Finding Olivia (Trace + Olivia #1) by Micalea Smeltzer Page A

glowing.
    Trac e’s eyes were always expressive. I was beginning to read his moods just by the variance in shade. The sparkle in his eyes told me he was feeling playful. I liked playful Trace…well, when he wasn’t making me blush.
    “I didn’t know you were coming,” he tilted his head to study me, grin widening, “but I’m really glad you’re here.”
    A gust of air fled my lungs.
    “I’m glad to be here,” I spoke softly.
    “Don’t go getting shy on me now, Olivia,” he smirked.
    Avery , clearing her throat loudly, had me turning to face her. I blushed an even darker shade of red when I saw that a waitress was standing there, waiting for our drink orders.
    I stammered that I wanted sweet tea and Trace ordered a beer.
    I picked up the menu, using it to block my reddened face from Trace’s powerful gaze.
    I settled on an order of eight boneless wings with sweet BBQ sauce. That seemed safe enough since I wasn’t a fan of spicy food.
    When the waitress came with our drinks , I ordered my food quickly.
    Trace kept watching me , and the feel of his eyes skating along my body, was igniting a fire inside me.
    For something to distract myself , I grabbed another packet of sugar, and added it to my already sweet tea. It wasn’t like you could ever make anything too sweet.
    I was taking a sip of my tea when Avery leaned over , and whispered in my ear, “Trace is undressing you with his eyes. He wants to do you, right here, right now.”
    I choked, spewing sweet tea across the table, and coughing so hard my sides began to hurt.
    Avery giggled, beating my back.
    “Are you okay?” Trace asked, wiping up the mess I had made. Thank God none had gotten on him or I would’ve melted into a puddle of embarrassed goo.
    “Fine,” I croaked, my voice hoarse from all the coughing.
    I glared at Avery and she hid a smile behind her hand.
    Luca seemed oblivious , but I wondered if he was really as aloof as he acted. He was a weird guy. I guess that’s why he was perfect for Avery.
    “You sure you’re okay?” Trace questioned, dropping the soiled napkin where the waitress could grab it.
    “Yeah,” I took a breath and it burned my raw throat. If Avery was sitting across from me, I would kick her so hard in the knees, she wouldn’t be able to walk for days.
    Trace took a sip of his beer, eyeing me. He really needed to stop with the whole staring thing. It was turning me into a nervous wreck.
    “Get any homework done?” He asked, deciding that was a safe topic.
    “No,” I rolled my eyes. Pointing at Avery, I added, “This one dragged me away before I could accomplish anything.”
    “What can I say?” Avery flipped her hair over her shoulder. “That’s what best friends are for.”
    “Failing grades?” I turned to look at her with a raised brow.
    She rolled her eyes, and turned her attention to Luca, who only seemed to grunt in reply to anything she said.
    Trace shook his head and chuckled. “You two are complete opposites.”
    “I know,” I laughed, “but I love her.” I poked Avery’s side, and she glared at me, before resuming her conversation.
    “I know what you mean,” Trace chuckled. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m friends with this weirdo,” he slapped Luca on the back.
    Luca chuckled, “It’s ‘cause I make things interesting.”
    Oh my God, he spoke more than two words!
    “That’s for sure,” Trace laughed. “Your stories about California are the best.”
    Luca took a drink of his beer, gazing out into the restaurant. I guessed he had used up his word quota for the day.
    “Luca was a professional surfer in California,” Trace explained , since Luca had turned into a mute once more.
    “Why’d you quit ?” Avery asked.
    Luca huffed a sigh, leveling Trace with his eerie pale blue eyes. Reluctantly, he removed his fedora and pushed his shaggy light brown hair off his forehead showing us a jagged white scar that marred at least an inch of his forehead and disappeared into his