19. Oliver
Oliver
“What the hell happened to you?”
I stopped, my foot hovering over the bottom step that would take me up to my apartment. “Would you believe me if I said I got into a fight with a can of paint?”
Wyatt stepped closer as I turned around to face him. “Would that can of paint be responsible for leaving those marks on your neck, too?”
Shit. Trinity must have gotten a little rough when she’d nibbled on my neck. A bolt of heat shot through me as I ran my fingers over the tender spot on my throat. “It was a fairly frisky run-in.”
“I can see that.” Wyatt set his hands on his hips. “Can I assume your run-in gave you some insight on where to focus your efforts?”
I waged an internal debate over whether or not I should reveal any of Trinity’s plans.
If I let out a sliver of info it might get Wyatt off my back long enough for me to decide what to do.
But Wyatt was like a bloodhound. If he caught a whiff of anything he might be able to use to exploit the woman next door, he’d follow that trail until the end. Probably Trinity’s end.
“So?”
Shaking my head, I lifted a hand to run my fingers through my hair. They didn’t make it far. I’d already forgotten my hair had been crusted over with dried paint. “I don’t have anything solid yet, but you’ll be the first one to know when I do.”
Wyatt scuffed his foot along the ground. “You know this isn’t some kind of game. Real people are depending on you for this. Me. Lindsey. Hell, if you want to stay in the States, you know what you’ve got to do.”
Yeah, I knew. Sell out the woman who’d just let me have my way with her. Twice. Dammit. There was no way we were both going to come out of this on top. Someone would win, someone would lose. And I’d always been incredibly competitive. “I’ll figure something out, okay?”
“Hell, for both of our sakes, I sure hope so.” Wyatt pointed toward the steps. “You might want to get in the shower. Not sure you’ll get as many tips at the bar if you show up looking like a smurf.”
Shoulders sagging, I climbed the stairs and let myself into my apartment.
Free from Wyatt’s prying eyes, I slid my phone out of my pocket and pulled up the pictures I’d taken of Trinity’s unconventional “to-do” list on my way out.
I zoomed in, reading over all of the items she’d written down on those tiny squares of paper.
Surely there was somewhere along the list I could insert a few snags.
Something that would cause her to rethink her plans without destroying her hope.
I didn’t want to sabotage her dreams. All I needed was for her to take her dreams somewhere else.
Out of all the buildings in downtown Newbridge, why had she chosen this particular one?
If I could find another option and make it more attractive while making this one seem like her worst nightmare, maybe she’d decide to move her operation elsewhere.
But what could I do that wouldn’t paint me as the bad guy?
As much as I wanted a piece of Wyatt’s business, as desperate as I was to stay in the States, I wasn’t low enough to completely shut her down to reach my goals.
There had to be a way for both of us to get what we wanted.
I glanced from one note to the next until I saw it.
Sign installation. She’d written the words in red ink.
Even drew a big circle around them. What kind of sign was she having installed?
I’d figure out a way to find out. And once I knew the details, maybe there was a way to foil her plans.
The walls of my chest squeezed. I rubbed the tight spot with my palm, trying to ease the discomfort.
I’d never cheated before to get ahead. Not even when my opponents deserved it, and so far Trinity had done nothing to warrant that. Her only mistake was picking the wrong building. But if she hadn’t picked the wrong building, we might not have met.
So my path forward consisted of two things: find a way to get Trinity to leave and find her a suitable alternative.
I snagged a legal pad from the counter and sat down at the table.
First things first. I started to list out all of the reasons I could think of that might cause Trinity to abandon the building.
I couldn’t do anything that might affect Tapped.
That meant no sudden infestation of rodents, which suited me just fine.
My sister had kept a pet rat when she was younger.
I never could appreciate what she saw in the furry little creature, no matter how many tricks she taught the damn thing.
Any kind of issue with the building might cause the authorities to look into our side as well.
That eliminated any surprise discovery of asbestos or faulty wiring.
I’d just have to get more creative. My neck itched, and I raised my hand to scratch at the dried paint.
Unable to deal with the way the paint stretched over my skin any longer, I abandoned my list to head toward the shower.
Tomorrow I’d suck up to Trinity and try to get back on her good side. Maybe she’d let something slip. I didn’t need to look very hard for a reason to reconnect. My fingers still tingled from exploring every inch of her.
As I reached for a towel, my phone vibrated. Dammit. Sunday night. I’d almost forgotten my standing video chat with my folks. I pressed on the button to accept the call.
My mum’s face appeared on the screen. “I’d started to think you’d forgotten about us.”
“Of course not, Mum.” It was already Monday evening there.
They’d be getting ready to sit down for dinner.
For a moment, I let myself think about home.
It would be chilly out, so Mum probably had a pot of stew simmering away on the stove.
Maybe even made some fresh baked bread to go with it.
My mouth watered. I might not miss the quiet, country life my parents preferred, but I sure as hell missed my mum’s cooking.
“What happened to your face?” She squinted at the screen. “Did someone hit you?”
“What? Oh, no, I was just helping a friend paint.” I glanced over my shoulder toward the bathroom. “Actually , I was about to hop in the shower. How’s everything there?”
“We’re wrapping up breeding season. Trying to increase the flock for next spring. Your pa’s got a new pup in training. Raja’s getting old and your pa wants to get a new dog in place while he can. He’ll probably lose all his hair from the stress of it all by the time he gets the new pup acclimated.”
I let out a laugh. I’d been around when Pa trained Raja and could remember the antics the pup got into before he started taking his sheep herding job seriously. “And Isla?”
“Good. She’s taken a job in town. Wants to follow in her big brother’s footsteps and study overseas. Thank goodness you’ll be back. I can’t imagine having both my babes so far away.” My mum pressed a hand to her heart. “We’re looking forward to you coming home.”
Guilt engulfed me like a thick fog. “How’s business?”
“Fair enough. Tell me about your studies.”
“Everything’s going great here. I’ve got high marks and have been studying for finals.
” And trying to figure out how to break your heart and not come home.
No matter how things worked out, my parents were going to be disappointed.
Even if I didn’t stay in the States, I couldn’t imagine taking over for my dad.
My mum filled me in on life in Towley which took all of about three minutes. She wasn’t one for small talk, never had been. I was convinced the only reason she kept up with the Sunday night video calls was to make sure I was still alive on the other side of the world.
“Go get yourself cleaned up. Your pa’s still out working with the ewes, but I’ll give him your love.” My mum put her fingers to her lips and blew a kiss to the camera.
“Thanks, Mum. Love to all.”
She clicked off the chat, leaving me to look at my own image on the screen.
Paint streaked across my cheeks, half covering my lips.
To the shower. And then I’d have to come up with some ideas on how to get Trinity to move.
Thinking of my pa out in the barns, working through dinner, then coming in tired, muddy and worn out from another day of hard manual labor, hammered my resolve into place. I couldn’t go home.
My future rested in Trinity’s hands. Maybe she’d go for that neighbors with benefits idea I’d floated past her.
As I stripped down for my shower, I couldn’t help but think about the couple of times we’d been together.
Something about her pulled at me. Made me want to get to know her better.
Figure out why she was so hell bent on putting together the co-op idea.
The warm water hit me, and I scrubbed away the streaks of paint coating my skin.
As I rubbed the washcloth over my chest, erasing the heart she’d painted there, my thoughts turned toward Trinity’s family.
Maybe her brother, the attorney who seemed to know she’d bought the building, would be able to provide some info.
James, that was the one. He hadn’t seemed too keen on the idea of Trinity getting her hands on whatever trust her grandmother had left her.
I made a mental note to follow up on that idea in the morning.
Then I let my thoughts meander back to earlier in the evening.
As my hands spread the soap suds over my body, I imagined Trinity back in my arms. She’d been just as eager as I was to bypass our neighborly truce and take things to the floor.
As I remembered the way she’d run her hands over my shoulders, my abs, and my hips, my cock came to life.
Hell, it had been a long time since just the thought of a woman’s touch had that kind of effect on me.
I lowered the washcloth, running it across my ass, around my hips, over my cock, growing harder by the second.
Bracing a hand on the wall of the shower, I let the washcloth drop to the floor.
My other hand wrapped around my cock. I closed my eyes, picturing her underneath me…
her hand gripping my length… her mouth open, ready to take me.
My release surged through me, exploding out of the tip of my cock while I murmured her name.