“What? Spit it out, Libby.”

“It’s just that we were only together for like two months before I…”

“Before you ran like the fucking coward you are,” Kiera spat playfully at her friend, winking at a tall guy walking past their table on the way to order his coffee. Olivia sighed, wishing she could be as bold as her friend.

“Yes. Before I ran. So we’ve only been back together for a month. And I guess I just don’t think you could really fall in love with someone that quickly.”

“So let me get this straight. All that agony you felt when he turned you away, that was all because you just liked him?” Kiera raised her eyebrows, glaring at Olivia with her arms crossed.

“Well…” She leaned back in her chair, not comfortable with the direction their conversation had taken.

“Well, what? What the fuck are you so scared of?”

Olivia lowered her voice. “You know what.”

“He calls you ‘love’ all the time. You seem to be okay with that.”

She sighed. “That’s different. That’s like calling me ‘babe’ or ‘sweetheart’ or something like that. It doesn’t mean he loves me.”

Kiera got up from the table, grabbing her friend’s hand and pulling her out of the coffee shop, Carter following closely behind as they walked up the street toward a dress boutique. “You’re crazy. He loves you. You love him. And if you’re too scared to put a label on it, whatever.” She opened the door to the swanky shop, and they were soon immersed in trying to find the perfect dress, Olivia thankful that Kiera hadn’t continued their conversation about her and Alexander and that horrible word that scared her to her core.

After shopping for several hours and trying on dress after dress, Olivia was ready to give up and call Alexander to tell him that she was not going with him.

“Come on. Last one, I promise,” Kiera begged, thrusting a dress into her arms and shooing her back into the dressing room.

“Fine,” Olivia replied unenthusiastically. Nothing had been working out for her that day. They had spent hours going from boutique to boutique, searching for the perfect dress, but nothing made Olivia feel good. Not one dress was even close to what she needed to have on her body to feel confident enough to get through the charity auction. Maybe she was fooling herself thinking that she could really live in Alexander’s perfect little world. He had everything…good looks, charm, money, a killer smile, a beautiful body that sent electricity through her entire being every time he was close. And the way he used that body… Olivia started panting as she stood in the dressing room just thinking about that body moving on top of her and beneath her and everything in between.

“You okay in there?” Kiera shouted, bringing Olivia back from her thoughts.

“Yeah,” she replied weakly. “Just a second.” She looked at the dress that Kiera had chosen. It appeared simple enough and that was what Olivia wanted. Something simple, yet elegant. And the dress fit the bill. Sliding the silk over her head and pulling up the zipper, her jaw dropped. The deep champagne shade accented her olive tone, making her skin seem to glow. The gown drew attention to her best features, with a deep V in the front and an even deeper V in the back, showing off her rather sculpted back. It clung loosely to her hips before falling to the floor, a slit running up almost the entire length of her right leg.

“Holy shit!” Kiera exclaimed when Olivia walked out of the dressing room. “You look fucking smoking! You need that dress, even if you don’t wear it Saturday night. Damn. I wish I had long legs like yours.” She looked Olivia up and down, taking in her tall, lean frame.

“Oh, stop it, Kiera. You know you’re hot.” Olivia turned to look at herself in the large one-hundred-eighty degree mirror.

“Oh, I know that, but I wish I was taller. That’s all.” She grabbed a few pieces of jewelry off a nearby case and helped Olivia accent the dress. When she was done, Olivia stood draped in simple red jeweled accessories, contrasting perfectly with the deep champagne hue in the long elegant dress. Carefully stepping into a pair of champagne-colored heels, Olivia knew she had found the perfect dress.

“What do you think?” Kiera asked quietly as Olivia stared at her reflection.

“I feel like a princess.”

Kiera smiled, squeezing her friend’s arms. “Good. Let’s buy that dress and go have a drink.”

Olivia nodded.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

MINE

AFTER THEIR DAY OF shopping, Olivia returned to Alexander’s place, quickly running downstairs to one of the guest rooms and hiding her purchases in the massive closet. Runner followed, wondering what she was doing down there. “Come on, boy,” Olivia said, heading back upstairs. “Let’s start dinner while we wait for Daddy.”

Walking back into the kitchen, staring out through the large windows overlooking the waterfront, boats bobbing up and down in the distance, a strange feeling rushed over her. Everything seemed so perfect. She was happy. Smiling, she thought how far she had come since Alexander allowed her back into his life. As they slept together each night, Alexander wrapping his arms around her as she drifted off, she felt like she had finally found a home. Home was anywhere that Alexander was, and the thought both excited and frightened her.

She made her way to the large temperature controlled wine cave just off the kitchen to pick out a bottle for dinner. Looking at the clock, she wondered what was keeping Alexander in his office after six on a Friday night. Her mind started to race, thinking about all the possible reasons why he could be detained. After finding a nice pinot noir, she quickly retreated back to the kitchen to find her new cell phone.

Olivia: Hey. Everything okay?

Several long moments passed with no response. What if something happened to him? Should she go to Martin’s condo on the lower floor to see if he knew anything? But if Martin was home, then Alexander would be home. He never went anywhere without Martin. Or, at least, she didn’t think he did. She really didn’t know. Making quick work of the cork, she poured herself a large glass of wine, needing the alcohol to calm her nerves.

Pacing back and forth, Runner close behind her every step of the way, Olivia quickly finished her first glass of wine. She looked at the clock…six-thirty. With shaking hands, she poured another large glass and walked to the windows, looking out over the city, her heart racing as she mentally ran through every possible scenario about why he wasn’t home yet. Finally, she heard her phone ding. Leaping over the couch, she grabbed it.