Learning To Love (The Griffin Brothers Book 4) (2 page)

“No. You cannot.”

“You can buy me a
drink, Luke.” I turn and see a blonde I fucked last year behind us
in line.

“No thanks.” I
can’t even remember her name, and I’m sure as hell not going to
buy her anything. Especially with Olivia here. I turn back around,
but she grabs my arm.

“Seriously? After
what I let you do to me last year?”

“Umm, maybe we should
talk another time, Luke. I don’t want to interfere in your love
life.”

“First off, there’s
no love involved in what’s going on here. And second, I’m not
into any freaky shit. So, although I did take this chick home and
fuck her, there’s nothing I should feel bad about. I always get the
girl off first, so I know she was happy when we were done.” I turn
to the girl in question. “I’m positive I told you the score. I’m
a one and done guy. I say that to every girl before we hook up. I’m
sorry if you didn’t believe me, but that’s the way it is.”

She slaps me and then
turns to go. To my surprise, Olivia grabs her wrist. “That was
totally uncalled for. From what I’ve heard, he’s upfront with
those of you who choose to sleep with him. You shouldn’t go around
slapping people who show you a good time.”

I’m literally shocked
speechless as the girl storms away in a huff. “Go ahead and sit
down, Luke. I’ll get your smoothie and some ice in case it swells.”

She turns back around,
giving me no choice in the matter, so I find us a table and sit down.
A few minutes later, Olivia joins me with our smoothies and the cup
of ice. She wraps some ice in napkins and reaches out to place it on
my cheek. I put my hand over hers, and she withdraws it quickly, her
cheeks turning pink.

“That should keep any
swelling down. For someone so little, it seems like she slapped you
hard. You wouldn’t want it to ruin your date.”

“Date? I don’t have
a date. Why would you think that?”

“Oh.” She looks a
little embarrassed. “I figured you’d have a date every night of
the week.”

“I don’t. I have to
do lesson plans for the class I student teach, and well, I just
haven’t met any girls recently who’ve made me want to put my work
aside.” Except for her. Olivia intrigued me from the moment I met
her in that bar. Did I want her on my lap? Hell, yeah. Just not
because she was forced there. The circumstances of our meeting, and
how things took a bad turn, hasn’t stopped me from wanting to have
her riding my cock. Or mouth. My fantasies about her over the last
year have been endless.

“Great. I mean, not
great. I mean…”

Is she as affected by
me as I am by her? Her face is completely red now. “Let’s talk
about us and not anyone else, okay?”

“Us?” I nod as she
swallows hard. “Oh, you mean tutoring.”

“I mean whatever you
want me to mean, Olivia.”

“I-I don’t sleep
with random guys, Luke.”

“I wouldn’t expect
you to. I’m not going to lie and tell you I don’t want you,
though.”

“I need your help,
but if you think it will be too hard for you because, well, because
nothing else will come of this other than a passing English grade for
me, then I can put up an ad or something.” She’s looking a little
nervous again, and I definitely don’t want that.

“I didn’t mean to
make you uncomfortable. I
do
like you, Olivia. Despite what you may think because of my
past behavior, I would never try to force you into something you
don’t want. I promise you’re safe with me. I’m going to make
sure you pass English, and hopefully, prove to you that I’m not a
complete asshole.”

“If you can get me to
pass, I’ll definitely think you’re an okay guy,” she tells me
with a little smirk. She’s got some fire in her after all.

“Deal. Now, when do
you want to meet? And where?”

We go over details and
set up some times and places. I ask her to leave me with her last
couple of essays, so I can see what I’m working with. After, I
remember that I need to pay her for my smoothie, but she refuses,
saying she owes me so much more than a smoothie. I let it go—it’s
kind of nice to have someone pay for me—and then head to my car. I
need to go see Candi and Owen to let them know that they need to tell
Olivia who I am before she finds out from someone else, and it blows
up in all our faces.

* * *

Olivia

I’m off today, but I
need to talk to Candi. She was there when I met Luke the first time,
and I know she’ll want to know that he’s my tutor now. I hope she
doesn’t go off on him, or have her friends or Owen hurt him. He
seemed sincere, even when he was flirting with me. I know I’m
inexperienced with guys, but I believed him when he said he was
sorry. He never did anything to make me feel threatened, and he
ignored all the girls who tried to hover near our table. I got quite
a few death glares, which if I’m being honest, was pretty good for
my ego.

I pull up to the
converted warehouse where Candi has her photography studio and
apartment. I carry in the treats I picked up from Drago Sisters
Bakery for us to share while I tell her my news. She had a shoot this
morning but should be free now. She’s working less now that she’s
pregnant, but she’s still really busy. As I punch in my code and
start to open the door, what I hear makes me stop short.

“I’m not lying to
Olivia, Candi. You need to tell her or I will.”

The voice sounds like
Luke’s, and when I push open the door, I’m shocked to see that it
is
him. I’m more
shocked to see him standing next to Owen. Now I know why he always
looks so familiar to me. They’re obviously related although Luke’s
more muscular and has longer hair, along with being clean shaven.
Candi’s sitting on one of her couches in front of them with her
head in her hands.

“Oh my God.” It’s
all I can say as the pastries start to slip from my hand. Luke rushes
over and grabs the container before it hits the floor. He looks up at
me, and I swear his eyes look sad, but I don’t know what to think
right now.

“Olivia. I can
explain.” Candi rushes over to me. “Will you let me?”

I look at the woman who
has done so much for me. She came to my rescue when I called her that
night. She’s given me a job that pays me really well. And she’s
been supportive of me, and listened when I vented about having to be
the perfect daughter. I’m hurt and angry, and I don’t know what
else right now, but I’ll listen to her.

“Yes. I owe you that
for all you’ve done for me.”

I walk over and sit
down on a couch. Luke sits next to me. Not too close to make me
uncomfortable, but close enough to let me know he’s interested in
how I’m going to react. He holds out the pastry container to me,
but I shake my head, so he just sets it between us. Candi sits across
from me with Owen, who’s holding her hand and giving her a
reassuring smile. She takes a deep breath and then starts to talk.

“When I came to help
you that night, I had no idea Luke would be there. I was honestly
horrified when I saw him, but I was more interested in getting you
out of there than having a confrontation. After taking you home, I
found him sitting outside my door, wanting to talk. I was angry, and
wanted to just kick his ass, but since I’ve known him for a few
years and was dating Owen, I let him in and listened.” She pauses
and looks at Luke. “Do you want to explain what you told me or
should I?”

Luke looks at me. “It’s
up to Olivia. Who would you like to hear everything from?”

“You, Luke. If what
you said convinced Candi, I want you to convince me, too. Especially
since we’ll be spending time together now.”

He looks nervous but
manages to smile at me. “I’ll give you a shortened version since
I’m in a little better place than I was then. Basically, I was the
big man on campus in Chicago, and then pretty much lost that all when
we moved here because I stood up to a fraternity jerk who said things
about my brother Scott’s wife, Yasmin. I was lost and didn’t know
what to do. It’s no excuse, but I want you to understand that I was
in a pretty bad place when those guys asked me if I wanted to hang
out with them. I wanted to belong to something.”

“You always belonged
to us, Luke.”

“I’m not going to
get into it with you, Owe. I have some issues I need to deal with
still. Candi helped me with some of them, but I’m not ready to
discuss them with you or the rest of the family yet. Right now, this
is about Olivia.”

“We
will
discuss it, bro, but go ahead with your story.”

“I started hanging
out with those guys, and soon realized they liked to bully and scare
people. I did what I could to diffuse situations by waving my money
around and taking them out to clubs, or going to gamble at the
casinos.”

“I still can’t
believe you used the money that Dad, Ryan, Scott, and I worked hard
for to keep those assholes in line. That was the stupidest thing
you’ve ever done, and I’m not okay with it. I know Dad talked to
you about it last year, but you need to know how I feel. Ryan and
Scott, too.”

“Let him finish,
Owe,” Candi places her hand on his forearm and gives him a fierce
look. “He was helping people. You have to realize that and not
think about the fact that those idiots profited from it.”

“Go ahead and
continue. But, again, we will be discussing this at some point.”

“Actually, I’m out.
I can’t do this.” Luke looks like he’s about to break down.
That can’t be right. He’s too cocky for that.

“Owen didn’t mean
it like you’re taking it, Luke.”

“Really? Because I’m
pretty sure he did.”

I watch with wide eyes
as he storms out of the studio. I’m following him before I can even
process what I’m doing. I don’t know why, except for the fact
that seeing the vulnerable side of Luke made my heart hurt a little
for him. Today has made me realize that there’s more to him than I
thought. He’s not just a man-whore who’s looking for the next
girl. He’s a smart, nice guy who I think I might like. Perfect
Olivia shouldn’t be having those thoughts, but something about Luke
Griffin is making me not care about being perfect for once.

Luke

I had to get out of
there. Hearing Owen talk about how I was wasting money that everyone
else made really hurt. I work at the company every summer, doing
whatever anyone needs me to, and I take part in some decisions, but I
know I’m not really contributing. I talked to Candi about it last
year. She told me my family would want me to follow my dreams, even
if that meant not working in the family business. I took that talk to
heart and continued my Education major, as well as joining the local
hockey league.

I’ve also made an
effort to spend a lot less. I sold my condo and moved into a smaller
apartment, telling my family I didn’t need such a fancy place. That
was partly the truth, but I also felt bad about spending money I
hadn’t earned. It’s always been my parents’ practice to split
all of the earnings from the company equally between us. No one’s
complained until now, but I’ve been expecting it. Waiting for
someone to realize that I don’t deserve anything. I didn’t know
which of my brothers would bring it up, but I knew it would happen.

I’m leaning against
my Tesla trying to control my breathing. Just because you know
something’s coming, doesn’t mean it won’t hurt when it does.
Olivia bursts out the door and stops in front of me. “Thank
Godyou’re still here.”

“I’m sorry I had to
leave. I know you deserve the rest of the story.”

“I just need you to
answer one question for me. Were you going to hurt me that night,
Luke, or force me to…well...you know?”

“Never. I swear I
would’ve protected you if it had gone any further. I was already
planning some exit strategies when Candi came through the door.”

“I believe you.”
She reaches out to move a lock of hair from my eyes. The action seems
to surprise her as much as it does me.“I’ve heard from my sister
about how great your family is. I think you’ve even driven her home
before.”

“I have. Rose is a
great girl. We’re all happy that Alex connected with her at school.
She really needed a good friend.”

“From what I’ve
heard, they’re practically inseparable, especially since Alex has
her own car now. I don’t spend much time at my parents’ place,
but the times I’ve met Alex, she’s been really cool.”

“She’s awesome. I’d
do anything for her.” It all of a sudden hits me that Olivia came
out here after me. “You came out here to find me. Why?”

“You looked so upset
when Owen yelled at you. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“But why? I mean,
don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you came out here, and just talking
to you has calmed me down a little, but I don’t understand why
you’d want to do it.”

“I-I like you, Luke.
You’re helping me, and you gave me all of your attention earlier in
the Student Union even though there were all those girls hovering
around us. I heard you telling Candi you wouldn’t lie to me
earlier. It means something to me that you said that. You were going
to make sure I knew about everything, even if I hadn’t come here
today.”

“I was. As for giving
you all my attention, well, I like you too, Olivia.”

It gets a little
awkward at this point. I don’t think either one of us knows what to
say next. I feel a little like a young teenager again, crushing on
the girl in middle school. It’s not necessarily a bad feeling, just
one I’m not used to. I don’t do crushes or date girls. With
Olivia, I think I might want to. I’ll admit that I’m just a
little freaked out by that, but not enough to walk away. I don’t
want to spook her, so I vow to let her set the pace. We’ll start
with tutoring, and see where it takes us.

* * *