Innocent Lies A Billionaire Romance Story

 

A ‘HIS BROTHER’S WIFE’ SHORT STORY

 

 

By Michelle Love

 

Autumn Keller stared at Pete Ford in disbelief. For years she had loved this man, even though he’d broken her heart a decade ago, dumping her in college to marry her nemesis, Dee-Dee Swofford. And now, this. For the past few months, after Pete had finally left Dee-Dee, the woman who made his life a misery for ten years, he and Autumn had reconnected and Autumn had fallen hard for him. Again. And now he was breaking her heart.

Again.

They sat in the small diner across the street from Autumn’s guesthouse and Pete over-stirred his coffee while telling her, in a broken voice, that Dee-Dee had told him that she was pregnant.

“I can’t leave her now, Auttie. I can’t be like my dad and leave her with a child to raise on her own.” He attempted a smile. “After all, can you imagine how the kid would turn out if it just had Dee-Dee to influence it?”

Autumn gritted her teeth. “Probably no worse than having a lying, cheating scumbag for a father.” She couldn’t believe he was taking this so lightly. He had promised her faithfully that he and Dee-Dee no longer had sex …so was this the Second Coming? A virgin birth? She pushed back her chair and stood, and Pete, his eyes alarmed, stood too.

“Hey, hey …this doesn’t have to change things between us.”

Autumn gaped at him, her violet eyes alive with anger. “You actually think I’d have anything to do with you now? You played me, Pete. More fool me for letting you do it twice. Don’t ever come near me again.”

She stalked out of the diner and across the road, willing herself not to burst into tears. She was angrier with herself than with Pete; how did she, Autumn Keller, college graduate and independent business woman, fall for this crap?

 

At twenty-eight, Autumn had plowed her own path through life, working three jobs to pay for college because her parents couldn’t afford it, then moving across the country from New Orleans to Oregon because she had fallen in love with the West Coast after Berkeley. She had also fallen in love with Peter Ford, the ‘aww shucks’ country boy from rural Oregon. She’d moved with him to his small town near Nesika Beach, met his younger sister Sally, who had quickly become her best friend, and bought the old guesthouse on Main Street and renovated it. Now the Mahsie Guesthouse was always busy, nearly always fully booked, with its reputation spread by word-of-mouth recommendations.

It didn’t hurt that its owner was gorgeous. Autumn had the bright violet eyes and dark brown, wavy hair of her father, and the creamy café-au-lait skin and voluptuous curves of her Creole mother. Tall and leggy, she knew she was considered a beauty, but would always get embarrassed by the compliments. She gave the outside impression of being calm and collected, a professional businesswoman, but inside, she was a geeky tomboy, never happier than alone with a book and her beloved dog, Clem.

 

As she entered her guesthouse now, she heard the toot of a car horn. Dee-Dee Ford grinned nastily at her as she drove past. Autumn gave her the finger.

Sally was at the reception as Autumn returned to the guesthouse. Catching sight of the defeated look on her friend’s face, she followed her into the kitchen.

‘Uh-oh.’

Autumn dumped the bag on the counter. ‘I’m finding it very, very difficult not to hate your sister-in-law.’ She told an appalled Sally what had happened with Pete.

Sally hugged her.

‘Don’t fight it. Embrace the hate.’ Sally loathed Dee-Dee as much as Autumn did.

Autumn laughed. ‘It’s certainly an option.’ She started to unpack the groceries. Sally helped her.

‘It’s okay to be mad, Autumn. She’s a waste of good air. You know he’s only with her because of the baby.’

Autumn was silent. Sally put a hand on her arm.

‘You know, right? You know it’s you he loves. Always has.’

‘Please don’t. Just makes it harder.’

‘Sorry.’

Autumn sighed and went out front. Pete was in front of his house—also across the street. She watched Dee get out of her car, barking at Pete to get the bags. Sally came and stood next to Autumn.

‘God, this is a mess.’

Pete turned as if he had heard her. His gaze met Autumn’s. She looked away, tears threatening. ‘Yeah, it is.’ Her voice broke and she retreated into the kitchen again. Sally looked back at her brother and shrugged at him, holding her hands out in defeat. Pete tried to smile at her, but he failed and turned away. Sally’s heart ached for them both and she cursed Dee-Dee. Autumn came back out, carrying her coat and bag.

‘I don’t like to ask, especially after last week, but …’

‘Go.’ Sally said. ‘Take as much time as you need. Really. You know how much I like to be the boss.’

Autumn grinned at her. ‘I do know. Thank you, honey. You are the best friend anyone could have. I just need a day.’

She hugged Sally tightly. Her friend kissed her cheek.

‘Go heal your heart. Come back when you’re ready. We’ll go to the city and make out with some boys.’

 

A week later, Olivier Gallo cursed as his Porsche belched thick, black smoke from the engine and the car ground to a halt. He managed to glide it to the side of the road and get out.

“Goddamn it.” Oliver, despite his love of cars, knew absolutely nothing about them mechanically, something he regretted now.

He looked at his surroundings. On a whim that morning, he had driven north from his San Francisco home, having thrown a few clothes and toiletries into a bag, intending to go wherever his instinct would take him. Single life meant you could do that, he said to himself. His last relationship, with a wonderful woman named Hannah, had fizzled out and they’d both decided, with some sadness, to go their separate ways. Since then, he’d been to Italy to see his brother, Enda, and his lovely wife, Amalia where he had played with his niece, Serafina. He had loved the time he spent with them, but now felt isolated and alone. In the last few years, he’d lost his father and his brother Jackson—although the latter was no loss to anyone-- and while he had had plenty of friends, they were all coupled up.

So he’d taken to throwing a few things together in a bag and exploring the West Coast. Today he’d intended to drive along the coast road to Portland, but the Porsche had developed problems and now he was stuck …where?

He could see a few houses along the road. He checked the GPS on his phone. Nesika Beach, Oregon. Olivier knew he could call the roadside assistance people, but …there was something tempting about just pitching up to this small town and seeing what he found there. He could call out the recovery people another day. The car wasn’t impeding the highway.

Making his mind up, he grabbed his bag from the boot and walked toward the town.

There were a few homes dotted here and there, but as he walked, he found himself on what he presumed to be the town’s main street. Stopping to take in the businesses, shops, and markets, Olivier smiled to himself. There were certainly a lot worse places to be stuck in. His eye was caught by a coffee shop, which he saw doubled as a bookstore, and he headed for it.

A wave of chatter washed over him as he pushed the door open, and the barista behind the bar greeted him. He nodded, smiling at the young man then looking around. There was a fair mix of tourists and locals that he could see, all sitting at the small, round tables, drinking their tea and coffee, or browsing at the bookshelves. Olivier’s eye was caught by the young woman sitting at the far end. She sat sideways in an armchair, long legs flung over the arm, spectacles perched on her nose. She pushed up impatiently as she read. At her feet, an enormous tri-color dog was panting and lying patiently.

Olivier couldn’t help but notice the young woman was gorgeous. Long, dark hair fell in soft waves down her back, creamy skin the color of milk tea …

“Hey, buddy, what can I get you?”

Oliver jolted back to the present. The barista was grinning at him. Olivier had been caught out and he smiled sheepishly. “Americano, please.”

“Grande?”

“Go for it.”

He took his coffee to the table adjacent to the young woman. A man had to try, right? He almost changed his mind a moment later when the woman looked up and scowled at him, clearly annoyed by his presence.

A challenge, huh? Well, okay, then. Olivier smiled into his coffee, then bent down to make a fuss of her dog. The dog sniffed him cautiously, then licked his hand. Oliver scratched his ears.

“Gorgeous dog …Bernese Mountain dog, right?”

The woman looked up again, slightly mollified. “Right. Her name is Clem.”

“She’s a sweetheart.”

A definite thawing now, and the girl smiled at him. “Yes, she is.”

Oliver nodded, knowing he was on the right track. “Olivier.” He held out his hand. The girl hesitated, then pulled off her glasses and shook his hand.

“Autumn.”

Olivier felt a jolt. Her eyes were the most stunning he’d ever seen—bright violet. They stood out against the color of her dusky skin. Olivier’s groin tightened with desire, but he coughed, knowing he was staring. “My car just broke down along the road.”

Autumn put her glasses back on. “We have a mechanic. Karl Harte—the name’s ironic because he’s a cranky son-of-a-bitch and the least pleasant person you’ll ever meet, but he’s a good mechanic.”

“Thanks.” Olivier sipped his coffee and smiled at her, “Maybe you could introduce me?”

Autumn laughed, a deep, throaty sound that didn’t help Olivier’s hard-on dissipate. God, she was sexy, whether she knew it or not. “That probably won’t help. He hates me.”

“What did you do?”

Autumn gave him a strange smile. “I turned him down.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah. He’s easy enough to find. Just go down the street and follow the black cloud of malevolence.”

She grinned and Olivier laughed. “I may have to work up to that, then. Say, is there anywhere I could stay for a couple of nights? A motel or something?”

Autumn laughed again. “As a matter of fact, I do know somewhere. The Mahsie Guesthouse across the street. I happen to know they have a room available.”

Olivier smiled. Damn, this woman was pure sex. “And how would you know that?”

Autumn grinned widely. “Because I own it.”

 

Olivier looked around the room. It was decorated in muted colors, navy and duck-egg, and was elegant, with new furnishings, a bathroom, and a great view out to the ocean.

“Happy?”

He turned to Autumn, and for the first time saw uncertainty in her eyes. She wanted him to like the place. “It’s stunning. Thank you.”

She nodded, obviously pleased. Her dark hair rippled with her movement, and Oliver had to stop himself from bunching his fist in the thick strands and pulling her toward him, pressing his lips against her sweet, red mouth …

His erection was back. Damn it. Autumn seemed to notice the change in atmosphere and she looked uncomfortable. “Well, I’ll leave you to settle in. We don’t do food, unfortunately, but the diner across the street is open twenty-four hours and their food is amazing.”

“That’s great. Thanks. Look, can I buy you dinner for helping me out?”

Autumn hesitated. “I, er …”

“It’s okay. Look, I’ll be there from eight. If you would join me, I’d be very happy, but no pressure.”

She looked relieved. “Thanks …can I see later? I have some stuff going on.”

Of course. A boyfriend. Why wouldn’t this beautiful woman have a fleet of men in her wake? Olivier smiled and nodded. “Of course. Thanks again, Autumn.”

 

Autumn went back downstairs to where Sally was waiting for her. Her friend grinned. “Dear god, where did you find him?”

Autumn chuckled. “Wipe the drool from your face, Sal. He just pitched up in the bookstore. Apparently his car broke down.”

Sally whistled. “Girl …that man is gorgeous.” She looked crafty. “You should get on that.”

“Sally, please.” Autumn flushed red …because she had been thinking the same thing. Olivier oozed sex appeal and machismo, without being douchey. He had dark brown hair, cut short and neat, and a hard, elegant body …and his scent spoke of fresh air and expensive cologne. He had sent her senses reeling in the coffee house as he had sat near her, which had irritated her as well as turning her on. Why was good cologne like catnip to her? When she was in his room just now, she could have sworn that if one of them had made the slightest move, they would have ended up in bed …or maybe that was just her. God, why? Why now? Why, when she had just dealt with Pete’s betrayal? Why, when she wasn’t ready for a relationship, did she have to meet someone like Olivier?

Sally was studying her. “You’re overthinking it. Just fuck him. He’ll be gone in a couple of days anyway.”

Autumn frowned at her. “Keep your voice down, for god’s sake.”

“Sorry. But, look, how often do you meet someone like that?”

“I’m leaving this conversation now,” Autumn said, and giving her friend a roll of her eyes, she left the guesthouse and walked away, Clem at her heel.

As she let herself into her tiny beach house—four rooms maximum—and locked the door behind her, Autumn wondered if she could ever be a person who could have a one-night stand or a brief fling.

Maybe. Maybe that’s what she needed. Pushing the thought away, she went to run a bath.

 

Olivier went back down to reception and paid for his stay. Three nights, he told the pretty blonde on reception. “Maybe longer,” he smiled at her.

Sally—her name was on her tag—grinned back. “I’ll just need you to fill out your details and leave your credit card number.

Suddenly, Olivier hesitated. The Gallo name, ever since Jackson had kidnapped and tortured Amalia, his estranged wife, was a source of curiosity and scandal, and for just a few days, Olivier wanted to escape it. He took out his corporate credit card, handed it over, and filled in the registration form as Olivier James, his middle name serving as his pseudonym.

Sally took his card and ran it through, glancing up at him. “You’ve made an impression already,” she said mischievously. “Not often I see my boss flustered.”

Olivier grinned back at her. “Well …she’s a beautiful woman.”

“Yes, she is. Okay, here’s your card back. Enjoy your stay, Mr. James.”

Olivier liked the young woman immensely. He laughed. “Thank you. I shall. Now, I have to go see the mechanic …I’ve heard he’s a jolly chap?”

Sally rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that sounds like Karl. Enjoy.”

 

Sally watched him walk out to Main Street and turn left toward the mechanic’s place. She knew she shouldn’t have teased the stranger –like that—Autumn would kill her—but she couldn’t help but notice the attraction between them. And Autumn does need to get laid, she thought to herself, with a grin.

Her cellphone bleeped. Are you speaking to me yet?

Pete. She gritted her teeth and texted her brother back. No. You are a douchebag.

Yes, I am that. Forgive me?

Maybe. I’ll see.

Love you, sis.

Love you too, bro. But you’re still a douchebag.

 

Autumn got out of what was now a very cold bath and toweled herself dry, trying not to look at the red dress she had bought only a few days previously. It was an open-backed, deep red dress that came to her mid-thigh, snug in the bodice, then flaring out at the waist. It was the kind of dress that could look dressy, but without jewelry, would look casual too. When she’d tried it on in the store in Portland, she’d felt sexier than she had in a long time.

It was the perfect dress for …a casual dinner with a handsome stranger.

Stop it, she told herself. I can’t believe you’re even considering it.

But something had shifted in her since Pete’s betrayal. She was still raw, but inside, Autumn felt a recklessness come over her. I need to move on, and I need something to kick start it.

Before she could change her mind, she grabbed the red dress and slipped it on. Fuck it. Come on, then, Olivier, show me what you’re made of.

 

He hadn’t really expected her to come, but when he looked up and saw her approach him, looking shy and utterly stunning, Olivier stood, a thrill going through him.

“Hello again …well, I admit, I’m surprised, but delighted. Please …”

He held out the chair opposite him and Autumn sat down. Her dark hair was pulled over her shoulder, and he saw the smooth curve of her back. The caramel-colored skin made it so tempting to draw a finger down her spine. He resisted, instead breathing in her scent—clean skin and soap, with a note of jasmine. Heady. Erotic.

Calm yourself, man. Olivier sat down opposite her and handed her a menu. She smiled at him. “I almost talked myself out of it, but then I thought, what the hell. You liked my dog.”

Olivier laughed and Autumn grinned at him. “I do, very much.”

As they choose their meals, they talked about general things like family and education. He found that she had been a business major at Berkeley, that her family was back in New Orleans, and that she had fallen in love with the West Coast and made her home here. Autumn didn’t mention a boyfriend, and Olivier didn’t want to ask. He gave her a carefully-edited history, telling her his brother now lived in Italy with his wife and child, and that he had no other family here. She looked sympathetic, but to his relief, didn’t press the issue.

The food was good, and as they shared a bottle of red wine, they both relaxed. He found Autumn funny and erudite, and was ashamed to be surprised to find someone like her in the tiny town. Old prejudices, he supposed. Having lived his entire life in a big city, he had never experienced the close community of small town life. He told her that and she nodded.

“Well, that’s honest, at least, and to be truthful, I felt the same way when I first came here. But the people are so warm, inclusive, and intelligent. Liberal, thank god. Oh, we have our demons,” she grinned. “And no one is perfect, but, yeah, I love it here. Are you still in San Francisco?”

Olivier nodded. “For the moment. I love it. It’s in my blood. But at the moment, I find myself wanting more than city life.”

“Like what?”

Olivier laughed. “I’m not sure. Adventure. Life. Peace. Fun. God, I miss fun. I’ve been so absorbed in the business and with …other stuff lately, that I miss having fun.”

Autumn sipped her wine. “Other stuff? Like …your wife? Girlfriend?”

Olivier met her gaze. “Neither.”

Autumn’s face took on some color, but she smiled into her wine glass. “Okay.”

Olivier’s hand was very close to hers on the table, and he stroked the back of her hand with a one finger, softly. “How about you?”

Autumn, her face adorably matching her dress, shook her head and took a deep, shaky breath in. “Olivier …we don’t know each other.” Her fingers linked with his. “But sometimes, I think that’s okay, you know?”

Olivier nodded. “I do. I think, sometimes, it just is what it is.”

Autumn swallowed hard. “I don’t do this usually. I’ve never done this.”

“You can trust me.”

She lifted her chin and met his gaze. “Don’t say that. Trust isn’t a part of whatever this is.”

Olivier nodded, wondering who had hurt this woman so much in the past that she felt she had to say that. “Okay.”

 

They paid the check, Autumn insisting they split it, and once outside, she hesitated before offering her hand to him. He took it and she led him along Main Street. It was late September, the sun had set, and a cool breeze blew from the ocean. Autumn shivered, and Olivier slipped his jacket off and put it around her shoulders. She looked up at him gratefully and his groin tightened again. S, beautiful …

He tilted her chin up with a finger and brushed his lips against hers. Autumn responded, her lips curving up into a smile as she kissed him. They were breathless when they broke apart.

“Wow,” Olivier said in a soft voice. “Just wow.”

Autumn grinned up at him, and then they couldn’t wait to get back to her little home.

Clem got up to greet them both as they came in, but soon settled back down to sleep on her huge bed. Olivier looked around at the simply decorated, yet warm room. Bookshelves filled the walls of the living room and the shutters at the windows were wooden and painted white. He nodded approvingly. “I love it.”

Autumn flushed with pleasure, and he took her in his arms. “Are you sure?”

She nodded, her eyes serious then. “Yes.” A whisper. She took his hand and led him into her bedroom. He did what he had wanted to do all night and drew a finger down her spine. Autumn trembled and turned to him. Olivier kissed her again, pulling the spaghetti straps of her dress down her shoulders. The dress fell to the floor. He cupped her full breasts in his hands, and pulling down the lacy cups of her bra, took each nipple into his mouth in turn. Autumn gave a low moan of desire and Olivier felt his cock harden, almost painful against his underwear. He swept her off her feet and onto the bed, standing to strip himself while admiring her body. Her skin was such a glorious golden color, her figure shapely and womanly. Naked, he buried his face in her belly as she stroked his hair, and he could feel that she was quivering, nervous, and shy. He smiled up at her.

“Don’t be nervous, baby.”

He pressed her legs apart gently, feeling her resist at first. Then, when his mouth found her clit, he heard her small cry of desire. His cock was straining now, eager to be inside her, but Olivier prolonged the sweet torture, using his tongue to harden her clit. He brought her to near orgasm, just with his mouth, her sex red and swollen with desire. He climbed up the bed to kiss her mouth, feeling her nipples hard against his cheek and hearing her breathing quicken. Autumn’s face was flushed beautifully, her hair clouding around her head. “God, you’re so beautiful …I need to be inside you.”

She nodded, her eyes alive with desire, and he smiled. He sat up, just for a moment, to roll a condom onto his cock and then hitched her legs around his waist. Her cunt was so wet for him—a glorious sight—and he teased her entrance with the tip of his cock, sliding it in and out, just an inch, tormenting her and prolonging the anticipation. When he thrust deep for the first time, Autumn gasped, tightening her thighs around him with her head thrown back, and he kissed her throat as his cock rammed deep inside her.

“Oh god …Olivier …” Her fingernails dug into the muscles of his shoulders, and Olivier loved the quick pain of it as he fucked her. He took her hands and pinned them to the bed, dominating her body entirely, drinking her in as they made love, and feeling the softness of her lips against his.

As she came, her back arched and her soft belly pressed against his as she gave a long, deep moan of release. Olivier buried his face in her neck and groaned as he too reached his climax, his body flooded with endorphins. As they collapsed back on the bed, they caught their breath, smiling at each other.

“That was …incredible,” Autumn managed as she panted for air. Olivier kissed her mouth again.

“And that was only the start, beautiful …I hope you didn’t have any plans to sleep tonight.”

Autumn chuckled, wriggling under him. “None at all …”

Olivier stroked her cheek with his finger. “So …how adventurous are you, Miss Keller?”

Autumn hooked a leg around him. “What do you have in mind?”

“All kinds of things …in every room of this place. In every position. I want to see your beautiful body in every way. Maybe bound. I’d like to fuck your perfect ass and come in your sweet mouth…”

His dirty talk was turning her on so much that she began to moan, grinding her sex against his thigh. “Fuck me …fuck me hard, Olivier …”

Olivier grinned. “Believe me, I’m going to fuck you like you’ve never been fucked before, Autumn Keller.”

She moaned impatiently and he laughed. Glancing around, he grabbed the belt from her robe and wound it around her hands, binding them to the bedpost. “Now you’re helpless, pretty girl …completely at my mercy.”

He could see both excitement and fear in her eyes and knew adrenaline was flooding her body. And god, what a body …too often, in his high society world, the women he dated were stick-thin models who looked like they would break. Autumn Keller had the killer curves of a Monroe or a Mansfield. And the way their bodies fit together so perfectly …

He kissed her again, harder this time, and she responded, nipping at his lower lip with her teeth. He grinned. “Rough?”

Autumn nodded eagerly. “Rough, baby …” She laughed, then gasped as Olivier thrust his cock into her, pressing her knees her to chest, and slamming his hips as hard as he could to go as deeply as he could. Autumn cried out, egging him on, and calling his name over and over as he fucked her relentlessly and masterfully. She came twice before he felt himself close, then he pulled out and came on her belly and breasts, thick, creamy cum soaking her skin.

Still bound, Autumn writhed beneath him as he fucked her with two fingers while his thumb stroked a beat on her clit. “I want to suck you,” she begged, and Olivier turned around in the bed so she could take his cock in her mouth, as his own found her sex.

Her tongue traced the vein along his cock as it stiffened under her touch, teasing the sensitive lip, and lashing around the wide crest of him. Olivier, his mouth clamped over her clit, nipped at it, feeling it quiver and harden. Soon they were both moaning, almost delirious, and he came in her mouth. Autumn swallowed him down, wanting to give him as much pleasure as possible.

 

Autumn felt unreal as he untied her hands and lay down beside her, catching his breath. She had never experienced this kind of sex before—completely uninhibited, open, mutual, and erotic. When Olivier turned her onto her stomach and pushed gently into her ass, she discovered new realms of pleasure. She’d never even entertained the idea of anal sex before, and now she wondered what she had been missing all these years.

No. It was him, Olivier. That’s why she felt like this. His heady mix of machismo and tenderness when he touched her—but there was respect there. He was worshipping her body, making sure that she was having the time of her life. What a man …what an unusual, sensual, generous man …

She was going to enjoy this time with him, these few days he was here, and she would not let any doubts or fears or inhibitions cloud it. As he made her come again, she released a long sigh of release, of pleasure …and of trust.

 

Through the slats of the window shutters, he watched them, jealousy and rage curling in his belly like a snake. His eyes were glued to Autumn; her body glowed golden in the lamplight of her bedroom, and as she sat astride the bastard in her bed, his eyes traced the contours of her glorious body.

Whore.

His jaw clenched as he watched her slowly impale herself on the stranger’s huge cock, her hair streaming down her back and her mouth open as she gasped for air. So beautiful …

Fucking whore.

He would make her pay for this …she was his. She had always been his. And that bastard, showing up here just today thought he could take what was his …

He would make them both pay.

 

Finally, exhausted, they slept, wrapped around each other, Autumn’s head on Olivier’s chest. He cradled her face in one big palm, and when he woke, he was glad to see she hadn’t moved away from him. He got the impression of a butterfly with her—that she would commit to him fully during the nighttime, then fly away in the day. So, when she opened her eyes and smiled at him, Olivier’s body relaxed.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

She laughed softly. “Good morning to you.”

They both heard a whimper out in the living room and Autumn glanced at the clock. “God, look how late it is. I’d better let the pooch out to pee.”

Olivier grinned and nodded down to his penis. “Me too.”

Autumn laughed. “TMI. Go ahead. The bathroom’s just there. I think there’s a new toothbrush in a packet in there.”

“My breath that bad?”

She grinned and kissed him. “No, but I suspect mine is.”

“Nope.

“Sweet talker. Go siphon your python.”

Still laughing, he heard her talking to Clem as she let the dog out into the small garden. He found the spare toothbrush—pink, cute—and was brushing his teeth when she returned, picking her own toothbrush up. They grinned at each other with soapy mouths and laughed; it just felt right to be silly with this girl, Olivier thought. When they had rinsed, Autumn cranked the shower on and dropped her robe. “Join me?” she said, looking up at him under her lashes.

They fucked again in the shower, Olivier’s strong arms hold her easily in his arms as his cock drove deeper and deeper into her. Autumn bit down on his shoulder as she came, then his lips were crushing against hers again.

 

When they had dressed, Autumn went to let the dog in and poured some kibble into a bowl for Clem. The dog fell onto her food as if she’d never been fed before and Autumn laughed at her. She noticed the flag on her letterbox was up and went to collect her mail. The envelope was black. She frowned and ripped it open.

Whore.

She flinched and looked around, trying to see if anyone was near. Her home stood at the edge of the beach. She could only see people in the distance walking their dogs. She looked again at the letter. Vile, nasty, cruel. She blinked back tears. Was someone really this petty? She shoved the envelope into the back pocket of her jeans and went in.

Olivier was peering in her refrigerator. He grinned at her. “You know you have a yogurt that’s a week past good and a half bottle of O.J.? Do you eat?”

Autumn laughed, not hurt at all. “Believe me, I do. It’s just I forgot to go grocery shopping. Look, shall we grab breakfast at the diner?”

Olivier stood. “Hmm. That would mean sharing you with other people and I’d planned to keep you to myself today—if that’s okay with you?” He grinned, and Autumn felt a pang of fondness, as well as desire.

“Well, we could go grab some eggs and things at the market, them come back here. Although I have to warn you, I’m a very impatient cook. If it’s not one pan and less than five minutes in preparation, I’m out.”

Olivier grinned. “Got it. As long as you’re a naked cook.”

“Think of the spattering if I’m frying bacon.”

“Naked,” he insisted, and she started to giggle at his playfulness.

“Okay, naked, but if my nipples catch fire …”

He kissed her, rubbing his thumbs across her chest. “I’ll put ‘em out.”

Autumn rolled her eyes, smiling. “Let’s go shopping.”

 

In the Farmer’s Market, only a few townsfolk were around as Autumn and Olivier filled a cart with food, so she could avoid most questions. She shook her head, laughing to herself as they strolled around the aisles, Olivier making her laugh by playing the fool. How many one-night-stands came grocery shopping with you in the morning?

Admit it, woman, you don’t want this to be a one-night stand. “Shut up,” she murmured to herself. But Olivier was intoxicating. She had to admit that. Olivier was ahead of her now as she stopped to load a bag of dog kibble into her cart. Her skin prickled and she got the sense of someone watching her. She turned.

No one. Paranoia. It was that damned note, still burning a hole in her pocket. Whore. She wondered if it was Dee-Dee; the two women had hated each other since college. Dee-Dee had always been jealous of her. When Autumn had been made class valedictorian, Dee-Dee had spread the rumor that Autumn had slept with their professor. When Autumn had found out, she’d had to be held back from punching Dee-Dee across the quad. It had to be Dee-Dee; no-one else would care that she was fucking Olivier.

“Hey, gorgeous …zoned out?”

She smiled at him now. “Just for a second. Wondering if I’m too old for Pop Tarts.”

“You’re never too old for Pop Tarts.”

 

Back at home, they cooked breakfast together—eggs, bacon, and link sausages, the latter of which Clem had her eye on as soon as they hit the plate. Olivier fed the dog his share and Autumn rolled her eyes. “You caved.”

“I can’t resist a pair of beautiful eyes,” Olivier laughed, “Especially when they’re so passive-aggressive and furry.”

Autumn giggled and petted her dog, who, having swallowed Olivier’s offering whole, turned to her next. “No way, dog. You’ve had enough. Hey, I need to walk her after this; want to join me? We usually walk a few miles down the beach.”

Olivier, his mouth full, nodded. “Love to. God, it’s so chilled here.”

Autumn grinned. “You can tell from one day?”

“Okay, well, it’s chilled here, in this house.”

“Ah. That’s just because you ain’t seen my crazy, boy.” Autumn slid back into her Louisiana accent, and Olivier laughed.

“I’ve seen most of you,” he said in a mock-serious tone and Autumn pretended to be shocked. How strange it was to feel this comfortable with someone this soon. She felt like she had known this man forever.

 

As they walked along the beach later, Oliver took Autumn’s hand and wondered the same thing. Twenty-four hours can change your life, he thought. It had never happened to him before, but he knew it was possible. His half-brother, Enda’s, life had changed in a blink of an eye when he’d seen his love, Ama. Was this how Enda had felt when he’d seen Ama?

Autumn Keller was a revelation to him. This, this was what he had been looking for most of his forty-plus years on the planet. A lover who was also a friend, a playmate, and an equal. He loved the life she had here—quiet, peaceful, and of her own making. There was a lot to admire about Autumn Keller, he decided.

They talked as they strolled, nodding hello to other dog walkers. When they got back to the house, they made love again, slowly and tenderly, forging a deeper connection between themselves. Over a homecooked supper, they talked some more, and Olivier wondered if he was right to edit his life to avoid her questions. He hadn’t exactly lied to Autumn—just omitted some facts. He still told her about Enda and Ama and Serafina—just not about their troubled history. He didn’t mention Jackson at all, but then he rarely mentioned his brother to anyone anymore.

His cell phone bleeped just after six p.m. as they washed the dishes. “It’s your delightful mechanic friend,” he grinned at Autumn. “Apparently, he’s fixed my car.”

Autumn’s smile faltered a little. “Oh, right. That was quick. Especially for Karl.”

Olivier cupped her face in his palm. “My car being fixed doesn’t change the fact I want to be here with you. We said a few days. I meant it.”

Autumn hated that her disappointment was obvious. If she felt this way after twenty-four hours … “Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” she said suddenly, her voice breaking a little. “I thought I could do this—be one of those people who could have fun and not have my feelings involved.”

Olivier’s eyes were serious now. “I feel the same. I don’t do this either. This is all new to me. No, really,” he smiled, when she looked skeptical. “When I said the next few days …I think I already knew I didn’t mean, ‘but only those few days.' I’d like to see where this goes, Autumn. I really would.”

She touched his face, moved by his words, and nodded. “Me too. Now go get your car before thigs get too revolting and mushy.”

 

Olivier walked down Main Street thinking of what had just happened. He had truly meant it when he said he’d like to pursue a relationship with Autumn, but the words had surprised him when he’d spoken them. Was he doing the right thing? When she had expressed her doubts, he had felt a panic inside him; he didn’t want to let her go.

 

Karl Harte stood at the back door of his workshop and stared at the newcomer crossing the street from The Varsity. He watched as the man left Autumn’s house and strolled down toward the workshop. Like the cat who got the cream. Karl eased himself away from the wall as the man approached his car. He looked pleased and nodded to Karl.

“Thanks for doing this. What do I owe you?”

Karl nodded into the office and the man followed him, paying with a corporate credit card. To Karl’s disappointment, he couldn’t read the man’s signature, so he couldn’t prove his new theory about the man. He waited until Olivier had tucked the receipt back into his wallet.

‘I’ve seen you before.’

Olivier looked up and half smiled. ‘I’m sorry?’

‘I’ve seen you before somewhere. Before yesterday.’

Olivier shook his head. ‘I don’t think so, my friend.’

‘I ain’t your friend. And I’ve seen you. And I don’t like you.’

Olivier laughed softly. ‘Really? Okay, then. Well, have a good day. Thanks for fixing the car.’

‘You’re trouble.’

Olivier stopped smiling. ‘I think you must have me confused with someone el …’

‘You stay away from her.’ Karl nodded towards Autumn’s house.

‘Excuse me?’ Olivier looked affronted.

Karl grinned nastily. He stepped toward the man, but then he saw Pete Ford leaning against the wall of the police station, smoking a cigarette and watching them. Karl scowled. Olivier followed his gaze, then turned back to him.

‘Listen, my fri …look, man, this is my first visit here. You have me confused with someone else. Now if you’ll excuse me.’

‘You stay away from her.’

Olivier shook his head, gave a frustrated laugh, and got into his car. Karl banged on the window and saw Olivier sigh, then press the button to roll it down.

‘What now?’

Karl stuck his finger in Olivier’s face. ‘I’m watching you.’

Olivier rolled his eyes. ‘Whatever gets you through the day, friend.’ He closed the window and drove away. He chewed on the wad of tobacco he kept in his cheek and spat it out. He knew he’d seen that asshole someplace before.

‘Yo, Karl.’

Ugh. Pete Ford was walking over to him.

‘The hell you want?’

Pete grinned. ‘Always a pleasure, bud. You scaring the tourists again?’

Karl sneered. ‘I ain’t gotta tell you a thing, dumbass cop.’

Pete laughed. ‘Oh, Karl, I could always make up some reason to pull you in.’

The other man looked at him with dislike, then grinned. ‘Caught him sniffing ‘round Autumn …yeah, I thought that’d get your attention.’

Pete had gone very still. ‘I’m sure he was just friendly.’ He couldn’t help glancing over to Autumn’s house. They both watched as Olivier parked outside and got out. Autumn opened the door and grinned at him, then Karl and Pete both watched as Olivier kissed her full on the mouth.

Karl smirked. ‘You keep telling yourself that, wiseass. Now if you’ll excuse me, officer, I got work to do. Makes one of us, I suppose.’ He cackled, a harsh, mocking sound that only got louder as Pete turned and stalked back to the police station. Karl wedged a new wad of tobacco in his cheek, glanced over to Autumn’s house again, and went back to work.

 

Autumn found the note the next morning, before she and Olivier went out for a run along the beach. Olivier was in the shower when she grabbed the envelope and ripped it open. The breath caught in her chest, then tightened as she read the note.

I’m going to kill you soon, Autumn. Enjoy the time you have left.

She crumpled the note up and fought back the scream. She wasn’t scared—she was angry. Such a cruel way to torment someone. If she went to the police, would they laugh at her for being hysterical? Would Dee-Dee, who she was sure was behind the notes, mock her in front of the townsfolk?

Fuck. She shoved the note in the trash can and tried to put it out of her mind. Did she really think someone wanted to kill her? No. It was ridiculous.

Just ignore it and she’ll stop. Autumn steeled herself, gritting her teeth. Don’t let it spoil your time with Olivier.

 

Later, Sally saw Olivier and Autumn emerging from the beach in their work-out clothes, heading toward the guesthouse. Autumn caught her eye. Sally grinned and gave her a look that said: There will be questions.

Autumn managed to surreptitiously give her the finger while chatting animatedly to Olivier. Sally sniggered to herself as her friend and her companion opened the door.

‘And what are you smiling about, Ms. Ford?’ Autumn’s arch tone did not reach her shining eyes. Sally feigned ignorance.

“No idea what you’re talking about. Hello again.”

Olivier smiled back at her. “Hi. Listen, turns out, not going to need that room. I’m happy to pay for it, though.”

Sally’s grin made Autumn glare at her. “There’s no need for that,” she told Olivier. “I’m sure we can let it out.”

Olivier hid a smile. “I’ll just, um, go get my things, then.”

He disappeared up the stairs. Sally nudged her friend. “You little minx.”

Autumn tried not to smile. “May I remind you that you yourself told me to, er …”

“Fuck him? Yes, yes, I did. I’m so proud of you. I bet it was good too.”

“That’s private.”

“Well, the fact you can’t walk properly is obvious.”

Autumn flushed red as she giggled. “Sally, I should fire you.”

“Yeah, but you won’t. Seriously, though, he’s gorgeous. Well done, you.”

“What are you congratulating Autumn for?” Neither of them saw Pete come into the reception area. Autumn flushed.

“Nothing.”

The atmosphere got awkward, then, and Sally cleared her throat. “So, bro, how goes things?”

Pete was staring at Autumn. “Good, thanks. Auttie, can I have a word?”

Autumn really didn’t want to be alone with him and was glad when Olivier clattered down the stairs with his bag. “Hey, hey.”

She turned to him gratefully. “Hey, Olly. This is Pete, our chief of police and Sally’s big brother. Pete, this is Olivier James.”

Olivier shook a rather taken-aback Pete’s hand. “Good to meet you, Chief.”

Pete gave him a smile that turned chilly as soon as Olivier put his arm around Autumn’s waist. “Yeah, you too. What brings you to our little town?”

Olivier grinned, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room. “Yesterday? A broken altimeter. Today, a beautiful woman.”

“Well.” Pete met Autumn’s gaze. “That was …quick.”

Autumn flushed at the slight and Olivier’s smile faded. “And our own business, I should have added.” He said it smoothly, but the anger in his words was obvious. He smiled down at Autumn. “Ready, honey?”

Clearly irritated by Pete, she smiled back broadly at him. “Yes, baby.”

Olivier turned to Sally and winked at her. “Later, Sally. You’re a sweetheart.” And your brother is a douchebag. Sally chuckled and met Olivier’s gaze with a little nod. Yep, I know. “Later, Olly. Hope to see more of you.”

When Autumn and Olivier had left—Autumn ignoring Pete when he said goodbye to her—Pete turned to his sister, his annoyance obvious. “What,” he said to his snickering sister, “the fuck is going on?”

Sally patted her brother’s chest comfortingly, despite the fact that she wore a wide smile. “I think you’ll find Autumn has, um, moved on. Suck it up, bro.”

 

Autumn pulled the knot of her robe tightly around Olivier’s wrists and smiled down at him as she straddled him, naked.

“Now I get why it’s torture,” he said. “I can’t reach your beautiful breasts or stroke your belly.”

“That’s right,” Autumn said, grinding her sex against his cock, but teasing him and drawing away. Olivier laughed.

“So this is revenge, huh?”

“Sure is.”

She gripped his cock, stroking her hands up and down and feeling it harden under her touch. “Baby?”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to come on my breasts?”

Olivier grinned. “Yes, please …”

Autumn was obviously enjoying herself. “Do you want to come on my belly?”

“God, yes.”

She leaned over to kiss him, sliding the tip of his cock into her deep, round navel. She felt his body tense and knew he liked that. “You want to fuck my belly, baby?”

His kiss was rough as she stroked him, and he rocked his hips, fucking her belly-button as his cock grew even stiffer. They rocked in perfect rhythm until she heard him draw in a sharp breath. Then he came, shooting creamy white come onto her belly. It drove her wild with desire. She released his hands, and he pulled her down on top of him, kissing her roughly before flipping her onto her back.

“You are such a fucking sexy woman,” he growled, his lips against her throat, biting down on her shoulders. Autumn wrapped her legs hard around him as he pinned her hands down onto the bed and plunged his cock into her. “I’m going to fuck you until you scream.”

And scream she did, all night long, as he took her again and again until they were both exhausted.

 

Four days. Four days were up, and Autumn knew this was the day she might have to say goodbye to Olivier—to the man, whether he knew it or not, who had utterly changed her life in just a few days. Not just the incredible sex, but the time they had spent talking, walking, or exploring Oregon. Now, awake before him, she gazed at him as he slept. He’s so damn handsome, she thought, like a movie star. How could a man like this end up in her tiny little town and be interested in her? It didn’t seem real.

“Who are you, really?” she whispered, but smiled to herself. She knew who he was. Handsome, goofy, funny, intelligent—he was perfect.

Olivier opened his eyes and smiled at her. “Are you watching me sleep like that creepy vampire dude in that film?”

Autumn giggled. “Hey, don’t diss Twilight,” she joked. “It’s Sally and my go-to for ‘so-crappy-it’s-almost-good’ girl’s night viewing. I could probably narrate the entire film to you.”

“That’s not something to be proud of,” he laughed as he leaned over to kiss her. She kissed him back, trying to save the memory of the feel of his lips.

“So,” she said hesitantly. “I guess it’s the day.”

Olivier nodded. He bent his head to kiss her breast. “I was thinking …I do have to check in at work and maybe grab some changes of clothes …but, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to come back.”

Autumn grinned widely, delighted. “Proving I have absolutely no chill, I would love that.”

Olivier laughed. “Chill is overrated. Now, before I head off …” And he pulled her to him and began to kiss her.

 

Autumn felt guilty that she hadn’t been working for the last few days, but Sally waved away her apology. “Girl, if I had the chance to get a man like that to myself for a few days, you wouldn’t see me for dust.”

Autumn grinned at her. “And what would Harry say about that?” Harry was Sally’s husband of seven years and they were devoted to each other.

Sally shrugged. “If the guy was on my ‘allowed’ list, he couldn’t complain.”

“And how many men are on your ‘allowed’ list?” Autumn laughed, and Sally pretended to consider.

“About sixteen.”

“And Harry’s?”

“One. Beyoncé.”

Autumn nodded approvingly. “Completely understandable. Hell, Beyoncé would be on my list.”

“Word, sister. Now, I need to go check room seventeen—apparently the guests last night were, um, recreational.”

“Eww.” Autumn wrinkled her nose, then laughed. “Not that I’m one to judge.”

Sally giggled, then disappeared up the staircase.

Autumn checked the bookings—the guesthouse was fully booked for the next couple of months, even though it was the off-season.

She heard the door open and looked up. Pete stood in the doorway, nervous and awkward. Her heart thudded with sadness, but not, she was surprised to note, anger. It was as if he’d become—she struggled to think of a word—a stranger, but she knew she no longer felt anger towards him. If he hadn’t gotten Dee-Dee pregnant and hadn’t screwed Autumn over again, she might never have met Olivier. And that had changed her whole attitude toward him. She took a long breath in and gave him a small smile.

“Coffee?”

His surprised delight made her chest ache.

“If you don’t mind.” He came over to the counter as she poured him a cup from the pot they always kept on reception and thanked her. She made herself a cup of tea, and he was about to say something when a couple came in to register. Pete sat down on one of the couches, and when Autumn had dealt with the newcomers, she joined him, giving him a small smile.

“How’s …Dee,” she choked off and looked away. “How’s the baby?”

“Growing fast.” Pete looked a little wary, then pulled out a sonogram photo and handed it to her. Autumn had no idea what she was looking at, and Pete laughed. “Yep, same here. But that’s my kid—even if it does look like E.T. at the moment.”

Autumn grinned. “Well …congratulations. I don’t think I’ve said that yet.”

Pete looked uncomfortable. “Look, Auttie …”

“Don’t. Let’s just reset, okay? We’ve both moved on.”

He looked relieved. “Friends?”

“Friends.”

Pete looked around before meeting her gaze. “So, didn’t see your fella’s car outside your place.”

“He’s gone back to San Francisco for a day or two. Work. He’s coming back at the weekend.”

Pete nodded and sipped his coffee. Autumn could feel the questions in the air and sighed. “Just ask, Pete.”

“Does he know about us?”

“Yes.”

“What did Mr. Machismo think?”

Autumn gave him a look. “He thinks you’re a very pretty girl and wanted to know if you’d date a swell guy like him.”

Pete glared at her. “Any chance of a straight answer?”

She grinned. “So to speak. He’s fine with it. Why wouldn’t he be? And don’t call him names. You don’t know him.”

“Shall I repeat the list of names my wife has acquired in this guesthouse over the years?” Pete raised his eyebrows at her.

“That’s Sally. I don’t call her those names. Not out loud,” Autumn added, and Pete laughed.

“How long is Mr. … Olivier staying then?”

She shrugged. “A while. Says he wants to get to know me.”

“I bet he does,” Pete muttered. “Where did Sally go?”

“I’m here.” Sally walked in the back door. ‘Hey, bro, everything okay?’

“All good.” He eyed his sister. “What do you think of Autumn’s new guy?”

“Gorgeous, sexy …single.” Sally couldn’t resist the dig at her brother and he flushed. Sally shrugged when Autumn shot her a curious glance. “I’m right, though, aren’t I, Auttie?”

“Yep to all of those.” Well, Pete deserved a little ribbing. “He’ll be around for quite some time, I think.”

Pete rolled his eyes. “Great.”

Autumn gave a frustrated sigh. “Actually, it is. For me. I deserve a little happiness, don’t you think?” She walked off to clear some tables and Sally gave Pete a glare.

“You might not want to push the whole jealousy thing too far.”

Pete shrugged. ‘Yeah, but…”

“No, bro. Drop it. You’re pissing her off.”

But Pete was riled himself now, clearly. He addressed Autumn. “Look, as a friend, I have to ask. What do you know about this guy? He pitches up here in a goddamned Porsche for chrissakes, all charm and swagger, and within hours he’s seducing you? What if he’s a serial killer, Autumn? Did you consider that before you let him in your bed?”

Sally whistled. “Too far, bro.”

Autumn didn’t smile. She remembered the notes that had been put in her mail box. They’d started when Oliver had arrived … no, don’t be ridiculous. She glared at Pete. “Really?”

“I’m just looking out for you.”

“No, you’re not. You’re pissing around me, marking your territory. Well, Peter, remember this. I’m not yours to protect anymore. Got it? Stay out of my business, or I’ll make a complaint to your boss.”

Autumn slammed down the coffee pot down and stalked into the kitchen.

Without another word, Pete drained his coffee and walked out. Sally, twisting her blonde hair up into a chignon, stared after her brother and gave a frustrated sigh. When Autumn returned to the reception, she threw her an apologetic look.

‘Don’t get too annoyed with my brother. He’s just …’

Autumn cut her off with a wave of her hand. “Don’t want to hear it. Sorry, Sal, it’s just he pisses me off.”

Sally hugged her. “Understood. Let’s forget about him.”

 

Pete stomped, angry and unseeing, into the police station.

‘Hey, boss.’ Mike, his deputy, greeted him, then, seeing his face, made himself scarce. Pete slumped into his chair. He leaned forward and put his face into his hands.

‘Shit. Shit.’ He’d blown it; his jealousy over Olivier James had clouded his view and Autumn had called him out on it. She was right, of course, but it still hurt.

He looked up and out of the window. His mood worsened when he saw Autumn walking across the street, then stopping to answer her cell phone. From her delighted smile, he guessed it was Olivier calling her. God, she was so beautiful, so glowing with excitement and joy …how the hell had he ever been so stupid as to give her up?

But his curiosity remained …Olivier James looked too familiar to him. It wasn’t the good looks, as such, although they pissed him off too. The man had a presence that said, ‘I am someone.’ Neither did Pete really believe that ‘someone’ was a criminal, but you never knew.

Pete flicked on his computer and started a search. It wouldn’t hurt to run Olivier’s name and plates through the system, just in the hope of finding out information. A lead. A scintilla of a clue as to who he was and where he’d been. What he wanted with Autumn. Pete ignored the –obvious—why wouldn’t he want her? Pete gritted his teeth. Lateral thinking was what he needed. He closed his eyes. Come on, Ford, he thought to himself. Think. He looked up again, indulging himself by staring at Autumn as she chatted with a friend out on the street. Her hair was loose today, flowing over her shoulders. She had her usual flared blue jeans on, paired with a turquoise blouse with a Mandarin collar. The color suited her. Pete smiled to himself. He chewed his lip for a moment, then turned to the screen. The name Olivier James came up with nothing. Pete hissed in frustration and ran his registration instead.

The data came up immediately, and Pete whistled to himself as he read the information. No, Olivier James wasn’t a serial killer or a miscreant.

He was a goddamn billionaire.

And his name was Olivier Gallo.

Pete sat back. Did Autumn know? Was she helping Gallo keep his identity on the down low? If so, then she wouldn’t appreciate Pete sticking his nose in …their friendship was on very shaky ground as it was. Could he really risk losing her over this?

No. He wouldn’t say anything, but he would keep vigilant. That, after all, was his job as chief of police. That, he could justify.

 

***

 

Autumn pulled open the door and flew into Olivier’s arm as he arrived the following night, a day earlier than he’d said. “God, I missed you,” he said, burying his face in her hair and breathing in her scent. He found her lips and kissed her tenderly at first, then as she pulled him inside and kicked the door closed, his hands were tearing at her clothes. They stripped each other quickly. “God, Autumn …”

He was inside her quickly, and they fucked hard and fast, eager to reconnect. Autumn gasped as he thrust hard, his mouth rough on hers, her nails clawing at his back as his cock plowed deeper and deeper.

She came, her back arching, and he felt her belly press against his as he shot deep inside her. Olivier groaned her name as he came. They caught their breath, gazing at each other. Olivier smiled, his arms tightening around her. “Hello, baby.”

Autumn chuckled, still breathless. “Hello, darling. How was your drive up here?”

“I think I broke every speed law to get back to you.”

She flushed. “I’ll come visit you in choky.”

“Thanks.” He kissed her. “Promise you’ll come wearing an old mac and nothing underneath?” He grinned as she laughed.

“That’s your kink, huh?”

Olivier trailed his lips across her throat. “You are my kink, Ms. Keller.”

Their playful banter was interrupted suddenly by Clem yawning loudly. Autumn and Olivier looked at the dog, who stared back at them balefully. “I hope that wasn’t a review of my performance, Clem.”

Clem, seeing their attention was on her, gave a muted woof and ambled over to them. Olivier scratched her ears and Autumn beamed. “She adores you.”

Olivier smiled. “The feeling is mutual. I adore her mom too.”

He kissed Autumn tenderly. “How has this happened?” He shook his head, giving a disbelieving laugh. “A week ago, we didn’t know each other existed. Last night, back in my own bed …I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t feel like it was home. Insane.”

Autumn grinned, hooking her leg around his waist. “Maybe it is insane. But who cares?”

Olivier nodded, gathering her to him. “Agreed. Who cares when it feels this good?”

“How long can you stay this time?” Autumn looked as if she was nervous to ask the question, but Olivier brushed her lips with his.

“As long as you want me, beautiful. As long as you want me.”

 

Autumn smiled to herself. It had been a month now since –Olly—and he had become Olly to –her—had come back to her, and it just got better and better. They talked for hours and made love long into the nights…Autumn felt a thrill go through her as she remembered Olly’s thick, long cock inside her that morning. He’d fucked her on the kitchen table, unable to stop himself when she’d stolen his white shirt and worn it to breakfast, unbuttoned, completely naked underneath. His mouth on her breasts, her belly, her clit …she shivered in anticipation.

They didn’t often talk about his work; she knew he ran a conglomerate, but he was happy just to work from home most days, or sitting with his laptop in the coffeehouse where they had met. The few days he did spend in San Francisco, he would race through meetings and commitments in his eagerness to get back to her.

There was only one dark cloud in her world. The threatening notes kept coming and she had to scramble to make sure Olly didn’t see them. They were vile, hate-filled pieces of filth that she got rid of soon as possible. There was no other incident or occurrence that gave her any indication that her tormentor was serious about the threats, but the hate in the notes wore her down.

 

She was thinking about them as she walked home. She saw the lights in her home were on, warm and welcoming on a fall evening. It made her heart happy. It’s our home now, she thought. How easily Olivier had slotted into her life. He had even made friends with some of the locals, although Pete was still distant with him. Autumn didn’t care—Pete needed to grow the fuck up, as far as she was concerned.

“Hey, Autumn, hold up.”

God …Karl. Autumn forced herself to give him a smile. “Hi, Karl, what can I do for you?”

He stood too close—he always did—and she shifted away slightly. He noticed and smirked, then nodded toward her home. “He a permanent fixture, now, is he?”

Autumn’s shoulders tensed with irritation. “Karl, my private life is just that. Private.”

She turned to go, but he grabbed her arm. She tried to yank it away, but he held her fast, his eyes boring into her.

“Is he a good fuck, Autumn? Is that why he’s deemed good enough when the rest of us weren’t?”

Autumn reeled at the bile in his voice. Asshole. She tried to wrench her arm away. “Go fuck yourself, Karl.”

“What the hell is going on here?” Olivier, tall and angry like an avenging angel, was suddenly beside her. Karl released her arm. Olivier was twice his size, and he knew when he was beaten.

“Just having a conversation with an old friend, if it’s any of your damn business.”

Olivier stepped closer to Karl. “It very much is my business, Karl.”

Karl had opened his mouth to speak, when they were startled by a vicious growl. They all turned toward the sound. Clem had emerged from the house and was staring at Karl. Her muzzle was twisted into an angry snarl, her blazing eyes fixed on the mechanic. With a furious bark, she hurtled along the sidewalk and threw herself on Karl, who screamed as the dog’s powerful jaws clamped down on his arm. Olivier and Autumn both grabbed for the dog, Olivier managing to hook her collar. He rapped Clem hard across the snout and the dog released her victim. Olivier manhandled the still-barking dog into the house, sharing astonished glances with Autumn. She turned to Karl, who had stripped down to his shirt, rolling the sleeve up to inspect his arm.

“Karl, she’s never acted like that before …here let me see.”

She touched his arm, but he snatched it away from her. Startled, she looked up at him and recoiled from the contempt in his eyes. He stared at her with a look of such pure venom that it took her breath away.

“You fucking whore …” He stepped towards her. “I’ll kill that fucking dog. I swear I will.”

Autumn’s heart was in her throat. Was it him? Was it him threatening her? The quiet violence of the moment was broken by Olivier, breathing hard from his struggle with the angry dog.

“I think it’s better you go, Karl. Now.”

Karl was silent for a moment, unsmiling. Autumn held her breath. Leave, she thought. Go away and never come back.

Karl smirked in Olivier’s face, then cast one last glance at Autumn, his eyes raking all over her body. Olivier stepped in front of her, protective and furious. Karl turned on his heel and walked off.

Olivier put his arm around Autumn, whose whole body was trembling. “You okay, baby?”

She nodded. “That was nasty.”

“He’s a vile dude, all right.” He studied her carefully. “What did he say to you?”

“It doesn’t matter. Let’s go home.”

 

They fixed dinner together, as had become their habit, but Olivier noticed Autumn was quieter than normal. Her lovely face was pale, her usually sparkling eyes dull. He leaned over and stroked her cheek. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

She smiled at him. “Ah, nothing. Just people sometimes. They can be jerks.”

Olivier put down the knife he was holding and put his arms around her. “Don’t let that asshole get you down. He doesn’t deserve a second thought.”

“I know. Sorry.” She smiled suddenly. “I must be hormonal. God, Olly …what have you let yourself in for?”

He laughed. “Listen, I’m not one of those men who gets freaked out by a woman’s cycle. I know the routine – feed, comfort, and don’t even try to pretend I’m right about anything.”

She kicked his butt gently. “You’re either very well trained or a madman.”

“Both.”

Autumn nodded, but stayed silent. Olly saw the expression on her face—jealousy? “We’ve never had that conversation, have we? The exes?”

Autumn smiled sheepishly. “No. Then again, my exes equate to one. Pete. And you knew that.”

Olivier looked astonished. “One? Have you seen you?”

Autumn flushed. “What can I tell you?” She chopped a few more vegetables before asking, ever-so-casually, “And you?”

Olivier hid a smile. “Well, let me preface this by saying, I’m fourteen years older than you. So …there have been a few women.”

Autumn nodded. “Few, as in a ‘fewer than ten,’ or ‘fewer than Hugh Hefner?’”

Olly laughed. “The first. And no really long-term relationships, either. In fact, I’d say this is my longest relationship.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Her delighted smile made him want to kiss her, so he did, and dinner was soon forgotten.

 

He watched them through binoculars from the beach side, hoping no one would see him. The bastard was kissing her again, pushing up her skirt and lifting her onto the counter. Jesus, all they ever did was fuck …

He lowered the eye-glasses. While he enjoyed seeing Autumn’s sexy body and her full, ripe tits, and enjoyed watching her being reamed by the dude’s enormous cock, he’d seen enough. It should be him fucking her, his name she should be screaming.

No matter. Soon, he would make her scream …when he murdered her. Whore. He would enjoy killing her.

She was dead the minute she’d let that bastard into her bed.

 

Dee-Dee Ford hated seeing her husband so down and dejected. It should be the happiest time in their marriage, but Pete seemed completely withdrawn and listless. His face was drawn and his pallor pale and clammy. He looked so much older than a few months ago, she realized with a pang. She rubbed his arm. “You okay, honey?”

Pete sighed. “I need to tell someone about something I found out, but it’s about …Autumn’s welfare and I don’t want to piss you off.”

Dee-Dee sighed. She was trying, she really was, but even the sound of Autumn Keller’s name set her teeth on edge. She put her hand on her swollen belly and steeled herself.

“Pete, baby …we’re married and we’re supposed to be able to talk. I know Autumn and I aren’t exactly friends, but she’s a part of your life—your past.”

Pete looked away from his wife. “Dee-Dee …before you told me you were pregnant …”

“You were going to leave me for her. I know.”

Pete’s eyebrows shot up. “You do?”

Dee-Dee nodded, ignoring the pain shooting through her. “Pete …I don’t think either of you were really prepared to be together again. That’s not me being a bitch. It’s me saying that if you had left me for her …I truly believe you would have come back to me. Yes, we have problems, but I think, with all my heart, we can make this work. And on some level, I think Autumn knew that. Otherwise, why would she have rebounded so quickly with that new guy?”

Pete nodded slowly. “The new guy is my problem. He’s not who he says he is.”

It was Dee-Dee’s turn to look surprised. “Oh ho ho, what’s this now?”

Pete couldn’t help but smile at her glee. “By all means, enjoy it here, in private, but this is strictly between you and me, Dee. You have to promise. I could get into trouble.”

“Cross my heart. Go on. Is he a conman? A big-time gangster?”

Pete laughed. “No, quite the opposite. He’s a billionaire, from San Francisco. Olivier Gallo.”

Dee frowned. “That name sounds familiar.”

“His brother, Jackson, was a psycho. Kidnapped his wife and killed a few people. Jackson’s wife ran off with Olivier’s half-brother.”

“God, yes, I remember….and Autumn’s new fuckbuddy is the brother?”

Pete nodded. “And she doesn’t know. He booked into the guesthouse under a different name, and as far as I can tell, Autumn has no idea he’s a Gallo.”

“And you don’t know whether to tell her?”

“No, I’m saying I’m not going to tell her.”

Dee considered and nodded slowly. “As much as I’d like to burst that bitch’s bubble—sorry—I think you’re right. The less we have to do with them the better.”

She got up and went to sit on his lap, kissing him tenderly. Pete grinned. “Oof, fatty.”

She laughed and smoothed his blonde hair away from his face. “We’re going to make it, Peter Ford. I swear to god we will. And now …we can all get on with our lives. I might even be pleasant to your ex, next time I run into her.”

 

The final note was the worst. Of course, Autumn had no idea that it was the final note …just as she had no idea that her perfect little life was about to fall apart.

It came the morning Olivier told her that he wanted to take her on vacation. “A friend has an island in the Indian Ocean. There’s a very secluded, very private villa we could stay, where you could be naked all of the time.”

She grinned at him as they sat at her little table. “Will you be naked all of the time?”

“Unless I’m frying bacon. Because of the spatter.”

Autumn grinned. “Sounds like heaven …but you have friends who own islands? Jeez, man, fancy. I’m lucky if I have a friend who owns a Hibachi.”

Olivier rolled his eyes, smiling. “Are you finished, wise-ass?”

“I’m done.”

He leaned over and kissed her. He tasted of toast. “Well, then, what do you say?”

Autumn nodded slowly. “Let me figure out some finances and I’ll get back to you. Sounds heavenly, though.”

“You don’t need to worry about money,” Olivier said, pinching her last piece of toast from her plate. “I’ve got this.”

She bugged at him. “No way, dude. I pay my own way.”

Something in her tone obviously told him not to push it, but Autumn was a little uncomfortable. It was the first time money had been an issue in their relationship. She knew he must be pretty well off—he had that sweet-ass Porsche for one thing—but maybe he was richer than she’d expected and that bothered her. Autumn had always paid her own way—college, rent, everything …

“Olly? You should know something about me. I don’t come from any kind of money. My ma and pa still work, and they’re in their sixties. They only had one kid, because my ma got pregnant by accident when they couldn’t really afford to have kids, but she wouldn’t consider an abortion. So, the Keller’s are workers. We don’t borrow money and we don’t spend money we don’t have. And I don’t let anyone pay for me, you know?”

Oliver nodded slowly. “That’s admirable. But I’m talking about a vacation—just one. And the island itself is free. The villa’s free.”

Autumn smiled. “You’re sweet, and I promise, I will consider it. But then I pay for my flight, and half the food and other stuff.”

“Fine.” He glanced at his watch. “Look, I have to drive down to ‘Frisco, but I only have a meeting this morning, so how about I meet you at the coffee house this afternoon?”

“Coffee date? I like it.” She went to sit on his lap. “When is your meeting?”

“Noon.”

She glanced at the clock and grinned. “So you have a little time before you have to go?”

He slid his hand between her legs and started to caress her as he kissed her lips. “You need to be fucked before I go, pretty girl?”

Autumn gasped as he began to slide two fingers in and out of her cunt. “God, yes. Yes, I do…”

 

She was still glowing from the almost frenzied lovemaking two hours later when she went to check in on the guesthouse. Sally rolled her eyes when she saw her. “Girl, it’s your day off. Get lost.”

“I just have some accounts to catch up on. And Olly’s in SF until later,” she admitted. Sally chuckled, and a half hour later, when Autumn’s head was stuck in the bookkeeping, Sally brought her some tea and lingered.

“So …this thing with Olly is getting serious, huh?”

Autumn smiled. “Pretty much. God, Sal, it’s so good to finally trust a guy, you know?”

“I do. He’s a keeper. I can tell.”

Autumn sat back in her chair and sipped her tea. “Is it too good to be true? I trust Olly completely, but there’s still a part of me—probably thanks to your brother, sorry—that’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. No offense.”

“None taken.” Sal perched on the side of her desk. “Auttie …Pete isn’t a bad guy. He’s just a weak guy who always thinks the grass is greener, you know? When he was with you, he wanted Dee-Dee—excuse me while I vomit—and vise verse. I think Dee-Dee getting pregnant was the best thing that could have happened to him—and you.”

Autumn nodded. “I agree.”

“And you don’t need to worry about Olly. He’s solid.”

 

Autumn returned home just after one p.m. Olly had messaged her that he was escaping work early. Autumn grinned. He was such a slacker. She jumped in the shower and changed into fresh clothes to meet him at the coffee shop. It was as she was leaving for the coffee shop that she noticed the flag on her mailbox was up. Immediately, her skin began to prickle. The familiar envelope was in there.

She grabbed it, shoved it in her pocket, and walked down to the coffee place, feeling her adrenaline spike and her temper roil around inside of her.

She ordered her coffee, not engaging with Kirk the barista as she normally did, and went to find a table in the corner. She took the envelope out and studied it, trying to find any clues on the blank surface.

Open it.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she ripped the envelope open, as if to save herself from reading it. Her curiosity won out over her fear.

 

The question is to stab or to shoot? Do you have any preference about how you want to die, whore? Or are you not that fussy—same as you’re not fussy who you spread your legs for. You give sluts a bad name, but soon it won’t matter, because soon, you’ll be dead. Very, very soon.

And maybe I’ll kill that asshole you’ve been fucking after I make him watch you die.

Remember that, bitch.

 

“God, still trying to learn to read, I see.” Dee-Dee. Autumn looked up and scowled at her nemesis.

“Fuck off, Dee-Dee.”

Dee-Dee flipped her the bird. “I was actually coming over here to make nice, but screw you, whore.”

She turned to go, not noticing Autumn had gone very still. “What did you call me?”

Dee-Dee leaned over and got in Autumn’s face. “W.H.O.R.E. Whore. Spreading your legs for anyone who comes along—excuse me, any rich man who comes along.”

Autumn lunged at the blonde woman, dragging her over the table and pounding on her. “Was it you? Have you been sending me those vile letters? I’ll fucking kill you!”

Dee-Dee screamed as Autumn punched at her. “Get this crazy bitch off me!”

Autumn felt two strong arms pulling hers behind her back and hauling her away from her victim. “Autumn! Quit it now! What the fuck are you doing?” Pete.

She whirled on him and threw the letter at him. “Your fucking wife has been sending poison pen letters to me…threats. That’s what’s fucking going on!”

“I haven’t sent you any goddamn letters, you fucking psycho.” Dee-Dee was up and wiping her face. Her lip was bleeding. “You probably sent it to yourself to get more attention for yourself. Don’t think that fucking perfect face of yours fools me, slut. You were all ready to fuck my husband before Mr. Billionaire came along.”

“Dee!” Pete shouted a warning. Autumn was confused.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Dee-Dee was so riled up, she ignored the fact that the entire coffee shop had gone silent. “I’m talking about Olivier Gallo, you ignorant bitch. Your boyfriend is a Gallo. You know, the one with the psycho brother. Perhaps that’s what turns him on about you. You have so much in common.”

“What the fuck is going on?” They all jumped as Olivier’s voice, loud and furious, cut across the room. He stood at the doorway, staring into the room. “Chief, all due respect, let go of Autumn, please.”

Pete dropped Autumn’s arms, but she didn’t move, just staring at Olivier.

Olivier nodded, his face serious. “My name is Olivier Gallo. Olivier James Gallo. I didn’t want anyone to know I was a Gallo for obvious reasons. My family’s history is bloody, cruel, and hurtful. I wanted a chance to be free of it.”

The room stayed silent, the shock burrowing deep into Autumn’s bones. Tears started to fall.

“Six weeks,” she whispered. “Six weeks we’ve been together and not one word. Not one. Fucking me every night, talking about our future …and I didn’t even know who you really were. I trusted you and you lied. I thought …” She couldn’t continue. Her voice choked up and she pushed past everyone. Olivier reached for her, but she ducked out of the way.

“Don’t. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

Olivier rocked back. “No, Autumn, please …”

But she kept walking, sobbing now. She went into her home, locked the doors, and climbed onto the couch, Clem next to her. She hugged the dog as she cried her heart out.

 

Olivier looked so shocked and devastated that Pete felt his heart go out to the other man. Even Dee-Dee looked upset and ashamed. She went to her husband. “I’m sorry, Pete. I lost my temper.”

He hugged her quickly. “It’s okay. Go home. I’m going to talk to Olivier.”

She nodded. “I am sorry.”

He gave her a small smile. “I guess we have to work at this, huh?”

Dee-Dee left, throwing a quiet, ‘I’m sorry,’ at a stunned Olivier. Pete steered him into a chair and signaled to the barista for coffee.

“What the hell just happened?” Olivier said finally, his eyes focusing on Pete.

Pete shook his head. “I’m sorry, dude. That got way out of hand.”

“How did your wife know about me?”

Pete felt ashamed. “It was me. I did a background check on you. I know. It was a gross invasion of privacy. Olly …I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am. If I hadn’t told Dee-Dee who you really were …I was jealous, man. It’s no excuse, but it’s the only reason I have. I was mad that Autumn had moved on so fast, and that she was happy with someone who wasn’t me. And I have no right to think like that. I broke her heart once and then did it all over again. Except for this time, even if she didn’t know it, her heart wasn’t broken. We were never meant to be. Do I love my wife? I don’t know. She’s not the best person, or hasn’t been to Autumn, but with me, she’s different. I’m guilty of fucking around on both of them.” He sighed. “So, anyway, I’m sorry.”

Olivier nodded. “Thank you.”

“Out of interest, and tell me to mind my own beeswax if you like, but why didn’t you tell her who you are?”

Olivier was silent for a long moment. “Because of the Gallo name …you know who my brother was. Jackson Gallo. He’s the reason I’ve spent too many days in places like this. The unspeakable things he did to his wife, to his ex-girlfriend, and to a friend of ours—all women, of course—tainted our name. At least here in the States. For just once, I wanted not to be Olivier Gallo. Just Olly. No baggage.”

Pete studied the other man. “You love her.”

Olly nodded. “I do. I’m so in love with her. God, man, I shouldn’t have lied.”

Pete felt something shift in his soul at the sight of this big man, humbled by love and cowed by devastation.

Olivier asked him, “What the hell do I do now?”

 

Her tears finally dry, Autumn let the dog out to pee and went to run a bath. She avoided her face in the mirror, knowing all she’d see was puffy red eyes and heartache. She heard Clem bark and went to let her back in, only to find the door locked. She frowned; she never locked the door when Clem was in the garden. Someone moved behind her and she spun around just as Karl clamped his hand over her mouth.

He grinned nastily as he dragged her towards her bedroom. “Time to die, whore.” He threw her onto the bed, and as she turned, she saw him draw a gun from his pocket. He grinned and showed it to her.

“I chose ‘shoot.' I’ve got six bullets here and I’m gonna empty all six into your pretty belly, Autumn. No one says no to me, and definitely not a slut like you. But first …you’re going to open those legs for me, baby.”

As he approached the bed and began to unzip his fly, Autumn started to scream.

 

Dee-Dee Ford went outside to catch some air. She’d given up smoking when she’d found out she was pregnant, but right now she missed it Her guilt over what she’d done was killing her, despite her hatred of Autumn. The heartbreak on her nemesis’s face had gotten to her, and she wished she had never opened her mouth. It would make things very awkward in this tiny little town.

Maybe you could do something about that, Dee. Change your ways. Go apologize. Try to make nice. She could see Pete and Oliver still talking in the coffee shop. Yeah. Maybe she, Dee-Dee, town bitch, could still surprise people. She closed her door and walked down the street toward Autumn’s house. She drew in a deep breath. Yeah, this is the right thing to do.

 

“What I don’t get is why? Why did Autumn go off at Dee-Dee?” Olivier looked so desolate that Pete shook his head.

“She said something about a note. Wait, she threw it at me.” He went to retrieve the crumpled piece of paper from the floor. “She accused Dee-Dee of sending these to her.”

Pete smoothed out the paper and read it. His face drained of blood and he held the note out to Olivier. Oliver read it and staggered to his feet as Dee-Dee burst into the coffee shop hysterical.

“He’s killing her …Autumn, please, she’s screaming!”

 

Sally locked reception and stepped out into Main Street in time to see her brother, his wife, Olivier, and some other men running down the street shouting. In horror, she saw them running to Autumn’s little home, and then, the sound of gunshots.

 

Autumn kicked his groin as he came close and skittered to the other side of the bedroom. Karl, enraged, got off a shot, but it missed her by inches.

“Fucking bitch!” Karl, recovering, advanced on her.

Autumn backed away now, terrified and trapped in her own bedroom. I’m going to die here, she thought as Karl moved towards her, the gun in his hand, lethal, deadly, and aimed at her midriff.

“You always were a stuck-up bitch,” he said, his voice gravelly from hatred and bloodlust. “I wasn’t good enough. That dumb cop wasn’t good enough. Now we know why. You were holding out for a fucking billionaire! Whore …”

He was too close now, but she had nowhere to go. Autumn’s eyes never left the gun as Karl pressed it to her. He really was going to kill her, wasn’t he?

“If that’s what you think, Karl, you’re mistaken. I didn’t know who Olly was until this afternoon and when I found out …I sent him away.”

“Right.” Karl drew out the word, sarcastic and disbelieving. The muzzle of the gun was cold against the skin of her belly. Please, God, make it quick. She closed her eyes …as she heard a shout. Her name being called.

Olivier.

“Olly!” She screamed his name, and as Karl was momentarily distracted, she knocked the gun away from him and ran. His next shot hit the wall in front of her. “Stop, or I swear I’ll kill him too.” Autumn froze. “Turn around.”

Autumn turned as she heard the door being kicked behind her and her name being called. Karl smiled nastily. “Time to die, beautiful.”

He shot her in the belly as Olivier burst into the room, and she saw his face contort in horror and grief as she crumpled. Olivier roared and launched himself at Karl, knocking him to the floor, away from Autumn. The gun skittered out of Karl’s hands. Autumn clutched at her belly, her legs giving way and blood pumping out of her. Darkness was at the edge of her vision and her chest felt tight. So much pain. So much. She could smell her own blood.

Olivier was punching the crap out of Karl, and the other man was limp now, unconscious, if not dead. Autumn reached out her hand to Olivier as Pete burst into the room, followed by a hysterical Sally and a pale, shaken Dee-Dee.

“Oh, god, no!” Sally screamed when she saw Autumn, and her scream brought Olivier back to his senses. He dropped Karl and went to his love, scooping her into his arms. Pete was pale.

“Come on, we’ll go in my cruiser. It’ll be faster. There’s an emergency room at Gold Beach.”

 

Autumn was still conscious as Olivier held her in his arms in the back of the cruiser. His hand, his big, warm hand, was pressing down on her wound, keeping the precious blood inside her. She smiled up at him. “You saved me.”

Olivier, his face tense and desolate shook his head. “This was my fault. If I had told you the truth from the beginning, you wouldn’t have been alone and vulnerable tonight.”

“No,” she said, drifting now. “This is Karl’s doing …he was crazy jealous …I’m not his. I was never his …I’m yours, Olly …I love you …”

Her head fell back and her eyes closed. “God, no, Autumn, you cannot die. Pete, fucking drive faster. She’s bleeding to death …”

Pete, the sirens on and already doing a hundred miles an hour, stepped on the gas. Soon they were screeching up to the entrance to the E.R., and within seconds, they were swept up in a deluge of doctors and emergency room staff as they bore Autumn off to surgery.

 

Olivier sat in the emergency room, his head in his hands. Pete sat opposite him, with Dee-Dee clutching his hands. None of them spoke. Olivier’s clothes were covered in Autumn’s blood.

Sally arrived then, having been brought by the deputy. “Karl’s in jail. He demanded to be brought to the hospital, but Harry said no way. He threw him in a cell and told him to man up. I said he should have said ‘woman up,’ just to piss Karl off, the bastard.” She drew in a shaky breath. “How is she?”

Olly shook his head. “We don’t know yet.”

“Miss Keller will be fine.” The doctor appeared behind Sally and smiled at them all. “The bullet didn’t hit any major organs, although she lost a lot of blood. We stabilized her now. You’ll be able to see her in a few hours.”

Olivier thought he might collapse with relief. “Oh god, thank you. Thank you.”

Sally burst into tears and hugged the surprised doctor. “Well, well,” he said, patting her back. Pete too looked on the edge of tears.

 

Later, the doctor said Autumn could have one visitor. Olly suddenly felt like he couldn’t impose, but Sally and Pete looked at each other. Sally hugged Olivier. “Give her our love and tell her we’ll come visit her tomorrow, if that’s okay.”

Olivier felt a rush of warmth and gratitude. “Really?”

“Really.” Pete clapped him on the back. “Go get your girl.”

 

Olivier opened the door to Autumn’s room and slipped inside. He thought she was asleep, but then she turned her head and gave him the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. He crossed the room to her in a second and pressed his lips against hers.

They were both breathless when they broke apart, and Autumn laughed, gasping for air a little. Olivier, his eyes serious, held her face in his hands. “I love you, Autumn Keller. I think I’ve loved you since that first night. You are the light in my heart.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “I am so in love with you, Olly. Like I have never experienced. I’m so sorry I sent you away …forgive me?”

“If you’ll forgive me for not telling you the whole truth.”

Autumn nodded, tears dropping down her face now, though she was smiling. “Olly …”

He kissed her again and again until they were both laughing.

 

The next day, Autumn was waking from a nap when there was a hesitant knocking on her door. “Come in.”

Dee-Dee came in, her face pale. Autumn was astonished, but tried to smile. “I really don’t want to fight. But if you’ve come to finish what I started, well played. I’m down and out.”

Dee-Dee laughed softly. “No, I haven’t come to fight. Autumn, I can’t apologize enough for what I did …if I hadn’t opened my dumb mouth.”

Autumn smiled. “Well, if I hadn’t acted like a psycho …”

Dee-Dee sat down on the chair beside Autumn’s bed. “You had every reason to believe I wrote those notes. God, Autumn, why the hell didn’t you tell Pete about them after the first one?”

Autumn sighed. “Because …I did think it was you and I didn’t want to start a thing …until I did start the thing. Dee, I know we have every reason to hate each other, but I’m so sick of it. You and Pete are together, the baby’s coming, and I have Olly.”

Dee leaned in conspiratorially. “The billionaire.” She grinned.

Autumn laughed. “Believe me, that was news to me, and it doesn’t make any difference to me. I’m no gold-digger.”

“No,” Dee-Dee nodded. “You’re not.”

There was a small silence, then Autumn said, “Dee, the thing with me and Pete a few months ago …I don’t know what I was thinking, and I apologize. I want you to know …I did not sleep with him during that time. I just got caught up in whatever it was Pete had going on. I’m sorry. I really am.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that. For my part, I guessed that it was one of Pete’s …episodes, shall we say.”

Autumn reached for her hand. “Dee, if you hadn’t come that night—if you hadn’t brought the others—I’d be dead. Thank you.”

Dee flushed. “It was the least I could do. I’m glad you’re going to be okay.”

Autumn smiled. “Dee …shall we surprise everyone and try and be friends?”

Dee grinned. “I would like that. Besides. I don’t have anyone else to throw me a baby shower except you and Sally, so …” She hesitated, then hugged Autumn gingerly. “Get well, sweetie. We have a lot of years to catch up on.”

 

Autumn stretched her body out on the sun lounger and yawned expansively. Olivier, his hands occupied with two cocktail glasses, set them down on the table beside her and then straddled her bed. She grinned up at him. Olivier’s eyes ran all over her gloriously naked body.

“Damn, girl, you are one sexy woman.”

Autumn grinned at him. Three weeks on this tropical island—the tropical island that his family owned, for chrissakes—was definitely making her recovery a whole lot easier. Well, she called it recovery. In truth, it had been six months since she’d been shot and now she was fully recovered. She gazed up at her lover, his swarthy skin tanned by the sun and his cock standing proud and hard against his belly. Autumn smiled lazily at him. “Is that for me, sir?”

She spread her legs slowly, then shrieked with laughter as Olly moved quickly, dropping down and thrusting into her. She moaned happily as his cock plowed deep into her cunt, and his mouth was harsh on hers. She gasped as he seemed to go deeper and harder than ever before, and she nipped his earlobe with her teeth as she whispered to him. “God, I love you, Olivier Gallo.”

Her new husband grinned back at her. “As I love and will love you forever, Mrs. Gallo …”

And they made love long into the night.

 

 

The End.