Chapter 9
Liv felt the gentleness of the caress. Her sleep was peaceful and suddenly it became a gentle wake up call. She wasn't sure what was happening at first. Then she realized where she was, and she smiled before her eyes even opened.
Her arm, the one that was down the length of her body, resting at her side, went around him as her eyes opened. Once she saw the blue in his eyes looking so lovingly at her, he bent his head down slightly and took her lips into his. Could this be real? Everything she read about him, everything that people say about him, but all Liv can see was gentleness, care, and love.
Her other hand stayed put, under her cheek as his body, his face to be precise was directly over hers. He felt her rub his back and he smiled at her, pulling his head back. "Hi", his baritone voice already doing his thing to her body. What is it? Is this real. How can this beautiful, giving, caring woman care so deeply for someone like him? He just couldn't believe it.
Liv's shoulder went up with a chill and her hand stopped rubbing his back and caressed his face, tracing down his jawline to his chin. Her finger stopped there, and she looked at him. "Hi", she whispered back. She looked up at the still darkened windows above remembering the lake house and how they both fell asleep to the pounding of the rain.
"Judging by the look of it, it still isn't morning." Her nose nestled to his neck as he began to talk.
"3 a.m. to be exact, so technically morning, but not daylight yet." Fitz's hand went down her side, feeling her smooth skin and rested on her hip as he went down for another kiss just as she pulled back from his neck. "Did you sleep ok; sorry I woke you."
"No, it's fine." Her hand went down his chest as he now went flat on his back and Liv used her other hand to hold her head and to go above him now. "What has you up?"
He took a hard swallow. "Well, I woke up and realized you were next to me, after we fell asleep in each other's arms. I guess I felt the emptiness." He looked at her, then his hand caressed her again and Liv had to close her eyes to his amazing touch.
She wrapped her hand around his wrist and leaned her head into his touch. "Keep going," Liv said without opening her eyes. She needed that voice, she just loved hearing it as it vibrated her body.
"I turned and you were just sleeping. Your breathing so shallow, your lips so inviting, and your skin so beautiful. I had to touch you. Now, here we are." He watched as her eyes opened slowly and her head came down, cupping his face and kissing him slowly, as his hands now rubbed her back. A small moan came out and Liv's kiss went deeper, she couldn't help it, it was all her body's reaction to him.
Liv finally went back on to the pillow, her arm staying wrapped around him as they faced one another. Looking at him, the darkness not consuming the room because of the bathroom light, Liv bit her bottom lip. "Fitz," was all she could whisper.
Once again, their lips connected, like they just couldn't get enough of one another and Liv pulled back resting her forehead on the bridge of his nose. "What is it, Livvie? Talk to me." Both their eyes were closed as their bodies just touched, chest to chest, her leg wrapped around his.
She licked her lips slowly and shook her head. "Nothing, it's…" she paused and looked at him, then rested her head back where it was. "It's nothing."
There was silence, a very deafening silence, and Liv took a deep breath. "Don't say I shouldn't, or I can't be, don't say it isn't right, don't say anything." Her lips kissed his cheek, their hands interlocked, and she looked at him, tears filling her eyes.
"Livvie, what's going on. Things moving too fast? I can go into the other bedroom..."
"No. Don't do that." She calmed her body down a bit. "God Fitz, I've fallen in love with you. This feeling you give to my body, the way I long for you, I just." She couldn't finish and she had to just put her lips back to his, not being able to control her emotions.
He smiled at her, not saying a word, because he wanted to tell her he was already in love with her, had been since the day of their picnic, but he didn't, he didn't want to ruin her moment.
"I promise, Olivia, I am trying to be a better man." He put his head down. "Trying to control my anger and to get the attention away from me."
"No," she shook her head. "I don't want you to be a better man, you're fine the way you are. You don't bring attention to yourself, it finds you because it makes for a good news story. Just be Fitz." She smiled at him. "I see how you're trying, but you don't have to try with me."
He looked at her. He tried to say the words, to get them out, but he just couldn't. It was a feeling inside he had never felt. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to hug her, and to tell her she was it, he loved her, but he couldn't get there yet. He looked at her body, so perfect in the bed.
"Don't look at me like that and not do anything." Liv gave a sighing laugh. "You can't feel what you're doing to my body." She closed her eyes.
Fitz licked his lips. He bent down to her ear. "Fair enough," he said. "Let me taste you."
Liv shook her head in agreement, with a moan, as his lips went over her breast and his hand caressed her inner thigh. He kissed her stomach, the top of her aching core, and replaced his hand on her thigh with his warm lips.
His two fingers opened her, and Liv felt the tip of his tongue on her clit, and her body arched in the air as she took a deep breath in. "Oh God, Fitz." Her leg went around his back as his hand held her other one.
Using his tongue, he mercilessly went down from the top of her clit to her entry and back up again, moving his head in a slow circle, causing Liv to grip the pillow and squeeze it while she moaned in pure ecstasy,
Her eyes closed, as her body was growing chills from her toes to her neck and his lips came down before his tongue came out again, and went into her entry, and Liv hit her breaking point.
"Fitz, I'm going to come." Her leg crawled up his back, her finger on the bottom of her bottom lip and she lost all control of her body as the orgasm overtook her, and Fitz tasted it all.
As she came down, he was above her once again, and his lips went onto hers, so she could taste herself. "That was amazing," her breathing still heavy as his arm wrapped around her and he waited.
He wrapped her in his arms, she was too weak to move. She took one more breath, and her forehead went to his chest. 'I've never felt something like that before."
"I am so happy we are together right now, so happy you agreed to stay." Fitz rubbed her shoulder as her head continued to rest on his chest. "I've never felt this kind of calmness. I am always on edge, so on the defensive, but you take that all away. Thank you for coming to me today." Fitz kissed the top of her head.
"Emmie convinced me to go to you. She said there was sadness in my eyes, something she hadn't ever seen before, and she's known me my whole life."
"I don't want to make you sad."
"You don't, it was being apart from you, not seeing you for two weeks. I know this is all complicated and there are outside people, but I want to be with you."
"I know, Livvie, and we are together right now, so let's just savor it." He felt her nod as she yawned.
"Liv. I want to ask you something."
"Anything." She kissed his chest.
"What's the story with DC? Have you two?" He stopped feeling awkward.
"No, we've just been friends since first grade, honestly. We've gone to school forever, until seventh grade. He got that scholarship and went to Berkely with you for four years, but felt it wasn't for him. He came back and we graduated high school together. It's always been him, me, and Abby."
"You don't think he has feelings for you?"
Liv shrugged. "I highly doubt it, he works for my father. His parents are never around, they always travel and work, so the shelter and food pantry are his outlets. He's always been like a brother; I've told him to keep his boundaries." Liv yawned again.
"At Berkely, I don't mean to sound harsh, but he didn't fit in. He let others bully him, it wasn't right."
"Was it because of where he's from?"
"I don't think it was, I mean there were so many others there from where he's from, I don't think he really gave it a try."
"You defended him a lot I heard."
"I defended quite a few, that's how I got my bad boy status." Fitz gave a laugh, feeling his own eyes start to get heavy.
"The next wake up, we are heading to the shower Mister." Liv gave him a poke, "but make sure it's daylight." Her body fell asleep, as did Fitz, until the morning sun would wake them in a few hours.
DC sat in his one bedroom apartment. He stared out the window to the brick buildings next to him. There weren't any lights on, the neighborhood was asleep, but DC couldn't fall asleep even if he wanted to.
He had come to realize he had lost her, lost any shot he would ever have of getting her. The moment he saw her with Fitzgerald Grant he saw the change in Olivia's eyes. It was something he had looked for himself for so many years.
DC thought leaving in seventh grade, anticipating graduating from a prestigious high school, may take away his thoughts and feelings for Olivia, but it didn't. He tried, he tried to do well at Berkely, but he couldn't, and the reason was he didn't want to be away from Olivia.
When Eli asked him to take over the shelter and pantry, it was his out, or was it his in. He didn't know for sure, but he would always be around Olivia. He had saved enough where he was able to take two night classes a week at the community college.
When everyone would fall asleep at the shelter, Liv would read excerpts from her book to him. He could listen to her voice all night, but Eli always came to get her. Now her book was going to be published and it wasn't fair that she was sharing all her happiness with Fitz and not him.
He pounded his bed in frustration. All DC ever wanted was for Olivia to be happy and now she was, but it wasn't with him. "I have to convince her he is no good for her. But who are you kidding?" DC said to himself out loud.
Fitz wasn't as bad as they made him out to be, but his father was in a position that many people envied, and the press would do anything to disparage Fitz's image because of it. One thing about Olivia that DC knew all too well was she always saw the good in people, no matter what.
As soon as Liv got out of that car that very first day she met Fitz, DC knew he had lost her. Now what was he going to do, knowing he had lost the woman he had loved for years to a spoiled rich guy from the hills? He would think of something, he was sure of it.
This time Liv was the first to wake up and she was staring at his back, although they had fallen asleep wrapped in each other's arms. The daylight filled the room and Liv could see all the trees above through the glass ceiling.
Her finger began at the top of his back, and she followed it straight down to his hips. When she stopped her hand went around to his stomach where she felt his hard abs and she pulled her body to his back.
"My turn, Mister." Her tongue circled just below his ear and Liv felt him grab her hand. He moved it down to his erection as he turned onto his back. "Look what you did to me Livvie."
She rubbed around it, smiling eyes at him, and said, "well, let's see if I can fix this before our shower." She gave gentle kisses down his chest, and he felt her breath on his rock hard cock in 5 seconds.
Without hesitation her mouth engulfed it and she felt his body stiffen. "Geez, Livvie, Oh God." She felt his hand at the base of her neck. She popped it out of her mouth and gave it a few strokes.
His hand that was resting at her side was now interlocked with hers, as her mouth continued its motion, a rhythm of her engulfing it, stroking it with her hand, and back into her mouth again.
The glimpse she got of him caused her stomach to drop. He was lost in lust, his eyes closed, letting her hold his hand hostage next to him, as he just rested his other hand letting her head move it with her motions.
Finally, on the last set of strokes, before her mouth took it in again, he stopped her. "If you go back, I am going to come, Livvie." His words were weakened breath, and she ignored them. Within seconds, he grunted, unlocking his hand that was in hers and he covered his face as she tasted him come into her warm mouth.
Her head rested momentarily on his stomach, his hand that had never left the bast of her neck pulled her up to him and he kissed her, hard. "You are so fucking amazing, Olivia Pope."
"So, what's the story with Raquel? Why does she go after you so much?"
"I thought you wanted to shower. We should really eat something too." Fitz tried to change the subject.
"No way, Mister. We have time. Your turn." She waited.
"Honestly, it did all start with that sweet 16 party I didn't take her to. She has had a sexual relationship with Jeremy who basically gave her my schedule half the time. She's a mean, vindictive girl, one that won't let up on the grudge she holds. The farther away she stays from you, the better."
"Surely she has moved on from having feelings for you."
"Like I said, she deliberately did things to me to get my temper going, get the anger to come out. I am not a good person; I yell because I want things done right. She just always had my father's employment hanging over my head."
"You don't think she wants a relationship with you?"
"Even if she does, we are long past that phase. Now it's just staying out of her way while she goes out of her way to get to me. It's actually getting old, and I think the press even sees that. I just don't want her new target to be you."
"Oh, I can protect myself, let her come at me. I have nothing to lose by embarrassing little miss rich girl."
"Yeah, I can see that. Besides, you're badass with that motorcycle. How did you get to have that, by the way?"
"Emmie's son died of cancer several years ago. He was much older than I am, but when I was little, he would take me all around the neighborhood on the bike. I loved it. When he passed away, he left the bike to me."
"Ahh, I see, so it's sentimental also. Can we not bring it for next weekend, maybe a car will suffice."
Liv laughed, getting up. "I only ride occasionally, when I need to clear my head. Come on, tell me the air hitting you like that didn't make you feel free."
"Oh, it was incredible," Fitz admitted, "but motorcycles…"
"I know, I know, are dangerous. Don't sound like my dad now. I'll get the water going." Liv walked to the bathroom.
Fitz heard the shower turn on and he looked at their clothes sitting on the floor next to the bed. He sat up, put his head in his hands and thought of the night. It was, by far, the best night of his life. "I love you too, Olivia Pope."
It was the first night in a long time no one could get him angry by calling or texting him. One of the best decisions he made was to get on that bike with Olivia and leave his phone behind.
"Ready!" He heard her call, and all his troubled thoughts went away again, as he walked into the bathroom to this amazing woman who had won his heart.
Sully didn't even notice the sunlight beaming in the car window. He was snoring, head back on the head rest. If Olivia had pulled in on her motorcycle, he wouldn't have heard it, he was so out of it.
Raquel, in disgust, got into his filthy car and sat on the passenger side. She looked around, gagging at being in such a cheap car, what if someone saw her. She needed to do this quick.
She gave a smack to Sully's chunky cheek. "Wake up!" She watched Sully swat at his cheek, snore louder, and continue to sleep.
"For fuck's sake." Raquel said. She turned the key and put the radio on full blast. Some god forsaken heavy metal music was playing, and Sully jumped so fast his forehead hit the steering wheel.
"Holy hell." He turned the volume down and looked over. "What the fuck to you want, why are you in my car?"
"Go home, I'll handle Olivia Pope." Raquel opened the door to get out.
"Wait, Jeremy said."
"I don't care what Jeremy said, go home. I know all about his little plan and you're not carrying it out." Raquel slammed the door.
She got back into the comfort of her Audi SQ 8 and quickly left the area she was in. Even though it was the better side of THAT side of town, she couldn't wait to get out of there.
Jeremy had told her everything last night, that Fitz had jumped on a motorcycle with that Olivia. "But I have plans for her. Sully is going to take her out," Jeremy assured her.
Raquel rolled her eyes at the thought. "Jeremy wasn't going to win at ruining Fitz's happiness. If anyone is going to win that game, it's going to be me." She swung a U-turn and revved up to 80 back towards the hills.
As she was thinking of ways to get through Olivia to ruin Fitz she saw the blinking police lights behind her. She pulled over with a laugh as the officer approached her car.
"May I have your license…" The cop stopped. "Ms. Falcon, my apologies."
"Yeah, I figured as much, anything else today?"
The officer stepped back and took a hard swallow. "No ma'am, just be careful at that speed."
Raquel slammed the gas pedal down and continued her speed towards her house. The embarrassment Fitz had caused her so many years ago wasn't going to just be forgotten. Raquel never got to be with him like she had always wanted to, and she could tell now it would never happen.
She did everything in her power to break him, but she never could, he was always too smart for it, despite the negative headlines. Fitz embraced it, but now with the goody Olivia Pope, the negativity won't work so well with him. He'll try to stay out of the spotlight, but she has ways and people to make that fail.
Knowing Fitz for as long as she has, this was different. She saw it the night at that wedding, he was already a changed man, something had gotten into him. It wasn't until Jeremy had told her what happened when Fitz fired him at the Atrium that it clicked in Raquel's mind what it was.
"Olivia Pope, that's what it was, and she's going to break too, everyone has their breaking point. I'll think of something. I'll do my research." Raquel pulled into her garage, the mansion she still lived in with her parents.
Raquel tossed her keys to the butler and removed her shirt to her bikini top, diving right into the back pool. "Revenge will be sweet."
Olivia and Fitz stopped at a local breakfast stop to have some breakfast sandwiches before heading back to the FTG on the cycle. Fitz gripped around her waist and Liv kicked on the engine, and the rumble made Fitz's body calm down.
He rested his chin on her shoulder and although Fitz couldn't see it, she was smiling under the helmet. He hadn't told her he was in love with her, like she had told him, but he didn't have to. Olivia saw it in his actions.
She felt his chin on her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her, and she thought back to the shower. Her arms were wrapped around him from behind as her head rested on his back. "Last night was amazing, thank you."
Before he turned the water off, he turned to her. "I believe I have you to thank for that. Are you sure you want to be with me? I don't want to…"
She put her finger on his lips. "We can do this together," she assured him. "I don't want anyone or anything coming between us Fitz. Can we do that?"
"We can do that." He smiled.
She turned left into the FTG parking lot. "Don't move yet, Fitz." Liv said through her helmet.
Turning off the engine and looking around Liv took her helmet off, and turned and straddled him, her leges interlocked with his now as he took his helmet off. "That felt amazing, Liv."
She leaned into him. "The last 24 hours have been so amazing." Her lips went to his and there they were, just the two of them, lost in a kiss on the motorcycle in an empty parking lot.
Her arms wrapped around him as they continued their kiss and when they finished, her head went to the crook of his neck as she took in his smell, his everything. She felt him hold her tighter and his lips grazed her ear.
"I'm in love with you, too, Olivia. I've fallen for you too, and I am hoping with every ounce of my being I don't fuck this up like I've fucked everything up else in my life." He took a deep breath taking her in too.
"Hey. Don't talk like that." She blinked back the tears hearing him saying that about himself. "You are not a fuck up. Even if you were, you'd still be an amazing fuck up." She smiled making him smile back.
They leaned into a kiss one more time, because making out on a motorcycle was just fucking hot, and they heard someone clearing their throat. They pulled back, and Liv looked up. Fitz jumped up and off the bike in a blink.
Liv rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath looking up. "Dad, why are you here?"
"I saw the bike parked and I pulled in, you were too busy to hear me." His eyes never left Fitz.
"Mr. Pope, good to see you again." Fitz put his hand out.
Eli reluctantly shook it, then thought about how he told Olivia he would support her. "Young man, how is Wednesday night for dinner? I would like to have you over; we can talk then."
Fitz shook his head. "Wednesday is fine, 6:00?"
"That works." Eli looked at Olivia and she mouthed a thank you.
"Well, I'll be at Emmie's new place. I'm helping her set up. You want to take your bike back and.."
"I'm going to stay home, rest up. I have a busy day of editing with Destiny tomorrow and I'm tired. I had a long night." Liv smiled at Fitz.
Fitz looked at her begging her with his eyes to stop. "Uh, I have to get in there. We have a three o'clock baby shower and I need to make sure everything is set up. I probably have a thousand text messages. Anyway." He stopped and gave Liv a quick kiss on the cheek. "See you Wednesday."
"Text you later." Liv revved up the bike. She put her helmet on and waved to her father. As she pulled out of the lot, she didn't notice the car that was across the street the whole time.
DC was sitting in the car, and when Liv pulled in on her bike with HIM on the back it drained the blood out of his body. To see her kissing him like that pulled at his heart. He never saw Liv that way with anyone, even Ethan, the guy she dated for seven months two years ago.
He saw Fitz's exchange with Eli even after Eli had seen them kissing like that. He watched as Eli went to his car and Fitz walked into the building. Liv's bike long gone now, DC pulled out to the road in the same direction that Liv had gone, heading back to the shelter.
Eli had seen the car, recognized as DC's and some thoughts ran through his mind. DC hadn't been acting like himself lately, and Eli needed to have a talk with him. Olivia was happy, and as much as it troubled Eli, he wasn't going to let anyone come between his girl and her happiness.
"Shut up, all night, Olivia, that is so not you, oh you have it bad." Abby was delighted to hear Liv talk about the night she spent with Fitz.
"Abby, you have no idea. He hopped on the motorcycle, and then we were in the most amazing lake house. I'm going to spend the weekend there with him." Liv paused.
Stopping the spoon of vanilla ice cream in mid air, Abby pulled the phone close to her ear. "Say that again, it sounded like you said you're spending the weekend with him there. Liv, did you tell him you loved him."
"I am not one to hold my feelings back, you know that." Liv couldn't see Abby nodding in agreement swallowing her ice cream. "I mean I didn't say I love you, just told him I've fallen in love with him."
" Holy shit. Even Ethan didn't get that luxury of love from you." Maybe she shouldn't have brought Ethan up.
"No, he didn't because he never did to me what Fitz does to me. I just never want to be away from him." Liv took a deep breath grabbing some notes on the book to edit.
Abby turned towards the door when she heard the doorbell ring. "Look Liv, I'll call you later, my Door Dash order is here and your goddaughter is starving." Abby hung up with Liv and was surprised to see DC standing outside her door. "You're not Door Dash, what's up." Abby watched as DC walked in and fell to the couch in defeat.
Justin ran to Fitz as soon as the door closed. "Jeremy was here, said he'll be back at 1 to get his money."
Fitz nodded his head. "Sounds good. It's in the safe with my phone, I'll grab it and you can send him on his way." Fitz headed towards his office.
"Also." Justin continued.
Fitz could feel the annoyance overtake his body. He just wanted to get into his office and think a bit about the dinner on Wednesday, sending Liv some flowers today, and plan the weekend coming up. Fitz turned to Justin, "can you make it quick?"
"Ramzi came by. He checked the pipes." Justin saw Fitz's body stiffen. Putting his hands up in defense. "Every thing is fine. I wanted to let you know. We're just about set up for the 3:00 shower."
Fitz went to open his office door. "Oh and…" Justin began. Fitz put his head up and took a deep breath. He looked at the chair in his office that was being occupied.
"Your mom was worried about you, so she stopped by." Justin pointed to the chair. "As you can see. I'll be going now."
Fitz slowly walked into the office. "Mom, everything ok? Since when are you worried about me?" He leaned and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"I always worry about you Fitzgerald." She gave a gentle pat to his cheek. "You were away all night?"
He sat behind his desk after taking the money and his phone out of the safe. He looked down at his buzzing phone. He had about 150 text messages, but he was staring at the picture of him and Liv.
"I was, I showed Olivia the lake house. We're going to spend the weekend there."
Sarah clapped her hands together. "Oh, Fitzgerald, that's wonderful. That's why I was really worried. You just seemed so sad the past two weeks."
"We had, well not we, I kind of felt..." He couldn't get the words out. "Anyway, we talked it out and we are going to give it a try. Mom, I hope I don't mess this up."
"Fitzgerald you never messed up, you just let anger get the best of you. From what you saw around you, you had every right. Your father was never supportive of you, not as he was to his job anyway." Sarah stood up.
"You're leaving already?" Fitz stood up with her.
"I'll be back later. It's Jenna's baby shower. Frank and Linda's girl. I was invited."
"Oh, I had no idea she was married." Fitz shrugged.
Sarah patted his shoulder. She put her shoulder up and cupped her hand on her mouth. "She isn't married, that's what makes this juicy. She's having a baby and there are three men in line to claim as the father." Sarah's eyebrows went up. "This is the fun part about being part of all those fake groups. I think the daddy is Sev Mitchell, wouldn't that be something? Now what's Olivia's favorite flower your having delivered?" Sarah knew her son too well.
"She likes violets, heart shaped violets. I should've guessed that. Everything she does she does with her heart." Fitz smiled.
"Oh, son, you love her, don't you." Sarah smiled, never so happy for him as she was now.
"Yeah, mom, I do. I…" He didn't know what to say.
"Go on, order the flowers. I'll be back here later." As she went to leave, she was almost knocked over by Jeremy. "Excuse you rude man." Sarah said stepping around him.
"Watch where you're going, maybe I wouldn't need an excuse." Jeremy looked at her shaking his head.
Fitz bolted to the door, ready to grab him, but thought twice against doing that. Justin came running up behind. "He pushed me down back there, otherwise I wouldn't have…."
"Mom, are you ok?" Fitz took her hand.
"I'm fine. Don't let him get to you." Fitz nodded.
He reached for the money on his desk. "$5000 is there. You're owed $2500, but I doubled it, so stay away from me, my properties, and anything associated with me." He handed the money to Jeremy.
"Does that include Raquel, because she has some rather interesting plans for you and your lady from the hood." Jeremy fanned the money. "Don't worry about me Fitz. I am heading to Arizona, got a gig there. I'm out of your pitiful spoiled life. I'll watch you busting cameras on the news." He shoved Justin on the way out. "Tootles, Little man."
"Justin, take a fifteen minute break. I'll call you back in a few." Fitz sat behind his desk as his phone lit up.
"Missing you already." Liv sent a smiling selfie of her to Fitz. "Hope the rest of your day goes well."
He called and had the flowers delivered. The message on the card read: "Heart shaped violets for the girl who lassoed my heart and has it wrapped up tightly. Can't wait to see you again." FTG3
He hung up the phone knowing for now those flowers will bring some happiness today. With Jeremy's words echoing in the back of his mind, Fitz could only imagine what vindictive shit Raquel was planning. "I'll be one step ahead of you." He picked up his phone to text Liv back.