54. Mya
TWO WEEKS LATER
54
My stubbornness must have been as much nature as nurture, because my parents didn’t give a damn about their safety, refusing to let me out of their sight after I’d shared my story with them. Unable to go to their home, Oliver had made arrangements to set my parents and sister up at our safe house, and I’d spent the last fourteen days getting to know my family.
Having Oliver there with me for this journey had been incredible. And while I hadn’t inherited my mother’s incredible cooking skills, she’d ensured we were all more than well-fed every single night, and Oliver never once grumpified as a result.
Oliver came up behind me, circling his hands around my waist, taking in the view of the vineyard outside our window from the second floor of our safe house. As far as safe houses went, Carter had really hooked us up with one of the most romantic ones.
I lifted my chin to catch his mouth over my shoulder for a kiss, then asked him, “How’d your call go?” Returning my attention to the window, Oliver set his chin on top of my head, continuing to hold me.
“I think it went well. She says I’m a quick study. I guess that’s a good thing.” He lightly laughed, the sound physically moving through me.
“No nightmares in five straight days. How many more days until you’ll sleep in the same bed with me? Ballpark guess?”
“As many as it takes, missy, until I’m sure you’re safe next to me,” he said in a playful voice.
I’d set Oliver up with my therapist, Doctor Riley Logan, nearly the day after my family decided to bunk with us. I didn’t want him to postpone his healing because of our current situation. He could get better while I did as well. We didn’t need to take turns. We were in this together.
“Sure it’s not a little fear of my dad’s reaction to you corrupting his daughter that’s keeping you from sleeping in the room with me?” I turned into his arms, and he held on to my waist while tipping his head to meet my eyes. “Kidding.”
“Sure you are, buttercup.” He leaned in and softly kissed me. “And I’m actually terrified, to be honest.”
“Sure you are,” I returned, which won me another kiss. This one with tongue, and a promise of what was to come later in bed before he ding-dong-ditched pre-midnight and went to his room.
The fact I could joke like that in my head without missing a beat had me feeling hopeful I was truly on the mend. I was becoming myself again. Well, the real me now that I knew who I was—Mya Cattaneo.
“Guess who interrupted my call with some news, though.” He brought one hand to my face, his knuckles tracing the line of my cheekbone before he swept my hair behind my ear. “I have a stepmother.”
“What?” I gasped.
“Dad decided life is short, and he and Cindy eloped.”
“Um.” I frowned.
“What?” Why was he so casual about this?
“Are you okay? I mean, I assume you’d want to be at their wedding. Just making sure you don’t feel, well . . .” You know.
“I’d be grumpy about it if he didn’t ask me if I was okay with him eloping first. He was willing to wait if I asked him to. I agreed with him. Said life is short and go for it. They promised we’ll have a real celebration when we make good on our promise to come back to visit, but as a couple staying at Vanessa and Malcolm’s inn.”
“So, Vanessa finally convinced him to turn it back into a B and B?” I slung my arms over his shoulders, drawing myself closer to him, and was my guy aroused? I chewed on my lip, dropping my eyes between us to seek out confirmation.
His linen pants—a new look for him courtesy of my dad insisting upon it—left nothing to the imagination. They rarely did when it came to erections.
Oh yeah, you’re turned on. “Thinking about how we’ll spend our time in their suite, are you?” I teased before he could answer me.
“Fuck, yes. And every day in between now and then.” He urged my mouth open with his tongue. After a blissful and delicious kiss, he shared, “They’ll officially be open for business once it’s safe to do so.”
“I’m sure they weren’t compromised and are safe, but I’m glad they’re being cautious just in case.” I kept one arm over his shoulder and allowed my other hand to wander down his chest, over his white tee that molded to his muscular frame.
“Maybe your sister and the future-someone she dates can join us there one day?” Oliver suggested.
“I have a sister,” I said under my breath, still in awe of that fact. My sister and I had so many late-night chats the last two weeks, none of which included the elephant not technically in the room with us. Mason Matthews. “And we’re as alike as we are different. I love we’re not the same-same, if that makes sense, though.”
“It does.” He smiled as my hand went farther south.
“I haven’t told my sister about Mason yet. She’s taken a leave of absence from work to make up for lost time and learn everything there is to know about me, and I feel bad keeping that minor detail from her.”
His chin dipped, following the path my hand had taken, and I palmed his dick over his pants. “You mentioning Mason while your hand is on my cock is not the best idea,” he said in a gravelly but partially teasing voice I knew well.
“Maybe I’m looking for a little fight between us so I can drop my clothes in surrender and you’ll have your way with me.” I hadn’t been thinking that before, but I was now.
“Your dad is downstairs. Your mom is cooking. Your sister is two doors down. And you want to be a bad girl, do you?” He held me prisoner with his intense gaze as I kept my hand over his hard-on.
All thoughts of Mason’s past with my sister went out the window, flitting around somewhere in that vineyard.
“I’m game for makeup sex.” I playfully lifted my brows a few times, and made a mental note that when I could go out into the real world again, I was overdue for Botox.
“Should we fight first, or can we skip to the after part?”
He smirked, and I answered him by stepping back to peel off my sundress. I slipped free of my sandals, and his gaze raked over my body as he realized I hadn’t been wearing panties.
“Such a bad girl.” He came at me fast, circling his good arm around my waist. He hauled me against him, crushing his mouth over mine.
Hand between my thighs, he plunged his fingers inside me and moaned into my mouth while sliding my arousal over my clit. He captured my breathy pants with his tongue, changing course to rid himself of his clothes before he brought me over to the bed I so desperately wished he’d share with me later.
Dinner and wine with my family. My father sharing stories that had me laughing uncontrollably. Tales from my sister that left me so damn proud every night. Followed by making love with my guy. The only thing that’d make everything that much more perfect would be if he never left my bed and I could sleep in his arms.
Realizing I’d lost myself to my thoughts, he stopped kissing me. Holding the brunt of his weight over me, his heavy cock resting on top of me, we locked eyes as he dragged out the word, “Soooon.”
I scrunched up my nose but submitted in a light voice, “Fine, fine.” I relaxed and reached between our bodies to position him at my center, greedy for him to fill me, unable to wait any longer.
I mean, I had removed my panties before he’d come to my room with the hopes things would turn out this way, so . . .
Oliver thrusted inside me, going a bit slack-jawed when our bodies connected. Each time felt like it was our first time these last two weeks when we were together.
His muscles tightened alongside my body, and I did my best to push out worries about his shoulder from my head, and be in the moment.
The second his tongue met mine, I was wrapped up in the ecstasy of how it felt to be with him. He reached between our bodies, searching out my sensitive spot to help me climax, and I bit back a loud cry so no one heard me as he brought me closer and closer to release.
“Such a bad girl, teasing me like you do.” His deep, rumbly tone had me barely hanging on to control. Then came the magic words, “Now be a good girl and come for me,” and I let go.
“A few days,” he whispered after recovering from his own orgasm. “A few more days, and you’ll be waking up in my arms.”
He was giving me a number, knowing how my mind worked, and I loved that he knew me so well. Dark eyes pointed at me, in a husky voice he told me, “I’m stubborn, too, and I’ve been a quick study for a reason . . . I want that more than you can possibly know.”