Finding Olivia (Trace + Olivia #1) (29 page)

“Know what?” My lip trembled as I fought back tears. “Know that you loved someone as cold-hearted as that? Know that you belong with someone like her? Someone with money and status? I have none of that. I can’t give you what you need. I’m sorry,” I sobbed
, backing away from him and his brother.

“Olivia!” He called after me as I ran, but I didn’t look back.

I had to get away before my emotions got the best of me.

★★★

I found the staircase leading to the basement and ran down them. I had ditched my shoes a few minutes ago and carried them in my hands.

I picked a door to a room I knew I had never been shown, hoping that would give me more time to get my emotions in check, since I knew Trace would
look for me in all the rooms I had toured.

“Holy shit,” I gasped as the door closed behind me.

I looked around, dazed.

“Of course,” I muttered, inhaling the scent of chlorine. “They
would
have an indoor pool.”

The floors were made of some kind of pebbles and three of the four walls were solid glass windows.

The night sky reflected into the room and the full moon lit it.

I dropped my heels and they clattered to the ground.

I pulled the dress up to my thighs, and sat at the edge of the pool, dangling my legs into the heated water.

I took deep breaths to quiet my sobs.

I don’t know why I had freaked out so bad. I’d like to blame it on being a girl and stupid insecurities. I had already felt uncomfortable and Aubrey had made me feel even more out of my element. I didn’t belong here, while she did. She fit in with these people. She was gorgeous and from a rich family like Trace. I would never, no matter what, fit in with these people.

When Trace had shown me around and introduced me to people, I had let him do all the talking.
I wasn’t good around strangers, never had been, add in the lifestyle difference, and I was a fish out of water. I didn’t know how to talk or act around them. Did they have a book titled,
Talking to Rich People for Dummies
? If it existed, I needed it.

I sighed and kicked my feet through the water, watching the bubbles I created float to the surface and disappear.

I wiped at my cheeks and my hand came away black.

I sighed again. There went all of Avery’s hard work.

I reached down and used the pool water to clean my hand. I stood and went in search of a towel. I opened several different cabinets, full of various pool related items, before I finally located the towels.

I wiped my face clean of the smeared makeup
, and tossed the soiled towel in the hamper beside a bathroom.

Still sniffling slightly, I made my way back to the spot I had been sitting in before
, dipping my legs back into the warm water.

It seemed weird to be sitting with my feet in pool water when
there was snow flurrying outside.

My tears finally stopped and my hiccups quieted.

I continued to kick the water and watch the ripples while biting on my fingernails.

The door behind me opened
, and I turned slowly, praying it was Cecilia or anyone I didn’t really know.

“Hey,” Trace said nervously, shoving his hands in his pockets
. He had ditched his tux jacket and his hair was mused with the many times he had run his fingers through it.

“Hi,” I turned away and stared down into the blue depths of the water.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he murmured and his dress shoes clacked against the pebbled floor. “I was getting worried.”

“Well,” I spread my arms, “here I am.”

“You mean everything to me, Olivia.
Everything
,” he pleaded. “These people and their money, means
nothing
,” he growled, spreading his arms. “Why would you think I wanted to be with someone like that?” He tilted his head, studying me intensely.

“Because,” I kicked the water and it sprayed up, covering me in droplets, “you deserve to have someone like you.”

“
You
are someone like me!” He exclaimed, pointing a finger at me. “Why can’t you see that?” He gripped his hair. “I have never fit into this crowd, neither has my brother, and neither did my dad. I was
born
into this family, I didn’t
choose
it,” he jabbed his chest. “But I did choose to be normal. I chose to become a mechanic and live on my own in an apartment that
I
pay for. I chose to pullover that night in October and help a girl change her tire, and dammit if that wasn’t the best fucking decision I ever made,” his green eyes were fierce. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, Olivia,” I heard him pace behind me, “especially with Aubrey and I vowed to myself to never make those same mistakes with you.”

I heard the sounds of him pulling his shoes and socks off
, and a moment later, he was sitting beside me, forcing me to look at him with a finger held to my chin.

“Why do you have to be so stubborn?” He asked. “Why are you fighting this?”

“I don’t want to get hurt,” I whispered, biting my lip, and gazing at the ground.

“You look hurt to me,” he rubbed under my eyes
, where I knew they were red and puffy, “and
I’m
hurt. Do you like hurting me, Olivia?”

“No!” I exclaimed fiercely. “Of course not!”

“Then please, stop fighting what we have. I can feel you pulling away from me. I’ve felt it ever since you found out about my family and that’s the last thing I want. I didn’t tell you, because this,” he indicated the house, “isn’t important. Who I am and who you are, that’s what’s important. Everything else is just…details. You know the real me, Olivia. This,” he plucked at his dress shirt and grinned, “is me playing dress up.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I like your plaid shirts better.”

“I knew it!” He grinned cockily. “It was the plaid shirts that drew you to me.”

“What can I say?” I smiled. “I have a thing for lumberjacks.”

Trace threw his head back with laughter. “Lumberjacks,” he chuckled. Sobering, he gazed at me for a moment, and asked, “So, are we good?”

“We’re good,” I nodded with a smile.

“No more running away and freaking out?” His eyes sparkled with laughter.

“No more running away and freaking out,” I repeated. “I promise.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear,” he leaned towards me and pressed his soft lips to mine. I was unaccustomed to the feel of his smooth cheeks and instantly missed the stubbled ones I’d come to love.

His tongue flicked against the crease of my lips and my mouth opened underneath his skillful caress. He gripped the back of my skull and pressed me against him. The kiss went on for minutes and
our temperature rose.

Trace pull
ed away first, his chest rising and falling heavily.

“We’re already here, we might as well…” He trailed off as he stood.

“Huh?” I asked, my brain foggy.

He began unbuttoning his dress shirt.

“Skinny-dipping, Olivia,” he smiled crookedly.

“What if someone comes down here?!” I hissed as his spectacular chest came into view.

“That’s part of the thrill,” he let the shirt fall and started on his pants.

I took a deep breath and stood. “Fine, but you’re going to have to unzip me.”

His pants fell to the ground and he was left in a pair of black boxer briefs. “I’m glad you’re not arguing so much this time.”

“Yeah, well,” I shrugged. “I’m trying to be spontaneous.”

“And you’re doing very well,” he winked as I pointed to the zipper.

He pulled it down in one smooth motion
—if only it had went up that smoothly—and the plum colored dress fell around my feet.

“Want help with those?” He grinned
, with a wicked glint in his eyes, and pointed at my bra and panties.

“No, I can manage on my own,” I said with more confidence than I felt.

It was silly, Trace had seen me naked plenty of times, but I was still nervous.

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged
, and yanked his boxers down, diving into the pool in one smooth move.

“Show off,” I muttered.

He came sputtering to the surface in the middle of the large pool. He shook his head and droplets of water went flying from his hair. “Hurry up, slowpoke!” He taunted.

I’ll show him slow
.

Despite my nerves, I wanted to have some fun with him, and knew exactly how to do it.

I eased my panties slowly down my hips and back up.

His desire filled groan echoed around the room.

I lowered the panties again and let them fall to the ground this time.

Keeping my eyes locked securely on his, I unsnapped my bra and then caught the cups, pulling it away slowly from my body
, letting my hair fall forward to hide my breasts.

Blushing, I let the bra fall
from my arms.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I took a deep breath, and jumped into the pool.

With closed eyes, I swam for the surface.

I had just sucked in a lung full of air and was wiping the water from my eyes, when
Trace’s arm wrapped around my stomach, pulling me against his body.

“Trace!” I squealed, kicking wildly.

“You’re such a little tease,” he whispered huskily in my ear. “That wasn’t fair.” He turned me around so that we were chest to chest. His hard-on pressed against my belly and a fire began to spread through my body.

My hands wound around his neck and I watched water droplets make their way down his handsome face.

“What wasn’t fair?” I gasped.

“You,” he ran a finger over my collarbone as we treaded water, “teasing me. I can only take so much.”

“You’re fun to tease,” I smiled, brushing a wet strand of hair from my eyes.

“Is that so?” He raised a brow. “Maybe
…I should tease you a bit?”

I shivered at the promising tone in his voice. “Teasing could be fun.”

“I’m about to show you just how much fun,” his eyes narrowed in determination, a thin slit of green showing through.

With a firm grip on my waist, he dragged me through the water, and into the shallow end.

He stopped when we both could stand and licked his lips in thought.

“Come here,” he grabbed my hand.
I followed him over to the steps. “Sit down,” he commanded.

I did, turned on by his bossiness.

He hovered above me, and his mouth descended on mine. At the same time his fingers came into contact with my aching core.

I cried out
, and he used that to his advantage, snaking his tongue inside my mouth. His finger and tongue pumped in and out of me in sync. My breathing accelerated as my body built towards my orgasm, but when he sensed that I was about to go over the edge, he backed off, slowing the speed. I mewled in protest and he chuckled.

The speed of his finger increased and his tongue plunged into my mouth at the same speed. Faster, faster,
faster
.

I was so close but he was slowing down again.

He kept the pace slower this time and after a few minutes, my orgasm was in sight, but then he stopped all together.

“Trace!” I cried out. “Please!”

“This is called, teasing, baby,” he chuckled warmly.

My eyes were closed but they fluttered open to glare at him. “This is torture.”

“I don’t think people enjoy torture, and baby, I know you’re enjoying this,” he winked and ducked his head under water.

I thought he was swimming away, but instead his hands clamped down on my thighs, holding me in place
, as his mouth closed around my clit…under water.

What was he? A freakin’ merman?

He came up for air and went right back down.

Something about the water swishing around me, mixed with his tongue sliding up and down my folds, had me reaching an orgasm quicker than usual.

He came up for air again and I lost that peak.

At this point, I was on the verge of tears. I wanted my orgasm, dammit!

Trace shook the water from his hair. “No more teasing, I promise. But you’re not coming until I’m buried inside you, and can hear you scream my name.”

I whimpered at his words.

He picked me up and my legs automatically wrapped around his waist.

He leaned
his back against the side of the pool, and reached between us, guiding his cock inside me.

We both moaned at the same time as he slid in all the way.

He cupped my butt, and held me there, neither of us moving.

“God, I was right, this is perfection,” he growled.