You Distract Me

What's Your Problem?

Olivia looked so damn beautiful as she walked along the shore, the bottom of her jeans soaked to her calf.

The neat ponytail was gone and replaced by long and dark lustrous waves flying all about her. Light from the afternoon sun made her honey colored skin glow.

As I closed the distance between us, I noticed the thoughtful look gracing her delicate features.

"Hey."

She jumped at the sound of my voice, causing the heels in her hand to drop.

"Shayne, god, you scared me."

I picked up the shoes and didn't give them back. A blush on her cheeks gave away her embarrassment.

"I don't mind holding them for you."

She nodded with a shy smile.

"I hope you aren't too upset about me asking you to step out of the car for a while."

"No, that's okay. I've been wanting to come by the beach anyway. Plus that man gave me a weird feeling."

"What gave it away? The hoodie?"

She gave me a stunning smile before shaking her head. "There's that, but he also looked scared, kinda skittish. Is everything okay?"

I could see several other questions jumping about in her eyes.

"Everything's fine. Just some legal matters that needed tending to."

It was clear she didn't believe me, but she smiled nonetheless. "No worries, I'm very good at minding my own business. Would you like to take a walk with me?"

How could I resist?

"Of course."

A long moment passed as we walked in a comfortable silence. I decided to break it.

I gave her a sidelong glance. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How are you?"

She stopped and looked at me, amusement written all over her face. "What?"

"How have you been? I mean, after what happened that night, at the barbecue."

"Oh." She resumed the walk without a single word.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it."

"No, I do. Just not now or today."

"That's fine."

A look of relief crossed her face and that's when I knew she'd taken it hard. I really needed to know she was okay.

"You once stated that I was your girlfriend. What was that about?"

Chuckling, I scratched the back of my head, suddenly nervous. "Did I?"

She giggled at my reaction. "Yeah, you sort of did."

"Right, uh, well, that guy you saw me with is actually my cousin, Trent. We've been grabbing at each other's throats since we were kids."

"I see. You used me as a pawn."

"It's not how it sounds, I swear. It just happened. I hadn't expected to see a beautiful girl appear right when I'm having a stare down with my enemy."

Her laugh was deep and soft. "Do not change the subject, Shayne."

I loved hearing my name on her lips. I couldn't help giving her another sidelong glance, my eyes glued to her plump lips.

"Are you listening?"

I tore my eyes away from her inviting mouth and lifted my gaze, only to find her eyes on me. A deep blush reddened her cheeks and neck.

"I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

She pushed a lock of hair behind her equally red ear. "I . . . uh . . . I asked what motivated you to build an empire as successful as Reyvox."

Just like that the moment was gone. Because the answer to her question was not a bright one. Inexplicable feelings of sadness and guilt hit me all at once.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay."

To my shock, I felt Olivia's hands pulling me towards her and curling around my neck. Her scent and the sheer feel of her warmth forced me to succumb to the hesitant hug. Just the thought that it was her was enough.

I wasted no time in bringing her closer to me, encircling my arms around her small shapely waist, and making sure there wasn't any space left between us.

I'd almost broken down, I realized then. The guilt had been too overwhelming, but breaking down wasn't something I'd ever do. Too many years had passed since I'd last shed a tear, and I wasn't going to start now.

I resisted the urge to bury my face against her neck and instead gently pushed her away from me.

Her hands remained on my shoulders as a look of confusion crossed her face. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about it." My hard edged reply shocked the both of us.

Her hands fell on her sides, and the injured look on her face bothered me.

"Okay. Can we . . . I . . . what's your problem?"

I took a step back, surprised by the deep emotions showing on her face. Anger, disappointment, disbelief and hurt.

"I just don't understand you. Look, whatever's going on, I get that it bothers you to talk about it. I understand that, believe me. But it doesn't hurt to feel, you know? It doesn't make you less human.

"And you don't always have to get defensive every single time you're in your feelings. I gave you a hug because it looked like you needed one, not because I thought you were a lost puppy!"

She waited for any response from me, but I didn't have anything, even though I knew I needed to say something. She let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed her heels from my hand.

"Let's just go. I'll think of something so I don't get fired."

I let her walk away from me, still stunned by her outburst. A part of me knew that I needed to apologize and talk to her. But the other part, the egotistical part, thought that maybe she just needed some space.

I wasn't sure how long she would be mad at me, so I thought it would be the perfect time to have that trip. I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

"Lorraine, I need you to book a flight to Turkey for this evening."

As I followed Olivia to the car, I let my eyes wonder.

Hopefully, by the time I'd be back from my trip, she would have gotten over her little mood by then.

She had to.

☘

Hi, everyone. Thanks for reading this chapter.

If you've reached this far in my book, I salute you. Even though I suck at frequently updating.

Please leave your comments if you may, I'd be glad to hear from you.

See ya.