Finding Olivia (Trace + Olivia #1) (35 page)

Like the indoor pool, this one was heated, so I didn’t have to worry about icy water shocking my system. My clothes were soaked, and since I was wearing a white shirt over a hot pink bra, Trace got an eyeful.

“That was
not
nice,” I wiped water from my eyes.

“I was afraid you’d chicken out on me,” he swam towards me.

“I think I got water up my nose,” I complained.

He pressed a kiss to the end of my nose. “There, now it’s all better.”

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “Definitely not. But if you want to believe you made it feel better, then that’s fine with me.”

“I can make anything better with a little kiss,” he pressed his lips against my neck where my pulse raced.

He most certainly could, but I wasn’t telling him that.

“I had fun today with your brother and grandpa,” I said instead.

“Gramps loves you,” Trace chuckled. “Even more now that you can shoot,” he winked. “Gramps always tried to get Grammy to learn, but she never wanted to.”

“I’m glad I put that on my list
, now…I feel…unstoppable,” my fingers tangled in his hair.

He chuckled. “Unstoppable, huh?”

“Yeah, you better watch out,” I laughed.

“Should I be afraid?” He grinned, his eyes a light green.

“Very,” I smiled, “my boyfriend taught me and I have excellent aim…now.”

“Remind me not to make you
mad,” he murmured huskily, sucking a spot on my neck.

“If you keep doing that, I don’t think I’ll ever get mad,” I whispered. My eyes closed and I bit down on my lip to prevent a moan from escaping.

“Cannonball!” Trent yelled, a moment before he catapulted into the pool, and splashed our faces with water.

And just like that, Trace’s little brother had effectively ruined the moment.

Swimming over to us, Trent pushed his hair out of his eyes. “Wanna play a game of water volleyball?”

I looked at Trace
and shrugged. “Sounds fun,” I smiled at Trent.

“That’s fine with me,” Trace ruffled his brother’s wet hair.

“Don’t do that,” Trent complained, swimming away, while fixing his hair. He unrolled the net that stretched across the pool and hopped out to grab the ball.

I swam to the shallow
end so I could stand and Trace followed me.

“I’ll be on your team,” he winked at me as he stood. The water slid down his chest and I prayed I didn’t drool.

Trent returned, jumping into the pool with the ball. He surfaced and sputtered, “I would say two against one isn’t fair but since I know I can beat you two easily, I’m not going to complain.”

“Keep on thinking that little brother!” Trace chimed as Trent spiked the ball.

Trace hit it back over the net and so it went.

★★★

“Told you I’d win,” Trent smirked as we dried off with the blue and white striped fluffy towels.

“How long are you going to brag about this?” Trace grumbled, pulling his jeans
on, over his wet boxers.

“Till the end of time, sounds about right,” Trent chortled.

Trace shook his head, sending water droplets flying. “Come on, Olivia. Let’s grab you some dry clothes and then we’ll get out of here.”

“Okay,” I smiled. I turned to Trent and hugged him. He seemed surprised by the gesture but quickly wrapped his arms around me. “Thanks for hanging out with us today. I had fun.”

“I did too,” he smiled and his adorable dimples popped out.

I scurried after Trace and up the staircase. I was surprised there wasn’t
an elevator…then again, maybe there was, and I had never seen it.

I followed Trace into his closet
, stripping out of my wet t-shirt and shorts, changing into one of his oversized t-shirts and a pair of mesh shorts that I had to tighten all the way with the white drawstring.

“You make my clothes look so much better than I do,” he murmured in my ear, wrapping an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. I inhaled his natural scent mixed with chlorine from the pool.

“Is that so?” I beamed.

“Uh-huh,” he pulled one of my earlobes between his teeth and nibbled. “Wanna go back to my place? Or do you want me to drop you off at your dorm?”

“What do you think?” I smiled as my arms went around his shoulders.

“I think, option number one sounds like a mighty fine idea to me,” he grinned.

“Same here,” I kissed his lips. I meant for it to be a quick kiss but Trace had other ideas. His tongue flicked against my lips, seeking entrance. “Mmm,” I hummed as his tongue flicked against mine.

“We better get out of here,” he breathed as he took a step back, away from me, “but first,” he smiled, reaching into his pocket. “You have something to cross off.”

I took the piece of paper from him as he produced a pen from his pocket. The items I had crossed off myself had a straight line drawn through them, while Trace’s lines were squigglier.

My Live List

1.
       
Get drunk

2.
      
Fly in a hot air balloon

3.
      
Go to the carnival

4.
     
Go to a concert (even if it’s someone I’ve never heard of)

5.
      
Go to a party

6.
      
Lose my virginity

7.
      
Dance in the rain

8.
     
Go roller skating

9.
      
See the ocean

10.
   
Learn to paint

11.
    
Get a dog…or a cat…or a rabbit. Any pet will do.

12.
   
Sing in front of real people. Avery doesn’t count.

13.
   
Make more friends

14.
  
Shoot a gun

15.
   
Smoke

16.
   
Get a tattoo

17.
   
Learn to pole dance

18.
  
Go skinny dipping

19.
   
Pierce my belly button

20.
  
Fall in love

I couldn’t believe that so many things had been completed. I handed the paper and pen back to Trace and he stuck it back in his pocket for safe keeping.

“Ready?” He asked.

I nodded.

Ellie and Lily had returned from their spa day, and everyone was gathered in the family room, where we said our goodbyes. I may have been nervous to meet them, and overwhelmed by the big house, but the Wentworth’s truly were some of the nicest people I had ever met. I hugged Warren for an exceptionally long time. When classes ended, I hoped I’d have time to visit him some.

“Be a good girl now,” he kissed my cheek, “and keep that grandson of mine in line.”

“I will,” I smiled.

“Stop trying to steal my girlfriend, Gramps,” Trace laughed.

“I can’t help it that the ladies can’t resist me,” Warren chuckled warmly. “It’s the cane,” he winked as he hobbled over to Ellie, kissing his wife.

It was clear, that even
after all these years, he loved his wife and she loved him. I wanted that and I believed I’d found it in Trace.

c h a p t e r

Twenty Eight

I closed the lid of my laptop and took a deep breath.

One paper down
and a thousand more to go.

I stood, about to grab my
stuff for the shower, when there was a knock on the door.

I glanced at Avery, relaxing on her bed
, listening to music on her iPhone. She pulled out her ear buds and raised a brow. “Need something?” She asked.

“Are you expecting someone?” I
pointed my thumb over my shoulder at the door.

“No. Must be for you,” she shrugged, replacing
the ear buds.

With a sigh, I yanked the door open.

Trace stood there, casually, as if this was an everyday occurrence.

“Busy?” He asked.

“I just finished a paper,” I rubbed at my tired eyes.

“So, you’re not busy,” he grinned, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets.

“I’m going to shower and go to bed. I’m tired,” I leaned against the doorway.

“No, you’re not,” he shook his head. “You’re coming with me.”

I sighed, dropping my head forward. “Trace, I can’t.” He could be so impossible to deal with sometimes.

“I promise I won’t keep you out late. I know you’re busy with finals, but there’s something we
have
to do.”

“This involves my list, doesn’t it?” I whispered, in case Avery was eavesdropping.

He nodded, still smiling. “There’s only a short window of time for us to complete this one.”

I didn’t bother to ask him what it was. I knew he wouldn’t tell me.

“Fine, I’ll go,” I gave in with a dramatic sigh. “But I’m showering first.”

There was no way in hell I was going anywhere with dirty hair and in the sweatpants I was wearing.

“Deal,” he grinned. “Avery’s welcome to come too. Luca will be there.”

“I’ll tell her,” I covered a yawn. Hopefully
, I wouldn’t fall asleep standing up.

“I’ll be in the parking lot,” he grinned and disappeared down the hall.

I closed the door, and Avery eyed me, pulling her ear buds out once more.

“What did Tracey-poo want? He really should stop sneaking into the dorms like that.
Someone
will babble to the R.A.,” she rolled her eyes. “Someone always tells on me when I have guys over,” she mumbled under her breath.

I bit down on my lip to hide my laughter.
I
was the one who tipped off the R.A. to Avery’s habits. After one too many times of walking in on her and some random dude, having sex in our dorm, I decided something had to be done about it. Best friend or not. Thankfully, she and Luca seemed to be sticking to his place for their—uh—needs.

“Trace and I are going out. He said you’re welcome to come along. Luca will be there,” I informed her.

With a squeal, she hopped from the bed, and scurried to her closet. “Where are we going?”

“I have no clue,” I muttered, grabbing my shower bag. “Trace wouldn’t tell me.”

Avery pouted. “How am I going to know what to wear?”

“Just wing it,” I told her as I closed and locked the bathroom door.

★★★

A smile spread across my face as I spotted the Ferris Wheel up ahead.

Trace parked in the gravel beside a shady, run-down strip mall, and I slid from the car, my eyes wide with excitement. I couldn’t believe I was actually at a carnival.

I took a
moment to soak in the bells, dings, and cheers from the people playing games. The smell of popcorn, hotdogs, and cotton candy, invaded my senses, along with the scent of pot. Lovely.

I felt Trace’s calloused hand slide into mine and we started towards the e
ntrance. We stopped and paid for the bracelets that allowed us on the rides.

I stuck
the purple paper bracelet on, sure that with my luck, it would fall off.

“I’m going to meet Luca,” Avery waved as she backed away, her phone held in front of her, the glow of the screen illuminating her face.

“So,” Trace’s hands wrapped around my waist, “what do you want to do first?”

I looked around at all the booths with all the different games. Different colored lights flashed all around on the rides. Pinks, purples, silvers…you name it, the color was flashing
somewhere.

“What do you think we should do?” I asked. “I’ve never been to a carnival before, so this isn’t exactly my forte,” I laughed as we passed a stand selling corndogs.

“Hmm,” he tapped his chin, “since it’s not as crowded as it will be soon, I think we should do the Ferris Wheel first. There will be a wait now, but it shouldn’t be too long, not like it will be later.”

“Okay,” I smiled up at him.

We made our way to the large round circle in the distance. Lights winked all along the structure and excitement bubbled inside me.

While we waited in line, I looked around at the other various rides. There was a
swinging ship, cars that spun in circles, and a ride that lifted straight up into the air, on a metal pole, before it came flying back down to the ground.

Music pumped through
the massive speakers throughout the area.

I grinned like a small child when it was our turn to get in one of the swinging chairs that would lift us high up into the sky.

For some reason, I had never been afraid of heights. When I was little, I used to watch the birds, longingly, wishing I could take flight with them.

The Ferris Wheel started it’s ascent into the sky and I giggled giddily. Trace was going to hate me by the end of
the night. I planned on riding everything, even the carousel.

When we reached the top
, I gasped aloud as I gazed below us. The carnival looked beautiful. The rides were cheap and silly, but with all the sparkling lights, music, and the cheers from people, it seemed…magical.

“Wow,” I
breathed. It seemed like the only word to describe what I was feeling. It was incredible, how different the world seemed, when you got a different perspective of it.

Trace’s warm hand covered mine, where it gripped the metal bar.

“This is amazing,” I gazed at him with wide eyes. “The world looks so big from up here…infinite.”

He smiled. “The world is big, we’re the ones that pretend it’s small.”

His words were so true. It was so easy to forget everything that was happening outside your own circle and not directly to you.

He leaned towards me and the chair we were in shook slightly. His lips pressed gently against my cheek, his stubble rasping against my skin. My eyes closed involuntarily at the small touch and my heart lurched.

“I think you’re a more beautiful sight than this,” he waved his hand to encompass the carnival below us and the surrounding town.

I eyed him. “Are you trying to get laid?”

He threw his head back with laughter. “Olivia,” his fingers skimmed my neck, “you should know by now that I have smoother moves than that.”

My pulse accelerated at his touch and he grinned when he felt the increase. His hand fell away and he gripped the bar as the Ferris Wheel began to descend.

We hopped off the Ferris Wheel and he took my hand. “Do you get motion sickness?” Trace asked, stopping at the end of the line for the spinning car ride.

“No,” I shook my head.

“Good,” he grinned. “This is one of my favorites.”

He helped me climb into one of the cars
, and I gripped the metal bar that held us in place, tightly in my hands, since I wasn’t sure how fast we’d actually be spinning.

It turned out to be really fun, and under normal circumstances, I would
’ve been embarrassed by the amount of screaming and laughing I was doing.

Still dizzy from the spinning cars, we walked around for a little bit.

Trace stopped in front of one of the games where you could win prizes. A guy currently stood there with his girlfriend, throwing baseballs at plastic pins. “I’m going to win you one of those,” he grinned cockily, pointing to the large stuffed animals hanging from the booth, “but not until later. Neither one of us is going to want to lug that around for the rest of the night.”

He took my hand and before I
had the chance to respond, we were climbing onto the swinging ship.

I screamed as it
rocked higher and higher into the air, holding on tightly to Trace’s hand.

From there, he dragged me to the ride that went straight up in the air and dropped to the ground
really
fast. I screamed at the top of my lungs on that one, but thankfully, there were a few other girls that screamed louder than me. I was surprised one of the girl’s didn’t squeeze her boyfriend’s hand right off by the way she was gripping it.

After that, we took a break, stopping at one of the food stands.

We both ordered a corndog and sat down at a wooden picnic table to eat. I was amazed by how good it tasted, but since I hadn’t eaten much today,
anything
would taste good.

“Ooh! Ooh!” I squealed, pointing at a stand selling cotton candy. I had never tried it before
, but I felt like I had to, in order to complete my carnival experience.

Trace turned to look over his shoulder to see what I was pointing at.

He turned back to me, finishing his corn dog. “Cotton candy?”

“I’ve never had it! I have to at least
try
it, even if it sucks!” I exclaimed, staring dreamily at the pale pink and blue swirls.

Trace shook his head, unable to hide his smile. “I’ll be right back.”

I shrieked in delight, like a small child, as he made his way to the cotton candy stand. He swaggered along slowly, to infuriate me.

“Hurry up, Trace!” I yelled, earning
a glare from a passing mother carrying her toddler.

Somebody slid onto the picnic bench seat
, beside me, and I turned to see Avery and Luca.

“Why are you yelling at Trace?” Avery asked, pulling her long hair into a ponytail.

“Because, he’s taking forever to get my cotton candy!” I cried, pointing at him as he stood in line.

Avery laughed. “I think this carnival has turned you into a five year old.”

“Probably,” I shrugged, calming down. “I’ve never been to one.”

Luca’s eyes widened as he sat across from Avery and I. “Never?”

“Never,” I replied. “I wasn’t allowed.”

“Who were you raised by?” He asked, stunned. “Nuns?”

I laughed. He was pretty darn close to the truth. “Something like that.” I took a sip of my Snapple sweet tea.

Luca removed his fedora and ran his fingers through his hair before replacing it. “That’s nuts.”

Avery nodded in agreement.

“Here ya go,” Trace grinned as he handed me a plastic bag filled with cotton candy. He sat beside Luca, across from me, with blue cotton candy.

“How do I eat it?” I eyed the fluffy candy.

Three sets of eyes looked at me like I was crazy.

“Seriously, I don’t know,” I added.

Avery giggled. “You grab it, Livie.” She shook her head. “Like this,” she demonstrated, reaching into the bag, and tearing a chunk of the candy fibers. She promptly stuck it in her mouth.

“Oh,” I mumbled, embarrassed, and mimicked her action.

The three of them watched me take a bite.

I winced at how sugary it tasted.

“It’s…okay. Too sweet though,” I tentatively took another bite, licking the threads of candy off that had stuck to my fingers.

After a few more bites, I had had my fill, and handed the rest to Avery.

“You can have it,” I shoved the mostly uneaten cotton candy in her hands.

“You didn’t like it, did you?” Trace chuckled, grabbing a handful of the blue fluff, and shoving it in his mouth. “Tell the truth, Olivia.”

“Not really,” I admitted.

“It’s not for everyone.” He grinned mischievously. “
I
, however, have quite the sweet tooth.” He winked. “And you have such a sweet p-”

I jumped from the table before anything
humiliating could come out of his mouth. “We better get going,” I grabbed his hand and dragged him away from the table. “I don’t want to miss out any of the rides,” I told Luca and Avery.

Avery snickered. “Uh-huh. That’s exactly why you’re running off, Livie!” She called after us.

“I hate you,” I glared at Trace, but I couldn’t stay mad for more than a few seconds, because a piece of blue cotton candy was stuck to the corner of his lips, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss it away. So, I did.

“You say you hate me, and then you kiss me. Woman, I can’t read these mixed messages,” he chuckled, finishing the last bite of cotton candy
, and tossing the plastic bag in the nearest trashcan.