“Of course I have clothes! I’m staying with them for the week. I don’t walk around naked.”
I wasn’t touching that one.
“I wish I had my phone. I’m worried about Eva.”
Also puzzling to me. “Why are you worried about Eva? I’m sure she’s fine. Benito thinks you’re Eva.”
“Which is gross.”
A glance over showed her chewing her thumbnail. Olivia didn’t have on any makeup. It was the first time I’d actually realized that. Her sister had been heavily made up, but Olivia was fresh faced. Maybe that was because she had gone out onto the patio the night before straight from a shower. I hoped she preferred easy on the eye shadow. She looked beautiful the way she was, natural.
When she didn’t elaborate, I asked, “Why is that gross?”
“Because everyone seems to think it’s totally normal that my sister would cheat on her husband with her bodyguard.”
For some reason that rankled. “What, a bodyguard isn’t good enough to have an affair with? It offends you that she would go slumming?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. My sister and I grew up broke as a joke with my grandparents. I don’t give a shit about money or status. I just mean that people seem to think she is perfectly capable of getting married but still living like she’s single.”
It made me feel better that Olivia was so vehement about not being materialistic. I believed her. “It’s not that unusual in this lifestyle. And no one knows your sister. It’s not personal.”
“I guess not.”
“So what do you do with your days, Olivia?” I realized I knew nothing about her. I knew her body inside and out. But I didn’t know her and for the first time in my life that actually made me uncomfortable. I was the king of hook-ups. I loved the choreography of catching someone’s eye, flirting, coming to a mutual agreement to get naked, and sharing an hour of pure base pleasure. I thrived on the hit and quit because there were no expectations beyond an orgasm. That I could give. More was out of the question. I couldn’t get close to anyone because I couldn’t lose someone again.
Rachel popped into my head and I forcefully pushed her out.
Olivia helped me avoid those painful memories by saying, “I’m a grad student and UM. Chemistry. My undergrad degree is in engineering.”
That caught my attention. “Seriously?” It made me grin. “So you’re a smarty pants? Nice.”
I don’t know what I was expecting but not that she was a chemistry major. Who did engineering. I didn’t even know what that meant, but it sounded complicated and like a lot of math was involved.
But she seemed uncomfortable with my teasing compliment. “I just learned how to study well. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“So when do you graduate?”
“Next year. Then I’m hoping to get a job in an oil refinery. I’ll probably move to the gulf somewhere. I’m kind of ready to move on. I’m hoping Eva will go with me.”
Interesting. Olivia was a girl with a plan. I found that very sexy. She also seemed to have forgotten I was bleeding, which also made me happy. “I thought you said Eva loves Ricardo.”
“Thanks for reminding me.”
“Sorry.” It seemed to me Olivia was being a little unrealistic to think her sister would leave a dude she loved who was filthy rich to move to a strange city and live in a small apartment with her sister. Then again, Eva wasn’t getting good dick from Ricardo, so maybe she would.
In any case, it was none of my business.
So why did I want it to be my business? That made me angry, as did the press of those dark thoughts, memories, I didn’t want to exist. Shit I couldn’t undo.
I pulled up to the gate to enter Star Island and told Olivia, “You have to be your sister for the gate guard.”
“Why? They know she has an identical twin sister.”
Every word I spoke she argued against. It didn’t help my mood. “Then be whoever you want. I don’t give a shit.”
“Chill out.”
I worked hard on a regular basis to keep my rage under wraps. That’s why I avoided attachments—if I didn’t care, I wouldn’t get angry. But I didn’t ask for any of this and it pissed me off that she didn’t seem to understand without me she might be dead. “I’m not going to chill out. I just fucking stole you from Benito. I’ve been shot. Your brother-in-law owes Benito two hundred grand in drug money and now I’m right in the middle of this whole shit show, risking my neck, because of you.”