My Love at Last Read online

  Connor’s pulse raced. He knew he had something. He could feel it. What it all meant he wasn’t sure. He asked Ms. Farmer if he could borrow the book, with the promise that he would take excellent care of it and return it to her.

  He made a quick stop at the site, unloaded the truck and told Jake that he would be gone for the rest of the day. He called Olivia. She was still on the road from her day trip to Manhattan. She said she should be back in town in about an hour or more.

  “Can you meet me at my house?”

  She talked to him through her headphones. “Sure. Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. See you when you get here.”

  * * *

  Connor kept staring at the photograph of Ellen Dayton. The resemblance was uncanny, right down to the tiny cleft in her chin. Cleft chins were a genetic trait passed down from parent to child. What if Olivia was a descendent and this wasn’t some fluke discovery? Maybe she still had family out there, a real family. And if she did, maybe then she could get the answers that she’d been spending her life searching for.

  How could anyone have given her up, given her away? They had no idea of the incredible woman that she would become, despite them.

  Olivia was amazing. She was brilliant and kind and sexy and loving. Had he been looking for a woman, he would have been looking for an Olivia Gray. But he wasn’t looking and that was precisely why she was in his life. She was supposed to be. He could try to downplay it and not feed into what had happened between them over the past couple of months. But despite the roadblocks and the temporary walls, he had fallen in love with her.

  The reality hit him like a punch in the gut. It stole his breath and for a moment his thoughts swam and struggled to rise to the surface. He was in love with her. “I’m in love with her.” Saying the words out loud gave them life.

  Connor pushed up from the couch and slowly paced the room. Loving her would never be enough. If he knew nothing else about Olivia, he knew that she was not willing and was unable to truly give in to love with anyone until she understood and found out who she was.

  He glanced over his shoulder to the worn book on the table. In those pages and somewhere out there might be the answers that she was looking for. But what if they weren’t? What if it was all an awful coincidence, and he was the one that would give her hope when there wasn’t any? Could he do that to her?

  His ringing phone interrupted the turn of his thoughts. He snatched it up from the table and a half smile lifted his mouth.

  “Hey, sis.”

  “Hey, big brother. Long time. How are you? You don’t call, you don’t write,” she teased.

  Connor chuckled. “Very funny. I could say the same thing about you, Sydni. You don’t stay still long enough to call or write. So to what do I owe the pleasure?” He plopped down on the couch and stretched out his long legs.

  “Well, if you must know, I’m pregnant!”

  “What! Congratulations, sis. How is Gabriel taking it?”

  “He is beyond thrilled,” she said, the joy in her voice palpable.

  “I guess this means traveling the world is going to have to slow down for a bit.”

  “Yes, but I’m fine with that.”

  “You?” He chuckled. His sister was the next in charge of their father’s mega global marketing enterprise. They handled some of the biggest corporations and überentertainers and executives in the country and out, which was how she’d met her husband, Gabriel St. James. Connor was hard-pressed to see his sister puttering around in their sprawling house cooing and burping a baby. But anything was possible.

  “Anyway, the reason why I’m calling is, of course, to share my news with my big brother. But I — we, Gabe and I — want you to be our child’s godfather.”

  For the second time in less than an hour the wind was knocked out of him. “Sis, are you sure? I mean, of course I will.”

  “Thank you, CJ,” she said. It was her pet name for him since they were kids — Connor James. “I know it all seems kind of soon, but you know me, plan ahead.” She laughed.

  “How far along?”

  “Four months.”

  “And you’re just getting around to telling me?”

  “We wanted to wait, make sure everything was okay.”

  “Hmm, I get it. And… is everything okay?”

  “So far.” She paused. “The doctor says that I have a few medical issues and I will probably be on bed rest in my last few months. But we will have to see.”

  His body tensed. “What kind of medical issues?”

  “Apparently I have a weak cervix, and a heart murmur, which supposedly I’ve had since I was a child. But no one ever told me.”

  He snapped his head at the news. “Are you okay? That’s all I want to know.”

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine. I’m taking it easy, taking my vitamins and doing what the doctor says. So please don’t worry.”

  “Too late on that score.” Connor leaned forward and rested his arms on his thighs. “Does Dad know?”

  “Not yet. I was planning to tell him over the weekend. I’m going to have to stop working in about another month or two. That’s going to send shock waves through the company.”

  “They’ll survive. The important thing is you and your baby.”

  “My sentiments exactly! So enough about me. What’s going on with you? How is the project going? What’s happening in your life?”

  Connor leaned back, his body slowly relaxing. “Well… ”

  * * *

  “Oh, CJ, I am beyond happy for you. You have no idea. After that witch Adrienne… Grrr. Every time I think about her I want to catch her after work and give her a Nawlins beat down.”

  Connor broke out laughing.

  “I’m serious.”

  “She was here.”

  “Say what?”

  “Adrienne was here a few weeks back. Still trying to get me to forgive her and start over.”

  “You have got to be kidding. The nerve. She knows she blew a good thing. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about her. I want to meet Olivia. I have to meet her. Any woman who can put that kind of soft bass in your voice has to be my kind of girl,” she teased.

  Connor chuckled. “In due time.” He hesitated, unsure of how much he should reveal to his sister. But growing up, he and Sydni had been thick as thieves, covering for each other, sticking up for each other, sharing their adventures, getting advice. If anyone would understand, Sydni would. “It’s not quite as simple as it seems… ”

  * * *

  “Damn, CJ, can’t life ever be easy? Wow. Well, if you’re asking for my advice I say tell her. Let her make the decision on whether or not she wants to pursue it. Because if she finds out later that you knew, and from everything you’ve told me about her she will, she will never forgive you. I know I wouldn’t.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “Probably? I’m always right.”

  “No, you’re not, Syd. We got that split down the middle.”

  “Hmm. If you say so. Anyway, do the right thing. Or at least what your soul tells you to do. And make plans to visit. I need to see you.”

  “I will. Listen, tell Gabe congrats, and you — you take care of yourself and my godchild.”

  She laughed. “I will. I have my feet up as we speak.”

  “Good girl.”

  “Love you, CJ,” she said softly.

  “Back at you.”

  The call ended and he put the phone down on the table next to the book.

  Chapter 18

  Olivia’s nerves were still on edge from her confrontation with Victor. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that he would be so petty and stoop so low. Her fingers gripped the wheel. All her hard work, her years of dedication out the window, her research
questioned. Unreal. He’d actually said out loud in front of staff members, at the meeting, that most of her time had been spent cultivating a relationship rather than doing her job. She was so stunned by what he’d said that for several moments she couldn’t respond. Everyone in the room looked everywhere but at her. If that wasn’t bad enough, he went on to insinuate that her research was questionable because the chain of custody was unclear. This was potentially one of the greatest discoveries of her career and Victor was determined to taint it in whatever way he could, simply because he couldn’t have her the way he wanted.

  She sniffed back the threat of tears. She refused to be broken by Victor Randall or anyone else. She was highly respected in her field and there would be plenty of opportunities out there for her. Besides, maybe it was time that she took a break, had a real vacation as Connor suggested.

  Olivia turned on her headlights. She’d hoped to get back to Sag Harbor before it got dark. She was still a bit unfamiliar with the roads and the turns, and preferred to do her driving during the day. So much for that plan. Her exit was a mile up ahead. After that she had about another twenty-minute drive.

  The closer she came, the more she realized how much she needed to see Connor. He had a way of soothing the ragged parts of her, filling up some of the empty spaces. And it wasn’t so much what he did or said, it was his presence, just being there.

  Many evenings they spent together doing nothing more than watching a movie or stretching out on the couch to listen to music. There wasn’t always heavy discussion, or even light conversation. Some nights they were content simply being together in the same space. She’d never had that with a man before, being that kind of comfortable.

  But tonight she needed to talk. She needed to pour out her frustration and her anger without censure. And then she needed to be held and to be told that it was Victor’s loss, and that the best was right in front of her. She needed to be made love to and caressed and soothed, everything to make this day disappear.

  Finally she pulled into town, thought about making a quick stop at the market, but didn’t want to spend any more time away from Connor. She made the turn onto the single-lane road that led to his house.

  * * *

  “I asked you not to call me, Adrienne. We have nothing to talk about. Period.”

  “Connor, if we could just sit down, have drinks and talk… That’s all I’m asking.”

  “You don’t get it. There is nothing for us to talk about. We said it all.”

  “It’s because of her, isn’t it, the woman I saw you with?” she demanded, her tone shifting from pleading to accusatory.

  “Whether or not that’s true, it’s none of your damned business.”

  “Then, it is true.” She sniffed. “She’s some big-time researcher at The Institute in New York. I looked her up.”

  Connor’s chest tightened. The idea that Adrienne was checking into Olivia didn’t sit well with him at all.

  “What is it about her? What can she do for you that I can’t if you’d let me?”

  “Adrienne, if whatever you thought you could do for me was lined with platinum, it wouldn’t matter. What you did, to me, to us, can never be repaired. You lied and you swept dozens of others up in your lie.”

  “I know. Connor, please. I only did it because I was scared of losing you.”

  “I’ve heard it all before, Adrienne. You weren’t scared of losing me. You were scared that you might lose your ticket to your well-orchestrated future. Look, I would hate to have to change my number. A great deal of my business is tied to this number. But I will do it to keep you from calling.” He heard a car pull into the driveway. “Goodbye, Adrienne.”

  Adrienne looked out her car window and watched Olivia walk up to the house. Moments later the door opened and Connor greeted her with a sensual kiss. Adrienne waited for Olivia to go inside before she turned on her lights and drove away.

  * * *

  “How was the drive?” Connor draped his arm across Olivia’s shoulder as they walked inside.

  “Not bad.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

  “What’s wrong?” He turned her to face him. His eyes scanned her face but her gaze wouldn’t meet his. “Liv, what happened?”

  Her throat clenched. She shook her head. “I don’t know where to begin.”

  “Wherever you want to, just tell me what’s going on?”

  She walked over to the couch and sat.

  “You want something to drink? Wine?”

  “A little bourbon,” she said with a weak smile, to his surprise.

  “Not a problem.” He fixed a drink for them both and brought them over. He sat next to her. “Tell me.”

  By the time Olivia finished retelling the unbelievable afternoon she’d had, Connor was beyond livid. Clearly Victor’s “friendly” visit had been a bunch of bull and he’d only spouted a load of crap. His showboating at the meeting only added to the fury Connor was barely keeping a lid on after the call from Adrienne. It was one thing for Adrienne to do her number on him, but he would not stand idly by while that so-called man tried to eviscerate Olivia and all that she stood for. The more she explained and the more he heard the hurt and anger in her voice, the more determined he was to put an end to the BS once and for all.

  “So where do you stand now with your job?”

  “I still have a job, at least until my contract expires, but my credibility has been called into question with my colleagues, many of whom I supervise at one point or another.” She snuggled closer and sipped her drink. The warm liquid softened the tattered fringes of her day, and allowed her to see it through a soft haze.

  “In another month Victor will be gone. You still have work here to do, and the people that know you and know your reputation are not going to swallow that crap that he tried to shove down their throats. And if they do, then they were never in your corner or had your back. You do what you do best — research and evaluation. This project is major and you’re taking the lead on it. Don’t let Victor Randall rob you of that out of his own petty ego issues. Don’t let today trip you up and make you lose focus or question yourself. I’m not going to let you do it, so don’t even think about it.”

  She tilted her face up to him and smiled through watery eyes. “I know you’re right. I told myself the same thing on the drive back. I guess what makes it so much harder is that Victor knows about some of my struggles with my identity and my roots, and it’s because of those things that I work so hard on providing proof, being accurate, validating everything as if that somehow says that I’m good, I’m okay, I’m real. He used what he knew about me to try to hurt me.” She snorted a laugh. “It’s why I keep the walls up. Today was a result of what happens when you let someone in.” She started to get up but her head spun, the bourbon hitting the spot, especially on an empty stomach.

  Connor held her arm. “Are you saying that includes me?”

  She looked at him but couldn’t keep him in focus. “Only time will tell.” She sighed heavily, unaware of how her remark stung him. She curled closer to him, rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

  Connor leaned his head back against the couch and stretched his arm along Olivia’s body. He would prove to her that what she would have with him could never be compared to what she’d experienced before. He’d be there for her no matter what the outcome was from the book that he’d found, or whatever happened with her job. They’d deal with it together.

  He glanced down at her lightly sleeping form and eased out from under her. She needed food, a hot bath and then whatever happened between the sheets. Tomorrow he would tell her about the book.

  * * *

  Olivia blinked against the soft light that inched across the floor. She squinted at the bedside clock. It was nearly six thirty. She groaned softly and turned, delighted to find Connor still in bed and n
ot halfway down the beach. Her eyes drifted close. By degrees the previous evening replayed in her head. She’d been an emotional mess when she’d arrived and had blurted and blubbered what had happened, all the while sipping on a glass of bourbon that had apparently gone straight to her head. The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur. She vaguely remembered eating and then being… bathed! Her eyes flew open and her body came fully alive.

  She turned on her side to face Connor, who as always was gorgeously naked beneath the sheet. His arm was tossed across his eyes. Olivia grinned and gently lifted the sheet before sliding her body across his.

  Connor groaned.

  “Mornin’,” she whispered as she slowly stroked him to life. “How about a little run around the bed to get the day started?” She buzzed in his ear before nibbling the lobe.

  He clapped her rear end in his palms and gently squeezed. “Be careful what you wish for, little lady,” he said, his voice still rough with sleep. “Why don’t you climb aboard and let’s see what you got.”

  “My pleasure… or should I say ours.” She straddled him and rested her weight on her knees while she positioned herself above his erection, which was clearly calling her name. The swollen head pressed against the slickness of her opening. She eased down and the first inch of him spread her, excited her. She bit down on her lip to keep from waking the neighbors as he filled her, until the air lodged in her lungs.

  They found their rhythm and it flowed like hot lava coursing through their veins. The musical notes of their groans and sighs matched the tempo of their slow grind, which escalated to quick, hard thrusts and long undulations of hips.

  Connor wanted to be everywhere at once: inside her, kissing her, suckling her, caressing her. It was maddening to want someone as much as he wanted her, and to want to satisfy her, put his mark on her so that she would never forget the magic that they made together. He would never get enough of her. Never.