I clench my fingers into tight fists, but again, I ignore him.

“Was her father there?  Did he say anything?”

“Yes, but I didn’t give him a chance to say anything.  I helped her to the door and was gonna see her on up to her bedroom, but he came down the steps, so I just left.”

“Neither one of them said anything?”

“As I was walking out the door, I heard him ask her what the hell was going on, but other than that, I don’t know. I shut the door and left.”

“Well, I guess that’s one way to do it.”  I should’ve known better than to expect any amount of tact and sensitivity from such a jackass.

“As much fun as it is to sit around and wait for you two to go at it, I need some sleep,” Gavin says standing to his feet and stretching, moving his shoulders in a circle.

“I think we could all use a little shut-eye.”

“I’m not sleeping on the couch, so I guess I’ll be borrowing your car again to go to the condo,” Nash says.

“That’s fine.  Take your time, make yourself at home.”  I actually prefer it. Anything to get him and his attitude out of my hair.  When he’s like this, I get the feeling the guy is nothing but trouble.

“Thanks, bro.”  The sarcasm is unmistakable. I don’t know what happened in the last few hours to get his dick all bent out of shape, but something sure did.

“I’ll be back to go over the schedule and work for a while before we open,” Gavin says before he opens the door leading back into the apartment.

“Cool.  Get some rest, man. And thanks again.”  Gavin nods and I turn grudgingly to my brother.  “You, too, Nash.”

Much to my surprise, he doesn’t make any pissy comments; he just nods as well.

Poor bastard’s probably bipolar or some shit like that.  He’s moodier than a damn woman!

I follow them out to lock up behind them.  When I hear the sounds of the BMW fade as Nash drives off, I wander back to the bedroom.  I stand in the doorway to watch Olivia.  Seeing her relaxed in sleep, so peaceful and so alive, I feel myself start to calm.  Within a few minutes, I become more and more aware of the effects of the last twelve hours. My muscles ache, a combination of tension and beating the shit out of a couple people.  My head hurts, most likely from head butting anonymous henchmen number three.  And the kisses from the two bullets I wasn’t quite able to dodge are starting to sting, especially the one on my ribs.

Olivia whimpers in her sleep, causing a stab of guilt to prick my heart.  It also causes me to feel something else, something that I don’t really know what to do with and I’m not sure is entirely welcome.  It feels an awful lot like a weakness, a weakness for her.  And I don’t want anything or anyone to be my weakness.  Weakness makes you vulnerable, leaves you open to pain and loss.  I’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime.  No, I’m going to keep seeing Olivia, but I’ll be keeping her at a safe distance.

I turn and make my way to the bathroom.  I cut on the shower to as hot a temperature as I can stand then strip and step inside. I let the spray pound down on my face and chest then, many minutes later, I turn to let it beat down on my shoulders.  Going through my head are all the ways that I can avoid getting too attached to Olivia.

I more feel her presence than hear her.  It’s like one minute she’s in my head, the next I open my eyes and she’s standing in front of me.  Naked.  Sleepy.  Sexy.

I start to speak, but she puts her finger over my mouth.  She rubs my bottom lip almost absently. I flick my tongue out to touch her fingertip and her mouth falls open a tiny bit.  Her eyes are on mine as she strokes the tip of my tongue.  When I bite down, her eyes widen.  I don’t bite hard.  Just enough that she can feel it, hopefully feel it all the way down to that sweet spot between her legs.  And by the look in those eyes, I’d say that’s exactly where she felt it.

Even over the noise of the shower, I hear her gasp.  I know that she wants to be the one in control, but I will always be the one to push her.  And she will always love it, crave it.

I let her finger go and she trails it down my chin and throat then over to my left shoulder.  Her eyebrows pull together into a frown when she traces the tender, skinned place where the first bullet grazed me.  She leans in close and kisses it ever so sweetly.

She straightens and I watch her eyes roam my chest.  When she sees where the second bullet knicked me on my side, she frowns up at me.  “You were shot twice.  Coming for me.”

I shrug.  “It’s not like I was shot through the heart.”  Olivia closes her eyes for a second.  When she opens them, I see the terror in them, the fear the words caused.  I feel the urge to remove the fear, to replace it with something…happier.  “You’re not to blame. And you don’t give love a bad name.”

I watch her face as understanding dawns.  I took a chance that she’d know the Bon Jovi song.  And she does.  During the sex-marathon weekend at her dad’s place, she once mentioned, as we were lying in bed catching our breath, that her father loves classic rock.  Said she grew up listening to it and had always liked it.  Just one more thing I love about her.

“I’m glad that song doesn’t apply to me.”  The corners of her mouth tilt up.  Her mood is already lightening with the easy banter.

“Oh, no.  If there was a song that applied to you, it would be ‘Little Red Corvette’.”

“I’m nothing like that!”

“You don’t think so, but I do. I see it. I see the fiery, racy, wild side of you that you try to ignore, try to hide.  It’s my mission in life to get you to take that thing out for a spin.”

“Your mission in life, huh?”

“Yep.”  I reach out to trace her luscious bottom lip.  As we fall quiet, I can see the weight fall back down on her shoulders.  Suddenly, she still looks exhausted.  “Here,” I say, moving around behind her where her back is to my chest and the spray of the shower is cascading down the front of her body.  “Let me make you feel better.”

She doesn’t argue.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Olivia

Some sort of bell pulls me from a pleasantly oblivious state of rest.  When I open my eyes, I’m greeted with the sight of Cash’s naked body rising from the bed and walking across to the bathroom to grab his jeans from the floor and pull them on.  When he comes back through the bedroom to head for the door, he sees me watching him.  He grins.  “See anything you like?”

I smile in return and waggle my eyebrows at him.  He detours back to the bed.  Throwing off the covers, Cash bends to drag one hand up my thigh while he pulls one of my nipples into his mouth.  I catch my breath, instantly ready for him.  He stops when his fingers are painfully close to where I want him most to touch me.  He raises his head and gives me his wickedest, most promise-filled grin.  “You think on that until I get back.”  He gives my lips a quick peck and jogs off toward the garage door.

I’m lying in bed, smiling like the Cheshire Cat when I hear Ginger.