Chapter 32 #2
Blinking slowly, she regains her focus. “I…I’m supposed to lead an Omega charity event today.”
“Yeah…I know. I have work to do myself,” I tell her, thinking of the paper I have due soon. “And we need to get our project finished for stats. Without Nick.”
She shimmies her hips until I slide out of her, then straightens her dress as I pull up my pants. “Agreed,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I thought you would kill him at one point.”
“Believe me, I was restraining myself.” Every fucking time he put his arm around her, he was testing my patience. But outright murder in the library isn’t my style.
Before she goes, I throw on a coat and walk her to her car.
“Is that your bike?” she asks, spotting my Suzuki parked among the hedges so she wouldn’t see it last night.
“One of them. And a stupid idea last night in the rain. But I’ve got some cars up at the main estate. I’ll take that back to campus.”
She glances toward the far fields, where my family lives a few vineyards away. “Cars… Estate…”
“As far as you can see is yours.”
“Mine… It’s just going to take a minute to get used to it.”
I gather her into a tight embrace and lay my lips against hers, carefully lowering my voice. “Well, Mrs. Olivia Von Dovish. You’d better hurry because graduation is almost here.” My eyes trail down to her dress, where she’s wearing my Delta pin, and I smile.
“My brothers are going to kill me,” she says when she catches where I’m looking.
“I’d never let them.”
A roar resounds over the horizon as a cloud of exhaust floats over the crumbling drive. Behind the white smoke is a group of three. My brother, Oz, and Apollo on their cruisers.
Olivia stiffens, shifting her weight to stand behind me, and I snag her hand, squeezing a little to let her know these are my people. She’s safe.
The three remove their helmets one by one. Oz’s smirk is already forming, like he knows exactly who she is. Apollo studies her carefully, unreadable—except to me. He’s cautious. Ready to strike if needed. Valor, of course, grins like he’s about to say something dickish.
“Hey,” Oz says, voice lined with mock gravity. “So this is the girl who’s been stealing you away?”
“She’s prettier than us,” Valor mutters, striding up and sticking out his hand with a dramatic bow. “Hello, my lady. I’ve heard so much about you. Mainly from the way my brother sighs like a Disney prince whenever you’re brought up.”
Olivia’s eyes widen slightly as she glances up at me. I just shake my head.
“This is my middle brother, Valor. My cousin, Oz. And I think you know Apollo Griffin.”
Olivia’s gaze sharpens. “Oz… Pippi’s twin brother?”
He winks. “That’s me. The better-looking twin, but don’t tell her I said that.”
“She already knows.”
“Excellent. I like you already.” Oz tosses his helmet at Valor and steps closer. “Tell me, Olivia Cardell…are you into motorcycles? Or just psychopaths with good bone structure?”
She raises an eyebrow. “Why not both?”
Oz throws his head back and cackles. His long finger points toward the middle of my chest accusingly. “Valen, I love her. Don’t mess this up.”
Apollo’s voice breaks in, more measured. “This where you’ve been hiding out?”
“Yeah.”
His head tilts, eyes narrowing slightly. “No invitation?”
“Didn’t think you’d want to see the place.”
Apollo scans the decayed stone and rusted balconies. “I get it now. It’s not a hideout. It’s…yours. You’ve been building something here.” Then his eyes flick to Olivia. “You brought her here on purpose.”
I nod once more.
“She stays here?” he asks.
“She’s not going anywhere.”
Apollo finally gives a small nod. “It must be…a lot of work. A rich person’s kind of masochism,” he teases, and I roll my eyes.
Olivia presses her palm to my chest, the action possessive, and it makes me warm inside. “I like it and think it’s beautiful,” she says with a friendly smile.
Apollo chuckles. “Good thing you do. Most people would be scared off, I think.”
“Not me,” she says, and he gives me a private, quiet smile—like he sees it now. The way she fits.
“You coming up to the house, Olivia?” Oz asks while reaching for her free hand.
I slap it away, and he dances backward with a laugh like I actually hurt him.
“I have to get back to campus for the day.”
Valor eyes me carefully. “She hasn’t met Mom and Dad yet?”
My tongue finds its way into my cheek. “Not yet. But she will.”
Valor and Oz laugh loudly, then toss their helmets back on.
“It was great to finally meet you!” Oz calls out before they take off.
Apollo lingers. Shrugs. Wanders back toward his Kawasaki. “If you need anything…I got your back.” He glances between the two of us. “Olivia? That goes for you, too.”
“Thanks,” she says, her voice soft with gratitude.
He nods once. And then he’s gone.
“You okay?” I ask as she nestles into my chest. I close my eyes at the comfort in that.
“Yeah…I like meeting your people.”
I give her a tender kiss goodbye and make sure she drives off safely before gathering my stuff inside and heading toward my parents’ place.
In the garage, I park my bike with my brother’s and Oz’s, then stroll in through the rear entry and find my mom reading upside down on a sofa in the living room. Feet over the back. Red hair splayed out on the fancy rug that’s been in the house since it was built.
“Hello there!” she says. I reach for her hand and pull her up until she sits. “I didn’t know you’d be coming home this weekend!”
“I did,” Dad says, walking in and pulling me in for a side hug. “Did she like the place?”
Mom tucks some hair behind her ears and glances at me eagerly, trying to contain her excitement at knowing my answer.
“I think so. Maybe I should’ve taken her to the estate after I’d worked on it some more. Showed her the guest house first.”
“If she’s worth you, she’ll love it,” Mom says with a solid nod.
“And the plans? Did you discuss them with her?” Dad asks, perching next to his wife. It was time to recruit him for help, so I’d informed him loosely of the ideas I’d had. We agreed that I would be the one completing the tasks while Mom and Dad would be there only if I needed them.
I flop onto the loveseat with a deep breath. “Yeah. Not the exact plan on how yet. Figured I’d give her some breathing room, and then go for logistics later.”
“That’s smart. I like it. If you need me—” Dad starts, but I interrupt.
“We’ll figure it out.”
Deciding to clean up in my old room, I stand to leave, but Mom stops me.
“Uh…we told your brothers and sisters already, but you’ve been busy.”
I can’t help the heavy sigh that leaves my chest, already knowing what she’s going to say.
“Your dad knocked me up again. So, yay! Another brother or sister!”
“Hopefully, both,” Dad says.
“Uh-huh. Okay. Congrats,” I tell them, and they both laugh. “Violet’s going to be upset that she wasn’t good enough to end the lineage.”
“Oh, she already got mad. Valencia’s excited. Your brothers reacted just like you. But that’s fine. You’re out of the house anyway. No diaper duties. Unless you want them.”
“Fuck, no. Not until I have my own.” Which is starting to sound like a great idea… “I have class assignments. Need to study,” I tell them, then aim for the stairs.
One could spend an entire week at my parents’ house without seeing anyone else. I like it that way. A sense of comfort envelops me in my old wing of the manor, and it still smells the same. And I feel like me here. Especially after a hot shower and a change of clothes.
When I open my email from my rig that takes up most of the anteroom’s far wall, I freeze. There’s a random email with the subject:
Thought you should see this.
It’s from a spoofed address, too.
I open it, and the attached photo is inlaid within. My heart pounds harder, and my palm sweats on the mouse as it flashes on the screen.
It’s a picture of Nick and Olivia making out in the abandoned stacks in the library…
I stare at the photo, my stomach a knot of betrayal and rage.
Nick’s hands on her hips. Olivia’s lips on his—like she’s mine, but for that moment, she forgot.
My jaw tightens until it aches. An exhale whooshes from my lungs, slow, steady, and cold.
Nails dig into my skin as I clench my hands into fists.
My phone buzzes on my desk, and when I check it, I lose my breath.
Unknown Number
there’s more where this came from…