39. Olivia
Olivia
My cheeks heat the moment I get out of Wilder’s car, with my mind working through the day’s events.
First with Mack and our impossible cold case, and then Wilder with our…
Well, our sparring session. Or a wrestling session?
Fuck. My body tingles with the memories of his weight pressed against mine.
The heat of his body. The feel of his hands on me.
Holding my wrists together above my head.
The light punches to my ribs. Fuck. It all felt so good.
Bad, bad thoughts conjure up in my mind, begging me to turn around, pull him out of the car, and do naughty things to him.
My pussy practically vibrates with the need for an orgasm.
And Wilder? Well, he’d be the perfect candidate.
No. Bad, Olivia. You’re incognito right now. You can’t spoil your disguise to get laid. I mean, it would feel fantastic. Something I haven’t done since Malic. Fuck. That’s been so long. I nibble my bottom lip and shake my head.
Idiot. You don’t need to do that. You need to march into your dorm room, grab the stupid vibrators Jordy packed for you, and use them until you reach post-nut clarity.
Because going after Wilder and letting him get into my pants while he thinks I’m Oliver is a very bad fucking idea. I can’t imagine what he’d think if he pulled down my pants and surprise! Vagina alert. He’d either back away in horror or maybe use it to his advantage. Whatever that would be.
I don’t want to fuck anything up. Or be a bad agent. I have to stay incognito. And if that means keeping up my disguise and turning to self-care, then so be it. Even if I don’t want to. Even if I want to pout the entire way back to my dorm and huff up the stairs.
I have to remain Oliver until further notice.
I’m already on thin ice with the agency.
But you know what? They’re on thin ice with me, too.
And today? Today was a nice distraction from all the bullshit.
And that includes the meeting I had with Jonathan about coming back here and pretending everything is hunky-dory.
But you know what, Uncle? Everything is bullshit.
Except for today. Hanging out with Wilder is different.
He’s not like anyone else on campus. They’ve all got a serious edge to them.
Like they have something to prove to the damn world.
Or their Mafia bosses. I’m leaning more toward that.
Everyone here, Wilder included, is tied to some sort of organized crime.
He’s with…well, I have no clue who exactly he’s with.
The Shades. Whoever they are besides Malic and Wilder.
No one else can give me good information on them.
They’re hidden. A shadow to society. Yet, they were allowed on campus to represent them.
Despite being in the same town as Franco.
I store that away for later. That’s future Olivia’s problem.
For now, I’m reveling in the relaxation roaring through my body and trying not to overthink the fun I had with Wilder.
There’s something about him that I can’t put my finger on.
Something calming. Where Malic is all chaos, Wilder is the soothing presence that eases something deep inside me, granting me a comfort I haven’t felt in a very long time.
It makes me want to spend more time with him.
Maybe that’s why I agreed to go out for burgers with him.
So I could see him again and be in his presence.
Hell, maybe he’ll take me sparring again.
One-on-one. An activity I enjoyed way more than I should have. Especially with him.
It was the freedom. A little voice pipes up in the back of my head, stopping my retreat.
I swallow hard. Yeah, freedom. Stepping into the ring with Wilder was freeing.
Every ounce of struggle, stress, and identity left me the moment my feet touched the mat.
I haven’t felt joy like that since…I don’t remember when.
My entire adult life has been saturated in bullshit grief, revenge, and longing.
Longing to be a normal young adult, living her life in college, and having my old friends beside me.
Yes, I still crave them. Even if I don’t want to. They were my world for years.
Even if they tried to kill me. Or not kill me? That’s the fucking answer that’s weighing me down. So many things are going wrong in Greenwood, and it seems to be starting with them.
For the first time in five years, when I stepped into the ring with Wilder, I felt something shift inside me. Something fundamental. Intoxicating. Something I’ve never truly tasted. Not with Veritas. Not with my father. Not with my ex-boyfriend.
Never.
I’ve always been associated with someone in one way or another. A Mafia princess. A brat. A nuisance. A girlfriend. An agent of the law. For years, I’ve had a label slapped on my forehead.
And for one hour, I was me. Someone who loves getting into the ring and fighting her stress away. I didn’t need to pretend. Even if I was dressed as Oliver. Another disguise. Another fucking label. I was still me deep down inside, with freedom at the tip of my fingers.
I suck in a breath, continuing my stroll through campus and keeping my chin held high. Despite the slight twinge of pain roaring through my nose. Fucker better not bruise. I’d hate to have to explain to JJ why I’m beaten up.
Ugh.
It wasn’t until I climbed into the ring with Wilder and he helped me suit up that I felt truly free. And the best part? He didn’t take it easy on me because I was a girl. To Wilder, I’m Oliver. A dude. Not a chick whom he feels bad for punching. A dude who looks at me with big eyes and…
“Shit,” I groan to myself as I slow my pace again, running my fingers through my hair. Maybe that’ll stop the rogue thoughts from taking me down a horny road I don’t need to go down. Not yet.
Peeking over my shoulder, I watch Wilder through my lashes as he sits stock still in the driver’s seat of his car.
A pensive look crosses his features as he runs a hand over his almost-bald head several times until the back of his head rests against his seat.
Confusion seems to spark in the depths of his stormy blue eyes as he quietly seems to whisper, “What the fuck happened?”
“Same, pal,” I mutter to myself, thankful no one else is around to notice me staring at Wilder. Including him. His vision seems to look right past me and anyone else nearby. Like he doesn’t see them as his mind falls down the rabbit hole.
“This complicates so many damn things,” I grumble to myself and rub my forehead, trying to push the headache forming away.
No matter what, I can’t think with my downstairs again.
Not like I did with Malic in the bathroom of that bar.
No sex. No romance. Nada. Not only do they think I’m a guy, but they’ll be sorely disappointed if I get naked.
Hello, tits and a vagina. But I need to get this job done and skedaddle out of this town before I lose my damn mind.
ASAP. No more hanging out and making friends.
I need to get through this damn initiation, infiltrate the stupid gang, and bring Franco down before any more bullshit can happen.
Easier said than done, though. I have to make friends. It’s a part of this mission. And you know what? For the first time in five years, I feel a sense of… Well, I’m not quite sure. There’s something there, though. Building deep in my bones.
Maybe I’m right where I need to be.
I’m home.
The place to get answers. The place to make friends like Simon and Daniel.
Hell, even Wilder. The rest, though? Yeah, I’m not too sure about them.
Malic is suspect as fuck every time I’m around him.
Plus, he obviously hid my glasses from me for whatever reason.
After our study session, Wilder invited me to his house while he changed for the gym, and I poked around.
What did I find? A bunch of nothing. Literally.
Their house is so neat and clean; it’s a weird comparison to the home next to theirs.
JJ, Mack, and Hux’s frat home was an absolute disaster the night Simon and I went to the party.
Ratty couches. Old pizza boxes. I mean, I guess they’re college guys, so I can’t expect much.
So that brings me to another big issue. My glasses are still missing.
Jonathan is going to fire me if I don’t get them back soon.
Or possibly bury me. For real, this time.
I know for a fact Malic still has them. I watched him take them.
So I’m going to have to get desperate to get them back.
Either I’m sneaking in through their back door, or I’m going in the front.
And maybe that won’t be such a bad thing.
I sigh, pulling myself from my thoughts when my phone buzzes in my pocket.
JJ: Sorry for canceling our study session earlier…I had something I needed to look into.
Oli: It’s okay. I had other things to do…
Like wrestling around with your mortal enemy and get invited out again. No biggie.
JJ: Would you care if I stopped by tonight? Your dorm room? They’re still gone, aren’t they?
Oh, so he’s keeping up with my roommates and me. Wonderful. I mean, I wouldn’t expect anything less from him, but still. It’s the principle of it all. Hell, I bet JJ is watching me through the camera systems right now.
Bastard.
Oli: That’s fine…
It’s really not. I don’t want JJ in my space, but what else can I do?
He wants to stop by. Maybe I should follow Jonathan’s advice and get in their good graces.
I need to get this job done. And if I can go through JJ, who seems hell-bent on proving their innocence, then so be it. Maybe he will prove me wrong.
But my memories don’t lie.
Do they?