Olivia's POV
"I'm going to treat you differently than I treated Oliver."
My heart stuttered. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I was cruel to Oliver. Demanding. Harsh. I pushed boundaries and said things that were inappropriate." His jaw tightened. "I'm not proud of how I behaved. But with you - with Olivia - I'm going to be better. More respectful. More... careful."
"You don't have to be careful with me. I can handle…"
"I know you can handle it. That's not the point." He reached out and - for just a moment - his hand covered mine where it rested on my lap. The touch sent electricity through my entire body. "The point is you shouldn't have to. You deserve to be treated well. And I'm going to make sure that happens."
He withdrew his hand, but I could still feel the ghost of it. The warmth. The weight. I couldn't believe he was willing to treat me nicely despite the deception. The lies. It felt so good to see this completely different side of Maxwell. So damn good.
