Suspicious Minds (Fate #3) (15 page)

Thinking of all this reminded her of something. Both times Lorenzo
had questioned her yesterday about her texts she’d had a curious new text she
hadn’t opened. The first time he’d asked about it, aside from the Elton text
she told Lorenzo about, she’d had a new one she didn’t mention—from Jay. The
second time when she told him about the texts from her brother and Rose, she also
had another she didn’t mention—one from Margie. She hadn’t bothered to read
either mostly because, before anything even happened between her and Lorenzo,
she’d already decided she had no interest in even speaking with Jay ever again.
She was still on the fence about whether or not she’d ever allow Margie back in
her life, but she hadn’t read them because she didn’t want Lorenzo picking up
on anything that might change her mood. She had to admit though, now that they’d
both texted her, she
was
curious.

Careful not to wake him, Olivia slid out of the bed. She picked
up the robe off the side of the bed and slipped it on. Last night, after
checking her phone when he’d practically asked her to, she’d made sure to leave
it on silent.

Not wanting to risk him seeing her being sneaky about checking
her phone, she grabbed it from her purse and went into the bathroom. As soon as
she locked the door, she tapped away at the phone’s screen. She had new texts
now too, but she skipped the one from her sister because she knew Emi was
likely just dying to know what the big surprise was.

Taking a deep breath, she scrolled down and read Margie’s first,
and immediately her heart rate sped up.

I know you probably hate me, and I don’t blame you. But I
need you more than anything right now, Ollie. I was so wrong about Jay, and the
worst thing about it is my gut told me all along. Like an idiot I just chose to
ignore it. PLEASE call me when you get a chance. I need you.

Bringing her hand to her mouth, Olivia considered calling her
right then but then decided against it. Having a conversation with her best
friend about Jay at Lorenzo’s place wasn’t the best idea. It was the only thing
that so far had brought out that dark side of him. She didn’t want to ruin what
he’d put so much thought into and so far had been perfect.

Instead, she sent a quick text telling her she’d call her later
that night. Then she scrolled down to Jay’s text, wondering what in the world
could have Margie so upset. Had Jay done the same thing to Margie that he’d
done to Olivia? The thought had her holding her phone a little tighter. Without
any further hesitation, she read his first text, the one she’d gotten at the
restaurant yesterday.

You can’t ignore me forever. We ARE going to talk about
this. We may as well get it over with.

He was doing it again. Or at least he thought he still could. She
shook her head, pressing her lips together, and scrolled to the next one.

One way or another, this is going to happen, Ollie. I
know you want to talk to me. It’s why I did it. You left me no choice. I knew you
were waiting for me. You just wouldn’t admit it even to yourself. It’s what you’ve
always done. Why deny it now? Even Margie knows the truth now too. As usual,
you just needed a push. Talk to me, baby. Call me.

Ironically, his “I knew you were waiting for me” text had come
right when she was in the bathroom getting naked and slipping into her fuck-me
shoes for her new boyfriend yesterday. She reread all three texts again, pondering
them for a few minutes before deleting Jay’s. Margie would be hearing from her,
but Jay could kiss her ass if he thought she’d be getting sucked into his head
games again. No way was she risking not only upsetting Lorenzo but possibly
losing him. He couldn’t have made it any clearer than he already had. He
wouldn’t tolerate any kind of relationship between her and Jay. Maybe if she
actually
wanted
one she’d put up an argument. But she had zero interest
in speaking to Jay ever again, especially now that she was beginning to
understand what could be going on. Jay had used Margie to get to Olivia, and it
appeared he was claiming this was Olivia’s fault—s
he’d left him no choice
.
To hell with him.

After splashing her face and rinsing her mouth out with mouthwash,
she stepped out and gasped when she came face to face with Lorenzo. His
startling her seemed to startle him too. He actually lifted his hands in front
of him.

“I was just about to check on you,” he said, half smiling as his
eyes went from hers to the phone in her hand then back up to her eyes again. “I
didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t,” she assured him. “You were just so sound asleep
when I got up I didn’t think you’d be awake yet.”

“Everything okay?” he asked, glancing down at her phone again.

“Yeah.” She nodded with a smile, lifting her phone. “I just
thought I’d check my phone. I knew Emi would be anxious to know how last night
went,” she said, feeling guilty that she’d been so consumed with Margie’s and
Jay’s texts that she hadn’t bothered to read her sister’s. “She and I discussed
our theories of what you might have planned in length yesterday morning, so I
knew she’d be dying to know what they’d been.”

He smiled now, looking a little less tense than he had moments
ago. “Did you talk to her?”

“No.” She shook her head quickly, but she wouldn’t lie. “It was
just a text. We’ll talk when I get home. We can go on and on forever, so I
thought I’d wait to actually talk to her later when I have more time.”

That was the truth. Technically, it was just a text—from Emi to
Olivia—one Olivia hadn’t bothered reading, but those were minor details. The
important part was she hadn’t lied. She and Lorenzo had only been officially
together for a little over three weeks now, but she knew damn well any lies
were not going to fly with him, not after what he’d been through. As perfect as
she thought him, in many ways he reminded her of her brothers. He was one of
the sweetest guys she’d ever met, but as slight as it’d been, she’d had a peek into
his dark side. It wasn’t a side of him she wanted to revisit.

“C’mere,” he said, reaching out for her hand.

She smiled, slipping her hand in his and was quickly pulled her
into his strong embrace. Then he kissed her. To her surprise, his mouth tasted
sweet. Real sweet.

Pulling away, she licked her lips, trying to make out what she
was tasting.

He smiled, licking his own lips before clueing her into his
thoughts. “You mentioned you’re not big on heavy breakfasts, right?”

Curiously, she nodded. Lorenzo smiled smugly, tugging her hand
gently, and began to walk. “I have something for you out on the balcony.”

Obviously whatever he had for her was sweet. She licked the
corner of her lip again, trying to make out the now faint taste of sugar. When
they turned the corner, they came to the cozy sitting area she’d seen yesterday
when he’d given her the grand tour: the one in a comfy corner of the courtyard
just outside the privacy walls, overlooking the ocean. She’d even mentioned it seemed
perfect for sitting and enjoying a nice cup of coffee in the morning. The
morning was hazy but crisp and felt as romantic as she imagined one might be at
this beach house.

Looking up at the sweet smile that spread across his face coupled
with sexy morning stubble that begun to shade his strong jaw and chin nearly
melted her. How she got so lucky the one night she decided to take a chance and
it turned into this would forever be a mystery. Up until now her life had pretty
much been a series of bad luck and bad choices. Jay was an all-too-annoying
reminder of that.

As they got closer to the table on the balcony, she could see the
pink pastry box and the orange juice carafe. A single cup coffee maker was set
up on a side table with cups and a container of creamer.

“It’s what woke me actually,” he explained. “I set my alarm
because the bakery up the street delivers, and I’d put in my order yesterday,
but I couldn’t help myself. I bit one of my favorites when I was setting this
up while you were in the bathroom.”

Lorenzo lifted the lid on the box for her to see fresh muffins,
croissants, and a delicious-looking array of cream puffs and mini tarts.

Olivia’s mouth fell open. This was exactly the kind of breakfast
she preferred, and she’d mentioned that to him in one of their marathon phone
conversations they’d had almost nightly even after they’d spent hours together.

“You don’t like bacon and eggs and hash browns?” She remembered
him asking her, sounding completely horrified. “No chorizo and potato burritos
either?”

She’d laughed, explaining on occasion she did but generally she preferred
what most nutritionists would consider an abomination: a light breakfast, a bigger
lunch, and an even heavier dinner.

“This is perfect,” she said, bringing her hand to his scruffy face
and kissing him softly. “You thought of everything.” She turned to the coffee
maker and creamer. This close she saw the flavor and smiled even bigger. “Oh my
God, Girl Scout caramel and coconut! That’s so hard to find.”

“Yeah, it is,” he agreed immediately with a playful frown. “I
went to like five different markets searching for it.”

Olivia couldn’t help giggle. “You could’ve gotten the regular
coconut cream one; it’s way more common, and I like it just as much.”

“Now she tells me.” The exasperated look he gave her made her
laugh even more.

But he kissed her on the nose and pulled out a chair for her. A
cup was already in the coffee maker, and he slipped in a k-cup and hit the
start button. A few minutes later Olivia was enjoying her coffee and a chocolate-filled
croissant. She took a deep breath of fresh ocean air. “I can’t even imagine
waking up to this
every
morning. It’s so beautiful.”

She turned to see him staring at her in that way that made her
melt every time. It was almost silly after everything they’d done last night
and all the time they’d spent together in the past three weeks that a simple
look from him could still make the butterflies in her belly go wild. But it did,
only it wasn’t nerves anymore. It was absolute bliss she was feeling.
Everything about him, from his looks to the way he treated her and claimed he
felt about her, felt like an absolute dream.

His lips pressed together suddenly, and he began to say something
then hesitated. Her paranoid mind wondered if somehow he knew about Jay’s
texts. For a moment, she considered just telling him, being completely honest.
She’d done nothing wrong after all.

Then he stood suddenly. “Wait here. I’ll be back.”

Before she could even respond, he’d rushed off and she watched as
he turned the corner and out of sight. Olivia sat there mid-chew, wondering
what in the world he could be doing. Again instead of thinking maybe he had
another sweet surprise for her, she was already thinking the worst. What if he
was headed to get her phone? What if Jay had texted her again?

She took a sip of her coffee, trying to stay calm. He wouldn’t
ruin such a perfect morning. Would he?

A few agonizing minutes later, he was back holding his hand
behind him, and she couldn’t make out the odd expression on his face. “I don’t
want you to freak out or anything, okay?

The comment together with the troubled expression on his face
already had her freaking out.

Ten

Lorenzo

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. He’d been second
guessing himself from the moment he’d bought the first one. When he took that
one back, he hadn’t even replaced it. Then after a couple of days he’d gone
back and bought this one. He knew it was soon, but he
wanted
to do this,
and he’d finally convinced himself it wasn’t such a big deal.

Now the deer-in-the-headlights expression on her face had him
rethinking it again. His heart had been getting a major workout since he’d met
this girl, and this morning was no exception, from the moment he raced to get
everything set up on the balcony before she was done in the bathroom to the
moment he realized not only had she been in there long enough for him to do so
she’d been on her phone the whole time. But he’d let that go without asking too
much because he
had
to. Since his conversation with Vince this past week
he’d been doing his damnedest to take his brother’s advice and not fuck this
up. It wasn’t fair to Olivia and Vince was right. It’d be just a matter of time
before she got sick of his perverse suspicions, but his heart had gone into
overdrive nonetheless.

Now this.

He swallowed hard, taking the seat next to her, and placed the
small box with the tiny bow in front of her. “Before you open it, I wanna
explain something.”

Her stunned eyes had gone from the small box back up to his, and
the alarmed look in them wasn’t missed, so he spoke faster because he knew what
she must be thinking.

“All this time I’ve been kicking myself for the way I handled
that first night. When I decided I wanted to plan this . . .” He glanced around
and out the balcony for a moment. “I wanted a do-over so we could forget that
first night and make this one be the one we remembered forever as our first
time together. I also wanted you to have something more than just the lovemaking
and memories to reflect on from today. So I got you a little something. It’s
nothing big or anything; it was just supposed to be something that represented
change. I was so fucking obsessed with making sure our first memory of being
together would change—a new beginning.” He took a deep breath then went on. “Then
I talked to Vince about it. I know you would’ve preferred me not to tell him
about our first time, but he’s my only brother and best friend, and we tell
each other just about everything.”

Olivia reached out and touched his hand, caressing it softly. “It’s
okay. I love how close you and your brother are.”

She smiled that beautiful smile: the one Lorenzo didn’t even want
to admit he was already in love with. Suddenly, giving her the gift didn’t feel
like such a bad idea.

“If my sister were older,” she said, “and I wasn’t afraid of
setting a bad example, I would’ve told her too.”

Unable to hold back anymore, Lorenzo leaned in and kissed her a
little longer than he first planned, but it couldn’t be helped. Suddenly he was
even surer about the gift, but he wanted to finish explaining it.

He licked his lips after kissing her then went on. “So I
originally got you something with a butterfly. I just wanted to get you
something cute, and butterflies represent change. Transition. A new beginning.”
He smirked then chuckled. “I swear I haven’t
always
been this corny. I
think you just bring it out in me.”

Wasn’t that the truth? He never put so much thought into anything
like this with Linda. Even when he’d asked her to marry him, it was on a whim
and he’d sort of blurted it out.

Olivia laughed, glancing down at the box curiously, the stunned
expression now gone. Clearly the mention of a corny little butterfly gift had
calmed her. He wouldn’t be getting down on his knee after only three weeks, as
he was sure she’d been dreading. Though three weeks was probably too soon for
even something this insignificant compared to an engagement ring. He’d been
with Linda over five months before he’d bought her a piece of jewelry. Even
then it was only because it was her birthday. And while what he’d gotten Linda
was more expensive than this, the thought behind this was so much deeper than
anything he’d ever given Linda, including her engagement ring. But just as he
couldn’t explain the incredible enchantment he’d felt for Liv, he couldn’t
explain why this felt so right, despite how soon he was doing this.

“So when I told Vince about it, he made me think about something
that I hadn’t put much thought into. If things hadn’t happened the way they did,
I might not . . .” He stopped because he caught himself. “No, I
know
I
wouldn’t be here with you right now. I’m gonna be honest with you. The entire
past three weeks one thought kept popping up in my head. And that’s that I can’t
believe I’m actually doing this. After my breakup with my ex, I
swore
I wouldn’t
be doing the relationship thing for at least a few years if
ever
. I was
adamant as shit about it too. Vince knew it more than anyone, and he pointed
out something else to me. He thought it was funny, but it got me thinking. If I
hadn’t met you that night the way I did . . .”

She tilted her head curiously as he knew she might, so as she
reached for another sip of her coffee, he tried to think of a way to explain it
without sounding like a dick.

“You see, since I’d sworn off relationships, Vince knew I’d
decided the only girls I’d be doing any
socializing
with were the ones I
knew would be strictly one-nighters with no strings attached. That left
out
nice girls with any potential of wanting anything more.” Her eyebrow went up,
but the corner of her lip tugged, so for now it felt safe to go on cautiously. “If
I’d met you, say, at Janks’ funeral or any other gathering of my cousins or
yours, you would’ve been
beyond
out. With Romero being your cousin, even
a one-night thing with you would’ve been completely out of the question. And
since I wasn’t considering relationships, there’s no way
anything
between us would’ve ever happened.” He picked up the box and began to open it
then stopped. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this since Vince
planted the seed, but even he agreed.” He stared at the box for a moment then
glanced up at her. “Do you believe in fate, Liv?”

Her eyes widened a bit “You mean like if I hadn’t decided for the
first time
in my life
to go out in search of a one-night stand that I might
not have met you that night?”

Lorenzo smiled. She knew exactly where he was going with this. “Yeah,
that makes it even more eerie. Both our circumstances put us there that night.
Regardless of how badly it ended, it’s the only reason why we’re here together
right now. Of that I’m certain. What are the odds—?”

“Oh my God, Lorenzo” she said suddenly, touching his arm. “I don’t
know how many times that very thought ran through my mind every time I kept
running into you. What are the odds?”

“Slim,” he said, opening the box, and pulled out the delicate red-braided
thread bracelet that linked to a silver heart in the middle. “I took the
butterfly back after talking to Vince. We both agreed that the way our first
chance encounter went down was the
only
reason you and I are together
now. More than anyone he knew how dead set I was against even considering doing
the relationship thing. It’s why he suggested you and I go grab the beers that
night at his place when he normally would’ve suggested he and I go while you
and Rosie stayed back. Rosie had mentioned to him in the bedroom that maybe you
and I would hit it off.” He chuckled, glancing down at the bracelet. “But he
never expected for us to walk back in holding hands.”

Liv laughed, and the more he searched those beautiful eyes, took
in her sweet smile, and more importantly
welcomed
what she did to him, the
surer he was about this. He continued without hesitation.

“After I took the other bracelet back, the one with the butterfly,
I’d decided against giving you
any
jewelry this soon. Not that I minded,
I just didn’t want you to think that I was getting ahead of myself so soon.
Then I remembered something I’d overheard my dad talk about on more than one
occasion in the past—the red thread of fate—so I looked it up.”

She’d been staring at the bracelet still in his hands and her head
shot up brows pinched together. “I’ve heard of that. Is that what this is?” she
asked, reaching for it.

“Do you know what it means?”

Quiet for a moment, her expression was a strange one. “Yeah, a
little. Margie, my friend back home, was all into proverbs and stuff. She’s the
one who actually talked about it once. It’s an old Chinese proverb, right?”

“Yeah.” He smiled then explained it briefly.

His parents had always believed in and talked to him and Vince
about things like the power of thought, fate, and their lives being predestined.
It was why, years ago when his brother had been considered missing in action in
the Middle East after the rest of his entire platoon had died, he’d urged Rosie
not to give up hope when it seemed so hopeless. He’d said that the power of
thought would bring Vince home, and to this day Lorenzo still believed it had.

The red thread of fate was symbolic for an invisible thread that
connected those destined to meet regardless of circumstances. It was believed
that the thread could tangle or even stretch but would never break.

“The proverb doesn’t specify,” he said as he brought the bracelet
around Liv’s delicate wrist, “whether it’s not supposed to stretch or break
only
before the two meet or even afterward. I’d like to believe it means it’ll
never
break. If two people were meant to be, then to me that would mean forever.” He closed
the clasp on the bracelet and smiled at how perfectly it fit her. Glancing up
at her, his heart swelled when he saw a tear trickle down her cheek. Although
he didn’t like to see her so emotional, it still made him smile. “Don’t cry,
baby.”

“You’re perfect,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Too perfect.
It scares me. I feel like I’m gonna ruin this somehow.”

He pressed his lips together at the thought. There was only one
thing she could do that would ruin this, and he wouldn’t even go there. That’s
not what she meant. She was just being emotional. Before he could respond to
that, she wiped the tear away and smiled.

“Do you know that I almost walked out of that bar that night?”
she asked as he stared at her beautiful still-flooded eyes and shook his head. “I
was about to when you sat down next to me. I’d changed my mind about going
through with it. Like I said last night, being with a stranger was something I never
thought I’d go through with. That night I confirmed it. I couldn’t. I’d never
be able to explain to my siblings why I’d taken the risk. Then you sat down
next to me. For whatever reason, I felt safe with you, and you weren’t even
this nice back then.” She laughed softly, but Lorenzo frowned, so she reached
over and squeezed his hand in hers. “But I understand now why you didn’t want
to be. If I’d been drawn to you, even with you trying to be so emotionally disconnected
that night, can you imagine if you’d been any nicer?” She leaned in and kissed
his lips softly. “Even with you trying to be unlikable, it didn’t work. I was
breathless and felt a connection with you before you ever touched me.” She
glanced back down at the bracelet. “This is perfect. I love it.”

“If this is meant to be,” Lorenzo said, squeezing her hand and feeling
beyond a doubt now that this was meant to be, despite how soon this was, “then we
don’t have to worry about either of us ruining anything. I’m glad you like it.
I think it’s perfect too.”

She brought her hand to her mouth, and for a second he thought
she might tear up again, but instead she smiled big then threw her arms around
his neck. Lorenzo chuckled as the words “I love you” nearly escaped him, but he
refrained. Giving her the bracelet had already felt like a big enough risk. He
had to slow down.

The moment she loosened her hold he pulled back to regard her. “Eat
up,” he said, kissing her nose. “We have a full day ahead of us.”

Her eyes opened wide again. “We do?”

“Yep.” He smiled then leaned in and kissed her much longer than
he had all morning.

The sweet taste of chocolate and coffee had never been such a
turn on. When he finally pulled away, he licked his lips, smiling at the
thoughts already invading his mind.

“That is, of course,
after
we try out a few more of the
beds in this house.”

Seeing the twinkle in her widening eyes only made him want to
kiss her again, and he dove right back in.

~*~

Olivia

Hours after Olivia had been home she was still walking
on air. She was so glad now that Lorenzo had planned it all because she didn’t
think she could’ve planned their “do-over” any more perfectly than he had: yesterday’s
stroll then dinner in Little Italy, the beach house, the flowers. Then today he
topped it off with a kayak tour of the La Jolla Shores caves. Olivia should’ve
known he’d be taking her there after he’d been so surprised that she lived this
close to them for over two years and had never been.

They’d ended their day with a nice early dinner on the pier and
then sat giggling and smooching as a cartoonist on the pier doodled their
likenesses. The smiles on their faces, even in the doodled picture, were
perfect representations of how they’d both been feeling all this time. He’d
even captured Lorenzo’s rugged scruffy look since Olivia had asked him not to
shave before they left the beach house that morning. Even touching his unshaven
face was a huge turn on.

Sitting home now that the day was over, she only wished she didn’t
feel so compelled to call Margie to see what was going on. Olivia had a feeling
it might put a damper on her otherwise perfect day.