6. Olive
Olive
Ihadn’t stopped thinking about Holden since Friday night in the woods.
And I’d been busy all weekend, so we hadn’t had a chance to see each other again.
On Saturday, I’d volunteered down at the animal shelter.
Then on Sunday, I’d spent the day helping Claire and Ivy run a garage sale, since Ivy needed a few extra bucks right now.
I’d sold an old toaster for five bucks while replaying the rough, desperate sound of my name on his lips as he’d fucked me against the tree.
We both knew it hadn’t just been sex.
There was something more between us. Something bigger.
Unless he was the best actor in the world.
I was already falling for him. And it terrified me. So when we planned for him to come over to my place on Monday night after work, I spent the entire time I prepped dinner trying to convince myself to keep my guard up.
He was new to Red Oak Mountain. Men who drifted in could easily drift out just as fast.
But when he knocked on my front door, my heart hammered against my ribs. It was already ignoring my practical warnings about keeping it safe, and he hadn’t even stepped inside yet.
I pulled the door open, and there he was. Looking sexy and dangerous.
Holden was wearing dark, fitted jeans and a fresh button-down shirt, his hair still slightly damp from the shower.
He cleaned up for me.
Holden wasn’t a polished, manicured man, but the deliberate effort he had made to clean up for me was obvious. And something about it warmed my heart.
Then I noticed the slightly crushed, ragtag bouquet of grocery store flowers clutched in his left hand. It was the kind where the flowers were dyed a little too bright. I loved them.
“Hey gorgeous,” he rumbled, that devastating, easy smile spreading across his face.
“Hi yourself,” I breathed. No one had ever called me gorgeous before. Not even Chad.
“These are for you,” he said, holding the flowers out. “I didn’t know what kind you liked, so I just grabbed the ones that looked the most cheerful.”
I took the bouquet, my chest warming at the sight of them. “They’re perfect, Holden. Come in.”
He stepped inside, pulling the door shut behind him.
Quickly, I put the flowers in a vase and set them on the small entryway table.
I had planned to cook dinner for us. There was food prepped on the counter, ready to go.
But as Holden stepped into my space, filling the narrow hallway with his broad shoulders, dinner became the least important thing in the world.
My eyes dropped instinctively to his right hand. “How is it?”
Holden chuckled, lifting it up for my inspection. “See for yourself, Nurse Olive. I’ve been a very good patient. I think it’s getting better. It doesn’t itch as much.”
I couldn’t resist the excuse to touch him. I stepped closer, taking his large hand gently in mine. The Dermabond was holding up well. The redness had significantly gone down, and the skin was knitting back together exactly as it was supposed to.
“It’s doing good,” I told him softly.
But I didn’t let go. I just stood there in the hallway, stroking the rough, calloused back of his hand.
Holden watched me closely, his eyes tracking my movements.
“Are you always like this?” he asked quietly.
I looked up, meeting his eyes. “Like what?”
“Taking care of everybody but yourself.” His thumb brushed against my wrist.
I let out a small, self-deprecating sigh and leaned against the wall. “Yeah. It’s what I do.”
Ever since I’d been a child, I was the one people leaned on. And I liked it. It made me feel useful.
Holden stepped closer, boxing me in against the hallway wall. “When do you let people take care of you?”
I laughed lightly. “You took care of me quite nicely on Friday night.”
He brushed his fingers down my cheek. “You’re a good woman, Olive.”
My breath hitched as I wondered if he was going to kiss me.
“So why is a good woman still single?” he asked, his voice dropping an octave lower.
I wanted him to know the truth.
“A few men have tried in recent years, but… maybe I wasn’t ready yet. Or maybe I was waiting for the right man to show up.”
His eyes burned into me as I said that. And I could see him wondering if he was that man.
If we had any chance of being something serious, I needed to let him in and tell him the truth about what had happened to me.
“I was engaged,” I told him, the words slipping out of my mouth before I could think about it too hard. “A few years back.”
Holden’s jaw tightened instantly. “What happened?”
“Chad stood me up at the altar.”
A dark, territorial anger flashed in Holden’s eyes, and I loved him a little bit more for it.
“It was the absolute worst day of my life,” I admitted. “I had the dress, the flowers, the whole town waiting in the pews. And he just… never showed.”
“You ever find out what happened?”
I snorted. “Yeah. Turns out he got cold feet a few weeks before the wedding and decided maybe he wasn’t done sowing some wild oats. So he got on Tinder to find out what else was out there. He found himself a tight-butted yoga instructor named Brandy.”
Holden’s mouth dropped in disgust.
“He didn’t even bother to call off the wedding?”
“I think he was afraid of my temper. He moved off the mountain after that. The whole town gave him grief until he left.”
I was quiet for a moment before I added, “But honestly? Looking back on it now, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Because it made me realize that love isn’t about looking good on paper,” I explained, meeting his eyes again.
“It isn’t about bank accounts or fitting into some perfect, respectable mold.
It’s about heart. Chad didn’t have one. He didn’t treat me right, even before the wedding.
He did me a huge favor by not showing up that day. ”
I tilted my chin up, my voice fierce. “I deserved better. And I never should have let him treat me like that. Ever since then I’ve just had two boyfriends, Ben and Jerry.”
Holden frowned and took a step back.
“You’re dating two guys?” His eyes went dark.
“No, it’s just a joke. I’ve been saying it for years.”
“Well, who are they then?”
“It’s the name of my favorite ice cream. After Chad, I decided that the next time I give my heart to someone, he’s going to be a stand-up man. Otherwise, I’ll just keep living with my own company.”
Holden’s expression turned serious, the playful edge of his smile completely vanishing.
“Can I be your stand-up man, Olive?”
A nervous, giddy laugh bubbled up in my throat. “Well, you’re currently auditioning for the part.”
He let out a low, rough chuckle and stepped forward again, pressing his solid body flush against mine. “Good to know. Because I got nervous when you mentioned those two other guys.”
Then his expression turned even more serious.
“I’m starting to fall for you, Olive,” he confessed, the raw honesty in his voice stripping away every practical defense I had left.
“Fast. And if you don’t want that, you need to tell me right now, before I get any more involved.
I’m not the type to play games. And I don’t like tight-butted yoga instructors. I like thick-butted, bossy nurses.”
I looked up at him, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm in my ears.
“You scare me, Holden,” I whispered. “You make me feel things that I thought I’d put aside. You’re not allowed to break my heart.”
“You’re safe with me, Olive. I’m not going to break your heart,” he growled, right before his mouth crashed down on mine, hot, hungry, and desperate.
Every nerve ending in my body lit up like the Fourth of July.
Even if this ended in heartbreak, I was going to cherish every minute I got with this man.
We stumbled out of the hallway and into the living room, hands grabbing, pulling at clothes, forgetting any pretense of cooking dinner. I pushed him backward onto my plush sofa, and he went down willingly. I followed him, practically lunging at the man.
Then I straddled his hips, grinding and kissing him until we were both gasping for air.
Holden gripped my waist, effortlessly flipping our positions until my back hit the sofa. Then he laughed and kissed his way down.
What was he doing?
His large hands trailed up my thighs, pushing my skirt completely out of the way as he slipped my panties to the side.
Then I found out exactly what he had planned as his lips found my slit.
“Holden,” I gasped, dragging my fingers through his hair.
He answered with a slow, hungry pull of his tongue that made my hips buck off the cushions. Then he started lapping me up until I wondered what I had done to deserve such a perfect man in my life.
“I think I’m ready for the altar,” I joked as he sucked on my clit.
He took his time, completely focused on his task, drawing out every whimper and sigh until I shattered into a dozen bright pieces, crying out with his name on my tongue.
He dragged himself back up my body, a wicked, triumphant grin on his handsome face.
I pulled him down for a messy kiss, tasting myself on his lips.
“You know,” I breathed against his mouth, “that is absolutely the best way to keep a woman.”
He laughed, a deep rumble that vibrated against my chest. “Is that right? And what’s the best way to keep a man?”
I gave him a slow, wicked smile of my own.
I pushed against his shoulders until he rolled onto his back. Then I slid down his body, ignoring his loud intake of breath, and took him into my mouth.
He had a gorgeous cock. The kind a woman could get used to.
Holden let out a harsh, guttural groan, his fingers tangling tightly in my hair as I sucked the man with everything I had. I’d always loved doing this, and I’d missed it over the past few years.
I loved the sheer power of it. And the way his hips jerked up to meet my mouth. I was completely undoing the tough, controlled lumberjack with every slide of my lips.
It was obvious when he got close, but he didn’t come for me.
When he couldn’t take it for another second, he hauled me to my feet.
His playful, charming mood was entirely gone. In its place was a dark, commanding alpha intensity that made my knees turn to liquid.