Authors: T.K. Leigh
No
, Olivia thought. She pushed that thought far away, scared to even think about it.
I
T
WAS
A
CHILLY
March night, but Nathan Roberts didn’t care as he sat on a bench on the outskirts of Boston Common Park, his eyes set on the Four Seasons. He was desperate to keep his eyes on Olivia. He knew Alexander was protecting her, but he couldn’t help himself. Nathan needed to keep her alive.
About three hours after he saw her enter the hotel with Alexander, he was shocked to see her walk through the front doors alone. His mind started to race. He kept his eyes trained on her, looking for anything suspicious as she leaned against the large building.
He watched her stand in the cold for several long minutes, shivering. He contemplated going up to her to give her his jacket, but he couldn’t approach her. He would risk her remembering, and he didn’t know what she knew already.
Nearly ten minutes after she exited the hotel, Nathan saw a frenzied motion from within the lobby. Turning his head in that direction, he saw Alexander and one other agent running.
~~~~~~~~~~
Fear covered Alexander’s face as he searched the lobby, frantically shouting something. He headed toward the front doors, yelling orders at his other agent.
“Olivia!” he bellowed, running outside, searching up and down Boylston Street, desperately looking for her. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her standing against the building, her teeth chattering.
“Jesus Christ, Olivia,” he said, running to her and wrapping his arms around her trembling body.
“What is it, Alex? What’s going on?” she asked, staring at him with a confused look on her face.
“I didn’t know where you were, love,” he said softly. “We were all so worried.” He embraced her tighter, pulling her to his body, planting kisses on her head. “You’re shivering.”
She looked up at him, her lips turning blue. “It’s freezing out here.”
Alexander peeled off his tuxedo jacket and draped it around her shoulders, covering her arms and back. As she gazed into his brilliant green eyes, she was immediately reminded of the night that they first met, amazed at how far they had come since then.
He tilted her chin back. “I was so worried that I lost you. Agent Marshall told me that Adele accosted you in the ladies’ room. I want you to understand that you mean so much more to me than she knows, Olivia. I hope you know that.”
She exhaled. “I know, Alexander. I know Adele’s just trying to get me angry with you. We both have a past, but all I care about is the present. You’re my present, Alexander, and I know I’m yours. It’s going to take a lot more than some vindictive words to make me run. I told you. I’m done running.”
He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her with such passion, telling her with his mouth how important she was to him. She reached up and clutched his face in her hands, pressing her body against his as he ran his hands over her.
Pulling out of the kiss, he stared down at her. “I need to stop kissing you or I’m going to take you up to a suite and fuck you until you can’t walk anymore,” he explained, his breathing labored as his eyes burned into her. “Okay?”
She stood on her toes and kissed his neck. “I think I’d enjoy that, Mr. Burnham.”
He moaned, pulling her head to his chest, warming her in the frigid March air. As he stood on the city streets holding her, Alexander scanned the area, an occupational hazard. His eyes landed on someone across the street on the edge of Boston Common Park. He squinted, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him.
“Let’s get you inside,” Alexander said, returning his gaze to Olivia when he felt her shivering in his arms.
She nodded, dropping her arms and walking back toward the entrance of the hotel. Alexander took one more quick glance across the street before entering the front doors. The park bench was empty.
When Olivia and Alexander made their way back to the banquet hall, the servers had come around and cleared the tables. A twenty-piece big band had replaced the four-piece string quartet that had been playing during dinner and many guests had started to dance.
“May I have this dance?” Alexander looked at Olivia, reaching his hand out to her. She grabbed it and he led her onto the dance floor. The opening notes of
Let’s Fall In Love
sounded through the elegant room. As he took her in his arms, he placed one hand on the small of her exposed back, exhaling as his did so. The feel of her skin still made it difficult for Alexander to maintain his composure.
She gazed up at him, savoring the feel of his hand on her body as he led the dance. Olivia was surprised how well he glided across the dance floor. “You’re quite a good dancer, Mr. Burnham. Still surprising me after all these months.” Olivia winked at him.
“You’re not so bad yourself, Miss Adler.” He beamed down at the woman in his arms.
“Where did you learn to dance?”
“Do you remember the girl my mom was talking about during dinner? The one I was madly in love with when I was a little boy?”
She nodded her head. “Your other Olivia?”
“Yes. Well, she would always say that she would only marry me if I could dance. She would say that she couldn’t possibly be seen at a ball with a man who had two left feet. According to her, princesses needed a prince who could show off on the dance floor.” Olivia looked at him, the memory clearly painful for him, his words stirring a memory deep within her own brain.
“I’m sorry, darling,” she said, leaning her head against his chest as they continued to dance, Olivia wondering why the story about his childhood friend sounded so familiar.
“So am I,” Alexander whispered so she couldn’t hear him.
Over the next several hours, Alexander led Olivia around the dance floor, not wanting to miss any opportunity to dance with her.
“May I cut in?” Tyler said to Alexander toward the end of the night.
“Sure, but keep your hands above the waist, little bro.” Alexander smirked.
“Tyler,” Olivia said, putting one arm around his neck and clutching his hand with her free one.
“Hi, Libby,” he replied, grabbing onto her waist, heeding his brother’s warning to keep his hands on an appropriate part of her body.
“Enjoying yourself?” Olivia asked, noting that Tyler danced just as well as Alexander. Maybe it was genetic.
“I am, but if I had to dance once more with Ma, I was going to lose it.” He laughed, nodding toward his mother, now dancing with Alexander. Olivia followed his gaze, her eyes settling on the beautiful man that she knew so intimately.
“You make him very happy, you know,” Tyler said, bringing Olivia’s gaze back to his.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. I mean, and this was before I was born and all, when he lost his friend, it took him years to get over it. According to Ma, they were inseparable growing up, and he took it hard. And don’t even try to talk to him around his birthday. He’s such a brood.”
Olivia looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“That’s when she died. August twenty-fourth. Same day as his birthday. That’s why he never celebrates it. He usually goes down to Connecticut and sits at her grave. Fun way to spend your birthday, huh?”
Olivia was shocked. She didn’t realize that was his birthday. “Well, it must have been hard,” she said, snapping back. “I know how difficult it was for me when I lost my parents at such a young age.” Olivia couldn’t believe that she was openly talking about her parents. She reflected briefly about how far she had come in the several months she had known Alexander and how she could barely recognize the woman she was before. “I used to have trouble talking about them, and I don’t think I ever really got over their deaths. Sometimes it’s doing the little things in order to keep them alive in your heart. That way, they’re never really gone,” she said, recalling Alexander’s words to her that day months ago when they were at Beer Works.
Olivia looked up to see Alexander standing over his brother’s shoulder. “I’ll take over from here, Tyler,” Alexander said sternly.
“Okay. It was a pleasure, Libby.” Tyler bowed and left them.
“I’m sorry about that,” Alexander said, bringing Olivia’s body close to his once more, leading them across the dance floor with ease. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea and think I’m still hung up on a girl I knew when I was a little boy. I’m not.”
“Alexander,” Olivia interrupted. “It’s okay. I get it. You suffered a loss at such a young age. I know what that feels like. And everyone has different ways of coping with loss. Music was, and still is, mine. If you need to sit by her grave every year, I understand.”
Alexander smiled, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead, relishing the feeling of her in his arms as the song finished.
Polite applause sounded from the guests in attendance before the pianist started playing the opening notes of
A Kiss To Build A Dream On
.
“Dance with me, love.” Alexander pulled Olivia back into his embrace, and they began to move around the dance floor to the melody. Alexander gazed down at her, his adoration for her swelling in his chest. How could he possibly explain to her how important she had become to him? She had always been important to him, but now that he knew it really was her, how could he put that into words?
He pulled her into his chest and leaned down as they swayed to the music. Alexander began to sing along with the band. Olivia sighed at the sound of his voice crooning those words to her, knowing that he sang them only for her, just as she sang each night for him.
As the song ended, Alexander dipped Olivia back, leaning over her, and kissed her passionately in the middle of the dance floor. Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his hair, loving the feeling of his silky locks as she communicated with her mouth how much she needed him. She couldn’t imagine life without Alexander in it, but she still wasn’t able to admit that she loved him. It was too soon.
~~~~~~~~~~
“We can wait in here,” Alexander said, motioning to the hotel lobby after they made their way out of the banquet hall. “That way you don’t freeze while we wait for Martin.”
Olivia thought about it. “No. That’s fine. I could use some fresh air. Plus, I’ve got a hot guy to keep me warm.” She winked as she walked in the direction of the front doors leading out onto Boylston Street.
Once outside, she took a deep breath, inhaling the chilly Boston air. Alexander looked around nervously. He relaxed once he realized that the only people on the street were fellow party-goers, as well as other tourists and bar hoppers out for a good time on a Saturday night in Boston.
He looked down at Olivia and couldn’t hold back anymore. “Here. Come with me.” He reached for her hand and pulled her around the corner of the hotel into a side alley.
Pinning her back against the building with his hips, he devoured her mouth, letting his hands explore her body. It was a body that he had become so well acquainted with those past several months, a body that he was scared to lose.
His hands rested on her ass. Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he lifted her up.
“Do you feel what you do to me?” Alexander asked breathlessly, pulling his mouth from hers for a brief moment before diving back in. Olivia moaned. She didn’t care that they were out in public. She wanted him right there. Alexander planted needy kisses down her neck, her shoulders, her chest. He pulled back once more and stared into Olivia’s eyes, slowing his breathing down and dropping her legs.
“Do you have any idea how important you are to me?” Alexander asked sweetly, staring into those beautiful brown eyes.
Olivia shook her head, glancing down at her feet.
“Hey. Look at me.”
She snapped her eyes back to his, their eyes meeting.
“You. Are. So. Important. To. Me.” He emphasized each word. “Olivia, I…” He hesitated telling her what he really wanted to say to her, fearful that she would run, even after all the assurances she had given over the past several weeks that she was done running.
“What?” she asked, her heart racing.
A smile crept across his face. “I had a wonderful time with you tonight.” They would get there, Alexander thought.
“As did I,” Olivia replied, planting one more kiss on his lips.
“Well, the night is still young, Miss Adler.” He glanced at his watch noting that it was only eleven. “Where to now?”
“Well, Kiera said she was going to MacFadden’s with Bridget and Melanie. Apparently, the DJ cancelled so Mo’s band is filling in. Want to go?”
“Sure. Should we go home and change first?”
“Um, that’s probably not a good idea. Once we’re home, I think we’ll find other ways to occupy our time rather than go to a bar. Don’t you agree, Mr. Burnham?”
“Ah. Of course. You’re right about that.” Alexander grinned. “To MacFadden’s then.” He grabbed Olivia’s hand and led her out of the alley just as Martin pulled up in their limo.
O
LIVIA
MANEUVERED
THROUGH
THE
crowd of people on the second floor of MacFadden’s, spotting Kiera down front and center, staring up at Mo, Melanie and Bridget dancing behind her. The guys were performing a new song that evening. It was a great tune for Mo’s incredible vocal ability. He had such an amazing voice and Olivia couldn’t believe that he still played in bars. She thought he would have had a record deal by now.
When Mo finished the song, he looked down, saw Kiera there, jumped off the stage and gave her a kiss. And not just a friendly kiss, either. Olivia couldn’t believe her eyes. Up until that point, they had kept their “relationship” quiet, not really wanting to label it.