You'll Think of Me (15 page)

“Are those goosebumps? Is my baby cold? Here,” he said lifting himself and the sheet from her body, “get under the comforter with me.”

He slid his body right between her legs while covering them with the comforter. Leaning down, he breathed heavily against her jaw and then over the hollow of her neck where her necklace laid. His jaw raked against her as he continued a low humming in her ear. He worked his fingers through her scalp, kneading them as her body warmed from his touch. He began a slow rock against her sex knowing his touch would set her on fire.

…“let me fall…into…you…”
he breathed against her lips.

His hoarse voice had her thighs quivering and her body wanting more. Olivia’s hips rolled up as he positioned himself at her entrance, nudging her opening but not pushing in. Instead, he teasingly ran the head of his cock up and down her wet slit, licking along her neck until he couldn’t take it anymore and had to have her.

Reaching into the bedside drawer, Luke quickly grabbed a condom and covered himself. “
Let me fall…into…you…”
he repeated before sliding into her warm receptive body at a dangerously slow pace, taking her mouth at the same time.

Groaning in unison from the connection between them, Luke started a steady rhythm. He withdrew slowly and then surged back in, hitting as deep as he could go, causing Olivia to throw her head back. She pressed her breasts against Luke’s chest, her nipples rubbing his bare skin as she squeezed her inner legs. Olivia knew he was struggling to keep it in check just as much as she was. The feeling of him penetrating her slowly then quickly built up a sizzling sensation from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

Once he was settled in as deep as he could reach, Luke held there for a second or two then pulled out and then rushed back in. Their eyes locked and her body felt like it was ready to burst into flames. All the while, Luke continued to sing. She didn’t know if he was making it up or singing a song he already knew. It didn’t matter at that point, she could hardly think straight when her body felt like an inferno. On the verge of climaxing, but needing to finish with Luke at the same time, Olivia could hardly take it anymore and took control. She reached up and kissed Luke deeply, plunging her tongue into his mouth as she met his strokes with her hips. She sucked on his tongue and clenched her sex at the same time, moaning as they came undone together in a blissfully high climax.

Luke held still inside of Olivia while he caught his breath. His cock twitched from the orgasm he just had while he floated high as the clouds. Man, it just got better and better for them. It was an unexpected moment that happened to play out quite well. He hadn’t planned to have another go around, but he wasn’t complaining.

Looking down at Livy, her face was beautiful in the afterglow. Her chest rose slowly as she took deep breaths. Dark, thick eyelashes lay closed together forming half circles and her cheeks were flushed with the slightest blush of pink. Her lush lips were parted and swollen from kissing. For Luke, Olivia was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. He loved her so much at times it hurt just looking at her.

Leaning down, he whispered against her mouth,
“my girl,”
kissed her softly before withdrawing. He rolled to the side and headed toward the bathroom.

Olivia was unable to move. She was completely and thoroughly depleted of any energy after their second tumble in the sheets. She decided the most she was capable of doing was turning her head to watch as Luke’s muscled legs took him into the bathroom. His backside was a work of art, sculpted to just the right balance of muscle and definition. A faint tan line sat low along his waist from the days they spent by the lake, and in her eyes, he was perfect.

Olivia heard the shower turn on while she lay there. She pushed the hair from around her face and then toyed with her necklace, tracing the heart shape with her finger. She thought back to last night when she missed a phone call at the bar right before Luke had snuck up and teased her. There were so many reasons why she could not have answered it.

A muffled ringtone distracted Olivia from her thoughts. She leaned over the bed and grabbed her purse, pulling her phone from it. Her long hair fell around her shoulders as she brought the comforter up to cover her body as she looked at the number on the screen.

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

Her heart beat rapidly against her ribs. She couldn’t ignore the call this time and knew she had to pick it up. Panic started to set in knowing Luke was in the shower and could be out any minute. She hadn’t planned to be around Luke when she took the call, but now she had no choice.

Olivia chewed the inside of her lip and silenced the ringer. She needed to get her emotions under control before she picked up.

Taking a deep breath, she answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Olivia King?”

Olivia rolled over to the other side of her bed, her back to the bathroom. She needed to make this call as quick as she could and keep her voice down.

“This is Olivia King.”

“Hello, Olivia. My name is Mark and I’m the assistant to Dean Richard here at Columbia University. I hope I’m not bothering you and that you have a few minutes to speak. I tried to call last night but got your recording.”

A few minutes…

She perked up. “Yes, I’m available right now. I didn’t see your call and heard the message earlier this morning. I apologize about that,” Olivia lied.

Clearing his throat, he said, “No worries. I wanted to congratulate you on being accepted to Columbia University. Every year we review thousands of applicants and only a fraction are accepted. That being said, we grant scholarships to students for a number of reasons. Your MCAT scores along with your undergraduate transcripts were quite impressive and we would like to extend an offer to you. What really moved us was a call from one of your professors from Georgia Southern, who happens to be a colleague of the dean. He spoke very highly of you and insisted he be included as one of your recommendations. He emailed a letter to the dean to have it on record.”

Olivia’s mouth hung wide open while she stared at the wall, incapable of forming a sentence or even thinking straight. She was speechless. She couldn’t afford to pass up an offer like this. It was the chance of a lifetime and she’d be stupid not to take it. It’s what she wanted…right?

Perplexed, Olivia asked, “Which professor of mine was it? I’d like to thank him.”

“I’m sorry, but he actually asked if we could keep it anonymous. Only that you were one of the most ambitious students he had and saw a great deal of potential in you.”

Olivia was stunned into silence. If her heart was beating hard before, well, it was nothing compared to how fast it was racing now. This is what she wanted, what she worked so hard for, and she wasn’t even sure how to feel about it. Too many emotions were running through her veins to comprehend what she had just been offered.

“Wow. That was very generous of him to do. I’m a bit shocked right now.”

Mark chuckled. “You should receive the scholarship papers in the mail in the next few days. Please review them and send them back as they are time sensitive.”

Closing her eyes, she rolled onto her back. “Alright, I will. Thank you for calling. I wasn’t expecting this one bit. I don’t think it’s even hit me yet,” she said softly, rubbing her forehead with her hand.

Mark gave a heartfelt laugh. “That’s understandable. I’m glad to hear that you’re coming on board. It’s a great opportunity, one that shouldn’t be passed up, truthfully. We think you would excel with us, especially after your professor’s glowing letter. Have a great afternoon, Olivia, and welcome to Columbia.”

“Thank you, Mark. You have a great afternoon as well,” she responded, pulling the phone away and blindly pressing the end call button
.

“Who was that?”

HOLYSWEETJESUSMOTHEROFALLGODS!

Luke scared the shit out of her. He stood holding the towel wrapped around his waist with one hand. Water dripped from his wet hair onto his shoulders and trickled down his body, past his six-pack abs and into the towel. When had the shower turned off? She hadn’t heard it, but she had been so caught up with the conversation to become aware of anything else around her. How long had he’d been standing there?

“Who, Olivia?” Luke bit out in a low tone. “What did you just accept?” he asked confused.

Olivia laid there looking up at Luke. She had to choose her answer carefully. Biting her lip, she contemplated her response, knowing there was no good way to really go about it.

“It was a school.”

“A school? For what?”

Olivia closed her eyes briefly before opening them and slowly answered Luke. “It was a medical school I was accepted to in New York City.”

“What…what are you talking about?”

Luke couldn’t believe his ears. Shock hit him with a force so strong he could barely form a sentence. Was she serious?

“You heard me, Luke. I said, New York.”

Unbelievable. He was furious, fucking pissed off. When had she applied to medical school without mentioning it to him? And of all places, New York? Accepting an offer to medical school meant one thing… Olivia was leaving.

“Are you going?”

When Olivia didn’t answer his question, Luke shook his head, water dripping from the ends of his hair. Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable. He couldn’t even look at her right now. She’d straight out lied. Not only had she lied, but she kept a huge secret from him. Looking around the floor of Olivia’s bedroom, he eyed his balled up pants from where he dropped them the night before.

“You lied.”

“I did not, Luke,” she countered.

Dropping the towel, he skipped his boxers and reached for his jeans. He slipped them on but didn’t bother to button them.

“Oh, no? That day you said moving was a mere thought, that’s it. That it was nothing more. Obviously it was. And it’s not just a move. It’s medical school in New York! That’s called a lie, Olivia.”

“No it’s not, Luke.”

“Fine. You omitted a few details,” he said sarcastically using air quotes.

Luke couldn’t deal with this unexpected news. He was seething with anger and needed to get the hell out of her house before he said something he’d regret. She lied. Flat-out fucking lied to him. And if she said she didn’t lie again, he couldn’t be held responsible for his words.

This moment would change everything for them. Luke couldn’t even stomach looking at Livy so the only thing for him to do was to ignore her.

“Luke,” Olivia breathed, gripping the sheet to her chest, “please, talk to me.”

Stopping dead in his tracks, questions popped into Luke’s head that baffled him.

“When the hell did you have time to take that test for med school? And without me knowing? When did you submit your application? And where was I when you did all of this? Because If I remember correctly, we were always together at GSU.”

“The MCAT? I studied at the library or in my room when we weren’t together, any chance I could. I always had my nose in a book, so you didn’t notice it.”

Luke huffed in disbelief. “I can’t believe you. I can’t believe you hid something like this from me. Olivia, did you really think you wouldn’t have my support?” he asked, hurt that she thought she couldn’t tell him. “You know what? I’m done. Done with this, and done with you.”

Olivia’s heart cried out knowing Luke was upset. This wasn’t the way she wanted it to happen. The plan had been to ease into it. Hurting Luke was the last thing she ever wanted to do.

“Luke, Columbia is a top rated school. I can’t afford to pass it up. Plus, it’s in one of the biggest, most vibrant cities to live in. There isn’t a dull moment there like there is here. I want to attend this school, and you should want it for me. Not to mention, they’re offering me a scholarship.”

“I don't see why you can't go to a medical school like that here or even in Tennessee so you’ll be close. Why do you need to go hundreds of miles away? What happens after the four years of medical school?”

“It's not the same and you know it. You're not seeing it from my point of view. You know I’ve wanted to get out of Georgia for some time now. That’s no surprise to you.”

“What happens after four years, Livy?”

“Luke, you know how hard I’ve worked for this!”

“Olivia, what happens after four years? Stop trying to dodge the question.”

She treaded carefully. “Medical school is longer than four years, Luke. But I guess I would either stay there or come home once it’s complete. It’s up to me.”

Dumbfounded, he stated with a bite, “So that's what it comes down to? Only what you want and not a fuck about what I want? I can give you everything. Just give me a chance, Livy.”

“Oh, come on, Luke! It's not like that, not even close. I don't doubt that you could give me everything and more. I know you can, but I need this for
me
. I need to do this to prove I can make it on my own. It’s not about you or money or anything else. It’s about me planning out my future and my career. I need to provide for myself so I never have to rely on someone to take care of me again. I worked my ass off at Georgia Southern, you know this.”

“You're being completely selfish and not seeing it through my eyes. What happens to us? Do I suddenly mean shit to you because all I heard was ‘I, I, I, I,’ in that sentence. Your decisions are going to hurt people. Can’t
you
see that? Why can't you rely on me and let me take care of you? You’re not even giving me a chance.” Luke’s temper rose as he fought with Olivia to change her mind. He felt like a bolt of lightning struck his chest over this mind-blowing news.

“I’m not that woman who’s going to end up barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen two years down the road in some hick town. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, it’s just not me. Never has been. I want a career. I want to continue school, and the way you’re behaving right now is unbelievable.”

“I understand that you want to go to school, Livy, but why didn’t you tell me? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. And in New York? Why can’t you stay closer to me?”