“Fuck it. Breakfast can wait.” Alexander swooped Olivia in his arms and carried her to the enormous sofa in the living room. He stepped out of his shorts as Olivia swiftly removed her tee shirt and shorts. Alexander sat on the couch, his feet on the ground, pulling Olivia on top of him.

Alexander slowly lowered her down onto him, moaning with pleasure. He placed his hands around Olivia’s waist, helping to guide the motion. When they met a steady rhythm, he removed one hand, bringing it to stroke Olivia’s clit.

As if she wasn’t overwhelmed with sensation as it was, when Alexander started to rub her, she couldn’t take it anymore. It was all too much. She exploded around him.

“FUCK!” She exhaled breathlessly as he picked up a torturous rhythm, guiding Olivia up and down in swift movements. In a matter of moments, he screamed her name and emptied inside her.

In the aftermath of their lovemaking, Alexander gently stroked Olivia’s back as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Stay the weekend,” he whispered softly into her ear. He eagerly wanted her to agree.

“I don’t know,” she pulled out of his embrace and searched for her discarded clothes. She noticed the dog sitting a few feet from the couch. “Runner, you shouldn’t have seen that, boy.”

Alexander stood, put his shorts on, and grabbed Olivia around the waist, pulling her to him once again. “Why don’t you want to stay, Love? What is it? Talk to me.” He noticed the look of concern on her face.

“I don’t know. I just…” She trailed off trying to gather her thoughts. She couldn’t keep her head straight when she was around him. “It’s just that I think we’re moving too fast. I mean, I enjoyed last night. And the middle of the night. And this morning. And I think I’m becoming too attached to you, and it scares me to death.” Her lower lip trembled.

Alexander reached his hand up to her cheek. She leaned in, basking in the feel of his hand on her skin.

“Stop thinking too much into it, Olivia. I want to spend time with you. I want to get to know you. I want to share things with you. This is all new to me, too. Just don’t shut me out. I beg you, Love.”

Olivia looked into his deep emerald eyes, searching for the answer she so desperately needed.

She exhaled. “Okay. But I need to go back to my place to get some clothes and feed Nepenthe.”

He embraced her, laughing. “That can be arranged.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

SOMETHING YOU FEEL

“COME. I want to show you something,” Alexander said to Olivia after they finished eating their dinner of salmon, roasted red potatoes, and asparagus. They had spent all day together after Alexander took Olivia back to her house to gather some things she would need for the weekend.

They had gone to Olivia’s gym later in the morning after eating a breakfast of egg white omelettes with broccoli, spinach, mushrooms and feta cheese that Olivia had made. Alexander thought that she was a fantastic cook. The dinner reaffirmed that thought.

Olivia had spent most of the day snuggled up on Alexander’s couch reading a book on her e-reader and scratching Runner’s belly as he cuddled next to her. Alexander sat on the other end of the couch, going over case reports. He disappeared into his study every so often, closing the door to make a phone call. Olivia didn’t mind. She figured there were some things he was working on that were classified.

“Where are we going?” she asked when Alexander grabbed her hand, pulling her along with him down the stairs.

“You’ll see,” he winked. Olivia smiled at the twinkle in his eyes. He was so excited to show her wherever it was they were going.

He led her down a hallway past two spacious guest bedrooms before stopping outside a door. Beaming from ear to ear, he opened it, allowing Olivia to enter before him. She couldn’t believe her surroundings. In the middle of the enormous room stood a beautiful Steinway baby grand piano. Dozens of guitars hung on the walls. There were also amps, a drum kit, and various other instruments. A musician’s dream come true.

“Why do you have all this?” she asked. “Do you play?”

“Yeah. You could say that,” he replied, running his hands through his hair. “I started fiddling with the piano and guitar when I was a little boy. A family friend taught me.” Alexander remembered Mrs. DeLuca teaching him how to hold a guitar. He remembered her showing him how to curve his hands around the keys of the piano. And most of all, he remembered hearing her daughter sing those beautiful melodies. “You can feel free to come down here anytime you’d like.”

Olivia walked over to the piano, running her fingers over the keys, the cool ivory always a comfort to her. She saw a Martin guitar set on a stand next to the piano. She picked it up and checked its tuning, noting it was perfectly in tune. It must have been played recently. She wasn’t expecting Alexander to have such a beautiful music room.

“And the walls are totally sound proof so you don’t have to worry about disturbing me or anything.” Alexander sat down on a love seat against the wall, watching as Olivia fiddled with the guitar. “Play something for me, Love.”

Olivia smiled as she sat down in a chair in the middle of the room, bringing the Martin guitar with her. She remembered a song that she and Mo used to play quite a bit during her college years. When she was at B.C., she would often invite Mo and the guys over for beers to hang out with Kiera and some of their friends. Usually late at night, after lots of drinks had been consumed, Mo and Olivia would break out a few of her guitars and entertain their late night guests. This song was one of their favorites.

Olivia took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she began playing a beautiful melody. Alexander had heard the song before when he accompanied his brother to a Zac Brown Band concert. Her voice filled the room, the acoustics perfect, mesmerizing Alexander as she played the guitar, focusing solely on the music as if nothing else mattered. She sang an ode to the guitar she held against her body. As he listened to the lyrics, Alexander thought how appropriate the song was. Almost as if she could be talking about herself or the guitar she so lovingly played. Almost as if telling him how much she needed music in her life.

Halfway through the song, Alexander stood up and grabbed one of his other guitars. He watched Olivia’s hands, getting the chords he needed to join her. Sitting in the chair next to her, he played with her, singing along to the chorus as she continued belting out the lyrics. Olivia opened her eyes, smiling at the sound of his soft, sultry voice next to her.