Chapter 7
LEO
“ S he came over tonight; that’s a good sign,” I tell Dax and Beck.
Yesterday, I had a feeling we might’ve lost Olivia because of Jocelyn’s crass remarks.
Today, hope rears its pretty head as I glimpse back at the living room, where Olivia and Luke are busy playing a video game on the massive wall-mounted flat-screen TV, while the guys and I do the dishes and get some wineglasses ready.
“Look at us, wringing our hands over here,” Beck mutters as he rummages through the pantry for a good bottle of wine, “all because Jocelyn decided it was a great time to throw a hissy fit.”
“We never really talked about what we’d do if Jocelyn were to cross paths with Olivia,” Dax says. “Maybe we should’ve.”
“Why, though? Jocelyn’s history.”
I sigh deeply. “But we’ve built a life here. We’re part of the Ember Ridge community. And whether we like it or not, so is Jocelyn. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s also something we have to deal with, especially when we’re getting closer to another woman.”
“She’s been quiet for most of the evening,” Dax points out as he puts the dry dishes away, “except when she’s talking to Luke. Then she turns into a real Chatty Cathy.”
“You sound a tad jealous of my kid.” I chuckle.
“Maybe I am.”
“She’s different,” Beck says.
“I agree, so we might as well do it right this time.”
Upon returning to the living room, I notice that Luke is close to falling asleep.
The way he operates the PlayStation remote is almost mechanical, as if only a part of his brain is still awake enough to send the game movement signals to his hands while every other part has gone into its regularly scheduled programming.
“Dude, come on. Time for bed,” I tell my kid.
He gives me a wistful look, then glances over at Olivia as if waiting for her to save him. “But we still have this level to beat.”
“We can save this game and resume it another time,” she says. “Sleep is important.”
Luke nods once, then gives me a dramatic sigh and goes upstairs.
I can hear him clattering around in the bathroom as he gets ready for bed.
Olivia, on the other hand, sits quietly on the sofa, game controller still in her hands, nervously waiting for one of us to talk about the elephant in the room .
“So what was the injury toll from yesterday’s fire?” she finally asks.
Dax takes a seat to her right. I’m on the left, while Beck settles in the armchair next to us after serving the wine.
“Three factory workers died,” I say. “Ten others are in the ICU unit with severe burns. It was bad, worse than the first one.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“We’re starting to think that the first one was more of a test run,” Dax says.
“A test run?” she replies, her brow furrowed with concern. “That was last week, wasn’t it? It was my first day at the diner, if I remember correctly.”
“Yes,” I confirm. “Thankfully, no one was hurt, but we found the same kind of accelerant, the same pouring pattern as the first fire, and the fire escape doors were jammed. It’s definitely the same arsonist.”
“So a warehouse and a glass factory,” Olivia says. “Maybe Jocelyn was right. Maybe you should start interrogating everybody who was on the scene yesterday. If it’s escalating this fast and people are dying…”
“Jocelyn can be pretty passionate about her job,” Dax replies. “It doesn’t mean she’s always thinking clearly. The law has to be followed down to the letter, especially where arson is concerned. If we want charges to stick, we have to do it right.”
She nods slowly in understanding. “You did say arson is notoriously hard to prove. ”
“It is, which is why it’s important, if not imperative, to not give the defense lawyers any reason to have evidence or testimony dismissed on account of an overzealous ADA.”
“We used to be in a relationship,” Beck blurts out, laying the cards on the table.
We all stare at him. I’m irritated. Dax is speechless. Olivia slowly lowers her gaze. “Yes, I figured that out,” she says.
“Way to ease that into the conversation, Beck,” I quip.
“There was no point in beating around the bush,” he replies with a casual but slightly sullen shrug. “She’s been out of our lives for a while now. Yesterday’s outburst proves that she may be problematic, unless we address it.”
“Problematic to who?” Olivia asks, giving him a curious glance.
Beck leans forward, his gaze darkening as he looks deep into her eyes. “To us, Olivia. Whatever this thing is between us, you can’t deny that it’s different from anything else you’ve experienced.”
“You’re right about that,” she admits.
I love the pink blush of her cheeks as she says those words. My cock jumps. My pants feel tighter, and I only have her to blame. I reach out and tuck a lock of blonde hair behind her ear, my fingertips brushing over her earlobe. It prompts her full lips to part slightly.
“We tried to have a relationship with Jocelyn,” Beck says. “It didn’t work out.”
“Why not? ”
“She was too focused on the physical aspects and neglected everything else that actually makes a relationship work,” he says.
“It’s over, Olivia,” Dax adds. “It’s been over for a long time.”
“How long?” she asks.
“Two years,” I say, drawing her attention.
“That is a long time for someone to hold a grudge,” she mumbles.
And just like that, the tension that Dax, Beck, and I have been harboring since yesterday fizzles into a puff of smoke. I worried that Jocelyn’s jabs might cause Olivia to pull away from us, and while she has been quieter than usual, she doesn’t seem to want to get off this train.
“You think Jocelyn is holding a grudge?” I ask, waiting for Olivia to fill in some much-needed blanks.
She turns to look at me, her lips stretching into a soft, delicious smile.
“I know I’m on the curvy side, Leo. I’ve had this body all my life, and I’ve learned to love it.
That means I also know how to let those mean-girl comments slide right past me.
No woman who is truly happy with herself would have wasted her time making comments about my appearance. ”
“You’re hitting the nail on the head there,” Beck laughs.
“Jocelyn is miserable. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure her out,” Olivia replies. “But none of that is my fault, and it’s not yours either. If she can’t get over you guys, how does that concern me?”
“I do need to reiterate something, though,” Dax says, moving in closer. His proximity draws a raspy breath from her throat. It serves to add more fuel to the fire already burning within me. “What happened between Jocelyn and us is long over, Olivia.”
“I heard you the first time,” she says.
“Good,” I chime in. I’m also determined to make sure Jocelyn doesn’t feel tempted to try that kind of garbage again.
We’ve been gentlemen up to this point, but where Olivia’s well-being is concerned, Dax, Beck, and I seem to be on the same page—ruthless against anybody who tries to hurt her.
“You continue to amaze me, you know that?”
“With what?”
“Just being precisely who you are.”
I lean in and plant a soft kiss on her cheek. A moment passes in sizzling silence. Olivia remains still, my lips unable to part from her skin. She knows I can’t stop there.
I kiss her lips next. Olivia surrenders without hesitation, melting into my arms as I devour her. Dax takes over for a moment, and I watch her soften against him while Beck finishes the wine in his glass, eyes almost black with deep wanting.
“We should take this upstairs,” Dax says, “in the privacy of my bedroom.”
“Absolutely,” she agrees.
I brace myself for the kind of sleepless night I won’t regret tomorrow because I’ll be buried so deep in Olivia, I’ll lose and find myself again in the process.