No Regrets (A Stepbrother New Adult Novella) (8 page)

I
t was
the most beautiful place she’d ever seen. The lights were everywhere, and she smiled as she exited the plane. She was on top of the world, despite her broken heart. The trip was extravagant, to say the least. She flew first class, and now there was someone to drive her to the hotel.

She slid into the luxury car and peered out of the windows, watching one thing after another fly by. Soon, they pulled up in front of the hotel. She checked in and received her key to a suite. As she rode the plush elevator, she smiled.

Tomorrow, she would get pampered, something she never had the luxury to do, but was now a must in the itinerary that was prepared for her. She stepped out of the elevator and right into the room. It was huge, and had floor to ceiling windows along one wall. She saw her luggage neatly stacked in the corner of the bedroom. She walked over to the counter where she found a vase overflowing with flowers and a card, with a bottle of wine.

“We are so proud of you, have fun, and go a little crazy. Love, Mom and Richard.”

She opened the box next to it, and found a Cartier bracelet and a credit card with a note that read,

“Buy whatever you want.”

She felt the tears flow even more now. Aside from the wine—which they didn’t know she couldn’t have—they gave her everything she could have ever asked for, except the one thing that she could never have—Parker. She supposed now was as good a time as any to let herself go. She changed into her most comfortable pajamas, pulled up a chair to the massive windows, and had a good cry.

She put her hand on her stomach. Months, that’s all that was between who she was now, and motherhood. Was she ready for the challenges she would face? She would have to be. She eventually crawled into bed and slept heavily for the first time in weeks.

The sun was shining faintly behind the smattering of clouds in the sky. She woke to the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the city below. She glanced out the window and was surprised at how much activity was going on down on the street. There were vendors and people milling around everywhere. She showered quickly and called for the car. Her first appointment was at 9:00, and she didn’t want to be late. She snatched up the credit card on her way, just in case.

S
he was exhausted
but happy at the end of the day. She went to the spa, then got a haircut, then asked her stylist where to go shopping. That was a dangerous move, of course. The poor credit card got quite a workout, needless to say. But Liv reasoned that she needed a new wardrobe, one suited for a grown-up woman, not a college student, and what was a better place than Paris to shop for clothes? It only dawned on her later that for the next few months, most of the clothes she bought wouldn’t fit, but her mood stayed elevated nevertheless.

When she arrived in her town car back at the hotel, it took two bell boys to help her carry the shopping bags to her suite. She turned to thank them as they were leaving the room, and that’s when she saw him watching her.

“Really, Parker? You scared me to death!” She put her hand to her chest, her heart racing first from fear and then from that infernal hope.

She waited for him to say something, anything, but he simply sat there watching her. She knew he always wanted to be in control. He loved pushing her, but not today. If he wanted to play games, she could play them just as well. She grabbed a bottle of water and walked to the sitting area of the suite.

“Parker, this trip was a gift. Why are you here, and what do you want?” She folded her arms across her chest, waiting.

“You.” It was a simple enough answer, but not the one she was expecting.
What is he doing?

With a huff, she walked toward him. “I’m serious, Parker. What do you want?” She stared up at him, trying to read his expression for guilt. But, she saw none.

“So am I, Olivia.” He was brooding over something, but she didn’t know what.

“Dammit, Parker, this isn’t funny.” She frowned at him. He was ruining her chance to relax. He didn’t want her! Why was he here?

“No, Olivia it’s not. Nothing about today was funny, and you running from me was certainly not funny in the least. Come here.” He spoke each word clipped and even, his request more of a demand than a suggestion.

His tone was enough to infuriate her, and she stomped off into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Normally, she could have taken time to calm down, but not today. He was behind her in an instant, the door hitting the wall with a loud thump.

She spun around to confront him—this was a side of him she had never seen. She could tell by the look on his face that he was angry and yet she tilted her head up more, almost challenging him.

He was disheveled, and visibly exhausted. He had at least a day’s worth of stubble on his face, and most importantly, he looked angry.

“I came to talk to you, Olivia. The least you can do is listen to me. I asked you nicely.” His eyes roamed over her once, and then back up.

“If you think telling me to
‘come here’
is nice, Parker, you are sadly mistaken. Now. I’m standing here in front of you. Why are you here, Parker? I’m sure you have better things to do and other people you’d rather see?” Her sarcasm didn’t quite hide her underlying sadness.

“I have been on a plane for more hours than I care to count to get here to
you,
Olivia! Not anyone else but
you
. You drive me crazy, and you don’t even know you’re doing it!” He ran his hand through his hair. “I mean, look at me, Olivia. Really look. I’ve been in the same clothes for two days, I haven’t showered, I’m exhausted, and I arrive here to find you sneering at me.”

She paused. “Why would
I
be driving you crazy? You’re the one who drives me crazy. I don’t understand.” She felt something deep down tremor a little. She knew better than to be hopeful, to dream that he may actually have come to ask her to be with him.

“Yes, you do understand. You’re just too damn stubborn to admit it. I know you saw Amelia and me in the garden. I was telling her
goodbye
, giving her a heads-up to not contact me ever again.” He moved toward her. “I know how it looked, but there is nothing there anymore, Olivia. I promise.”

Her heart was beating fast with every word he said, but she still refused to hope, not yet. “I don’t know what that has to do with me, Parker.” She barely got the words out before she noticed he was slowly undressing. “What are you doing?”

He pulled his remaining clothes off and moved toward her. “I’m doing what we do best, Olivia. I’m going to show you exactly what I mean, in the best way I know how.”

Her response was silenced by his lips as he moved his mouth over hers. She felt the prickliness of his unshaven face, and something about it thrilled her to her very core. She did her best to fight it, to deny what she felt, but it was no use. As he kissed her, he moved over her body with lightning speed, shedding her of her clothes.

“Parker, I can’t,” she whispered, trying one last time to find the strength to deny her feelings.

He silenced her again, only stopping to rip his mouth from hers. Grabbing her, he moved toward the shower.

“Yes, you can, Olivia. You can, and you will.”

He resumed his onslaught on her tender and bruised lips once more, quickly entering the shower and pulling her with him. They reveled in the heat of the water as it cascaded between them. She felt his hands on all of her at once, and she gave in, luxuriating at being in his arms once more.

It was as if he was touching her everywhere—the sensations made her dizzy. She was lost in the moment, and every emotion that she had done her best to contain over the last few weeks spilled over in her actions. She was frantic as she pulled him to her. Even if this was momentary, only for tonight, she wanted to always remember what they shared.

She gave in to her emotions, and gave over to him in a way that she had never given to anyone. She noted his hesitation as she took over, running her nails lightly over his back as he cupped her thighs, lifting her to him and making her wrap her legs around his waist. He held her that way, exploring her until she felt the length of him slide into her tight sex. She sucked in air amid the steam that filled the room. As she arched her back, the water was spilling down over her chest, glistening against the smoothness of her skin and the hardness of her nipples as they jutted out. She felt him lift her and bring her back down on him in a fevered pace.

She reveled in the feel of the coarse hair on his chest as it rubbed against her soft breasts. Running her hand into the tousled wet hair on his head, she braced herself against the wall of the shower. The sensations swirled around her in a haze of ecstasy, as she felt herself climbing that familiar hill toward something wonderful that only he could give her.

He pushed and pulled from her body, feasting on what she offered him, and as she crested that edge, she pulled on his hair that was wrapped in her hand. It was just what he needed.

“
Olivia
.” He moaned her name as he exploded deep within her.

She reveled in the power she felt as he kissed her softly on her mouth, and they proceeded to wash each other clean of their lovemaking. She stepped out before him, letting him shave off the hair that she already knew was responsible for the angry red scratches down her body. She traced the raw scars lightly as she pulled on her robe. To her, they were beautiful. Like everything else, they would fade, but she would hold on to this night forever.

She walked into the living room, and waited for him to follow. When he did, she noticed he was once more the man she knew him to be: clean-shaven and comfortable, in sweatpants and nothing else. She swallowed hard. Despite the passion they just shared, she would never make it if she had to look at him walking around barely dressed.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and she frowned at him.

“That’s for me.” He gave her a half smile and walked over to the door as he pulled a cart full of food into the room.

She felt her stomach lurch uncomfortably, and she was reminded of her true state. She would have to tell him eventually. He had a right to know the truth, and keeping it from him did them both no good. After dinner, she would tell him everything. Her mind made up, she found a few things on the menu that she could eat, and they did so while they chatted about their parents.

H
e was a coward
. There had been ample opportunity to tell her the truth, and yet he sat there dumbfounded, eating with her. He wanted to tell her earlier, but seeing her in front of him derailed his thoughts into something a lot less conducive to a normal conversation.

And now, as they ate the club sandwiches he ordered before the shower, he saw that she was munching on her food but she didn’t look happy. Maybe he’d been wrong to think she wanted him at all. Sure, she was attracted to him, but maybe she didn’t see him in a long-term capacity.

The idea put a frown on his face. He hadn’t even considered that she might say ‘no’ when he asked her to marry him. For him, it was a no-brainer. She was like breathing air, it has become so natural for him to love her.

He needed time to ask her the right way. He needed the right words to prove that he wanted her beside him for the rest of his life. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, but he didn’t know how to say it. It was then that he realized that for the first time in his life, he was scared.

It was new for him. Women always came easily to him, and he always had his choice in partners. That was until he ran into her at that damn grocery store. Since then, he couldn’t even see another woman, much less touch another one. He wasn’t just a coward, he was a coward
and
he was scared she would say ‘no’. He squirmed in his seat, even more convinced that he needed to wait. He could tell she wanted to say something, but he wasn’t ready to, not yet.

“Parker, I think we need to talk about a few things.” She took a deep breath, and her eyes met his.

“I know, Olivia. There are so many things we need to talk about, but…not right now. Tonight, I want you. Nothing more, nothing less.” He was trying, dammit. He watched her frown.

“Well, you’re probably tired from your trip, anyway. We can talk in the morning,” she said simply.

He swallowed hard. Something about her shifted, and she was more willing now than ever before. He watched her stand and walk toward the bedroom.

“I’m tired, Parker. Let’s go to bed.”

Walking away, she let the robe drop, and he watched the swing of her backside as she gave him one last glance before she entered the bedroom. He felt his body move in slow motion as he followed her. When he entered the room, he saw her in bed and under a thin sheet. He crawled in beside her and felt his hand tremble.

What the hell was wrong with him?
He was acting like some scared virgin. He’d just been in the shower making love to her, and now that she was offering herself to him, he didn’t know what to do with her.

“Olivia, I’m not going to lie. I don’t know how to handle you when you’re not angry at me about something.”

She smiled, and soon she was laughing. He joined her, slowly feeling more relaxed as he gazed down at her.

“You don’t even know, do you?” he asked, his hand gently tracing her hairline.

“Know what?” She smiled up at him.

“Just how beautiful you really are?” He traced his finger down her face and over her full bottom lip, watching her body flush a nice shade of pink as she blushed at his compliment.

“Parker, be serious.” She pulled the sheet back over her, suddenly embarrassed.

“I am, Olivia. Don’t ever cover up when I’m looking at you. Please. Looking at you is a gift, and one I want to receive often.” He gently trailed his mouth over her stomach, and she shuddered. “I love touching you, Olivia. I love kissing every single inch of your body.” He trailed small pecks over every part of her, only stopping to gently brush his lips at the apex of her thighs. “Open up for me, Olivia. Let me love you.”

He showed how he loved her in as many ways as he could think of, other than saying the words directly. He wasn’t brave enough yet.

She was shaking as she did what he asked. He breathed in her scent and moved his tongue into her, tasting and loving her completely. Her body responded to his ministrations with small quakes, making him swell with pride. He grasped her thighs in his hands, feeling her move in unison with him. He wanted her. He loved her. If he couldn’t say the words, he would show her in every way possible.