Dream (Fighting Fate Book 5) Read online

  “That must’ve been hard for them,” she said, concern darkening her eyes. “She’s a lucky little girl in more ways than one, though. Seems like she’s got a very loving extended family.”

  I nodded. “She sure does.”

  The guys’ gazes almost burned me as we passed the house, they were that intense. I knew they weren’t going to be happy with me when I got back, but I didn’t care. In this moment, I was happy.

  Focusing back on Olivia, I watched her happy smile as she gazed out at the ocean. “You mentioned you were waiting for your parents to get back from overseas. Are they still in Uganda?” I asked.

  She nodded emphatically. “Yeah, they’re just getting everything sorted. Our family was the longest permanent aid workers there, so we kind of accumulated a lot of crap. They want to hand most of it over to the new family coming in, as well as get them up to speed with where everything’s at. I wanted to stay and help, but Mom thought it’d be good for me to come back and get used to the Western culture again before I have to start work.” She said the last part like it was a bit of a joke.

  Her steps slowed before they stopped altogether. For a second I wondered what she was doing, but then I realized we’d reached the end of the beach, and we were now standing at the bottom of the trail that led up to her aunt’s house.

  “Did you want to come up and see Aunt Jenny’s house? I could show you some pictures of what we did in Uganda, if you like? I mean, I know looking at other people’s pictures can be boring, but if you just wanted to see what it looked like . . .” She trailed off, suddenly looking self-conscious.

  I smiled at her pink cheeks. “I’d really like that.”

  Her sigh was filled with relief. It was cute. “Cool.”

  Yeah, the guys weren’t going to be happy with me at all. Pulling out my cell, I tapped out a quick text to Daniel, apologizing, before following Olivia up the trail.

  Chapter 13

  Olivia

  I couldn’t believe I was actually taking a guy up to Aunt Jenny’s house. And a really cute guy at that. My heart flittered around nervously inside my chest as we walked up the trail. I took him in through the living room, and brought him to the kitchen.

  “Do you want a drink?” I asked.

  He looked so amazing standing there. I actually had trouble keeping my thoughts coherent. “Thanks,” he said.

  I could feel his eyes on me as I moved through the kitchen. It seriously made my heart do weird things. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down a little as I opened the top cupboard and reached up to take out two glasses.

  When I turned back around, his eyes were directed down, as though he’d been looking at something on my butt. Oh my God. What if I had something stuck on me? I felt my face flush at the thought. Maybe the tag was still on the back pocket or something.

  Placing the glasses on the bench, I tried to discreetly brush my hands over my backside to check. Nope, nothing there. Damn it. Why was I feeling so self-conscious? Telling myself I was being stupid, I shoved the feelings away, and went to get the juice out of the fridge. “Orange okay?” I asked, holding up the container for him to see.

  “Sure.” He turned away as I filled the glasses, looking around the kitchen and dining room. “This is a nice house,” he said.

  I let my gaze roam around. “Yeah, I love it. It has a nice feel about it. Although it’s absolutely huge.”

  He nodded in agreement. “Has your aunt owned it long?”

  “I think she bought it about eighteen months ago.” I passed him his drink and picked up mine. “What about you? Is that your parents’ house?”

  “Uh . . . it belongs to the family . . .”

  Something that looked like unease flashed in his eyes. Trying to ignore it, I took a sip of my drink. “That’s cool. Is your family here with you?”

  He smiled. “No. Not this time. Just friends.”

  I smiled back, feeling a little wistful. As content as I was with letting my friends go all those years ago, I did miss the closeness that was possible with a group of good friends. “And I bet you all thought you’d get the beach to yourself. Sorry about that,” I couldn’t help teasing.

  “I can’t say I mind.” His eyes glinted with something I couldn’t interpret, but it made my stomach flutter.

  With my heart still beating a little too fast, I gestured to the living room. “Come on, I’ll show you around. Obviously, this is the kitchen and meals area. In there is the formal dining room,” I said as we walked. “And this is the living room.” I gestured at the enormous space before us that faced a wall of windows looking out at the ocean.

  “Down that hall is the theater, the stairwell down to the garage, and Aunt Jenny’s office.” I continued toward the stairs, showing him the library, bathrooms, and other bedrooms, before taking him up to my room.

  “This is the room I’m staying in while I’m here.” I went straight to the doors that led out to the deck and opened them wide, suddenly feeling a little awkward having him there. I didn’t want him to think I was suggesting anything. I stepped outside and put my drink down on the little wooden table.

  A few seconds later, he came to stand beside me. “It’s almost as good as the view from my room,” he said with a smirk.

  I laughed, my shoulders relaxing instantly. “I’m not sure about that. You seem to have a lot more trees around your house. Can you even see the ocean from your room?”

  The teasing smile was still on his lips. “You’ll just have to come and judge for yourself.”

  For some reason, I suddenly found it hard to breathe as he gazed at me. His eyes were such an amazing hazel color, framed by thick, dark lashes that gave him a mysterious kind of aura. He had high, defined cheekbones, and a strong set jaw that made me want to just reach out and touch him. It wasn’t good.

  But then his gaze was gone, looking out to the ocean, and he was casually taking a sip of his drink. Drawing in a long, slow breath, I tried to calm myself down for the hundredth time since inviting him in, but even I knew it was pointless.

  “So, where are these fabulous photos?” he asked, breaking into my weirded-out state.

  “I wouldn’t exactly say they’re fabulous. They’re just normal pictures,” I admonished. Reaching inside the door, I grabbed a handful of photos and started flicking through them, trying to find the basics to show him. “This is probably the best picture to show what the town looked like. See how most of their houses are just made from scrap pieces of iron and stuff?” I watched him look over the picture, his eyes narrowing as he scanned it completely.

  I passed him another picture. “This was where we lived. It looks pretty crappy, but it was much nicer than anything anyone else had. I always felt a little guilty about that.” I didn’t want to bore him too much, so I passed him the pictures quicker than normal. “And this is the recreation center we built. All those kids were my friends,” I said, indicating the group of kids standing in front of the building.

  I showed him a few more shots of my parents, me with some of my friends, the school, and the locals working. He looked at me seriously after a while. “I’m sorry, but I have to ask. You were there since you were thirteen?” I nodded. “And you only just got back recently?”

  “Monday,” I said in confirmation.

  He looked at me skeptically. “Did you date?”

  I finally realized where his line of questioning was heading. I laughed, only a little embarrassment washing through me. As much as I felt out of my comfort zone with the whole flirting thing, there wasn’t much I could do about my lack of experience, so I sure as hell wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. “Does kissing a diplomat’s son, twice, constitute a date?”

  His expression was laughable. “Ah . . . no. No, it doesn’t,” he said sternly.

  He stared at me as I continued to giggle at him. I really wished I knew what he was thinking. I couldn’t make out his expression. It was such a mixture of emotions. “I know, it’s sad. I’m an adult who’s ne
ver been on a date. Do you think there’s a place for that in the guineas book of records? Maybe I could apply . . .”

  He shook his head at me, but his smile was kind. “You’re definitely unique.”

  I sighed. Unique—that was one word for it. So was weird. Even if Aunt Jenny was right—which she wasn’t—and boys did chase me, as soon as they realized how weird I was with the whole dating thing, they were sure to run away from me instead. It was hopeless. I was never going to find anyone who would want to take me on a date.

  Music started playing from Josh’s pocket, and he swiftly pulled out his phone. He silenced it quickly, but not before I saw a picture of a beautiful girl flashing on the screen.

  He inhaled deeply. “I didn’t realize how late it was. I have to go.”

  I nodded. Of course he did. He was just realizing how weird I was, and that was probably his girlfriend trying to call him. I tried to hide my disappointment. Why the hell didn’t I think about the fact that he probably already had a girlfriend? “Oh, okay.”

  Shoving the pictures back onto the table, I grabbed my glass and walked him back downstairs, to the side door, so it’d be easier for him to get to the trail. He paused in the open doorway beside me, his expression suddenly intense. “Thanks for letting me gate crash your walk, Liv. I had a good time.”

  My stupid breath was getting stuck in my chest again. There was something about the way he called me ‘Liv.’ I forced myself to exhale. “Me too,” was all I could manage.

  He was quiet for a little while longer as he appeared to contemplate something. His voice was quieter when he spoke again. “Do you want to do it again tomorrow?”

  I had to stop myself from blurting out a loud ‘yes!’ Biting my lip until I could control myself a little better, I smiled. “That’d be nice. What time?”

  “How’s nine? Not too early?”

  I smiled. I’d get up at dawn if he’d suggested it. “Nine’s perfect.”

  Chapter 14

  Josh

  I was so screwed.

  Those damn lips were almost irresistible. The way she would bite down on them when she was embarrassed, bringing the blood rushing to them, making them even fuller than they already were . . .

  And those shorts. I knew I was going to go to hell with the thoughts that ran through my head when she reached up into that cupboard. They hugged her ass perfectly, showing off the taunting curves of her hips, molding the soft roundness of her cheeks where they joined her long, shapely legs.

  Even her damn neck and collarbones called me in. I wanted to touch and explore every part of her. I used to think that song “Your Body is a Wonderland” was just a corny ploy to pull women in, but for the first time, I could see how the dude could’ve written something like that.

  When my cell rang back in her room, I’d never been more grateful for someone to interrupt me before. I had no idea what Hannah wanted, but I couldn’t talk to her about it in front of Olivia, that was for sure. All I knew at that point in time was if I stayed any longer, I was going to kiss her, and I didn’t know if I could actually stop myself once I started.

  Why the hell did she have to be so damn innocent?

  That was rule number one as far as I was concerned. Never, ever sleep with anyone unless they knew what they were in for. And not only did Olivia have no idea how famous I was, she was not the kind of girl to have sex just for the fun of it. I mean, kissed twice? What the hell was I supposed to do with that?

  As I made my way back home again, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through to Hannah’s number. She picked up on the second ring. “Hi, Josh.”

  “Hannah. Sorry I missed your call.”

  “Oh, that’s all right,” she said, her voice almost singing. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

  I almost laughed out loud. She had no fucking idea. “No, you’re fine. What’s up?”

  “Well, I was just wondering if your manager has mentioned anything to you about us?” Her tone was a little uncertain.

  I frowned. I hadn’t heard from Ian since Monday, but I was positive he hadn’t said anything about Hannah. “Er, no. Why?”

  “Oh,” she said, a slight craftiness in her voice. “My manager called me this morning saying the studio was hoping we could play for a bit of publicity.”

  I sighed as soon as she said it. I knew exactly what she was talking about. The studio wanted us to either pretend to date, or date for real. It didn’t matter to them. They just wanted both our faces plastered all over the tabloids, to draw attention to the movie. I wasn’t beyond that sort of deceit. I’d done it before. “Uh-huh,” I murmured, not willing to commit myself to anything just yet.

  She sighed. “I know. But maybe we could just occasionally go out sightseeing together or something. That would be better than nothing.”

  I glanced up at the sky and tried not to audibly sigh. “I don’t know, Hannah.”

  “I know you’re not keen on doing things like this,” she said, pausing. “They just seem as though they’re being very forceful with it at the moment. I can’t help but think there’s more to it, if you know what I mean?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Production troubles? I don’t think so. I was only talking to Greyson the other day. He thinks BayTown is going in, so budget is secure.”

  “Oh, really? I hadn’t heard that,” she said, sighing. I had no reason to think she was up to something, but a niggling feeling in my gut was telling me to be careful.

  “Yeah, you might want to check with your agent, but it all looks good.”

  A soft, breathy laugh came over the phone. “Okay, well, think about it anyway. Extra exposure never hurts,” she said. “I’ll go call Mike and see what I can find out. I guess I’ll see you in Florida.”

  “Will do. Bye, Hannah.” I touched the bottom of the screen to end the call and sighed. It was time to face the firing squad.

  I raised my eyebrow at the four of them as I stepped onto the deck. They were all glaring at me through narrowed eyes, their postures varying degrees of stern. Corey huffed as I sauntered forward. “We’re just deciding whether we should go on strike or not.”

  Grabbing a brew out of the fridge, I cracked the top and went to lean against the railing. “Cool. Which way are you leaning?”

  “Striking sounds good,” Cain said. “I’m just not too sure you’re smart enough to understand the reasoning behind it.”

  I feigned a grimace. “Ouch. That’s harsh, man. That cuts me deep.”

  Lance rolled his eyes. “Come on, Josh. Even you have to know that was a dumb move.”

  I took a sip and twitched my eyebrows up at him. “Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you.”

  Daniel, who’d been quietly watching me from his chair behind the others, raised his chin. “Okay, what circumstances are you working in?”

  I took another sip, biding my time. “She’s got no idea who I am.”

  “Fuck off.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “No way.”

  They all spoke at once, and I wasn’t surprised in the least by their reactions. “Hard to believe, I know, but it’s true. She’s been living in Africa for the last six years.”

  Cain crossed his arms over his chest and deadpanned me. “They do have movies in Africa, Josh. They also have gossip rags and radio.”

  I smirked at his apparent knowledge of the entertainment industry in Africa. “She was in Uganda, Cain. Not fucking South Africa or wherever else you’re thinking of.” He scowled at me, ready to counter with some other piece of geographical wisdom, and as much as I loved listening to him drivel on, I stopped him with a look. “I’m not saying you can’t investigate the information I’m giving you, but I’m telling you right now, she doesn’t know who I am. I saw pictures. She’s been living in some shanty town in Uganda for the last six years. She didn’t keep in contact with any of her friends from the States, didn’t watch any new movies while she was there, hasn’t been back for vacations, nothing. It’s fucking w
eird, but it’s real.”

  Daniel sat back and assessed me, his mind in obvious overdrive. “So, you’re okay with me running some checks on her?”

  Normally, I was all for background checks and suspicion and whatever else they felt they needed to do in order to do their job, but the thought of checking Olivia’s facts annoyed me. I also knew I needed to let it go. Placing my hand out, palm up, I met Daniel’s gaze. “Be my guest. But while you do, I’m not hiding from her. She’s nice. I like her.”

  “Dude,” Corey said, his gaze sending me a warning. “If she really doesn’t know who you are, you can’t go messing with her like that.”

  Irritation crept into my veins. “I know that. I never said I was going to do anything with her.”

  “You didn’t have to, bro. It’s written all over your face,” he said, sitting back.

  Taking another sip of my beer, I tried to cover up the fact that I knew he was right. I just needed to convince myself he wasn’t, and then I might have a chance of keeping things platonic. In the back of my mind, I think I already knew I had no chance. But I was stubborn as shit with things like that.

  Chapter 15

  Olivia

  Aunt Jenny watched me from across the dining table, her lips pressed together, trying to hide the smile that’d been trying to break free since I’d told her I was meeting Josh that morning.

  She instantly wanted to know all about him, and after only being able to tell her his name was Josh, and he was an actor who liked to surf, I came to the realization that I didn’t really know him that well.

  Aunt Jenny had laughed at my worried expression, reassuring me it was all fine, that we’d gradually get to know each other as we spent time together. I had nothing to base my fears on, so I decided I needed to listen to her, and just go with it.

  After Aunt Jenny left for work, I raced up to my room to search for the perfect outfit. As I stood in front of my wardrobe, I froze. What the hell was I doing? My God! I was already turning into one of those girls I’d vowed to never be again. Was I seriously going to let myself be monopolized by how I looked and how hot the guy I was meeting was? I slumped down on my bed, disgusted with myself.