Suspicious Minds (Fate #3) (20 page)

“So he’s straight with that?” Lorenzo asked, peering at her as if
he wasn’t completely convinced.

“Yes,” she said as Lorenzo reached for her hand, and she laced
her fingers through his. “He said he understood and even apologized.”

Elton was actually a nice enough guy. Just not her type.
At
all
. Clearly, a fine line existed between a sizzling stare that turned your
legs into noodles and your insides to mush like Lorenzo’s and a drawn out
uncomfortably lascivious leer that totally gives you the creeps. That’s exactly
what Elton did, but one thing she could say with all certainty was that she’d
never felt threatened by him. Uncomfortable, yes. He seemed a bit socially inept
and probably why he was still single even in his mid-thirties. But that’s all
there was to it.

Lorenzo brought her hand to his mouth, kissing each one of her
knuckles slowly, and then smiled weirdly almost as if he were worried suddenly.
“I hope you don’t think I’m going to be this tyrant boyfriend about
every
guy in your life.”

Olivia smiled, tilting her head as she watched him kiss the back
of her hand again softly. “I wouldn’t put up with a tyrant. I did once upon a
time, and trust me, I learned my lesson. Never again.”

“I do understand,” he said, regarding her solemnly, “that inevitably
I’m going to have to deal with friends, clients, and business associates. I can
be an adult about all that. I can try anyway.” He smiled sheepishly, making
Olivia smile too. “But seriously,” he said, with a gentle squeeze to her hand. “Even
with this guy, I was willing to deal with his
inspections
and you grabbing
lunch with him once in a while. It’s just after you explained about his
propositions, well, that just changed everything. You understand why, right?”

“Absolutely,” she said then decided, as long as she was being
honest, she’d just admit the whole truth. “Lorenzo, I knew all along his visits
weren’t entirely innocent and business-related.” The moment she saw something
flicker in his eyes she went on a little faster. “I don’t mean anything ever
happened or that aside from his initial proposition way back he’s done or said
anything inappropriate
ever
. It’s just that I could see in his eyes his
visits had an ulterior motive, but he was just so . . . painfully awkward, you
know? I felt bad for him. But I had a feeling I’d eventually have to cut off his
visits. And you know how that goes. The longer you put off having that
uncomfortable conversation, the harder it gets to actually do it. I’m actually relieved
though that it’s over and done.”

Lorenzo looked as if he were going to say something else but then
decided against it. They finished their yogurt and headed back to his place. Once
there they were quickly engaged in what slowly escalated to Olivia naked on all
fours on his bed.

Once again, Lorenzo was taking her from behind, something that
had since been established as one of his favorite positions. As he pounded into
her, she felt his hands where she’d become accustomed to feeling them: one on
her waist and the other on her ass, squeezing tightly.

“Damn, that drives me fucking nuts?” he said breathlessly.

“Me too,” she whispered, panting unabashedly.

His big strong hands holding her body and her ass so possessively
felt strangely erotic. Olivia could hardly stand it. She loved how sweet, respectful,
and absolutely gentle Lorenzo could be with her but at the same time make her
feel like such a dirty girl when he wanted to.
His
dirty girl.

Suddenly he pulled out and teased her rim with the tip of his
cock. Something he’d done a couple of times before and had left her breathless.
She felt it begin to penetrate and unbelievably she was going to let him—
wanted
him to. Then she tensed up at the pain and he slowed. “Too soon,” he said,
pulling out.

He slipped in her wetness again as she welcome him easily
clenching around him eagerly. Their bodies slapped together loudly, their
breathing and moaning getting louder until . . .

Their lovemaking was something she’d never get enough of. Even as
she enjoyed the amazing pulsating climax, she held her ass up in the air, wanting
him to drain into her completely. There was something so utterly intimate about
what he’d almost done to her. She could never share that feeling with anyone: not
her best friend, not her sister even when she got older, no one. It was something
just between her and Lorenzo. When the time finally came for him to do it, she
knew it would be amazing. Strangely, it was also something that in her heart of
hearts she knew she’d never consider allowing anyone else to do. It was a
matter of trust, and in all the years she’d gone back and forth with Jay, she’d
never even come close to giving it any other thought than
hell no
.

Yet, with Lorenzo she’d begun to yearn for it. Yearn for anything
that would make her feel that much closer to him.

When they finally collapsed on his bed, he kissed the side of her
face softly over and over. Just as their breathing began to ease, he whispered
against her ear, “I wanna ask you something, but I don’t want you getting
embarrassed or feeling self-conscious.”

Olivia stared at him nervously. “Okay?”

Lorenzo touched her lips with his finger, tracing them all around
slowly as he stared at them then glanced up at her eyes. “I think we can both
agree you enjoy sex—no, your body craves sex—”

“It craves you,” she said, bringing her hand to his and stopping
his finger mid trace of her lips.

His eyes darkened in that smoldering way that lit up her insides.
This
was
a little embarrassing because if she had to admit it, though he
probably already knew, the warmth between her legs wasn’t even completely done
throbbing. Yet the very thought of him taking her again had her wet once again.

“Is that what it is?” he asked with a smile. “Because it’s what I
was gonna ask. What have you done for the past two years? As much as you enjoy this,
how did you hold out so long?”

Instantly, her face heated, and he smiled even bigger, laughing
softly, and then pecked her a few times, caressing the cheeks she knew had to
be warm. “Don’t be embarrassed. I can shamelessly admit that, even before I knew
I’d ever be running into you again, I had to regularly adjust my crotch before
standing up if the thought of that night with you so much as crossed my mind.
But I’m seriously curious,” he said, searching her eyes.

It wasn’t a look of disbelief or even a suspicion that maybe she
hadn’t gone as long as she claimed. He appeared genuinely curious. She could
lie or just shrug and say she’d never been the type to just go out and search
for casual sex. They’d been through this before. But she vowed to be honest no
matter how uncomfortable it might get because it was worse if she tripped on
her lies later.

Thirteen

For the first time since they’d collapsed on the bed
and Lorenzo had rolled to his side to stare at Olivia, she glanced away. She
didn’t want to be peering in his eyes when she told him the truth about her
last two years of abstinence.

“It was easy actually,” she began then shifted a bit, suddenly
not so comfortable. “Before I began to look at Jay in that way, I had always said
that I’d save myself for my one true love. When the time came, I’d know. With
Jay, I mistook that. I’m certain now that he took advantage of my age and
basically how
stupid
I was when it came to him.”

Lorenzo straightened out, lifting himself onto an elbow. “Young
and inexperienced doesn’t mean you were stupid, Liv.”

“I know but even teens have some dignity, right? Anyway,” she
shook her head, feeling that same familiar frustration she always felt when she
thought of what a pathetic ass she’d been for so long with Jay. “Live and
learn. I just hate how weak it makes me feel when I think about the girl I once
was. I’m not that person anymore,” she said with conviction. “It’s just that
during those first two years after I moved here, I swore I’d never again fall
for anyone who wasn’t as equally into me as I was into him. And since I didn’t
have time to socialize or rather . . . I think I was afraid to, I had no idea
how I’d go about trying to meet someone worthy. Someone who I’d know was truly
sincere, especially since . . .”

She glanced down and fidgeted with the sheet on the bed until she
felt his fingers lift her chin slowly. Their eyes met, and while the
curiousness in his eyes was still there, she saw a hint of concern in them now.
“Especially since what?”

“Especially since the whole time in those two years while he said
he’d respect my wishes by not trying to make more of our friendship than what
it was, every few weeks or so I’d still get a text out of the blue. Usually it’d
be late at night or in the wee early morning hours, which told me he was
probably drunk or high.” She stopped and chewed the corner of her lip before
going on. “The texts usually consisted of something to the effect of, ‘You’ll
never find anyone who loves you more than I do’ or something even more
obnoxious like, ‘Say what you want; you’ll always be mine.’” She shook her
head. “He always blamed it on the booze and would apologize afterward, telling
me to just ignore any text I ever got from him at those ungodly hours when I
had
to know he was partying. Most of the time he claimed he didn’t even remember
sending them.”

The concern in his eyes took on a darker gleam. “You believed him
when he said you’d never find anyone who loved you more than he did?”

“No.” She shook her head quickly, pissed that it came out that
way. “Especially because he always took back whatever he’d said when he was
sober. But a part of me knew deep inside that the day I met someone else I’d
have to cut my ties with him because I knew he still had feelings for me. I
hated that we ruined the friendship we had growing up because it was actually a
good one once upon a time. But that wasn’t why I held out for two years; it was
just how things went down. As far as the physical holding off, there wasn’t
much of that. I
am
human and I have my own room with a door that locks.”

She paused when she saw the glimmer in his eyes that told her he
understood what she meant by that.

“Girls aren’t like guys either,” she went on. “I mean I do enjoy
the pleasure of sex.” She smirked, glad his dark stare had lightened up quite a
bit. “
Very
much so. But I don’t
need
the release as often as a
man does.”

Lorenzo was quiet for a moment before asking in a calmer tone. “He
doesn’t still say those things to you anymore, right?”

“No,” she said, slipping her hand into his. “And I blocked him,
remember? So there’s no way he can get a hold of me.”

Finally, she saw an even bigger break in that unyielding hardened
expression. “Good.” He kissed her lips softly, making her lie down completely
as he brought his body closer against hers. “I don’t think you’re weak,” he
whispered, scanning her eyes. “I don’t think you’ve
ever
been weak. I
just think your ex has always been a manipulative asshole.” His brows shot up
suddenly—curiously. “How much older than you was he?”

Now that they were older the age difference didn’t seem as
significant as it used back then. But she still felt compelled to explain a few
things first. “He started school late, and I started early because of my
birthday. Then he was left behind twice. But it wasn’t because he was dumb. His
home life was a mess. Child protective services had to be called in to check on
him and his brother all the time. So when we were much younger, the age
difference didn’t feel that big since we were in the same grade. Then
everything changed when he dropped out of high school.”

Lorenzo lifted a playful brow. “How much older, babe?”

“Four years,” she said, and first, it seemed to not faze him;
then it seemed to hit him.

“How old were you when you first started sleeping with him?”

“Fifteen,” she whispered but then added quickly. “That was just
the first time we did it, but after that it was almost a year before we went
all the way again because I wasn’t on birth control and afraid to get pregnant.”

“So he was nineteen and you were fifteen.” He stopped, closed his
eyes for a moment then squeezed her hand and leaned in to kiss her. “I think I’ve
heard enough about this guy for tonight.”

Forever.

At least that’s what Olivia hoped. If thinking about what she’d
once upon a time been like made her feel pathetic, admitting it out loud and
especially to Lorenzo was even worse. Thankfully, Lorenzo quickly put all his
concentration into his marathon amazing kisses. Olivia let herself fall into them.
They were so much more profound than any of the lustful and erotic things they’d
done. She forgot about everything else and focused on enjoying her amazing
boyfriend’s kisses.

~*~

Lorenzo

Not only had Liv gladly agreed to have Vince and Rosie
over for the Raiders game the next day, but to Lorenzo’s surprise, the Moreno
clan and Romero all joined them. With the exception of Rosie and Vince, who
still didn’t like leaving Ruby with anyone even for a few hours, everyone else
was free of kids for the day. Angel, Sal’s youngest brother, explained his
parents got their fill of all the grandkids once a month, giving the parents a
little break. Manny and Max were always up for watching Romero’s kids, so he
and his wife had the day to themselves as well.

Lorenzo had been busy with the guys, talking about the spread on
the game and other stats on both teams when he noticed the weird expression on
Liv’s face as she stared at the screen on her phone. She was sitting at the
dining room table with Rosie and Grace. The only reason he even caught it was
because Sofie had laughed loudly suddenly. When Lorenzo had looked up to see
her standing with Sal’s two sisters-in-law, he’d searched for Liv. His eyes had
just found her at the very moment her big smile had slowly fizzled as she read
whatever it was that was on her phone screen.

He probably still wouldn’t have thought much of it, but she’d
gotten up, bringing the phone to her ear, and gone out the side door of the
kitchen.

“You in, Enzo?”

Lorenzo turned to Romero, who was staring at him along with Nathan
and Isaiah. “Am I in what?”

“I already took his bet,” Isaiah explained, handing Romero a beer.

“How much did you bet him?” Romero asked.

“We didn’t bet money,” Isaiah said before Lorenzo could answer. “If
the Raiders win, he gets a bottle of Jameson and tickets to AJ’s next game.
Cowboys win, Nathan, AJ, and I get an advanced handgun course on the house.”

Sal and his brothers joined in asking more about the new courses
Vince and Lorenzo had recently added. Lorenzo and Vince explained and gave them
the inside scoop on some of the other courses they’d soon be adding.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Romero said, turning to Vince again. “I
need to get that group training set up again. I got a handful of newbies that
need the basic course.”

“I’ll be taking that one soon.” Liv’s voice so close by suddenly got
all their attention. She slipped her hand in Lorenzo’s and leaned against him, bright
eyed and wearing a sweet smile. “Only I get private lessons with my sexy
instructor.”

“Ooh!” Rosie sauntered up behind Liv with a big smile and latched
her arm into Vince’s. “I remember my
private
lessons.”

“Sounds like a lot of banging going on with those private lessons,”
Romero said, laughing, and Nathan slugged his arm playfully, though he didn’t
look at all amused. “What?” Romero said, flinching but laughing even more. “Guns
go bang, right? That’s all I meant.”

The guys all sniggered as Nathan and Isaiah rolled their eyes.

“What’d I miss?” AJ asked as he ambled up to the group, munching
on a small bowl of chips.

“
Nothing
,” Liv said before anyone could clue her younger
brother in.

“You should have Emi join you if Lorenzo’s gonna show you how to
use a gun,” Nathan said in an all-kidding-aside tone. “If she’s gonna be on her
own next year in Los Angeles, we might just need to get her a little twenty-two
or something. I hate the thought of her being so far from us and alone.”

“She’ll be fine,” Liv said. “I don’t like the idea of her
carrying a gun.”

“Why not?” Vince and Lorenzo said almost in unison. They
exchanged glances before Vince went on. “Rosie carries one.”

“You do?” Liv asked, gaping at Rosie. “Like in your purse?”

Rosie nodded. “Well, technically, I keep it in the glove compartment
of my car, and depending where I’m going, I might carry it in my purse. But you
should seriously think about keeping one in your van since you’re always by
yourself, Liv. You never know. People might think, because you’re conducting
business, you carry a lot of money on you and try something.”

Lorenzo and Vince nodded in instant agreement. It was exactly
what he had in mind. As soon as Liv got the basics down, it’d be the next thing
he was buying and giving her.

He hadn’t noticed she still had her phone in her hand until she
glanced down at it. The guys were grabbing their places on the sofa and the bar
stools behind it as the start of game was announced. Nathan rushed off toward
the front door, saying he needed to grab something from his car, and their
little crowd began to dwindle. Emi wandered over holding Ruby to where Lorenzo
and Liv now stood with only Romero, Vince, and Rosie.

“I’m actually thinking of taking some self-defense classes out in
Los Angeles once I get out there,” Emi said, pulling Liv’s attention away from
her phone.

She’d been staring at it with that concerned look again. Emi smiled
sheepishly once she had Liv’s attention. “Remember that website I showed you
about that gym out there?”

Liv smiled as Rosie laughed softly. “Oh, the one you told me
about? In East L.A?” Rosie asked Liv. “I Googled it.” Rosie’s eyes went even
brighter. “Maybe Liv and I can drive out there and take the class with you once
you’re settled.”

Rosie winked at Liv, and Lorenzo peered at them just as curiously
as Vince did.

“I thought the same thing when Emi showed me the
gallery
photos of the place,” Liv said as she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip. “It
looks really, uh . . .
nice
.”

“Why wait ’til you go to L.A?” Vince asked, squinting at them as
confused as Lorenzo was.

“Yeah,” Romero agreed. “Plenty of gyms offer self-defense classes
down here.”

Emi giggled as Rosie reached for Ruby and took her in her arms.
Lorenzo couldn’t be sure, but the girls seemed to have an inside joke going on.
He made a mental note to grill Liv about it as soon as he got the chance. Then
Rosie shrugged, changing the subject back to the Raiders game, and Emi strolled
away. Just as quickly, Romero lost interest in what they’d been talking about,
walked off toward the end of the sofa, and joined his wife Isabel.

“What was that about?” Lorenzo asked with a smirk, squeezing Liv’s
hand.

“Nothing.” Liv smiled playfully. “Just a gym in Los Angeles Emi’s
heard
wonders
about. I think it started out as a boxing gym or something,
but it’s branched out, and they offer a lot of other training besides just
boxing now.”

About to ask what was so
wonderful
about this boxing gym, Lorenzo
was distracted by Nathan, who walked in the front door, holding a large bouquet
of flowers in a vase.

“Who had flowers delivered?” he asked.

When no one answered, Romero chimed in, “I’ll take the credit.
Bring them on over to Izzy.”

“Nice try,” Nathan said, setting the vase down on the dining room
table. “The envelope says
Ms
. Romero.”

“That’s Izzy,” Romero insisted.

Lorenzo turned just in time to see Isabel nudge Romero and roll
her eyes laughing.

“Late birthday gift for Emi?” Liv offered. “They’re pretty,” she
added without much thought, but Lorenzo’s head was already working.

“They’re lilies,” he pointed out, and Liv turned to look at him,
bright-eyed, but he lifted a brow and shook his head. “They’re not from me.”

Her bright eyes morphed into a confused expression as she turned
back to the bouquet. Sofie and Emi were already admiring the bouquet curiously,
and Lorenzo and Liv watched as Emi took the card.

“Do you want me to open it?” she asked, turning to Liv.

Liv nodded then addressed Nathan, who was already in the kitchen,
grabbing a beer from the fridge. “Who delivered them?”

“I don’t know,” he said, walking back to the dining table where
Emi was reading the card now. “They were on the porch steps. Who’s it from?” he
asked Emi.