From Nowhere (Wildfire #2)

Chapter Eighteen

As promised, Ozzy texts me. More like he spams my phone with a slew of profusely apologetic messages and GIFs of wildflowers while I drink my coffee the following day.

Ozzy: If this is too much, I understand

Maren: It’s not

Ozzy: Lola’s feeling better and she wants to watch Bandit

Maren: Tonight?

Ozzy: You’re amazing

Maren: I know

Ozzy: God hates me

Maren: Lol he doesn’t

And then there’s my favorite:

Ozzy: I nearly got arrested for shoplifting condoms. It’s a long story. Just want you to know my level of dedication

I send him shocked-faced emojis.

Maren: I’m off to work. CU 2night

After a full day at the base and a quick burrito for dinner, I pack up Bandit and his supplies and head to Ozzy’s. Entering through the front door is a nice change.

Before it even opens, Lola’s squeals sound in the distance, along with the thumping of feet nearing the door. “He’s here!” She throws open the door.

I can’t help but laugh.

“You must be Ozzy’s coworker.” A woman with short graying hair and pursed lips inspects me with beady eyes.

Coworker is a stretch.

“Hi. Yes. I’m Maren.” I hand Bandit to Lola and set the bag of supplies on the entry floor before offering her my hand.

She stares at it and returns a forced smile instead. “I’m Tia. Brynn’s mother.”

Okay. She’s going the don’t-forget-my-daughter route instead of opting for Lola’s grandma .

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Tia.” Where’s Ozzy? Why am I being ambushed alone?

“Bandit’s going to sleep with me,” Lola says, kissing his head.

Tia gives her granddaughter a more genuine smile, but the second her gaze returns to me, it morphs into an untrusting scowl. Now I know why Ozzy insists we sneak around.

“Hey! Sorry, I wanted to grab a quick shower,” Ozzy says, reaching the top of the stairs in a white T-shirt and black jeans, with wet hair.

Pure torture.

“I’m a few minutes early,” I say.

He eyes Tia. “This is Maren. She’s—”

“We already made introductions.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

Ozzy gives her a stiff smile. “Great. Well ...” His face softens as he focuses on me again. “Let’s take Bandit’s stuff downstairs, and you can give Lola any specific instructions.”

I grab the bag again. “Sounds good.” When I pass Tia, her glare bores into the side of my head, but I keep a friendly grin.

“Sorry,” Ozzy says as soon as we reach the bottom of the stairs. “I hope Tia wasn’t too intense with you.”

“I peed my pants a little, but it’s fine.”

He cringes, but I laugh and hand him the bag. “You can set up the litter box wherever you want, just as long as Bandit can always get to it.”

“Hear that, Lola? You have to ensure that Bandit can always get to his litter box.”

“I heard,” she mumbles, toting Bandit into her bedroom.

Ozzy shakes his head at her and tucks his hands into his back pockets. “About last night ...,” he says, lowering his voice.

“Please don’t apologize any more. I regret nothing.”

He gives me a sexy smile. “I used to be better than this.”

I laugh, eating up his rare vulnerability. “What do you mean?”

Ozzy glances into Lola’s room before focusing on me. “I had game. Good game. Great game, really.”

Pressing my teeth into my lower lip, I nod several times. “I think you still have game.” I check on Lola’s vicinity and lower my voice. “In fact, I like your game a lot .”

“Don’t say that. I can do so much better.”

I don’t speak. Ozzy just planted a new garden of possibilities, and with so many inappropriate images in my head, I can’t think of words.

“I want to kiss you,” he whispers.

Heat crawls up my neck. “You’re being cruel because you can’t deliver, and now I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Good,” he whispers. “I don’t want you to stop thinking about it.”

I step closer, again checking on Lola. “I didn’t even make it home last night,” I murmur so only Ozzy can hear me. “I went straight to my car and touched myself.”

Ozzy blinks several times. Then his gaze inspects the stairway followed by Lola’s room. His lips twist, eyes narrowed, and he steps past me to her doorway. “Lola, it’s time for you to take a bath.”

“No! Bandit just got here.” She plucks the kitten from the pile of stuffed animals on her bed and hugs him.

“Fifteen minutes,” Ozzy says.

“Dad! It’s not even seven thirty.”

Ozzy sighs. “Fine. I’ll give you twenty minutes.”

“Thirty,” she counters.

“Twenty-five.”

“Fine,” she grumbles.

Ozzy turns, jerking his head to his left. I hesitate for a second before following him. He opens the door to a windowless room with a mirror on one wall and exercise equipment lining the other three walls.

“I already exercised,” I say.

He shuts the door after I step into the room. “Lola won’t leave that room until I drag her out. And her grandparents won’t come downstairs until nine to tell her good night. So we have time.”

“To exerci—”

Ozzy cups my face and kisses me. He pulls back and grins. “To kiss,” he whispers, sliding his lips from my mouth to my ear. “To touch.” He laces his fingers with mine and kisses my neck. “To dream.”

I smile, eyes closed. “Tell me about the dream.”

“I get you to myself. No disruptions. No curfews. For a whole night.”

Releasing his hands, I rest mine on his chest as he lifts his head. “How do we make that happen?” I ask.

His brow tightens. “I don’t know.”

“Tia seems . . .”

“Bitter. Harsh. Unbendable.”

I nod several times. “But why? Was Brynn’s death your fault?”

“No. It’s guilt by association.” His fingertips ghost along my jaw as he bends to brush his lips over mine. “But I don’t want to talk about her when we don’t have much time.”

I nip at his lower lip. “Then what do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t think we should talk at all. Someone could hear us.” He kisses me again, flicking his tongue against mine.

“He pooped!” Lola yells. “Good job, Bandit!”

Ozzy sighs, resting his forehead against mine. “I’m never going to have sex again.”

I shake with suppressed laughter.

“But you should,” he says. “You deserve a guy who has a future beyond vomit, poop, and penance for his past.”

My hands frame his stubble-covered face. “Ask her if she’s ready to take a bath.”

He squints at me.

“Just do it.”

Ozzy cracks open the door. “Lola, are you ready for your bath?”

“No! It hasn’t been that long. You said twenty-five minutes!” She slams her door shut.

Ozzy closes the door to the exercise room. Then I push his chest until his back hits it.

He lifts a single brow. “What are you—”

“Sit.”

“On the floor?”

I nod.

He slides down the door, and it makes me giggle because it’s so slow. When his butt touches the floor, he stretches out his legs, and I straddle them and sit on his lap.

“You make me feel sixteen,” I say wrapping my arms around his neck. “Nervous. Shaky. Shivers down my spine. And don’t even get me started on butterflies.”

Ozzy wets his lips, rubbing them together. “We’re adults hiding from a ten-year-old. You left through my window after said ten-year-old puked. That gives you butterflies?”

I smile, brushing my nose against his. “What’s the next flower? Or vegetable? It’s asparagus season.”

“I’ve created a monster.” He chuckles. “What if there are no more flowers? No more cards? Will the butterflies die?” He pecks at my lips.

I lean in for more than a peck, prolonging our tiny stolen moment. Ozzy’s hand cups the back of my neck while his tongue teases mine. He weaves his fingers into my hair.

As a young girl, I dreamed of flying in the clouds more than I thought about boys’ kisses, love notes, and flowers. Either my heart is bigger than I ever imagined, or Ozzy Laster is stealing it from my first love.

He ghosts his lips from my mouth to my ear. “I’m so unprepared for you,” he whispers.

I sigh while settling into him.

“My neighbor has them in his yard,” Ozzy says.

“Has what?” I sit up.

He leans to the side just enough to pull a piece of paper from his pocket—a folded note.

My heart can’t take this level of romance as he offers it to me with a single-shoulder shrug.

I open it.

Yarrow is a medicinal herb with delicate clusters of flowers that attract bees and butterflies. Hope you love them!

Ozzy x

I keep my gaze on the note. “Oswald, the problem with men like you is that you make it impossible for the average Joe to stand a chance. There are so many Joes out there buying clearance bouquets tied with rubber bands and packets of flower food. Do you see what you’re doing to me?” I stand and fold the note, sliding it into my back pocket because I’m keeping everything he gives me. “You’re ruining me. You’ve set the bar impossibly high.”

He lumbers to his feet, studying me. The hint of a grin touches his lips as he gathers my hair and pulls it over one shoulder so he can kiss my bare neck. “In that case, I’ve never wanted to ruin someone so much in my life.”

“How much time do we have before Lola looks for us?” I ask.

“A while. Why?”

I hold a finger to my lips. “Shh.”

He tracks my hands as I unbutton his jeans and pull at his zipper.

I smirk, eyeing his intense expression while I slide his jeans partway down his muscly thighs.

“Maren,” he says in exhalation before wetting his lips.

When I free him from his briefs, his eyes leaden. I drop to my knees and tease him with my tongue.

“Fuck ... Maren ...” He blinks heavily, grabbing the base of his cock and guiding it past my lips.

Ozzy’s abs tighten, and I focus on his tattoos. I thought they were random tools, but they’re in the shape of Lola’s name. For some reason, his love for her only turns me on more.

He buries his fingers in my hair, breaths gaining momentum, each one ripping from his chest a little harsher than the previous one. When our gazes meet, I feel an odd jolt of emotion. My body does its own thing while my thoughts wrap around the sadness on his face, like he feels undeserving of this.

Of intimacy.

Of an escape.

Of life.

Is it the sacrificial burden that seems to come naturally to parents? Or is it about Brynn? Will every intimate moment remind him of her?

These questions swirl in my head while he closes his eyes and tips his head back. Is he thinking of her?

His body curls inward, abs rock hard, and he drops his chin, lips parted to release each shallow breath. As hard as he tries to stifle every sound, a few grunts and groans slide past his throat. They feed my desire. A desire that will not be satisfied tonight, and that’s okay.

Tonight, it’s about him.

I take his warm release and swallow it.

Ozzy’s expression softens into pure gratitude. He relaxes as I continue to slide my tongue along his length.

He feathers his knuckles across my cheek, and when I completely release him, the pad of his thumb traces my bottom lip. “Is this the wrong time to tell you how beautiful you are?”

I stand, pulling up his jeans as he tucks himself back into his briefs. “A good orgasm makes everything look better,” I say, zipping and buttoning his jeans the way he dressed me the previous night.

“Good? That was beyond good.” He claims my face.

I press my lips together for a beat before he tries to kiss me. “It wouldn’t be wrong of you to let me use your bathroom and tell me where you keep your mouthwash.”

Ozzy chuckles before releasing me.

I think he might be blushing, and I love it.