“FUCK!” Olivia screamed out, her body trembling as her orgasm overtook her entire being, waves of ecstasy rolling through her core.

“Holy shit!” Alexander said, thrusting into her faster, turned on by her shaking body underneath him. He soon found his own release, screaming out Olivia’s name, forgetting that his mother was just down the stairs and could probably hear everything that they were doing.

Once their breathing began to slow, he placed his hand over her stomach, helping to lower her onto the bed. She lay on her back, utterly spent. She turned her head to see Alexander in the same position. “Sex with you is always fucking fantastic,” she said, smiling, her body still tingling from her orgasm.

Alexander was still breathing heavy as a sly grin crept across his face. “It absolutely is.” They both stared at the ceiling for several long minutes, trying to get their breathing under control.

“Hey, Olivia?” Alexander said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah?” She turned her head to look at him.

“Have I told you today how much I love you?”

She dragged her finger up and down his sculpted chest. “Yeah. But you can say it again.” She repositioned herself so she was lying on her side, propping herself up with her elbow. Alexander followed suit.

“I love you, Sarah Olivia Adler.” He ran his hand up and down the length of her body.

“I love you, too, Alexander Thomas Burnham,” she replied, pushing him onto his back and climbing on top of him.

Alexander growled, loving the feeling of her soft flesh on his body. She placed her legs on either side of him and he could feel the warmth emanating from between them. He raised his eyebrows.

Olivia nodded before slowly lowering herself onto him, his erection hard again.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Olivia,” he exhaled as she started moving up and down, moaning.

CHAPTER THREE

LETTING HIM IN

OLIVIA AWOKE FROM AN afternoon nap, admiring the beautiful man sleeping peacefully next to her. She glanced around the large bedroom, the duvet and several pillows thrown on the floor. A grin spread across her face, thinking about the amazing sex she had with Alexander just a few hours earlier. She pried herself out of his arms and went in search of a much-needed bathroom.

Grabbing her jeans and sweater, she threw them on before quietly walking over to the door, thankful when it didn’t creak and wake up Alexander. After finding a bathroom, she went to see if his mother needed any help getting things ready for that evening.

The house was eerily quiet as she walked down the stairs searching for Colleen. “They must all be outside,” she said to herself. She headed in the direction of the back door, when a room off the hallway caught her eye. She stopped dead in her tracks, a memory rushing back. Her fifth birthday. Her mama had made her a cake in the shape of a Care Bear. She could have sworn she remembered her mama and the green-eyed boy from the dream sitting beside her in that very room, singing to her as she blew out the candles on that cake.

Turning, she headed toward the ornate dining room, the table and chairs all covered with sheets. Walking around the room, she felt as if she had been there before, but that was impossible. She hadn’t even known Alexander for a year and this was the first time he invited her home with him. Still, the smell and sounds in that room were strangely familiar.

She scanned the walls and her eyes settled on a large picture frame covered with a white sheet. The other portraits weren’t hidden. Curious, she slowly made her way to the center of the room where the enormous frame hung. She gingerly began to raise the sheet, wondering what was underneath.

“Olivia, dear! There you are!” Colleen called out, startling her.

She jumped, placing her hand over her chest. “Colleen. I’m sorry. I came downstairs to see if you needed any help, and I guess I got a little sidetracked.” She shrugged her shoulders, feeling guilty that she was caught snooping around.

Colleen walked over to Olivia and placed her hands on her shoulders, trying to lead her out of the room and away from the large family portrait of Alexander and Olivia as children. “I understand. It happens to the best of us.”

“Colleen,” Olivia said, raising her voice. “Why is that portrait covered up?”

She stopped, turning to look at her. She hated having to lie to the poor girl, particularly when her son should have simply told her the truth by now. He swore he would tell her, and she didn’t want to interfere…not yet, anyway. “I’m sorry, Olivia. It’s just that whenever Alexander comes home, I try to rid the house of any memories of…”

“Oh,” she said, understanding. “I should have known.” She turned to head back upstairs, her shoulders slightly dropping.

“Olivia, dear!” Colleen called out.

She stopped and faced her.

“He loves you very much. I’ve never seen him so happy in all his life, even when he was a little boy.” She smiled before retreating back outside, leaving Olivia alone with her thoughts about Alexander and why the dining room in that house brought back memories of her fifth birthday.

~~~~~~~~~~

“LIBBY, LIBBY, LIBBY!” KIERA shouted, running up to her friend as she stood underneath a string of Chinese lanterns in Alexander’s large backyard.

Olivia couldn’t believe her eyes when she walked outside that evening. The transformation was remarkable, particularly after such short notice. White party lights were strung all across the lawn, casting a subtle glow on the backyard. Tables and chairs were set up, but most of the guests milled about socializing with each other as servers walked through with trays of hors d’oeuvres. Olivia was shocked that Alexander’s mother could pull something like that off in a few short hours. But she was even more surprised to see Kiera walk in with Mo and the rest of the guys in the band, followed by Melanie and Bridget.

“Oh, my god! What are you guys doing here?!” She looked at her friends and then at Alexander.

“I called Kiera while you were in the shower before we left Boston,” he explained. “I figured it would be nice for you to have a few familiar faces here.”

Olivia leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you. You’re the best boyfriend ever!”

“He’s not your boyfriend anymore, slut!” Kiera exclaimed, her green eyes brimming with enthusiasm.

She laughed. “That’s right! I’m never going to get used to that.”

“Guys,” Alexander interrupted, talking to Mo and the rest of the band. “You can set up your gear over on the stage. You can play for five minutes or five hours. Doesn’t matter to me. Just enjoy yourselves.”