“Yeah, but his hot ocean-blue eyes are dreamy. He’d be perfect for you, Liv.”
“I just lost Jack. Now’s not the time.”
“Yeah, right. Look, I’m really sorry about Jack and still in shock over what happened to him…but he dumped you right before your wedding.”
“Thanks for the reminder.”
“You’re welcome. If it wasn’t for this Dane guy what would have happened to you?”
Crap! Bria was very right. What would’ve happened to Olivia if Dane hadn’t stepped in when he did? If he hadn’t been there for her to wipe the shame of being jilted off her face. To make her look good. Dane was a one in a million. But he wasn’t into rebound relationships. And she was definitely rebound material. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was to jump into another relationship any time soon. What if it didn’t work out, just like her relationship with Jack? She couldn’t take much more heartache. She was sure she’d reached her limit where disappointing relations were concerned.
“Well, when is the right time then?” Bria probed.
Olivia remembered what Dane said about jumping out of a relationship and right into another one right away wasn’t a good idea, anyway. Not that he looked as if he was going to kiss her again anytime soon, to her body’s chagrin. But oh, boy, his soft lips were deliciously addictive.
Olivia never, ever felt that way with Jack. Not even a spark. Nada. How crazy was that?
But oh, it was tempting to try to be with Dane.
Was that what his ex went through? Was Dane the knight in shining armor at the time? And then when the dust settled in her mind, did she have second thoughts and go back to her ex-boyfriend because she realized she wasn’t quite over him?
Olivia’s head was beginning to hurt.
She’d just taken a too-long shower in the guest bathroom and put on a silk gown, hoping Dane would have knocked on the door to wish her goodnight so she could pull him in—by accident, then kiss the life and soul out of him.
Stop dreaming, Olivia. It’s never gonna happen—again. That was apparently a one-off kiss from Mr. Sexy-Knight-In-Shining-Armor.
After she ended her phone call with Bria, Olivia pulled the lovely duvet comforter on the bed and got cozy on the mattress, feeling as if she’d slipped into a piece of heaven. Her body just felt deliciously comfortable. It was the most lavish bed with luxury bedding sheets she’d ever experienced. The silky thread of the bed hugged her. So this was how the rich lived. Everything was super lavish and extra comfortable. It must be very nice to live like this every day of the year.
She wished Dane could be there with her. But he was probably doing everything to avoid getting close to her again.
* * *
“You are going to ask her out on a date when this whole thing settles over, aren’t you, son?” Jonah wasted no time in asking Dane pointedly.
“Jonah, drop it. It’s not going to happen.”
“What? Not going to happen?” Jonah said as he sat by the fireplace in the study in his cozy recliner.
“I just met her…” Dane added.
“So? My parents fell in love at first sight before the war. And professed their love that very week. They enjoyed a lifetime of blissful marriage after that. Love doesn’t always need to take a whole lot of time. You’ll know the first time you meet the right one for you. The feeling’s there right in the heart. You seem so alive around this girl. I don’t ever think I’ve seen you this way. That’s what love is.”
“Hey, wait a minute. Who says anything about love?”
“I saw the way you looked at her and she looked at you at the dinner table and then again later at the hospice. The way you both worked together and took turns serving the turkey dinners. Then she helped you sing when you lost your note…again.”
“I did not lose my note. I got hoarse.”
“Yes. Whatever you say,” Jonah dismissed. “I can tell a lot by talking to a girl. She’s nice, humble and extremely caring. Those staff members recognized and praised Olivia for the work she’d done in the past. She’s golden. Not a gold digger like those other girls you brought home.”
“Enough, Dad.”
“Don’t you see? It’s kismet.”
Dane sighed. “Kismet?”
“Yes. What are the odds, you meet a girl like that in a situation like this?”
“It just means I’m unlucky enough to be at the right place at the wrong time. Like when a girl comes out of a bad relationship. She just needs a place to stay until she gets herself on her feet.”
Jonah leaned forward by the stone fireplace. The brass bucket was on the table. “You know, I would really like, before I move on, to see you happy, Dane. I know I sound a bit much, but all I’m asking is don’t let love pass you by because of the past. Don’t live to regret it. Life is too short. Just take it one day at a time. I just want to see you settle down one day. You work so hard at the hotel. But life is more than work. “
“Not much more, Jonah. I really don’t want to have this discussion again.”
“You bring a pretty girl home, what do you expect?”
Dane rolled his eyes. “I expect to not be taunted about being in a relationship. I helped a client at the hotel to have a roof over her head. Nothing more. I also need to talk about getting her protection. Do you think JoJo will be up to a little gig?”
“Well, you know he’s currently on the search for any missing heirs—brothers or sisters you might have, but I’m sure he can do short-term work. You know how much he’d rather be detecting than running his security systems business.”
“I know.” Dane grinned. “I’ll give him a shout tonight. Good night, Jonah.”
“Good night. And, Dane?”
“Yes?” Dane turned around.
“There’s something about Olivia that’s different. Don’t overlook it.”
Dane said nothing. He knew his old man wanted nothing more than him to marry but Dane knew deep down there could be no future with this beautiful, wounded social worker. He wasn’t going to get his hopes up. Physically, he wanted Olivia more than anything. And his heart tugged thinking about her. But it could only lead to heartbreak later down the road. So why go there?
Chapter 10
Olivia enjoyed her heavenly sleep during the night in her guest room but then her cell phone at the bedside pinged and her heart exploded in her chest. Her palpitations immediately resumed.
It was another text. It was the morning of Boxing Day and she felt as if she’d been punched in the face by yet another insulting text message from the mystery person. Did these creepy people have no mercy? There it was on the screen of her cell phone.
Transfer $16,000 by 5 pm today to this email address: [email protected] by interac payment through your bank. You might want to call off the detective on the case, btw. That wasn’t too smart.
Olivia felt her throat constrict; she could hardly breathe. Her lungs hurt. This nightmare wasn’t about to end, was it? Her saving grace was that she was in the safe confines of Dane’s environment. Thank God for that. What if she’d been out there on her own?
But how on earth did this person know Dane hired a detective? Her heart beat fast and hard in her chest.
The knock at the door startled Olivia.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Dane.” That silky voice suddenly warmed her up a notch.
“Just a minute.” Olivia climbed out of the bed and straightened her hair. She quickly ran to the en suite bathroom, grabbed the bottle of mouthwash on the counter and took a swig and gargled to freshen her breath. Why was she so concerned with freshening up for Dane? He was just a friend, right?
Right.
Secretly, she wished he was more. Much more. Olivia had only her PJs on. Not exactly sexy, but it was all she could grab from her suitcase.
She opened the door to see Dane standing there, looking ravishing in khaki pants and a shirt. The man looked gorgeous in anything he wore. Casual or business wear.
“Hi,” she said, already out of breath.
* * *
Dane was blown away by Olivia’s beautiful down-to-earth morning look. He’d never seen a woman so stunning and fresh-looking. She wore a cute waist-length black night T-shirt that read Wake Up and Smell the Coffee in pink letters with matching black with pink dots pajama bottoms. And oh, man, the impression of her perfectly round nipples showed through the silky fabric of her top. He wished he could reach his hand underneath there and stroke them, take them into his mouth. He wondered if her nipples were the same color as her lovely lips.
“Morning,” he said, his tone silky and lower than he’d intended. What was it about this woman that struck a sweet chord with him? “Did you sleep well?”
His body heated up just standing there, gaping at her. But he had to remind himself. She was clearly off limits. He was only there to assist her as a friend and furthermore, she was just out of a relationship. And no way was he falling for that again. That was how it had all started fast and ended fast with his ex Sophie. Memories of Sophie crashed this moment. That knight in shining armor feeling that a woman had when she’d been recently burned by her ex and wanted desperately to be with someone else.
“Yes, I slept very comfortably, considering.” Olivia opened the door wider to let Dane inside.