Chapter 3

3

OLIVER

" O liver, come help us."

Alice Lang, Olivia's mom, calls out to me just as I'm about to sit in the living room. I immediately stand and fix my crisp black shirt. To say I have nothing appropriate to wear for just about anything is an understatement.

All I have are long-sleeved shirts, dress pants, and dress shoes. Oh and the jacket, of course. Knowing I'd be staying in the finished wing of the resort, I packed my suitcase with nothing but business in mind, so these were all I had.

When Olivia told me about her mom's dinner invitation, my initial thought was I needed to impress her and her eight-year-old sister, Samantha. I have no idea why. I've never cared much for the opinion of others, but now I do apparently.

I stand beside Alice and take the apron she hands to me. It's too small, and I can't even tie it behind me. Then, she slides the chopping board with the onion and knife, along with a bowl with whole chicken in it.

"Dice these three onions," she tells me, "and blanch the chicken."

She may as well speak another language. I have never held a kitchen knife in my life, cooked anything except coffee (if that even counts), and put any effort into my meal. I have a personal chef, or if he's not around, I just have my meals delivered.

I am so fucking out of my element. Tonight, when I get home, I'll watch those tutorial videos. I vow to never embarrass myself like this again and learn how to fucking dice onions.

"Blanch the chicken? Isn't it already pale?"

Alice snorts out laughing. "You've never cooked?"

I can lie, but I refuse to dig a deeper hole for myself. "No."

"Hmm. Well, then, just go back to the living room. Dinner is in thirty minutes."

If my goal is to impress her, I'm already failing, and I walk back to the sofa with my tail between my legs, feeling like an utter failure.

I sink on the couch, right on the sag in the middle, my hands on my lap, looking around the small but cozy home. The framed photos on one wall, the seashells and stones lining the windowsills, and a conch shell by the TV. My minimalist penthouse has nothing on this.

My eyes travel to the mismatched mugs hanging in hooks above the sink and the colorful plates and bowls filling the open shelves. I saw the interior design plans for the resort, and it didn't look half as charming as Olivia's home.

"Hey," a small voice whispers.

I twist at the waist to find Samantha behind the couch, her elbows resting on the backseat. "Hi."

"Are you really gonna kick us out of our home?"

Her voice is so low I'm pretty sure both Olivia and Alice, who are busy in the kitchen, cannot hear. "No, Samantha. I'm not."

"Oh good. I love my bedroom, and it's gonna suck so bad if you destroy it. I got lots of paintings and stuff. You wanna see?"

"Sure."

She leads me to a small room filled with so many drawings and paintings tacked to the walls. A single bed with a mermaid blanket is pushed up against the window, and papers are strewn everywhere. I have to be extra mindful of where I step.

Samantha hands me a drawing book and motions for the seat beside her on the bed. Her mattress isn't as soft as I would've liked, and I make a mental note to tell my assistant to buy her the softest one he can find.

I flip through the pages and can't help but smile. The colors are so vibrant, and her strokes are just a bit aggressive. Drawings of the beach, coconut trees, two stick figures (who I assume are Olivia and Alice) on the sandbar, and finally, four stick figures (this time, including Samantha and probably her father judging by the mop of hair) in front of this house. Underneath it, she scrawled, "Home."

A strange emotion flickers in my chest, and I close her book. "These are beautiful drawings, Samantha. You're very talented."

"Call me Sammy. Everyone does. And thank you, not to brag or anything, but my whole family's talented." She jumps up from the bed, grabs a small frame, and drops it on my hands. "This is Mom's painting." I barely have time to look when she picks up a necklace full of tiny shells and drops it on top of the frame. "Oli made this for me." She pulls open a drawer and gingerly takes out a headband with more shells. "Dad gave me this for my fifth birthday."

She hands me the headband slowly, like she's afraid of damaging it. I take it from her and handle it with care. "These are beautiful, Sammy."

"Right? But if you take away our home, I won't have anywhere to keep them in."

There's not even a question in my mind anymore. In terms of acquiring their land, I won't do it. I will leave them alone. But as for Olivia, that's an entirely different matter and something I won't discuss with her younger sister.

I put all three things on her bed and stare at Sammy. "You're keeping your home, Sammy. I promise you. No one will take it from you."

The joy on her face is enough to extinguish the slight fear for my brother's reaction when I tell him we're not buying these lands anymore.

"Mom! Ol! We're keeping our house. We're staying!"

Sammy runs toward the kitchen, and I follow her, closing the door behind me. Olivia and Alice turn to me in unison, identical hopeful looks on their faces.

Olivia approaches me first, her steps cautious, like I'm a predator about to pounce on her. "Is it true? Is it final? Like 100% sure and no backing down? No harassment or random men knocking on our door, demanding we sign papers?"

"Yes. The company is going to back off. No one will come to bother you again. You have my word."

Olivia launches herself at me, while Alice and Sammy do silly little dances behind her. As someone who grew up with only Mom as the affectionate one, this feels surprisingly nice. Most days, Dad and Paul share a meal with me at one of our favorite restaurants and that's it. Conversations are usually about the company and our other businesses—nothing more, nothing less.

I can't remember the last time someone hugged me, maybe Mom, but my arms go around Olivia's small frame, and I pull her to me.

It's five seconds tops, but I don't wanna let go. I want to keep holding her, and I do … until Alice clears her throat. "We're not sure if you like seafood, so we also have some pasta and stir-fried chicken. Not as fancy as you're probably used to, but my Olivia is a fantastic cook. Come on, sit beside me."

Their dining table is only good for four people, and the chair wobbles when I sit. Alice is beside me, Olivia across, and Sammy to her right. The dishes are simple—mixed seafood, baked scallops, fish tacos, stir-fried chicken, and spaghetti and meatballs.

It's the best meal of my life. I clean my plate and go back for seconds.

I'm not even a seafood person, but everything tastes exceptional. So much better than all the restaurants I've been to.

"This is really good," I say between mouthfuls of fish tacos.

"I told you you should open those really hip bars where they serve amazing foods." Sammy nudges Olivia.

"Okay, first of all, who taught you about hip and bars?"

"Alaia. She said those in the Maldives are really awesome. I wanna go someday."

"Someday? You mean when you're twenty-one, right?"

Sammy rolls her eyes. "Alaia said they just dance in bars, and it's fun."

Olivia puts down her fork and props her elbows on the table, twisting to gaze at Sammy, who's busy taking out the meatballs. "They don't just dance in bars. It can be risky."

"Why?"

"Because there's bad people everywhere."

"I have Oliver to protect me." I almost choke on the food, but I can't deny how good it feels that Sammy believes I'll keep her safe because I absolutely will. "And I like dancing."

"You can dance here with me."

Sammy rears back and wrinkles her nose. "No. You suck at dancing." She turns to me and points to Olivia. "She sucks at dancing. She once tried that samba thing and tripped on her own feet. She had to get stitches on her forehead."

Olivia huffs out a breath. "Oh, are we sharing embarrassing moments now? Because I have loads in my arsenal." She also turns to me. "When she was two, Dad bought her a Barbie. She?—"

Olivia doesn't get to finish because Sammy jumps from her seat and slams her palm over Olivia's mouth. Olivia's laughter is muffled, and she retaliates by tickling Sammy's underarms.

Meanwhile, Alice keeps eating, totally unfazed by the chaos unfolding before her. She must have noticed me watching her because she elbows me and says, "They have at least fifteen years between them, but I might as well have two teenagers under this roof."

"Is it always like this? This happy?"

"No. Like every family, we have fights and disagreements. But at the end of the day, we love each other. Isn't that what matters most in life? Sharing moments with people you love?"

I'm still thinking about that an hour later as Olivia and I settle side by side on the couch. Sammy and Alice are both in front, lounging on the recliner. This is apparently a family tradition. Ending dinner not just with dessert but watching a movie together.

I don't know what we're watching, but the main characters are a fox and a rabbit—not something I would ever watch by myself. It's Sammy's turn to choose, and it's either this or the movie with weird, tiny yellow creatures.

Even with the windows closed, the air is chilly inside, so we all have blankets draped over us. Olivia and I share one, but I honestly don't need it. My body burns just by sitting close to her.

I have jerked off to her multiple times in the past three days. Just thinking about that kiss has my cock roaring to attention, ready to spill my seed.

Olivia sits cross-legged and her knee nudges my thigh. That's when my self-control begins fraying thread by fucking thread. Her touch burns through the several layers of clothing between us, and I'm absolutely fine bursting into flames.

Usually on Fridays, I stay late in the office, grab dinner from the Italian restaurant across the street, and spend two more hours on the rooftop going over contracts before hitting the sack.

Not today.

On this particular Friday night, I'm watching cartoons and sporting a boner all because my body lights up at Olivia's simplest touch. Thank God for the blanket.

Thirty minutes into the movie, I can no longer pretend to be paying attention. Olivia's wearing a simple white sundress, so I rest a hand on her bare thigh, convincing myself that this is enough.

I watch for her reaction, the soft glow from the TV screen illuminating her gorgeous profile. If not for the rapid rise and fall of her chest and her eyes at half-mast, I would have thought my touch didn't affect her.

I slide my hand a bit higher, and she runs her tongue along her bottom lip. If I slide it any further, my fingers will graze her crotch. Should I risk it? We only had one kiss, but I don't miss the way she glances at me every so often. Maybe, just maybe, she wants this as badly as I do.

With my whole body tense and rigid with arousal, I reach for her pussy with my pinkie finger and run it down her slit. She only has thin silk panties on, but it's definitely wet.

For me.

The sensation makes Olivia gasp, and she masks it with a cough. Luckily for both of us, neither Sammy nor Alice pay attention. I immediately try to pull my hand back because the last thing I want is to get caught red-handed like a hormonal teen, but Olivia crosses her legs at the ankle and traps my hand.

Good fucking God.

That's my cue to continue pleasuring her.

I slip a finger inside her panties and fuck, she's soaked. So soaked that when I tease her pussy with the tip of my finger, it slides in easily. Olivia's back arches, and I go all the way in and up to my knuckle, my palm flat against her clit.

I start slow, in and out, in and out, before increasing my pace. Olivia clutches one armrest, her mouth slightly open, her hips bucking. She grabs a throw pillow and bites it hard, never taking her eyes off the screen.

I'm about to curl my finger and watch her come apart when Sammy stretches her arms over her head and yawns loudly. "Mom, I'm sleepy."

Alice pauses the movie and kisses Sammy's forehead. "Fine. Let's go to bed."

I have never moved so fast in my life, so when they both stand and turn to us, Olivia and I don't look as guilty as we feel. Hopefully.

Alice smiles at me. "You don't have to lower the volume. Sammy will sleep through a rock concert with no problem."

I don't trust my voice, so I nod and so does Olivia. We don't move, don't say anything, and don't even breathe until we hear the bedroom door close with a soft click.

"What do you want to watch?" Olivia asks me, her voice thick with lust.

"Anything."

She picks an action film, with lots of bombing and shooting and shouting. I pay attention this time, feeling stupid for almost getting caught. Not that I regret any of it.

"Olivia, why is that guy pissed off? He just randomly saved someone and got involved in the fight? I mean?—"

The words die on my tongue as Olivia straddles my lap and slams her mouth to mine. Ah hell. I'm in big trouble. Too bad. I always liked trouble anyway.

Wrapping my hand around her throat, I kiss her with an intensity that surprises me. When I pull back, she groans in disapproval only for it to turn into a moan as my lips find the tendons in her neck and the shell of her ear.

"Five minutes," Olivia hisses in my ear.

"What?"

"Five minutes to fuck. Come on, Oliver. Don't tell me you can't."

The taunting tone makes me laugh. "Challenge accepted. I'll make you come in three."

I reach behind her and rip her panties before quickly shoving them into my pocket. A second pair. Something I can smell when I fuck my hand.

Olivia unzips my pants and takes out my rock-hard cock, and I grind my teeth at the way her hand feels wrapped around me. But I don't have time to dwell on that because she lowers herself and takes me inch by inch.

She throws her head back, and her chest shines with sweat, even though it's still pretty chilly. When she's fully seated, Olivia wastes no time and starts riding me, grinding on my cock while I pull down the top of her dress, revealing a perfect set of tits. Small and with taut peaks begging for my mouth.

With my lips locked on one nipple, sucking and nipping, my fingers dig into her thighs to increase the pace. She matches my rhythm and bounces up and down my lap, her nails digging into my back.

Jesus. I knew she tasted good, but this? It's fucking heaven.

Olivia buries her face in the crook of my neck and bites me. It stings, but I love it. I squeeze her ass while I plunge in and out of her tight walls, and when her whole body stiffens, I know she's about to come. And my girl comes hard.

She's still pulsating around me when my loins tighten. Just my body being incredibly attuned to hers. I kiss her hungrily as I deliver my spend inside her pussy.

This isn't what I came here for, but I am definitely not going anywhere.