a pretty pink color onto my lips and type.

I’ve gotta go.

FUN!

Before Remira got it in her head to sell me off to Daruis Taviera, I’d planned to stay living at home until I got my inheritance. It had always been my dream to work at Laurier Lines, the company my grandmother had loved dearly, and had put so much of herself, and her life, into. Remira thought it distasteful when women worked, so I’d kept that goal to myself, knowing that I only had to wait to be in possession of my trust before I could leave home for good, go to school, and live my life how I wanted to live it.

Then, three months ago, everything changed. I learned I was engaged to a man who’d always given me chills. Shortly after Ophelia did what she did, to save face, Remira agreed to ‘support’ her daughters love for a man who’d been married to Remira’s best friend. We started seeing them more and more, family dinners, events, things like that. Darius was always there for those events, and the way he watched me—the cool interest in his dark eyes—it had always made me want to hide.

I hadn’t known how on-spot my intuition was until I’d worn his ring on my finger, and he’d begun to whisper his intentions in my ear.

But that’s as far as things had ever gone between us. Him tormenting me with a future I dreaded. Me disconnecting from everything—until I got the courage to run, literally, for my life.

It just so happens that I had nowhere else to run but here, to a man who doesn’t believe a word I say. To a man who looks at me like I’m a burden. A bother. Something gross he’d like to scrape off the underside of his boot.

Lifting the little bag I’ve packed with my swimsuit, wrap, and lotion, I leave the safety of my room where I’ve hidden all day. My heart riots against the act in my chest with every step I take.

“She emerges.”

I shoot him a pointed glare. One he deserves. “We have a deal.”

He dips his chin. “We do. You ready, then?”

“Yep.” Spinning on my heel, I move to the front door. He follows as a crack of thunder rocks the house, and my eyes lift to his. “I don’t know how much swimming we’re going to be doing.”

“Probably not much,” he mutters as another crack booms.

“Should we even be leaving?”

“You afraid of a little thunder, Princess?”

“No.”

His eyes take me in from tip to toe, before traveling back up again. “You sure you don’t want to change?”

I glance down at the white lacy sundress. “I’ll be fine in this.”

“Maybe grab a sweater or something.”

I glance down at my little dress again, and sigh. “I’ll be right back.”

Dropping my bag to the floor, I race back to my room. I pull a cozy, slouchy beige cardigan from the hanger in my closet, and shove my arms into it. Staring at myself in the mirror, I decide I could do worse. But I arrived at Tav’s with nothing more than two suitcases of clothes. It’s not like I had a whole lot to choose from, even though I’d tried to pack something for every occasion when I packed. Lucky for me, I have unlimited shopping at Laurier Lines, so I’m going to have to make some time to order myself some clothes to supplement what I brought with me when I ran.

Still, I look cute enough for tonight.

As I pass by the dresser, I nab the black scrunchie from the top and shove it onto my wrist. Just in case we do swim, and I don’t feel like getting my hair wet.

Hurrying back to Tav, I find he’s ready, boots on, big fingers tucked into the front pockets of dark jeans, waiting. He gives me another once over that I ignore as I slide my feet into strappy gold sandals. I don’t miss the fact I’m dressed all in creams, whites, and golds, while he is dressed head-to-toe in shades of black.

“Ready,” I announce to find him scowling down at me.

My heart quickens, but I tell myself I don’t care if he doesn’t like my outfit. I’m not his for real, so what does it matter, anyway?

But I know that’s not true. I know, because even as I tell myself, I don’t care, my belly feels tight and unpleasant at the thought he’s displeased.

“You look nice,” he tells me softly, surprising me.

I say nothing as I lift my bag. The man confuses me.

He studies me for an entire minute, my heart rioting against my feelings for him.

I feel the urge to break the tension with a smile, but it wouldn’t be real. Giving Tav my famous plastic smile feels wrong. So, I simply hold his eyes and wait.

Finally, he twists to open the door, gesturing me out first. It’s not raining yet, but the scent is thick in the air. There is wind, though. It’s humid and filled with salt. The sky is dark, the clouds ominous. They tumble fast in the sky overhead, as though racing toward their destination.

I chance another peek at Tav, my heart fluttering when I realize he’s watching me.

“This is going to be an intense storm.” I hurry to the passenger side of his SUV just as the sound of the unlock mechanism thuds. I pull open his door and climb inside as another violent crash sounds in the sky. Lightning flashes and another rage of thunder booms.

Tav settles next to me, his dark eyes taking me in as he starts the engine. The scent of him permeates the space, and I struggle to hide the way I secretly indulge in that forbidden decadence.

We say nothing as we drive into the city, the storm growing angrier and angrier with every minute that passes. He pulls into a burger joint. “You hungry?”

“No.”

I can feel his eyes on the side of my face, but I don’t look at him. “You haven’t eaten, Olympia.”

“I’m aware.”

“You need to eat.”

“I’m not hungry, Tav. I don’t eat when I’m not hungry.”

“You haven’t eaten all day,” he points out. “Did you even eat breakfast?”

I hadn’t eaten breakfast, but I don’t tell him that.

I just look out the window.

I’m angry with him. He hurt me earlier, and I haven’t fully recovered from those new wounds. I’ll play his games, but in private, I don’t have to submit to the perfect girlfriend act. In private, I can show him just how much I don’t like the man he’s become. How disappointed I am in him.

“Well, I’m hungry,” he says, as though I care. He ignores me as he rolls down his window and places an order for two meals. Rain finally starts to fall, big drops hitting the windshield.

Still, I say nothing. I keep my silence as Tav rolls through the line, pays, and gets the meals.

Back on the road, he asks, “Think you can open one, hand me a burger?”

Silently, I do as he asks. When I’ve handed the burger to him, he says around a big bite, “The other is for you.”

“I told you I wasn’t hungry.” I’m just being defiant now. The food smells delicious, and my traitorous stomach rumbles loudly. Remira never would have condoned me putting this in my body.

Tav raises a brow at me. “Stop being petulant. Eat.”

That just makes me want to be more petulant. Instead, I glare at him as I fish my burger out of the bag. I open the wrap, split the burger open and peel the tomato from inside.

He frowns. “Don’t like tomatoes?”

“I love tomatoes. I hate them on burgers.”

Tav reaches over, plucks the tomato from between my fingers and pops into his mouth.

I don’t know why that simple action makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Probably because I’m a glutton for punishment, but it’s something I imagine my perfect man would do. I hate to admit that Tav would be perfection, if he wasn’t such a dick.

Slapping my burger together, I take a big bite.

It’s so good. And I was so hungry.

I devour it fast and know that I have no hope of eating the fries.

“Fries.” I hand him his, and he nods to the bag once more. “You’ve got some, too.”

Placing my hand flat against my stomach, I shake my head. “I’m serious, Tav. I’m so full. If you make me eat those, I will vomit in your car.”

This makes him chuckle a genuine chuckle, and he relents. “Noted.”

Because I’m thirsty, I lift one of the drinks from the center console and suck on the straw. Then I wince at the bubbles, scowling as I shove it back into the holder.

“Still don’t like pop?”

“No.”

“I forgot about that until just now. Sorry.”

“I’m surprised you remember.”

“I remember a lot, Olympia.”

I just shake my head and focus out the window.

I need time before we get to where we’re going. I need to psych myself up into acting like his perfect, obsessed, head-over-heels, girlfriend.

I need this time, because all day I’ve been nursing a sore, bruised, aching heart.