Page 2 of See You Maybe
She inhaled a slow breath through her nose, and just as she thought she had gained control over her heart rate, the double doors swung open and an attractive woman in a sleek, red pantsuit ushered them in to the conference room.
Olivia’s legs trembled as she followed Kyle and his father into the room. Her heart thudded hard in her chest as she discreetly scanned the handful of faces, searching for him. Olivia shook hands and heard herself returning pleasantries automatically, but her body was in an uproar. Olivia pivoted, trying to see around a tall man.
A stab of nerves hit her. Maybe he hadn’t come.
The man speaking with her turned to welcome Stuart, and the world slowed around her.
Her heart stuttered.
There he was. Even more handsome than she remembered.
Declan Riordan.
No, that’s not right.
Riordan was the name he’d let her believe was his—not his real name.
Olivia still remembered the shock she felt seven years ago, when she saw his picture on the cover of Trend magazine, and discovered who Declan really was. The body she’d memorized, draped in a designer suit over the headline: Declan Bloom, CEO Super Star.
She’d felt like a fool.
It only took a quick Google search, and staring at photographs of him longer than she’d admit even to her best friend, for her to be sure it was the same man.
As if there was any mistaking the square jaw and dark brows over his devastating violet eyes. Even on the two-dimensional, glossy cover, Declan captivated her.
Olivia didn’t know why he’d given her a fake last name all those years before. To be fair, she’d let him believe her name was something different as well. However, it finally made sense why she could never find him during those late night, wine-fueled internet searches.
Olivia hadn’t known she was trying to track down the man of her dreams using not only the wrong name but in the wrong country. The man she had fallen head-over-heels, soul-shatteringly in love with twelve years ago while on vacation in Dublin.
Declan sat centered on the far side of the long conference table, one leg crossed over the other, his broad shoulders leaned back, taking up the entirety of the leather chair. The position at the table wasn’t necessary. No one could deny the power Declan exuded or how his presence demanded attention even while he ignored the group from Armstrong.
Light from the window behind him highlighted his profile. Turned slightly, he listened to the man leaning down speaking quietly into his ear. Her heart flipped as a dark curl slipped over his forehead before a large hand lifted to push it back.
Olivia’s feet had a mind of their own, and inched closer, only to come to an abrupt stop.
What am I doing?
This wasn’t a bar in Dublin, and they weren’t alone.
She stood awkwardly as people flowed around her, taking their seats. Declan had yet to acknowledge any of them. Was he being intentionally rude as a negotiation tactic? If so, it was working. The previously confident expressions on her colleagues’ faces had grown wary.
“Move,” Kyle hissed in her ear, pinching her hard just above her waistband as he moved past her to take his seat. Olivia didn’t mean to flinch, but she was out of practice. Kyle hadn’t hurt her physically in the two years since she’d walked out, limiting himself to cutting words and intimidation whenever he saw her.
His minor brutality wasn’t a total shock. Kyle had been on edge lately, and she was always his favorite target. Olivia’s surprise came in that he would risk doing it here, where his father might see.
Richard took the seat directly across from Declan. Kyle and Stuart claimed the seats on either side of Armstrong’s owner. The two lawyers Armstrong Electronics hired filled in the other seats. Eyes turned her way, and Olivia was suddenly conscious that she was the only person in the room still standing and quickly slipped into the only open seat on their side, next to Stuart.
Around the table, people fidgeted, straightening the papers waiting in front of them, but the head of Bloom Capital, deep in conversation with the man standing to his side, continued to ignore them. The awkwardness of the moment grew, and even the Bloom Capital representatives exchanged confused glances.
Declan lifted one long finger and brushed it back and forth across his full bottom lip thoughtfully. Heat spread low in Olivia’s stomach as her eyes followed the slow stroke. An image of Declan lifting his lips from her stomach and meeting her eyes with a mischievous grin appeared in front of her. She blinked as goosebumps rose on her arms.
“I’ll handle it when we’re done,” Declan’s deep voice rumbled, and her heart lurched.
It’s been so long.
Memories washed over her in a torrent—that same voice whispering everything from “I love you” to absolutely filthy commands that still made her blush when she thought about them.
The man nodded and turned to go, and Declan finally gave the group his attention.