“Prison?” She sighs sadly.
“Yeah. Wouldn’t recommend.”
“I’m sorry,” she utters, leaning her forehead against my shoulder blade. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gone through that.”
“Please, don’t apologize. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Yes, it was.”
I twist to face her, pulling her closer when she doesn’t back away. “I never blamed you. I made my choices, and I stand by them. He never should have touched you. I’d do it all again, because I did what I thought was right.”
“Don’t. I can’t go through that again.” Her eyes are moist with tears, and I can see all those broken pieces lying dormant inside of her.
“Come here.” I wrap her in my arms, hugging her with all that I have. Trying to heal what I shattered, comforting her after what happened this morning, and selfishly enjoying having her like this again.
My Olive.
“Even if you decide my life is too dramatic and you’d prefer the old Olive, I’d rather watch you walk away on your own volition than to see you go to prison again.” She huffs a sad laugh, but I only hold her tighter.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I promise. She looks at me thoughtfully with her head tilted and eyes filled with hopeful wonder.
“Besides, I thought you were beautiful when we were kids, but…” I blow a dramatic breath out. “I think I’d die if I went even a day without seeing you now.”
“Whatever,” she laughs, rolling her eyes.
I tip her chin back to look up at me. “I’m serious. The woman you are today has blown me away. Not only becauseyou’re brilliant and successful. You’re–”
Her eyes fall to my lips, and my stomach clenches. I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire life than to kiss her.
“Gorgeous,” I whisper, rubbing my thumb across her cheekbone.
I’ve dreamed of this. Having her look at me this tenderly, and wanting me. When we were kids, there was a world of reasons for me to say no. Her age, our friendship, my bad influence…
Now I can’t think of a damn reason not to give her what she wants. What I want desperately.
My head dips until my nose traces hers, and her breath catches in her throat. Her fingers curl into my shirt just above my chest, and my heart thrums beneath them.
One touch of her lips is going to crack my chest wide open.
“Miss Greenwood.” Liv jumps as her office door flies open, and her wide-eyed intern stares at us in shock. “I’m sorry, I didn’t– I’m sorry.”
“What can I do for you, Miley?” Liv asks in exasperation, straightening her jacket before walking towards the girl in the doorway.
I take my time, rolling my sleeves back into place and correcting all of my buttons as casually as I can. We weren’t doing anything relatively scandalous in here, but I’d never want it to look that way either, for Liv’s sake.
“Can I get you tea, Miss Greenwood?” I ask her after I slip my suit jacket back on. Miley’s still thumbing through a stack of papers, asking her questions.
Liv’s lips quirk up in a soft smile as she avoids looking at me, as if she knows looking at me directly will dissolve hertough lawyer facade in front of her employee. “That’d be great.”
“Be right back.” I let my hand caress her lower back as I walk by, out of the intern’s view.
“Thank you,” she whispers, daring to look at me briefly as I exit.
I wink, and her eyes snap back to the paperwork in front of her, biting her lip to keep herself from smiling.
My Olive.
* * *
