Page 29 of Rivals Next Door

I swept her luxurious apartment, taking in the modern but stark decor. Everything was white, black, or transparent. The Ice Princess in her bleak glass tower. I thought she would have met someone who countered her excruciatingly reserved ways by now… like I used to. I wasn’t sure why the thought of another man helping her to let her hair down irked me so much, and I wasn’t about to analyze it.

“I came to apologize,” I said.

Her eyebrows arched.

Her expression made me smile wryly. “Me. Apologize… I know, right? You once told me that I was too arrogant to be apologetic.”

Her eyelashes lowered to hide her eyes and pink blossomed in her cheeks. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smirking. I knew she fought hard to keep that blush away and lost.

She threw those words at me after our first major argument… I didn’t even remember what we fought about. I did remember kissing the hell out of her to shut her up when she cursed my arrogance though. The makeup sex that followed was explosive.

While I had her on the brink of an orgasm, she’d said, “Oh, my god, Alex. If you keep fucking me like that, you never have to apologize for anything ever again.”

That memory and Olivia’s deepening blush—because she was definitely reliving that night—brought out the smug smile I’d been trying to stave off. Her eyes finally met mine, and she glared.

“What exactly are you apologizing for? You’ve been a gigantic ass, so it’s hard to be sure.”

There she was… Miss Tough and Mighty was back.

Refraining from rolling my eyes, I asked. “Are you going to offer me a drink or what?”

She scoffed. “I didn’t invite you over.”

“Don’t be ungracious, Liv.”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped.

I smiled, despite my logical self berating me for coming to her place. “Fine. This isn’t typically how I conduct business, but, hell… Olivia, you and I have history.”

Her eyes narrowed to slits. “This is about business?”

“Sort of.”

The reluctance to let me further into her personal domain practically radiated off her. However, she let out a breath and gestured toward the living room. “As long as this is about business, I don’t see why we can’t share a drink.”

I sat on a sofa and watched her as she sauntered out of the room. “What the fuck am I doing?” I grumbled. I could have called her to issue my apology… but that didn’t seem good enough. After our tiff in that parking lot, I didn’t sleep a wink that night.

Olivia’s hurt expression haunted me all night. Her icy exterior had cracked for the briefest of moments, and I saw pain in her eyes. I hurt her feelings, although I’m sure she’d never admit it. That comment I made about getting over her fast and her not being memorable was laughable. She stung me with the way she downplayed our relationship, and I wanted to hurt her back. We both issued low blows, and we had to stop.

After my conscience plagued me, I decided that I’d take Olivia down professionally. Yes, I knew I was thinking crazy and that I was a walking contradiction. I’d get my revenge and BioTech if it was the last thing I did, but I was going to do it without getting caught up in emotional bitterness.

She came back with a bottle and two glasses. I studied the bottle when she put it on the glass table, noting that it was only half full.

“Since when do you drink whiskey?”

“Since I had to blend in with the people who have dicks,” she said flippantly.

I swallowed a smile. Same sassy woman hiding under her icy surface…

“This is what plenty of men do at business meetings,” she added. “I had to fit in.” She filled the two glasses and handed me one.

I stared at the brown liquid until Olivia chuckled. “I haven't poisoned it, I swear.”

My eyes locked with hers. I didn’t hesitate because I thought she hated me enough to poison me. I simply wondered if it was a good idea to consume alcohol while I was with my ex-girlfriend in her living room. Especially with her looking so much like the girl I fell for…

I grunted my amusement and drank. To hell with it…

My feelings for her were nowhere near what I felt years ago. That ship had long sailed and it would never return. However, that didn’t stop me from feeling guilty about being immature and letting my resentment get the best of me.

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