Page 4 of Accidental Theirs (Alpha Billionaire Daddies #6)

Chapter Four

DOMINIC

She’s blocked my number.

My phone shamefully displays the several calls I’ve made to Olivia, the undelivered texts.

I sigh.

I hoped to see her here, but so far, I’ve only spoken to Sebastian.

The club isn’t usually my scene–I prefer dive bars and smaller groups of people–but in order to see Olivia, I would walk into hell itself.

Olivia Carter is the one that got away, and God, I wish she knew I’m a better man now. A different man.

After taking my drink from Sebastian, I trail over to the dance floor, scanning the crowd and hoping I catch sight of her.

There are plenty of beautiful women here, but no Olivia, at least not that I can see.

Marie walks over to me, giggling and taking my hands. “Want to dance?”

I only know her peripherally, have seen her at the office signing paperwork in preparation for the Titan merger, and I give her a smile as I release her hands.

“Not yet. Have you seen Olivia?”

She looks mildly disappointed that I won’t dance with her. “She went to the restroom.”

It isn’t like Marie isn’t my type. She’s everyone’s type, with her honey-blonde hair and blue eyes. It’s just that I can’t get a pair of pale green eyes out of my head, and I haven’t been able to for years.

Stupid . Monumentally stupid for ever leaving her.

But at the time...

I shake my head.

It’s not the time to be thinking about what might have been. If I can just talk to Olivia, just see her for a few minutes... maybe I can convince her that I’m a different man now.

“I think I’ll go find her.”

Marie bites her lip. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Dom. She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

I sigh.

I suppose Olivia has told her all about our fling, and how badly it ended.

I’m not surprised. I know that Olivia and Marie have been friends for a long time.

I don’t say anything more, just make my way through the crowd and stand near the hallway to the bathrooms, hoping to see Olivia coming out.

Instead, I see a huge, stinking drunk man with his hand above some leggy brunette’s head.

She looks uncomfortable, and as I get closer, I realize it’s Olivia.

Rage rushes through me, and I shoulder-check the man.

He stumbles backward, holding up his hands .

“Didn’t know she was your girl,” he slurs, and stumbles away.

Olivia looks up at me, but the gratitude on her face fades to a blank expression.

“Dominic.”

“Olivia.”

There’s so much I want to say.

I love you and I was stupid for ever leaving and I want you back. I want you back so badly.

The words catch in my throat.

She fiddles with the bottom of her blouse. “Been a long time.”

She looks amazing, her long legs shown off in a short skirt, and I struggle to keep my eyes on her pretty face.

“Too long. Olivia, I?—”

A woman nearly falls into the wall coming to the bathroom, and Olivia rights her.

The girl smiles drunkenly at her and staggers into the bathroom.

“It’s loud here. Should we go out to the alley so we can talk?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t know if we have anything to talk about.”

She doesn’t want to talk to me. Of course, she doesn’t. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have blocked my number, would she?

Damnit.

“Please.” All my dignity is drained from me as I look down at her. “I just want to talk.”

She sighs heavily and without looking at me, slides by me.

I follow her and thank God, she walks out into the alley.

I take a deep breath as I stand out in the night air, feeling like my thoughts are all melding together.

“What did you want to talk about?” She looks up at me expectantly and again, all the words I wanted to say fly out of my head.

“I- I wanted to apologize,” I say finally, my voice slightly hoarse from the two drinks I consumed for courage.

“Apologize for what?”

“For leaving the way I did.”

“Oh, you mean for making me fall in love with you and then leaving me a fucking note that said ‘I’m sorry’ and exiting my life forever?”

I wince at the harshness of her words. “I was different then. Young and stupid?—”

“You weren’t that young.”

I sigh. “Liv, please?—”

“Don’t call me that. Nobody calls me that.”

“I used to call you that.”

“Used to.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

I don’t know what I expected. For her to fall all over me, tell me she’s been pining after me for years and she’s been waiting for this apology?

Stupid.

I run a hand through my hair. “I’m different now. I work for Titan?—”

“Good for you.” She starts walking toward the door. “It doesn’t change anything.”

“But things are better.” I whirl around as she puts her hand on the door. I grab hold of her wrist gently. “Please. Don’t go.”

“What do you want from me, Dom? Forgiveness? You can have it.”

“It doesn’t sound like you forgive me.”

“I forgave you a long time ago,” her green eyes flash with anger. “That doesn’t mean I will ever forget. That doesn’t mean I want to get back together. ”

“I’m a different man now, Liv— uh, Olivia. I want to settle down. I want a family. With you.”

“With me?” Her voice hasn’t changed, but now she’s working her bottom lip between her teeth.

“There’s no one else I want to spend my life with.” My heart races a bit faster. I can only hope that the tide is turning. “There’s never been anyone else.”

She snorts. “Like I’m supposed to believe you’ve been celibate since we broke up.”

I wilt.

I haven’t been, not exactly, but there’s certainly never been another woman that I felt this way about.

“Olivia, please. Just give me another chance. I’ll treat you like spun gold, take care of you like a princess?—”

“I’m not a princess. And I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”

I want to scream.

I slowly drop her wrist. “So, that’s it? It’s over?”

“It’s been over from the moment you set the pen down and turned your back to leave me with only a note, Dominic.” She doesn’t sound angry anymore, just tired, and my heart aches.

That’s worse.

I get closer to her, and she doesn’t back away, just looking up at me with her chin tilted up.

“If it’s over,” I murmur, getting even closer, close enough to brush the hair away from her face.

She doesn’t flinch, just looks up at me with those gorgeous eyes of hers.

“Can I have a goodbye kiss?”

She doesn’t back away. “This seems like a trick.”

I shake my head. “No trick. I just want to kiss you one more time. ”

She closes her eyes briefly, and then opens them again. “All right. One kiss.”

I cup her cheek with one hand, leaning down to press my lips against hers, and she moans into my mouth when I press my tongue inside.

It’s a good kiss, passionate but brief, and she kisses me back, which makes my heart soar.

When I pull away, she looks up at me with glassy eyes and then blinks, pulling away from me.

“There. You got your kiss. I’m going back inside.”

“Liv—”

“I said, don’t call me that.” She turns and storms back inside.

I stand there, touching my lips where I’d kissed her.

God, how am I ever going to get over her?

I should go home. I should go home and drown my sorrows in the vodka I have hidden at the back of the fridge, forget all this happened.

But I can’t.

Carter Holdings is merging with Titan, and if I’m really honest with myself, I want to take advantage of it. God help me, I want to be close to Olivia in any way I can. And that kiss just made it even more so.

I head back inside and go straight to the bar, ordering a double vodka soda, and Roland Emerson sidles up next to me.

“If you hurt her again, I’ll kill you.” He is smiling at me.

It’s a terrifying smile, with too many teeth.

I shoot back half the drink. “I would never hurt her again.”

He shrugs. “I’m just saying. She’s my best friend. If she doesn’t want to talk to you, you’d better leave her alone.”

Irritation rushes through me. “What do you care, anyway? Do you want her for yourself? ”

He chokes out a laugh. “Oh, honey. I’m more interested in men like you, didn’t you know?”

I blanch.

I hadn’t known Roland was gay, but it doesn’t matter. He’s still an obstacle to Olivia. To getting her back. To becoming the man she deserves.

“I won’t hurt her again. But I won’t turn her away if she comes to me.”

He snorts and rolls his eyes. “What makes you think she’ll come to you?”

I shrug. “I’ve grown up and learned from my mistakes, so I’ll go to hell and back to show her she can trust me and I’m the right man for her.”

Roland rolls his eyes again and takes his drink, heading back toward Marie and Olivia, who are talking in the corner of the club.

Great .

Everyone in her life hates me. Well, I mean, maybe not Marie. But Olivia’s still pissed about how I left things.

Not that I can blame her.

And after all of it, after traveling the world, finally settling down with a good job, something I should have done years ago–I still want her.

Olivia is still endgame for me, and there’s nothing anyone can do to change that.

We’re meant to be together. She’ll see that soon enough.

She has to.