She went to reach out for me, and I put my hand up.
“Stop. Just stop this, Olivia. We were never in love. ”
She shook her head. “Don’t say that, Layton. ”
“We weren’t in love. We were in lust, Liv. I thought I loved you, but someone has taught me what real love is. She has totally opened up her heart and soul to me, and she trusts me to take care of her, to love her with no conditions. I can’t even stand the thought of being away from her for more than five minutes. My heart stops when she walks into a room or when she smiles at me. When I hear her laugh, I just want to make her laugh more because it makes me feel so happy. ”
Olivia rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Oh, please, Layton. Did you fuck her last night? You know that’s all this is, don’t you, baby? She’s just another girl who you’ve taken to bed to try and forget about me. But, baby, I’m here now. We can be together. I know what I had, and I’m ready to take it back. ”
I felt heat rising in my body. “Don’t you ever talk about Whitley like that again. ”
“So, it’s Whitley who’s here. For Christ’s sake, Layton, you barely know that girl. I don’t trust her anyway. She’s hiding something. I don’t think this is a good idea, baby. Come on, you go tell her to pack up her shit and leave, and then let’s go for a ride. ”
I just stood there, listening to her crazy talk. “Get out. ”
“I know how hard the last six months have been, Layton, but I’m here now, baby. ”
I let out a long sigh. “Get the fuck out of my house right now, Olivia. ”
Her mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I want you to leave my house, and so help me God, if I ever see or hear of you talking to Whitley in any negative sort of way or if I find out you’re digging into her life, I’ll make you pay for it. I love her, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her. Do you understand me?”
“You’re insane, do you know that? You don’t know a damn thing about this girl. She’s only after you for your money, Layton! How can you say you love her? You’ve only known her for, what? Two weeks?”
I turned and opened the door. “Get the hell out of my house, and go back to Justin, Olivia. You two were made for each other. ”
She squared off her shoulders and started out the door, but then she stopped right in front of me. “You don’t know what you’re walking away from here. ”
I laughed and gave her a wink. “Oh, the hell I don’t. I know exactly what I’m walking away from. Just like I know what I’m walking toward—happiness and love. ”
She turned and walked away. “Good luck with that. ”
I shut the door and turned to see Whitley standing there with both dogs lying at her feet. She was leaning up against the doorjamb, wearing nothing but one of my T-shirts.
I instantly smiled and shook my head. “Damn, Whit, you sure look good in my shirt. ”
The smile that spread across her face made my legs shake and my stomach drop.
Shit, I love this girl standing in front of me.
She slowly started making her way over to me. “This shirt sure feels good on me. ”
I smiled wider. “Oh yeah? I bet it would feel even better if you took it off. ”
She threw her head back and laughed. She glanced down at the tray and then back up at me.
“You hungry, babe? It’s probably all cold now. ”
She moved up to me and placed her hands on my chest. The moment she touched me, I felt electricity move through my body.
She looked up at me with those beautiful deep green eyes that just sparkled. “I’m hungry…but not for food. ” She raised her eyebrows.
I literally felt my stomach do a flip. Reaching down, I picked her up and made my way back toward my bedroom. I walked past the bed and went straight into the bathroom. I set her down on the bench and turned on the shower.
“I need to take a shower,” I said with a wink. I glanced down and saw her rubbing her legs together.
Fuck me. I want her so damn bad.