19. Olivia

Chapter nineteen

Olivia

O n the way to Victor’s house, I place my hand on the shifter before he instructs me to. He smirks and winks at me. “Good girl.” I suck in a breath at his praise.

Why does that simple phrase good girl have such an effect on me? And why does it feel so right coming from him? If it were anyone else, I don’t think I’d like it, but with him… It’s different and it makes me want to be so good for him.

He places his hand on top of mine, but lets me guide the shifter into each gear. By the fourth gear, I’m hyper aware of how his rough palm feels on top of my hand, his scent, and every move his legs make when pushing the clutch in. I wasn’t lying when I said I loved his hands, especially when they’re on me.

His deep voice catches my attention. “Fifth gear?”

“Oh, uh… Sorry.” My chest tightens at the thought of disappointing him, but he only chuckles and takes over.

“It’s alright, baby. I got you.”

My stomach dips at the endearment like I’m riding a roller coaster. The rest of the ride I let him lead. My gaze switches between his strong legs as they change gears, to the veins in his hands and arms when he moves the stick shift, to the tattoos on his neck, then I start all over again.

“I think I’ve lost my student.”

My eyes fly up to his face and I nearly melt in my seat at the smile I find there. “I’m studying,” I protest.

He glances at me, his smile growing wider. “What exactly are you studying?”

My cheeks become so hot I know they’re bright red. I gesture to him with the hand that’s not still grasped in his. He tilts his head back and laughs. The sound washes over me, and I want to figure out how to make him do that again. First, I realize we’re sitting at a stoplight, then I realize I’ve felt safe from the moment he knocked on my door.

He leans across the console and kisses my cheek. His lips linger, the scrape of his mustache and beard tickling slightly, wishing I had the courage to turn my head so I could feel what his lips would feel like against mine. What would his beard feel like if he kissed me somewhere else? Where did that thought come from?

“I’m proud of you,” he murmurs. His breath causes goosebumps to break out over my neck and arms.

I finally turn my head to face him and he’s right there. He leans his forehead against mine. The look in his green eyes makes me feel like I could fly. “Why?” I whisper, not wanting to break whatever spell we’re currently under.

“You haven’t been looking over your shoulder every few minutes since we got in the car.” He intertwines our hands that are still on the stick shift, his ring slides against my skin.

“I didn’t realize you noticed that,” I admit.

He leans in even closer, making me think he might kiss me. I hold my breath in anticipation, knowing if he did I wouldn’t stop him.

“I notice everything about you.”

I open my mouth to respond, but someone behind us honks their horn, and it breaks the spell we were under. We both lean back and notice the light has turned green. Victor puts the car in first and we continue on our way. The rest of the ride to his house is quiet. He still has my hand grasped in his, but I let him handle shifting the gears. All I can think about is what it would be like to kiss him.

I honestly never thought I’d feel this way about a man. And to feel it about Victor, my godfather, is not something I ever expected. I’m so lost in my thoughts, I’m surprised when he slows down. The sun has started setting, so there’s still some light out for me to be able to take in the property we’re coming to. I sit forward, my mouth opening in surprise.

“You bought the Allard property?”

“I did.”

I knew Victor had money, but I didn’t realize how much. I have always admired this property and, most of all, its privacy. It has a concrete wall fence about half a mile in length on each side that meets at an iron fence. Victor pulls in until the car is directly in front of the iron gate. After a few seconds, the gate opens.

“Is there a camera or something and they let you in?”

He smirks at me as he slowly rolls forward. “No, there’s a sensor on the gate that connects to the sensor in my car.” He drives for several minutes and I wonder how long the driveway is. There’s a lot of greenery, but I can’t wait to see the property around the house. When we get to the end of the driveway, I cover my mouth with my hands.

“Oh my goodness. It’s gorgeous.” I glance at Victor quickly before taking in my surroundings, not knowing what to look at first. The driveway leads into a roundabout that has a small fountain and more greenery. I scrunch my nose up; there should be some flowers giving it more color.

“When I take you home, you’ll be able to see the lights along the driveway that lead to the road. It looks magical.”

I smile at him as he comes to a stop in front of the entrance. The entrance has steps leading up to an archway that also has an iron gate. Beyond the gate is a deep entryway with a large wooden door.

Victor points at it. “The iron gate won’t open without a thumb print. I’ll need to get a sensor added to your car and your thumb print in the system so you can get in.” My heart is beating so fast I have to take a deep breath in an effort to slow it down.

“Does that mean you expect me to be over here a lot?”

He rubs the back of his knuckles along my cheek. “Yes, I want you here as often as you want to come over.” His hand slides around to the back of my neck, gripping it firmly. “I’d also love for you to make it look like your backyard. I paid for someone to do the landscaping, but the moment I saw your backyard tonight, I realized I would much rather have color and not so much green.”

I smile widely at him. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun.” His eyes sparkle at my reaction. “Can I start tomorrow?” I ask, eager to begin.

He nods. “Of course.” I’m overcome with another overwhelming urge to kiss him, but he pulls back and opens his car door. I turn to open my door, but he puts his hand on my thigh, stopping me. “I’ll open your door.” His voice has dropped low again, making my lower stomach clench.

Victor walks around to my door and opens it, extending his hand. I take it and allow him to help me out. He leads the way, showing me where to put my thumb when he gets me access. I follow him into the house and there’s a beautiful woman standing near the stairs at the entrance waiting for us. Her face breaks out into a smile when she sees Victor.

Jealousy stirs in my chest. I didn’t realize I was a jealous person. I’ve never had a reason to be jealous in the past. She has dark brown hair that hangs just below her shoulders; she’s taller than me, slender, and looks to be about the same age as Victor.

“Olivia, this is my house assistant, Crystal. Crystal, this is Olivia.” He places his hand at the small of my back and pulls me closer to him.

Crystal steps forward with a smile. Before I understand what’s happening, she’s enveloping me in a hug. I stiffen, but force myself to return the embrace before quickly stepping away. If Crystal notices, she doesn’t say anything, but Victor pulls me even closer into his side.

“It’s nice to meet you, Olivia. Mr. Valentine has told me a lot about you. He wouldn’t even let the cook make dinner. He was determined to do it.”

The jealousy I felt slowly evaporates. She’s just his house assistant, that’s all. I glance up at Victor and he smirks down at me. Crystal grabs her purse and a paper bag.

“The wine is in the fridge and the table is set. Don’t forget to turn the oven warmer off.” She steps around us after another wave and leaves. I allow myself to take in the house and I’m just as enchanted by the interior as I was the exterior.

“It’s gorgeous, Victor.”

“I know.”

I look up at him and notice he’s looking at me. Heat spreads from my neck to my face, but I don’t look away. He makes me feel gorgeous. He makes me feel seen. Which is strange considering all my adult life I’ve tried to hide. But I don’t want to hide with him.

“We’ll eat first, then I’ll give you a tour,” Victor says, interlacing our fingers and leading the way.