Chapter 17

Olivia

We worked through the rest of the presentation and didn't say another word about our past, which I was more than grateful for. The mention of a ring almost bent me over emotionally. Why in the world had he thought to buy me a ring and then stabbed me in the heart with his rumors about us? Why would someone do that? Nothing matched up. The good-hearted boy that held me on the swing every evening in the summer on my momma's front porch was not the same guy that told the school I was a slut. No way.

But it had happened just like that. I had to shake it off and get myself in go-mode. It was time to step up and win more business for the firm, which would not only impress Luke but seal the rightness of his decision to bring me on board.

"We done? Ready?" I picked up my copy of our notes and walked toward the door.

Caden glanced over his shoulder, his eyes moving down my body and leaving me weak in the knees.

"Yeah. Let's meet up in ten minutes in the large conference room in the lobby. You going to grab Luke?"

"If he's here. Yeah. See you in there." I turned and walked out into the hallway. People bustled by me, saying good morning here and there. I walked into Luke's office to find him on the phone.

He motioned for me to close the door behind me.

"Yes, Sam. I understand. Talk with Annie and get on my calendar. We'll figure it out together, or I'll bring Caden in and he can work through it with us." Luke laughed. "He's the brains behind the operation and I'm the suave one."

I rolled my eyes and moved over to stand by his windows. The view of the city was spectacular from that high up.

He finished his call and moved up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning down to kiss my cheek. "I miss you. It's been three or four days since I've had you. That's far too long."

"I was trying to spend some time with Dana." I turned in his arms and slid my hands up his chest. As much as I wanted something to spark back to life with Caden, it was wrong to want it. Even if everything worked out between us, there was still the issue of Luke. I couldn't ask Caden to do something so vile to his brother, nor could I. Not to mention the loss of our partnership, which I was just starting to work toward. It would ruin everything. Was love worth that? Some part of me knew it was, but I had to ignore it - for all of us.

"When is she gone?" He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine.

"She took a cab this morning to the airport." I lifted to my toes and pressed my lips against his again, closing my eyes and enjoying how good of a kisser he was. His tongue rolled past mine and I groaned as my nipples budded. "I need you."

"Good. I need you too, baby." He slid his hands down my back and cupped my ass tightly before leaning in for a more aggressive, hungry kiss.

I slid my hand into his hair and tightened my hold on him as the sound of the door opening behind us caused my heart to almost stop in my chest.

"Luke, we need-" Caden.

I moved back and brushed my hands down the front of my shirt as Luke turned toward his brother and growled. "Fucking knock."

"I'm sorry. I'm just used to walking in." Caden's eyes moved over to me, and I couldn't help but feel incredibly ashamed. I'd been thinking about Caden just before making out with Luke, but I couldn't give up my life for a hope, a wish that wasn't going to come to fruition. By the look on his impossibly handsome face, he was hoping that I would.

"No worries. We ready to do this?" Luke glanced over at me and back toward Caden, whose expression had hardened. He was pissed.

"Yes. I'll meet you guys in there." I walked by Luke, who popped my ass and growled softly.

Caden moved back and opened the door wider. "The computer is set up and everything is ready to go."

"Thanks," I whispered and averted my eyes from him as I moved into the hallway. Some part of me wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there for a while. I felt like I'd cheated on him, which was absurd.

"Hey." His voice stopped me.

I turned to see him closing Luke's door. "What?"

"Do you love him?" He stood in the middle of the hall, reminding me so much of the little boy I grew up to love with every ounce of my heart. We'd been through so fucking much together, but we were grown now.

"I'm with him, right?" I turned and walked down the hall toward the conference room. Why couldn't I just fucking lie? If I could just tell Caden that I loved Luke, he would back off.

Because I don't want that. It would be worse than death to see him back off, to feel him leave again.

"That isn't an answer, Olivia." He moved in behind me in the conference room and gripped my arm, pulling me back as he closed the door. "I have to know. Please. Just tell me if you love him."

"Love is irrelevant, Caden. It's for little girls with stars in their eyes. This is the real world, and Luke fits into my life."

"Which is a lie."

"What?" I pulled from him and put my hands on my hips. We were headed back into a fighting match, which was exhausting me more than the desire to take him down to the floor and fuck him mercilessly.

"Your life is a lie." He shrugged and slipped his hands into his pockets. "So is mine. It's all good, just don't sugar coat a turd. It doesn't work."

"It's don't try to put lipstick on a pig." I laughed in spite of the anger still rolling through me. "Sugar on a turd. Interesting."

I moved toward the front of the room only to have him grab me and pull me back toward him. I pressed my hands into his thick chest and looked up slowly, coveting the delicious muscles of his neck and the strong masculine features of his face. His green eyes left my heart racing, my stomach tightening painfully.

"Do you love him?" He reached up and touched the side of my face. "Tell me. I'll shut the door on the past and leave it alone if you love him."

"Do you love me?" I slid my hands down his chest and over his sides to rest on the tightness of his stomach. "Not back then. Now."

"Not fair." He brushed my hair from my shoulders and cupped my neck. "You're so fucking beautiful. You have no clue how precious you are, do you? From your button nose to your long silky hair. The strong confidence and intelligence that radiates from you, and best of all…" He moved one hand down to rest above my left breast, rubbing softly as his eyes followed his movements.

My breath caught in my chest as need attacked every inch of me with hot desire.

"Your sweetheart. There are so few women like you. Stop living a life that isn't yours." He moved his hand back up to cup my neck and brushed his thumbs under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. "You asked me if I still love you. You sure you wanna know? You seemed pretty content with my brother."

"He's my boyfriend." I started to pull back as guilt left me feeling like a whore, but Caden held on tightly, locking me into place with his strength.

"No. You don't get to run right now." He brushed his thumb against my lips. "I've loved you since I was ten years old. That hasn't changed a bit, nor will it ever. I'm damned to test every woman against who I imagine you to be, none of them measuring up at all. Seeing you with Luke destroys me, and yet I can't walk away. So yeah... I did love you with all of my heart."

"And you still do." My lip quivered as I lifted on my toes and pressed against his hold to kiss him hard. I didn't know what it meant or how we could figure it out, but I couldn't leave him standing there vulnerable and broken in front of me. I would never leave him hurt for a minute if I could find a way to make it stop.

I just wasn't sure if he would return the favor. We had a lot to figure out.