look around the empty suite. “Have you tried her room?”
She flushed. “Naturally.”
He smiled. “If I see her, I’ll let her know you’re looking for her.”
“ Grazie .” She spun on her heel, heading for the stairs. This time he locked the door.
He tossed the towels onto the bed and walked around to the other side where Olivia was sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes dark. He held out his hand.
She stood without his help. “I better get down to the kitchen.”
Disappointment flared inside him. “Tell her you’re too tired from the trip.”
“I slept the whole way here,” she said.
“Your mother doesn’t know that.”
Olivia snorted. “My mother knows everything. Just ask her.”
“Not everything. At the moment, she doesn’t know where you are.” He pointed at the towels on the bed. “If my memory of the website serves me correctly, there’s an enormous Jacuzzi tub in my bathroom and I now have more towels than I could possibly use all by myself. Why don’t we take a dip?”
She cleared her throat. “Sean, I don’t think—”
“You think too much,” he countered softly, closing the gap between them.
She held up her hand. “I’m sorry if I led you on, but I told you I’m not good at this. I just can’t…”
Her tortured expression brought him back to his senses. “You’d better go to the kitchen then.”
She blanched, making him instantly regret his harsh tone. He swallowed, wanting to reassure her. “I’m sorry, Olivia.”
“It’s okay.” She nodded too quickly for him to believe she meant it. She kept her eyes on the floor, making him wonder what she was thinking. He was used to seeing her meet every situation head-on, with her eyes open and her head up. Again, he wondered. “What happened during your marriage, Olivia?”
Her eyes flew to his, and he saw something stir in their depths. “You handled the divorce, counselor. Weren’t you paying attention?”
“Yes, I know Keith was unfaithful. We cited him for adultery and he didn’t contest it. But what really happened? Did he do something to you?”
Olivia’s laugh was a sharp burst of air. She shook her head. “No, he sure didn’t. Not a thing.”
Something in her voice made him want more answers, even though her expression was forbidding. “But you were intimate, right?”
Her eyebrows flew upward. “That is none of your business.”
“Don’t give me that.”
She crossed her arms. “Define intimate.”
“You had sex.”
She burst out laughing again. “Keith had sex with everyone. That was the problem.”
“Smart ass. You had sex with each other,” he corrected.
She nodded, but her smile was sad. “At the beginning. When I found out he was sleeping around, I didn’t want him touching me. No great loss. It wasn’t…I didn’t…” She sighed.
“Ah.” It was inadequate but it filled the silence while he gathered his courage. “So that night when you asked me to stay, you were…” Words failed him again. His face must have said it for him.
“Desperate? Pathetic? Giving it one more shot?”
“And I—”
She cut him off. “Yeah, you did. Or as the case may be, didn’t. But it’s okay. It’s fine.”
No, it wasn’t okay, and it sure as hell wasn’t fine because she was sad, and at this moment he would do anything to remove the grief from her eyes, to erase the devastation that had been haunting her expression for months now. He reached for her again, but she stepped back.
“You told me to go to the kitchen, remember?”
He deserved that. He was reassured by the color in her cheeks and fire in her eyes, but he didn’t want her to leave the room thinking about that night. “You can run, but you can’t hide.” He forced a teasing smile. “I’ve got plans, remember? I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Your ex-husband is an idiot. Whatever we do together will be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, I guarantee it. So, fine, go down to the kitchen,
She flushed. “Naturally.”
He smiled. “If I see her, I’ll let her know you’re looking for her.”
“ Grazie .” She spun on her heel, heading for the stairs. This time he locked the door.
He tossed the towels onto the bed and walked around to the other side where Olivia was sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes dark. He held out his hand.
She stood without his help. “I better get down to the kitchen.”
Disappointment flared inside him. “Tell her you’re too tired from the trip.”
“I slept the whole way here,” she said.
“Your mother doesn’t know that.”
Olivia snorted. “My mother knows everything. Just ask her.”
“Not everything. At the moment, she doesn’t know where you are.” He pointed at the towels on the bed. “If my memory of the website serves me correctly, there’s an enormous Jacuzzi tub in my bathroom and I now have more towels than I could possibly use all by myself. Why don’t we take a dip?”
She cleared her throat. “Sean, I don’t think—”
“You think too much,” he countered softly, closing the gap between them.
She held up her hand. “I’m sorry if I led you on, but I told you I’m not good at this. I just can’t…”
Her tortured expression brought him back to his senses. “You’d better go to the kitchen then.”
She blanched, making him instantly regret his harsh tone. He swallowed, wanting to reassure her. “I’m sorry, Olivia.”
“It’s okay.” She nodded too quickly for him to believe she meant it. She kept her eyes on the floor, making him wonder what she was thinking. He was used to seeing her meet every situation head-on, with her eyes open and her head up. Again, he wondered. “What happened during your marriage, Olivia?”
Her eyes flew to his, and he saw something stir in their depths. “You handled the divorce, counselor. Weren’t you paying attention?”
“Yes, I know Keith was unfaithful. We cited him for adultery and he didn’t contest it. But what really happened? Did he do something to you?”
Olivia’s laugh was a sharp burst of air. She shook her head. “No, he sure didn’t. Not a thing.”
Something in her voice made him want more answers, even though her expression was forbidding. “But you were intimate, right?”
Her eyebrows flew upward. “That is none of your business.”
“Don’t give me that.”
She crossed her arms. “Define intimate.”
“You had sex.”
She burst out laughing again. “Keith had sex with everyone. That was the problem.”
“Smart ass. You had sex with each other,” he corrected.
She nodded, but her smile was sad. “At the beginning. When I found out he was sleeping around, I didn’t want him touching me. No great loss. It wasn’t…I didn’t…” She sighed.
“Ah.” It was inadequate but it filled the silence while he gathered his courage. “So that night when you asked me to stay, you were…” Words failed him again. His face must have said it for him.
“Desperate? Pathetic? Giving it one more shot?”
“And I—”
She cut him off. “Yeah, you did. Or as the case may be, didn’t. But it’s okay. It’s fine.”
No, it wasn’t okay, and it sure as hell wasn’t fine because she was sad, and at this moment he would do anything to remove the grief from her eyes, to erase the devastation that had been haunting her expression for months now. He reached for her again, but she stepped back.
“You told me to go to the kitchen, remember?”
He deserved that. He was reassured by the color in her cheeks and fire in her eyes, but he didn’t want her to leave the room thinking about that night. “You can run, but you can’t hide.” He forced a teasing smile. “I’ve got plans, remember? I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Your ex-husband is an idiot. Whatever we do together will be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, I guarantee it. So, fine, go down to the kitchen,
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