“Chelsea,” Alexander said breathlessly as the door slid open.

“Alex. I heard you were back in town,” she said quietly, looking around the penthouse for any indication as to whether he had a guest or not.

“You heard right,” he responded, running his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry. I meant to ca…”

“It’s okay, Alex,” she interrupted. “I was just wondering if you’ve thought about what I said on the phone…”

“I have,” he said nervously.

Chelsea raised her eyebrows, wanting an answer.

Taking a deep breath, he closed the distance between them, pulling her body against his. “I’m sorry I was such a fool, Chelsea,” he breathed against her neck. “I should never have ignored what was right in front of me. I want to make it up to you. I want to do this right.”

Chelsea searched his eyes. “So, you want…”

“Yes, Chelsea. I want something more, too. Let me take you to dinner. A real date.”

A smile crept across her face. “I’d like that, Alex,” she responded.

He placed a kiss on her forehead before grabbing her hand and leaving the apartment, eager to forget that he ever found his Olivia all those months ago.

~~~~~~~~~~

It felt like Christmas came early later that week when a large truck pulled up outside of Olivia’s cottage. Within ten minutes, a piano sat in the spare bedroom downstairs, waiting to be played. Olivia wondered why she hadn’t thought about buying a piano before.

Earlier that week, Cam drove her to a piano showroom in Jacksonville where she purchased a Kawai console piano. Thankfully, on that shopping trip, Olivia remembered her stash of cash from home. Cam raised an eyebrow when she pulled out stacks of hundred dollar bills to pay the six thousand plus sum for the piano.

“I told you. I don’t want to be found. No paper trail.”

“It’s not that. It’s just…I don’t know. You don’t work, yet you just pull out six grand in cash like it’s nothing. I mean, I do well for myself, but what did you do? Rob a bank or something?” he asked semi-jokingly.

Olivia shrugged. “Mom was loaded. She left me with more money than I can even fathom spending in a lifetime. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I’d give up the money in a second if it meant my mom would still be alive.”

As she sat in front of her piano, recalling Cam's reaction earlier that week, a warmth spread through her core. After her admission, he pulled her body into his, kissing her full on the mouth right in the middle of the piano showroom. “God, Libby. You get more and more attractive every minute I spend with you.”

She wished she had the same enthusiasm for him as he appeared to have for her. To her, Cam was just someone who could dull the pain. Nothing more.

Just as Olivia placed her fingers delicately on the cool ivory that breezy Thursday morning, she heard a gentle knock on the door. She smiled weakly when she saw Cam standing on her deck wearing his wetsuit. “Morning, beautiful,” he crooned, a sparkle in his intense silver eyes. “Everything okay?”

Olivia shrugged, turning away, leaving the door open for him to follow her. “As okay as it’ll ever be, I suppose.”

Cam stopped, wishing he could get her to come out of the shell she seemed to be in. “Don’t do that, Libby.”

She turned around from the coffee maker, thrusting a cup of coffee into his hands. “Do what?” she spat.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “You know what,” he said quietly, taking a long drink from his mug. “You’re doing it again. You’re trying to push me away.”

Olivia sighed. “Please, Cam. I just want to be alone right now. I want to sit at my piano and play until my fingers bleed. You said yourself that I needed a healthy coping mechanism. So unless you want to sprawl me out on my bed and fuck me, I suggest you leave me be.”

Setting his coffee mug on the kitchen island, he placed his hand on the small of Olivia’s back, pulling her body toward his and gently pushing his erection between her legs. “Has anyone ever told you how exasperating you can be sometimes?” he whispered in a sultry voice, the warmth of his breath hot against her skin. “And, for the record, I’d love to fuck you, but I refuse to be your enabler.”

Olivia’s body was aflame with desire, her mind consumed by the thought of Cam being inside her to dull the heartache. She pushed her body even further into his, wrapping her arms around his neck and running her fingers through his hair. “Cam,” she exhaled breathlessly. “Either fuck me or let me get back to playing my piano.” She dragged her tongue against his neck, causing the hair follicles on his body to stand on end.

“Damn, Libby.” He stepped back, needing his distance from her before he did the one thing that would hurt her. “I’ll let you get back to your music.”

Olivia frowned. “What’s it going to take to get you to crack?”

“A lot more than just a pretty smile, although yours is spectacular.” He winked before walking out the front door toward the shoreline.

Returning her attention to the piano, she poured her heart and soul into the ivory keys, willing it to dull the pain. After playing all morning, the heartache was still there, all the songs reminding her of Alexander. She wished she could just erase him from her mind. And her heart.

~~~~~~~~~~

Over the next several weeks, Olivia remained glued to her piano, seeking comfort among the white and black keys. Comfort that never came. She thought about Alexander, wondering whether he had moved on. She hoped he had. As much as the thought of his lips touching someone else made her want to scream, she needed him to move on.

Cam's visits were the only thing she looked forward to, although she would never admit it. She remained distant and aloof, still trying to get him to break down and sleep with her to take away the ever-present pain. He remained strong, but Olivia could tell it was only a matter of time before he cracked.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” he said one morning as he walked into Olivia’s kitchen after she opened the door for him.

“It’s Thanksgiving?” she asked, a confused look on her face. “I guess I completely lost track of time.” She shrugged, returning to the guest bedroom and the only friend she felt she had in the world. Her piano.

“Yes, it’s Thanksgiving, and I’m not going to let you spend the holiday alone,” he said, following her into the guest room and closing the cover on the piano. “Come out with me tonight. It’s ‘Open Mic’ night and I think you could really benefit from playing in public again.”