Chapter 51
CHAPTER 51
BETH
I rented some movies earlier because I knew today would be a slow day. With catching up on sleep, helping out Casey, and the fuckfest Ollie and I had, I really need to relax.
“Where is everyone? Are they really asleep right now?” I ask as I pull the bag of popcorn out of the microwave.
It’s normal for the guys to stay up half the night, no matter what day of the week it is.
Oliver sets a cold beer on the counter next to me. “They’re not here. Charlie, Oisin, and Ro are off doing exactly what I just did to you, crazy girl.”
A full-bodied shudder rocks through me from the memory, and flashes of his hands on my body, his mouth latched on my skin, and my nails dragging trails of blood down his back brings me back to the endless hours he took my body again and again.
The heat from his body transfixes me as he reaches over my petite frame and grabs a big bag of potato chips from the cabinet.
“And, why were you here instead of finding your own party?” I tease, but it just earns me an irritated look from the grump.
I already know the answer anyway. He stayed home so I wouldn’t be left here alone and vulnerable. With the Bastards in this town, Grove Hill is at least moderately safe, and people would be too terrified to come here and stir up trouble, but still, Oliver stayed to protect me .
“Such a sour puss. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you need to get laid, stat,” I joke, which earns me a smack on my ass as he walks past.
“Fucking brat.” He rolls his eyes. “If you put on a chick flick, I will leave,” he warns, but I just stick my tongue out at him, reinforcing his brat comment.
“Screw chick flicks. They’re always the same boring story. Girl meets boy. Girl falls for boy. Boy fucks up. Boy grovels. Then, she forgives him out of nowhere, and they ride off into the sunset. Completely unrealistic. I prefer scary movies.” I lift the box for Thirteen Ghosts before replacing it with a copy of A Crack in The Floor and motion to Cradle of Fear . “To hell with chick flicks,” I say with a sultry tone.
Oliver smirks before entering the living room and plopping on the couch. Looks like I have company for my movie night, and I’m not complaining.
* * *
“You seriously haven’t seen Thirteen Ghosts ?” I stare at him slack-jawed as he sips his beer.
“No.”
“That’s insane. This movie is so good. The writers were ballsy, too.” Grabbing some popcorn, I dump the handful into my mouth as he gives me a side-eye.
“Ballsy, huh?”
“Yes. Ballsy as fuck. This is the first movie I’ve come across where they have a ghost or humanoid monster completely naked throughout the entire movie. That took some major balls.”
His eyes widen as he stares at me. “I don’t believe you.”
“Just watch,” I mutter while glaring at him.
We watch the scenes roll by, and it's nice to have a movie night with someone who doesn’t interrupt. He doesn’t need to fill the silence outside of the movie, and that’s comforting.
The front door opens just as the lawyer heads into the basement, and I sit up.
“Here it comes!” I screech with excitement, and Ollie laughs before throwing a chip in his mouth. I slap his shoulder as the lawyer rounds the corner in the basement of glass containment chambers, and the spoiled princess–or I think that’s what she’s called anyway–comes into view completely fucking naked. “Boom!” I jump to my feet and do my little victory dance even though there was no bet or anything. Oliver just didn’t believe me.
I jog over to the TV and motion to it like a game show host. “Full-frontal, butt-ass naked, big-titted ghost!”
Oliver couldn’t hide the smirk across his face if he tried, and the laugh that falls from his lips is music to my ears. It’s tragically beautiful. My fingers itch to touch him, hug him, and laugh freely alongside him, but… Something in my stomach stirs at the sound, and I damn myself for feeling anything at his reaction. He’s not mine, and I’m not his.
“What’s going on here?”
My head snaps around at the sudden interruption, and Nigel stands by the door, hands shoved in his pockets, an amused smirk across his lips.
“You’re back,” I mutter, feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place. I don’t think Nigel knows about me and Ollie and I’d like to keep it that way.
“Ollie has never seen Thirteen Ghosts ,” I add, and Nigel’s eyebrows fly to the ceiling the moment his nickname leaves my lips. Only the guys and Aimee call him that, and they’re the only ones he allows to do it.
I see the wheels turning in Nigel’s eyes as he waits for Ollie to correct me, but…he doesn’t. Instead, he nods in agreement.
“Popcorn is good, too. Everyone else in this town makes popcorn that tastes like ass.”
Almost instantaneously, laughter bursts from my lips, and I clutch my stomach so I don’t fall to the floor.
“My popcorn is not that great. It’s just a dash of shredded cheddar.” I shrug it off, but the thinly laced praise is something I’m not used to, and it makes me uncomfortable, even coming from him.
“Can you pause the movie, man?” Nigel asks, and I wonder if he’s about to get mad about something, but he just gives me a serious look and nods out the front door.
Okay. Maybe he wants some privacy for whatever he wants to say.
I bite my bottom lip and nod before the room falls silent. Only the air conditioner can be heard. As Nigel opens the door, I glance behind me at Ollie for some reassurance, but he just lifts his shoulders in confusion.
Thanks a lot for that.
Stepping outside, I wait for him to throw some kind of accusation at me, but instead, he just stares at me. The door clicks closed behind us, and I stand by patiently.
“What?” I finally ask after a while passes.
“I’m not asking this because I don’t trust you. I just have to know,” he starts before staring off into the dark neighborhood, refusing to meet my eyes. “Do you have feelings for Ollie?”
“Yes,” I admit, and I watch all of the muscles in his body tense, but he still won’t look at me.
He wanted the truth and he got it. I won’t feel bad for that, not for a single second.