Sinful Ever After - Vivian Wood Page 0,27

a hint of a blue bikini tied around her neck. That makes my body tighten and my voice deepen. “Where have you been?”

She lifts a hand to shade her eyes. There is a tote bag on her shoulder, probably carrying some book that she’s engrossed in. She squints off into the distance toward the driveway.

“I’m surprised that Margaret didn’t see me. I spent the whole day carrying boxes of files upstairs to the ballroom, to give myself more elbow room to work.” She pauses. “Did you know that there is a frigging ballroom here?”

I hesitate. I want to quiz Olivia about whether she has come across anything that I’d be interested in, but I don't want to spill my secret. So instead, I focus on what she’s wearing.

“Are you thinking of heading up to the beach?” I ask.

“Err… yes.” She colors, lifting the tote bag that is on her shoulder. “I brought a book and a towel.”

“And sunblock, I hope,” I tease her. She is pasty white, after all. “I’m just about done for the day, so I’ll come with you.”

I feel her gaze slide down my chest. She bites her lip, turns even redder, and then nods. “Okay.”

She turns and starts walking away, leaving me to grab my water and catch up. As we walk, I keep an eye trained on her.

Olivia has never said anything even remotely romantic to me. But gazes like the one she’s giving me now speak volumes in their own way. She thinks I’m hot. I can tell.

Well… I am hot. I work my body hard to maintain it. And a regular rotation of other women seeking me out for a quick fuck certainly hasn’t hurt my ego at all. Still, the fact that I’ve been getting those looks from her for years is… well, flattering, for a start.

“So, um…” She ducks her head as we walk, tucking her hair behind her ears. “I’ll be ready to start actually reading some of the documents soon, once I’ve finished moving them around.”

My heart speeds up. “Yeah?”

“Mmhm. So I was thinking that maybe you could tell me what names to keep in mind as I read? Or at least when your mother was here? That way I can make a mental note of what to update you about.”

Blowing out a long stream of breath, I nod slowly. “That makes sense. My mother is…” I stop myself, feeling my cheeks heat. Her death still isn’t real to me, I guess. Correcting myself, I continue. “Was. My mother was named Anna De Luca. And she would’ve been here…” I scrunch up one side of my face, doing the mental math. I guess it would be my birth date, minus a year. “I think in 1989.”

Olivia nods thoughtfully. “I’ll keep you apprised as I get to work.”

My lips turn upward at her phrasing. How very Olivia, to use one big word instead of countless smaller ones.

We reach the road, where the forest suddenly falls away. Before us, the road gives way to the sloping beach. It’s rocky after we cross the road. The ocean glides gently up toward us and then back again, leaving a sandy beach in its wake.

Olivia picks a spot, laying her tote bag down. “God. It’s beautiful out here.” She shivers. “Outside of the forest, it’s unexpectedly chilly. I guess there isn’t anything to keep the wind off of us.”

I toss my shirt down next to her bag. “It’s brisk. I like it. But I don't think that I want to get in the water, though.”

A smile tugs at her mouth. “I suppose not. Maybe I’ll just sit here and read.”

She purses her lips and sits down in the pebble-strewn sand, well away from the water. Normally I would just look at the sea for a minute and then head back to the shelter of the trees. But since Olivia seems intent on staying, I sit down next to her.

She is pretty quiet, dragging her book out. It’s big and thick, not beach reading at all. My knee accidentally brushes hers as I settle in, and my touch leaves traces of crimson on her cheeks. Then she apologizes, as if she had done something bad.

“Oops, sorry!” she says, scooting herself another inch away from me.

My first instinct is to drag her a little closer, put my calloused palms against her smooth skin. Just to see how she would react.

Cool it, Moreland, I remind myself. Think of who she is. Don’t do something that stupid.

So I