Chapter 17 Duke
DUKE
From across the room, I watched Olivia as she spoke to a round man in an expensive-looking suit. Gone were the tears from earlier. They dried up the moment we drove onto Lukas’ ranch. In their place was a look of perfectly practiced poise.
I wasn’t sure who the man was, but he looked important. Lukas told me that most people here were members of the board. While I understood their desire to pay their respects, now didn’t seem like the time or place for them to be hovering over the family like vultures.
When we pulled up to Lukas’s house earlier, the girls had quickly jumped out of the truck, leaving Olivia and me alone.
Neither of us spoke. We sat there in the silence, holding onto one another.
It’d taken every bit of self-control I possessed not to drive us away.
If Lukas hadn’t knocked on the window, maybe I would’ve acted on it.
I wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there, but his gaze snagged on our interlocked hands before Olivia pulled hers away like we’d been caught doing something we shouldn’t have.
Once we got inside, Olivia had put as much distance between us as she could. Anytime I drew near, she found an excuse to leave the vicinity. Eventually, I grabbed a beer and parked my ass on Lukas’s couch, sinking into the leather.
At least this way, I could keep an eye on her without feeling like I was being overbearing.
If there was one thing I’d realized, it was that I didn’t want to continue living the miserable existence I’d trapped myself in.
Olivia brought light back into my life and made me feel hopeful about the prospect of an infinite number of tomorrows.
It wasn’t just my life, but Harper’s as well.
I couldn’t remember the last time my daughter had been so happy.
I couldn’t—no, wouldn’t—go back to the way things were. I refused.
It didn’t matter if I had to spend the rest of my days trying to convince Olivia of the effect she had on our lives. I’d fucking do it.
Holy shit. The realization was sudden and fast and hit me like a goddamn truck. I wanted Olivia Hart, and not just as a casual fling or one-night stand.
I wanted her light, her laugh, her warmth in my life every single day.
I wanted to shake my head at every ridiculous thing that came out of her mouth knowing this was her world and I was just living in it.
I wanted her.
The woman was a mess, but in the best and most beautiful way imaginable. I’d been so wrong about her when she first came home, so ready to jump the gun with some bullshit opinion, I hadn’t even stopped to consider if my judgment may have been clouded because of my past.
Seeing her with Charlie and Harper one time was enough for me to realize she was nothing like my ex-wife.
Sarah would never have sat on the ground during a soccer game to support her daughter’s best friend, but Olivia hadn’t balked.
That was the moment I realized I could see her sitting there every week—cheering Harper on alongside me.
I could see her being part of our lives long-term.
When she crashed into our lives at the grocery store, I’d stupidly believed she’d somehow ruined everything I built when in reality, she seemed to right all my wrongs. She chased away the darkness and pulled me into the light.
The couch dipped beside me, and I turned to find Lukas sitting next to me with a beer in hand.
He’d discarded the black suit jacket and tie at some point, wearing a crisp white shirt with the top buttons undone.
Even though I’d seen him nearly every day for the past week and a half, there was something about him that looked even more tired than normal.
Maybe the reality of the situation was finally hitting home.
“He would’ve hated this shit,” Lukas said, bringing the bottle to his lips. “Everyone dressed to the fucking nines, talking about how great he was.” He shook his head. “Biggest bunch of kiss asses I’ve ever seen.”
I followed his gaze back to the man talking to Olivia. “Who is he?”
“Edward Montgomery. He owns a property development company in New York. Liv told me he’s been sniffing around John’s property for years, trying to convince him to sell.” Lukas’s face curled in disgust. “I’m sure he’s here out of the kindness of his heart and nothing else.”
If I hadn’t been paying such close attention to Olivia these past few weeks, I would’ve thought the conversation she was having was entirely normal. She was smiling, nodding her head at all the right times. Hell, there was even a bit of polite laughter now and then.
But the problem was that I knew her better than that now. I studied her movements, her ticks, every time we were in each other’s presence, trying to figure out if this attraction was all in my head or if it was something else entirely.
The smile she wore didn’t reach her eyes.
It was the polite, forced one she often gave when she felt uncomfortable.
And there was no warmth to her laughter.
She stood rigid as a goddamn board while this prick attempted to work his charm for his own benefit.
Occasionally, her gaze would drift around the room as though searching for someone.
When it landed on me, I expected her to look away quickly, but she didn’t.
Instead, it lingered, warming me up from the inside.
“I’ll be right back,” I murmured to Lukas.
I didn’t wait for his reply before pushing to my feet and striding toward Olivia. Neither of us broke eye contact as I slid around the dick in a suit and placed my hand on her lower back. On instinct, she sidled up next to me, soaking up my warmth.
“Need anything, honey?” I asked, turning my head so my lips brushed her temple.
Her eyes closed momentarily. “No, I’m okay. Thank you, though.” I was prepared to make an excuse to get her out of there when she said, “Duke, this is Edward Montgomery. Edward, meet Duke Bennett.”
Edward’s smile faltered as he took us in, but his polite, business-like demeanor won out. He thrust his hand forward. “Pleased to meet you, Duke.”
I glanced down at it for a second before taking it. His shake was weak and a little clammy. “Can’t say the same, Eddie.”
Olivia’s head spun my direction, and the man blanched, snatching his hand back. I couldn’t tell if she was going to have my ass for that comment or not, so I added, “You know, because we’re at a funeral.”
“Yes. Very unfortunate,” Edward said, glancing toward Olivia.
“I was just telling Ms. Hart here that her uncle and I go way back. Further than I care to mention.” He chuckled, slipping one hand into his pocket.
“There were some business negotiations still taking place, in fact. I know it’s not the best time, but—”
“Maybe we should wait until the dirt fills his grave before we go talking business, Edmond?” I interrupted, pulling Olivia tighter to my side. “Seems pretty fucking insensitive to try and bring it up before then, if you ask me.”
“My name is Edward,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“And how dare you speak to me like that!” His unbelieving gaze traveled to Olivia, waiting for her to jump to his rescue.
“Ms. Hart, I really must insist we take our conversation elsewhere. I will not tolerate such ill-mannered behavior from someone who couldn’t even begin to understand such matters. ”
Oh, this motherfucker was just begging to get his ass handed to him. A task I was more than willing to take care of, but it turned out that I didn’t need to. Olivia’s body went rigid at his tone, turning her full attention to the small man in front of her.
“You talk about ill-mannered behavior as though you weren’t plucking up the courage to ask me about my uncle’s estate and the land that comes with it on the day we buried him,” she snapped.
“And while he may have entertained your business propositions for fun, allow me to make one thing very clear, Mr. Montgomery. I am not him, and I don’t give a shit about what you were trying to swindle him into before his death because I am here now to protect his legacy, and that doesn’t include business dealings with Montgomery Holdings. ”
Edward stammered, but nothing came out. I stepped closer, placing my hand on his shoulder. “I’d make sure the next words that come out of your mouth are carefully chosen. My girl deserves respect.”
He glanced between Olivia and me, giving us both an awkward nod before turning on his heel and exiting the house without so much as a backward glance. Lukas, who was still watching us closely from his seat on the couch, raised his beer bottle in a silent salute.
“What a fucking dick,” Olivia muttered. I shifted, looking down at her.
Though clearly haunted by the events of the day, the corner of her lips lifted a fraction as we watched Edward’s car disappear, turn onto the main road, and head back into town.
“At least he’s gone,” I said.
My hand still rested on her back—something others around us were beginning to take notice of, judging by the number of curious glances our way. While I knew I should move it, I couldn’t. Not when it was giving her comfort.
Not when I wanted it there.
She blew out a breath. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink after that.”
I gestured toward the empty kitchen, following closely behind as she walked down the short hallway toward the counter bar.
“What’ll you have?” I asked, turning on my best charming smile.
Her lips twitched. “Oh? Are you a bartender or something?”
“I’ve been known to make a stiff drink from time to time.”
She leaned back against the counter. “Tequila soda, please. Extra lime.”
I nodded. “Coming right up.”
We were quiet as I worked. I could feel the tension still weighing heavily on her shoulders. The least I could do is be a safe place to exist in silence. She looked out the window, giving off an air of indifference, but I didn’t miss the way her fingers dug into her forearms.
“Here you go.” I walked over, holding the drink out to her.
She quickly took it, holding it up in thanks. “Nice touch there at the end.” Olivia chewed on her bottom lip, staring up at me through thick lashes. “You know, the whole put some respect on my name thing.”
“You liked that, huh?” I asked, smiling.
“I did.” She hesitated, clearing her throat before adding. “And the territorial, ‘my girl’ thing was nice, too. I mean, completely unnecessary and untrue, but still.”
“Doesn’t have to be.” My beer was lukewarm at best now, but I took a swing anyway. I needed something to do with my hands other than fucking touch her. It was hard enough trying to focus on the fact that the only thing separating her skin from mine was a thin scrap of fabric.
Olivia’s silence only increased my anxiety, yet I didn’t push her. If the roles had been reversed and she claimed me as her own, I wouldn’t know how the hell to react either.
“It’d be reckless to be anything more than friends,” she whispered. “We’re both divorced with kids.”
“So? Is that supposed to mean we can’t enjoy ourselves?”
I wasn’t sure what happened to the man I’d become after my marriage ended, but I hadn’t seen him in weeks.
Being here, with Olivia, was the closest I’d felt to my old self in years.
Even before Sarah and I separated, I’d noticed my walls climbing higher and higher.
Maybe that was one of the reasons we hadn’t worked out in the first place.
I always felt like I was doing something wrong.
Like I wasn’t enough for her. Unfortunately, those thoughts had become reality when she left me for a life I never even knew she wanted.
I vowed never to put myself in a position that could hurt Harper and me again, yet here I was, opening myself to potential danger.
Olivia averted her gaze. “Enjoying ourselves is one thing. Anything more is out of the question, and you know that.”
I did know that. God, did I fucking know that. But I also knew that the past week and a half without her had been the longest days of my life. Her silence, her absence, was fucking killing me. If I were going to die, I’d rather do it knowing the taste of her.
I placed my hand on her stomach, crowding Olivia until she was gently pinned against the counter. Conversations were a soft hum in the background. Loud enough for us to know we weren’t alone, but quiet enough to give us a sense of security we didn’t have out in the open.
Olivia’s chest heaved as she took quick, shallow breaths. Those wide, luscious lips I’d been dreaming of parted as I invaded her space.
“What I know, honey, is that being around you is turning me into a very impatient and greedy man. One of these days…” I let my fingers play with the buttons of her dress, tugging ever so slightly. “I just may snap.”
Her gaze dipped to my mouth for a moment before I stepped back out into the open.
If people were looking, wondering what we were doing around the corner, I didn’t give a shit.
Let them see what we did to one another.
Let them see just how much of a sucker I’d become in a short amount of time, because I was damn sure enjoying the view of Olivia looking fully flushed.
“That’s not fair,” she breathed. Her voice was barely above a whisper. Heat bloomed across her cheeks, turning them a bright pink as she finished her drink.
“What’s not?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
She waved in my general direction. “This. You. Whatever just happened.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, winking as I finished off the warm beer. “I’m going to grab another drink. You want one?”
She nodded. “Please.”