Chapter 7 Ollie #2
I dig in the drawer and pull out an old T-shirt from my alma mater.
She raises her arms again, and I guide them into the sleeves.
The shirt slips easily over her wrapped wrist and head and floats down over her body.
It’s so big, it comes close to hitting her knees.
More importantly, it covers everything, even though the neckline gaps so much that it slips off her shoulder slightly.
I’d sell my soul to have the right to lean down and press a kiss there.
“Oohhh,” she moans as the cotton settles around her. “It’s so soft.” She’s obviously not talking to my cock, but it’s talking to her. At her moan, it stood up to say hello. Fate is being kind to me because my phone rings, and I rush out to the kitchen to grab it off the charger.
It’s Finn calling. “Hello?” I say as Phoebe’s phone starts ringing. Shelby’s picture shows up on her screen. I grab it and walk back to the bedroom with both. Phoebe is sitting on the edge of the rocker with her jeans partially off. I hand her her phone and set mine down on the floor next to her.
“Hold on a second, Finn,” I call out as I pull her jeans off over her feet.
She answers her sister’s call, and I grab my phone and go back to the living room.
“Was that Phoebe?” Finn asks. “Are you together?”
I hear Shelby’s voice, and Phoebe walks out. “Shelb, it’ll be easier to do a group FaceTime. I’ll call you back in a sec.”
“Yeah, we’re doing a FaceTime. Bye.” I hang up.
Phoebe is wearing my T-shirt. It covers her to right above her knees.
I’ve seen more of her skin when we’ve gone to the beach during summer visits.
But it’s my shirt covering her delicious curves, and I know what her breasts look like now.
She has cute feet. They aren’t dainty; she probably wears the same size shoe as my sister, Violet, who is a Bigfoot shifter like the rest of the family.
But I like them, and her hot-pink toenails make me smile.
“Ollie? You okay?”
I realize she’s been talking to me, and I’ve been grinning at her toes.
“Huh? Yeah. What?”
She tilts her head and furrows her brow. I’m not the one who’s spent most of the day loopy on pain medication, let me have a moment.
“I asked if you wanted to sit on the couch while we fill in Shelby and Finn on what’s going on? I can do it by myself if you don’t want to talk to them.”
Her phone starts to ring, and she looks from it to me.
“I’m fine talking to them, let’s sit on the couch. You want anything to drink?”
She’s settling and trying to get a blanket from the pile she brought out settled over her. I motion for her to answer, then shake out the blanket and settle it over her lap as she answers. I sit next to her.
“Hey, guys! Having fun down in Key West?” she asks our siblings. I lean against her so I’m on the screen too.
My brother and his wife share dopey grins, and my chest aches with a familiar pang. They’re perfect for each other, and now they’re having a baby. They have what I want. With Phoebe.
“Yeah, we’re having a great time,” Shelby says.
“How about you guys?” We nod and smile, and that must be enough of an answer because she keeps talking.
“Ollie, I’m sorry we weren’t there to welcome you, but we’re so glad you’re nearby now.
I thought you were staying at Devil’s Den?
” Her eyes widen, and she grabs Finn’s hand and places it on her belly.
Dopey grins again. “The baby is kicking up a storm. Only a couple more months to go!”
“Ollie was staying at the casino, but something happened,” Phoebe says, handing me the phone so she can hold up her wrapped arm.
She’s not wearing her sling. “I fell at work today and sprained my wrist, so he brought me home and is staying over to help with Marsha and everything.” At the sound of her name, the cat jumps on the back of the sofa and pushes her head between ours before making meowy chirpy sounds at the screen.
“Hey, baby!” my six-foot-six hulk of a brother croons to his cat.
“Do you miss us? We miss you!” He makes kissy sounds, and Marsha bops the screen with her head while purring up a storm.
Shelby is the most secure woman in the world to be okay with how much my brother loves his cat.
She was a stray born out on the marshes near a seafood restaurant across the way, and he adopted her and named her Marsha because of the environment she came from.
It’s adorable, and I can only imagine how he’ll be with his child if he’s like this with his cat.
Hopefully Marsha adapts to sharing his attention.
She’s been okay with Shelby, but I think she believes she’s still Finn’s number one.
Shelby shoots him an exasperated look and huffs out a sigh. “Finn, you can talk to Marsha later, Phoebe sprained her wrist!” She smiles and says, “Hi, Marsha. I love you too. But I’m worried about my sister.”
Marsha gives a brief, indignant mrrw and walks across my lap, whacking Phoebe in the face with her twitching tail as she curls into a ball next to me. I guess if she can’t have Finn, I’m good enough. She’s not the first female to think that.
“Saw on the news you’re getting hit by a nor’easter,” Finn says.
“You should pack up and go stay at Phoebe’s place.
Marsha’s crate is in the hall closet, and we have cardboard travel litter boxes.
She travels okay. The house is sturdy, but I know it’s unnerving, being elevated when there could be flooding.
Is it raining a lot?” Finn’s brow is creased in concern.
Phoebe and I share a glance, silently communicating how much we should share. We don’t want to ruin their trip by making them worry about us.
I meet his gaze on the screen. “The rain has stopped. We had some sleet and small hail, but now it’s snowing.
A lot of wind. Possibly technically a blizzard.
And it’s sticking. We’re staying here because your neighbor’s tree fell across the road, and we’re blocked in.
I’ll cut them up when it stops tomorrow. ”
My brother slaps his thigh and grimaces.
“Damn summer people. I warned them that those trees were coming down on their own if they didn’t cut them down first. Are you going to be okay?
Have candles, blankets? My tools are in the utility closet on the back deck.
There are extra batteries from the tools you can charge up and a light with a plug built in.
I can call my buddies from work to come help if you need it. ”
I smile. He’s such an older brother. “We’re good. Gathered supplies, filled extra containers with water. Don’t worry. I can handle it. If I need your buddies, I’ll let you know.”
Shelby lets out a huge yawn and rests her head on Finn’s shoulder. He wraps his arm protectively around her.
“We’re fine, really,” Phoebe says. “Go rest or whatever. We’ll talk to you tomorrow. Don’t worry about us.”
Shelby slowly blinks her green eyes. We wish each other a good night and end the call.
Phoebe’s leg brushes mine as she shifts position to lift her feet to the couch and rest her back against the arm. She doesn’t look comfortable.
“Stretch out,” I say, patting my lap. “You’ve had a rough day, relax.” She takes me up on my offer, and I put my feet up on the ottoman and spread the blanket out to cover us both.
I grab the TV remote and turn it on. “What do you want to watch?”
We’re fans of a reality show called Betraying the Pack where people try to decide who is lying while staying at a castle, so we start one of the international versions.
I ask Alexa to turn off the lights, and we settle in.
We share a smile as I pull the blanket up under my chin and rest my arms across Phoebe’s shins.
We’ve sat like this before to watch movies.
It’s nothing new, but I’m more aware of Phoebe physically now than I’ve ever been before.
The wind is still howling outside, but it’s not as unnerving now.
It’s almost like we’re inside a snow globe… and it’s not a bad place to be.