Chapter 41
Olivia put the tabloid down and let loose with a screaming string of curse words, ending with Bella. “How could you do it, you rotten, traitorous bitch?” she screamed to the empty room.
Money.
She’d do anything for money.
Olivia would have preferred her sister make up a story about Olivia spending weeks in the woods with Sasquatch than telling the truth about something so entirely personal and painful, to boot.
She sank down on the sofa and pulled the paper close to her face so she could better see the picture of Trevor. It didn’t do him justice, but it was still good to see his face, and she ran her finger along his photo.
Her cell phone rang. It was her agent, Carol.
Ignore.
She reread the article several more times. What if Trevor saw this? She frowned. He didn’t seem like the type to buy tabloids, but the headline alone would be enough if it caught his eye.
Her phone rang again. Unknown caller.
Ignore.
It immediately rang again. Her agent again.
Olivia huffed and answered the phone. “Hi, Carol.”
“Darling, have you seen the tabloid headlines this morning?”
“Actually yes, I have.”
“So, is it true?”
Olivia wobbled her head back and forth and closed her eyes. “Yes, it’s true.”
“Which part?”
“All of it.”
“Well, my, my! Isn’t that interesting.”
“Listen, I just saw this, and I’m not really in the mood to discuss how we can spin it to my advantage right now, okay?”
“But that’s why you have me, darling. Because I’m always ready to spin things to your advantage.”
Olivia’s phone beeped. “Got another call. Gotta run.”
She intended to hang up the phone but accidentally answered the incoming call.
Fuck.
“Hello?” she said.
“Livy, is that you?”
Her stomach dropped down to her knees at the sound of Trevor’s voice on the line. “Yes, it’s me.”
“It cost me three personal favors and a hundred bucks in cash to get your phone number.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “That’s all?”
“I would’ve had to prostitute myself for your address.”
She laughed, nervous energy rising to the surface.
“Where do you live?” he asked.
“Nowhere near you, why?”
“Seriously, give me your address. I’m in town.”
Her eyes opened wide. “What?”
“I’m in town. New York gets the paper before you, remember? I hopped on a plane.”
Olivia covered her mouth with her hand. Trevor was here. He’d come for her after reading that she loved him. Emotion swamped her like a tidal wave. She didn’t think she’d have a second chance with this man, hadn’t seen how it was possible.
She rattled off her address. “I’m still in my pajamas,” she said. “My housekeeper brought the tabloid home for me.”
“It says I’m forty-five minutes away from you.”
“It’s rush hour, Trevor. Multiply that by three.” She was smiling so widely now her face was beginning to hurt.
“Taxi!” he called. “Are you still going to be home when I get there?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“You still going to be in your pajamas?”
“If you want me to be.”
“I’d rather you take them off completely.” He gave her address to the cab driver.
She loved their banter and the sexy implications of his words. “I’ll let you do that when you get here.”
“You’re getting me excited, and I’m sitting in a taxi cab with a driver named Rahul.”
She laughed out loud. “You’d better go, then.”
“I’ll see you as soon as I can.”
She showered, then washed and dried her hair, finally choosing a lacy negligee to wear for Trevor. Only once did her mind start to get the better of her, dampening her excitement with worry and regret, but she smacked it back down and refused to be unhappy.
Trevor is on his way here!
She damn near skipped through her apartment, shouting with glee.
When the doorbell rang two hours later, she ran to it and opened it wide. There he was, standing on her doorstep, a fresh tan on his skin and a hungry look in his eye that had her pulling him inside and throwing herself at him.
He picked her up as they kissed, and she held on to him by wrapping her legs around his waist.
“I missed you so damn much,” he said between kisses. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
“Me, either,” she said.
“Which way’s the bedroom?”
She pointed and he all but ran there, plopping her on the bed and following her down with his body.
She’d never felt so alive, so desirable, so happy. “I didn’t think I’d get to feel you on top of me again, or inside of me.”
He cursed under his breath and sat up just long enough to yank his shirt over his head. “You just talk about making love to me and you drive me crazy.”
He loosened his belt and she unzipped his jeans, reaching inside and freeing his cock from his clothing. She helped him take off his jeans and raised her arms when he pulled the negligee over her head.
Then he was inside her, neither one of them having the patience for foreplay, and just as quickly she was riding the wave of an orgasm. He was really here, he was really making love to her in her bed, and the knowledge that he wanted her so much was enough to bring on her climax.
But Trevor wasn’t through. He kept thrusting and retreating until he brought her to the edge once more before seeking his own release.
Olivia held on to his shoulders, loving the weight of him holding her down, and kissed his salty skin.
“Was it true, Livy?” he asked. “What the paper said. Was it true?”
She laid her head back on the pillow and met his eyes. “Every word. I confided in my sister and she sold them the story.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah.”
“Every word, Livy? Are you really in love with me?”
The answer was clear, and she was suddenly grateful for her disloyal sister and the winding path that had brought her to this moment. She nodded. “I am.”
He smiled, laugh lines appearing around his eyes. “I love you, too.”
“It’s also true that I have a hard time forgiving myself for what happened, Trevor.”
He touched her face. “As long as you let me love you, we’ll find our way out of that darkness together.”
Olivia lifted her head off the pillow and brought her lips to his, tasting him and kissing him softly. “Thank you.”
He rolled her over so she was straddling him. “Oh, sweetheart, that’s just the beginning.”