Chapter 08
Icluck my tongue at Lila when she tries to climb into the water bowl I just refilled.
Her little legs wiggle in the air as I lift her so I can add some ice cubes to the water.
She promptly skedaddles back to the bowl as soon as I’ve set her down, splashing her sister, Violet, who grumbles over the inconvenience.
I laugh and scratch behind her little ears.
“Did your pretty fur get wet, hm, little diva?” I use my shirt to rub her dry, smiling when she shakes herself off right after.
I could sit and watch them for hours, but others need attention too.
Before I get up, I dig through the pocket of my jeans to pull out the treats Nicko gave me.
“Here you go, cuties,” I tell the little dogs, making sure that they each get an equal amount. “Nicko says hi and that he’ll come and take you for a walk before he goes on vacation.”
Chewing slowly, Violet tilts her head, as if she’s considering every word—then sniffs my hands for more treats.
I give her another scratch under her chin before unlocking their pen to check on the pittie next door.
I sit with Muffin for a while. He’s still scared, but by the end, he sits next to me and even takes the treat from my hand.
I allow my mind to drift while he chews.
Tonight, the Nook will be empty. I’ve already texted as much to Micah.
It’s sooner than I expected, which makes my nerves tingle with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.
Anticipation, because I want to just get to it.
Anxiety, because I’m scared tonight’s the night Micah figures out I’m a fraud and calls the whole thing off.
Maybe even tells me what an asshole I am.
I shake that thought off and move on to refill more water bowls, sweep the floors, brush out our hairier tenants, and then start on hosing down the outside area.
“Still hot as balls, huh?” The sudden question makes me flinch, but I smile at Barbara, the pound’s vet, anyhow.
“Yeah, so tempting to just step under there.” I nod at the spray of the hose.
She laughs, then gestures to take over from me. “Go on and get out of here. I'm sure there are better places to be during your summer break.”
“But,” I protest weakly. I’d rather have work to keep my mind occupied than sit around at home, wondering if showering and reading the same chapters of a romance novel over and over is enough preparation.
Not that that’s all I’ve done in the last few days.
But the advice columns I read went on and on about trust and taking things slow before they’d describe the basics, so I started to feel personally attacked.
Barb laughs again and makes a shooing motion with the hose, sprinkling both of us with a drizzle. “Go! Have fun! Be young!”
After the heat of Noah’s mouth, the gel felt freezing against his skin, dragging a hiss out of Owen.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Noah rumbled, pressing his lips against the back of his neck.
“I’ll forgive you if you hurry up and fuck me.” Owen craned his neck so he could look at his lover. He raised a brow, feigning composure even as he shuddered under the intensity of Noah’s dark eyes.
“Love it when you boss me around,” Noah laughed, rubbing his fingers against Owen’s entrance. The muscle quivered, the firm globes tensing in anticipation. “Relax, baby,” Noah purred. “I'm gonna make you feel so good.”
“Y-you always d—”
The audiobook’s whisper is silenced abruptly as I turn off the car’s engine, parking my truck next to Olli’s Chevy. For a moment, I’m tempted to turn my keys again so I can finish the scene, but seeing his car in front of the Nook pulls me out of the moment.
I thought Olli would be gone, since he made a big deal out of doing some extra work to amend his fuck-up with Professor Fiore. Then again, Olli often keeps odd hours, sometimes studying through the night and sleeping all day, so maybe he’s waiting out the worst of the heat before heading to campus.
At least I hope that’s his plan, because while I am nervous about later, I don’t want to take a raincheck on Micah. I doubt I can play it cool a second time. Even if I have no expectations, it’s hard to rein in my fantasies knowing it’ll be Micah I’ll touch, kiss—
Trying to calm my nerves, I take a detour to the kitchen to drink a big glass of water.
Then I wander into the living room, stacking books by subject so everyone can take theirs back to their room.
I’m about to do exactly that with my little pile when I stumble over a discarded shirt at the foot of the stairs.
With a sigh, I pick it up. Before I can check the tag, though, a pair of feet appears in my field of vision.
My head snaps up, and I come face to chest with Olli.
He’s panting, as if he bolted from his room and down the stairs, his hair sticking up in all directions, his cheeks flushed.
Not to mention that he’s shirtless and his jeans are hanging low enough on his hips to reveal that he isn’t wearing any underwear.
He’s holding on to the railing with one hand, the other pressed against the wall, as if he needs both for support.
“Hi! Hello, Linden! Fancy meeting you here!”
I raise a brow. “Uhm…I live here?”
“You know”—he tilts his head—“you, me, on the stairs.” He looks at something over my shoulder, but before I can turn, he clicks his tongue and then continues talking. “You’re home early. Got plans?”
“Barb said I should go,” I mutter, frowning as I look him over more closely.
“What’s with that face then? It’s a beautiful day, the sun’s shining and—oh, you found my shirt!
” Olli grabs for the black fabric between my fingers, pulling it on in one smooth movement.
It must be the only shirt he owns without some kind of cartoon or dumb sex joke printed across the front.
But, although he’s done flooding me with words, he’s still fidgeting; shifting on his legs, hands brushing over the T-shirt to smooth it down across his chest and stomach.
“Are you okay?” I ask, tilting my head.
“Huh? Oh yeah! Why wouldn’t I be? Totally great! In fact,” Olli says, his hands stopping their fiddling with the ring he wears on his right middle finger to reach out and squeeze my shoulder. “What’s up with you, hm? Are you seeing anyone?”
I blink, then narrow my eyes at him. But just as I open my mouth to ask what’s going on, a loud thump interrupts me.
I crane my neck to look over Olli’s shoulder out the window and into our backyard.
“Did you hear that?” I ask, trying to squeeze past him so that I can check, but Olli stands firm, not even flinching.
“Like what about that Colin guy? Has he been bothering you again?” He bulldozes on to the next topic, utterly unconcerned.
“What?” I can’t help but stare at him, surprised that he even knows Colin’s name. “I…no? No, he isn’t…bothering me,” I hedge, so caught off guard, any thought about the thump slips from my mind like a fish unwilling to be caught.
Olli frowns, tipping his head the other way. The light from the window transforms his dark eyes from brown to honey-golden. “Okay, but you know you can talk to—”
“So you can laugh at my nonexistent sex life? No thanks.” I snap my mouth shut, already regretting my outburst. Olli might be annoying, but he doesn’t deserve that. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…sorry.”
“Aw, Lind, it’s all good! Love it when you show that fire.” Olli laughs, cocking his hips as he leans his shoulder against the wall. “Let’s try this again, hm? What’s up?” He looks me up and down, brows raised.
I groan, my fingers tensing around the railing. I take a deep breath. At least Olli won’t judge me.
“I’m having someone over. Tonight.”
Olli blinks but doesn’t say anything. He just waits until I can’t stand the quiet anymore.
“Like…a date.”
“Ohh lala, Linden!” He grins, and I wish I could sink through the stairs and disappear. But Olli’s hand on my shoulder prevents that.
“Don’t worry, I’m almost gone. You’ll have the house aaall to yourself. And your date. Have fun!” His voice drips with innuendo, and I groan.
“Yeah, right, fun, until I make a dumb mistake and ruin everything.”
“A mistake?” Olli tilts his head, eyebrows furrowing.
Of course he doesn’t understand. How could he? Everything falls into his lap, especially when it comes to sex and boyfriends. I bet Olli never once in his life worried about not being sexy. About not knowing what to do when someone is naked in his bed.
The mere thought makes my ears burn. I have seen more than just a few guys waltz out of his room in the morning.
Or caught him strolling back home, looking a mess and covered in hickeys.
His cocky grins, when he didn't even bother to put on a longer shirt to hide them, always made me grind my teeth hard enough to give me a headache.
“Ugh, never mind!” I bite out, pushing forward to get past him.
“Whoa, hey, hey, hey. Hey.” Olli grabs both my shoulders, barely holding me back from storming upstairs. “Okay, it's hard, but dating and sex are supposed to be fun! Don’t turn it into a huge thing. It’s not that serious.”
“What?!” I turn around, glad that the steps I climbed are giving me a bit of a height advantage. Of course he’d say that. God knows how many notches he has on his bedpost.
As if he can read my mind, Olli raises an eyebrow but doesn’t pull back.
“Yeah. Real life isn’t a rom-com, but it’s also not porn.
” The corners of his mouth barely twitch at his words, but it’s the way he squeezes my shoulders that keeps me in place.
“Sex can be amazing. It’s also embarrassing a lot of the time, and that happens to everyone. So really, don’t stress so much.”
I blink a few times, struck by his little speech. A part of me wants to argue, but there’s genuine feeling in his words. Slowly, my shoulders relax.
As if he can feel it, Olli nods at me. “This evening is for you, right? Enjoy it, experiment, live a little!” He shakes me, and despite myself, I laugh.
“You’re…yeah, okay, I’ll try.”
“That’s more like it!” With a final squeeze to my shoulder, Olli lets go and hops down the stairs.
I feel dazed, like a storm went through my head.
When I come back to my senses, Olli has already reached the front door. I have to lean over the railing to call after him, “Hey, uhm…thanks!”
My sentiments of gratitude are short-lived, though, when my phone buzzes with a text as soon as I'm in my room.
PS: don’t forget to use protection! ;)