Gorgeous: Book One (Gorgeous #1) - Lisa Shelby Page 0,83

all hands on deck to get eyes on Dickey Brown. We need to find him and know his whereabouts at all times. I know Olivia thinks less is more, but in times like this, I am so grateful to have a lot of the more so that I can spare no expense at keeping her safe. Baxter and I were texting during the flight, trying to keep things quiet for her. I didn’t need her to hear how frantic I felt. Baxter’s got his team on the case, and I trust him to track down Olivia’s ghost and help me bury him once and for all.

We're finally home, and as if on autopilot, she takes the stairs to the master suite and lies on top of the bed fully dressed. Her eyes are wide awake, but she is exhausted, and I know she needs to sleep.

I draw a bath for her, and once the tub is filled with bubbles and perfectly hot water, I guide her into the bathroom and take her clothes off. Before stepping into the tub, she wraps her naked body around me and finally speaks.

"Thank you," is all she says but it's enough.

Once she is settled in the water, I sit on the side of the bath and leisurely wash and condition her hair. I gently wash her and then let her lie back and relax until the water grows tepid. I help her out of the tub, dry her off, and cover her in her favorite lotions. As much as I love touching her, there is nothing sexual about this moment. It is about me taking care of her and helping her find her way through all of the emotions brought to the surface today. When she does find her way through to the other side, I'll be here waiting for her.

It's early but bed and sleep is what she needs right now. I put her in one of my Henley’s, which have become her new favorite sleepwear, and tuck her into bed. Before long she is out, and once I know she is sound asleep, I head to my office and call Baxter to fill him in on the rest of the details I didn’t dare share by text. I tell him her story, and as much as I know she wouldn't want it to be shared, I have to. It's for her safety. I can hear the anger along with empathy in my head of security's voice as well as a determination when he vows to help keep her safe.

I work in my office for an hour or so but, eventually, head to the kitchen patio for a smoke. I stop at the cupboard in the kitchen where I hide them behind the coffee that I never make—kinda hard to hide from myself when I’m the one who put them there—and lean up against one of the columns and think about today and the what-could-have-beens. I will forever be grateful to Susan for not coming to find Olivia. For changing her name and doing what she could to prevent a life of misery and abuse.

To think Olivia could have had this fate on top of witnessing her father's murder and whatever else came with that wretched day, bouncing around from foster home to foster home. Living on her own, in shelters, with no money and putting herself through school. It's no wonder she found a relationship with Bryce. There was nothing to fear. She still got to hide in her protective shell and take care of herself on her own terms. That way she couldn't get hurt, and the only person who could let her down, was her.

I know her letting me in is a big deal, and I will never take that for granted. I know how it feels to finally have found your person in life, because she is my person. She is the air that I breathe, the color that I never knew existed, and she is mine.

The yellow flame from my lighter lights up the dark patio, and I take my first puff of nicotine. Feeling the sting of the smoke in my throat relaxes me enough to clear my head and think about what she needs next. Food. She hasn't eaten in well over twenty-four hours...since the news that we had found her mother. She pushed food around her plate last night at dinner, but she didn't really eat. Putting out the butt of my cigarette, I watch