“Well, someone has to enjoy this stuff,” Marlie says the next day, sitting at the freshly cleaned table at Sanctuary, wearing a wolf mask and holding one of the many cupcakes we had left in the fridges in her hands.
“It suits you,” Kenai snorts. “Well, your moods anyway.”
She tosses the cupcake at him.
“Hey hey hey,” I say, waving a hand around. “We spent hours cleaning this place last night, don’t you go messing it up.”
“Oh I’m sure you spent hours ‘cleaning,’” Kaity says, doing some air quotes with a big smirk on her face.
I look to Oliver and flush. He winks at me.
“Oh my God,” Marlie cries. “What was that?”
“What?” I ask, swallowing.
“That look you two just gave each other. Did you get jiggy on my floor?” She leaps up from the sofa. “On this sofa?”
I shake my head and Oliver snorts. “You’ll never know, Marlie. That’s the beauty of it.”
“Oh my God, nasty, nasty, you two are nasty.”
Kenai chuckles. “We’ve gotten ‘jiggy’ on plenty of these couches, babe.”
“Ew,” we all say, standing up.
Marlie flushes. “Well, thanks, Kenai. Way to make a girl feel slutty.”
He winks at her. “Only for me, baby.”
She grins. “Back to Oliver and Jade. What did you two do last night? I need all the details.”
“So do I!”
We look at the door to see Erin coming in, brown paper bags in her hands, coffee tray in the other. I called her on a coffee and croissant mission an hour ago. I leap up and rush over, hugging her and taking the tray. “You’re a gem. Thank you.”
“Yeah yeah yeah.” She waves. “Now, tell me what I missed. I was supposed to get all the juicy details about Oliver first.”
I look at her with big eyes. “He’s sitting right there, Erin!”
Erin looks at him, wiggles her brows, and nods. “Yes, indeed he is. Hi, Oliver. Are you going to tell me what you and my bestie got up to or do I have to figure it out?”
He grins. “Figure it out.”
“Well, he’s no fun.” She flops down. “Spill.”
“I like your best friend,” Kaity says. “She gets the goods.”
Erin smiles at Kaity. “Yes, well, she knows well enough by now she’s not to keep anything from me.”
“I’m not telling you all what we did, because we didn’t do anything,” I say, exasperated. “We cleaned up. That’s it.”
“They got locked in a closet for a while,” Marlie points out.
“Oh my God, Marlie!” I cry.
“Ohhh,” Kaity laughs. “That’s right. What happened in the closet? Was it a build-up to what happened later? Just a warm-up maybe?”
My God.
Someone kill me now.
“Never goin’ to find out,” Oliver says, reaching over and taking my hand. “What you can know, however, is that I’m takin’ this girl home in about ten minutes because she’s exhausted.”
Aw.
How sweet.
“Exhausted,” Erin air quotes. “Right.”
“Take her home,” Marlie continues. “Right.”
I roll my eyes.
They all burst out laughing.
These guys are the best. Without a doubt.
* * *
“You sure you don’t want to eat more,” Oliver says, putting my plate in the sink.
“God no,” I groan. I’ve eaten so much of that leftover food I can’t handle it anymore.
He chuckles. “Yeah, there was a lot of it.”
“So much. At least Marlie will have plenty of food for morning tea for a while, for everyone that comes in.”
“Yeah, she sure will. You tired?”
I nod. “So tired. The few hours we got last night just wasn’t enough.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
He walks over to me sitting on the couch, leans down, and launches me up and over his shoulder. I squeal and laugh, tapping his back. “What are you doing?”
“Taking you to bed.”
“Oliver, we’ve only known each other a few days.”
He slaps me on the ass. “We’ve been working together months, and I’m not taking you to bed to sleep with you, just to sleep. Actually sleep.”
“Together?” I squeak.
He slaps my backside again. “Together.”
“In my bed.”
“In your bed, sweetheart.”
“Oh, okay. Okay then.”
We reach my bedroom and he puts me down on the bed, reaching for the hem of his shirt and pulling it up and over his head. I stare at his body, taut and bronze, with some intricate tattoos snaking over his biceps and chest. He’s gorgeous, so much so it takes my breath away. “I love your tattoos,” I breathe.
“Thanks.”
“Do they mean anything?”
“Yeah,” he says, dropping his pants until he’s in his boxers.
“What?” I ask, eyes wide.
“They mean it’s time to sleep.”
I thump his shoulder when he sits on the bed beside me, and he grins. “They’re just designs I like, nothing special. You got any secret tattoos you want to show me?”
I laugh. “Nice try, but no. I don’t have any. I’m too chicken.”
He smiles and then nods at my shirt and shorts. “You sleep in that?”
“Ah. No.”
“Well, get changed.”
He climbs into the bed like he’s been there a thousand times before. So much for the shy, broody man I met a few days ago. It feels like we’ve been talking for weeks. I guess a situation like what we experienced will do that to someone. Still, I didn’t really expect he’d be so comfortable with me. I like it. It makes me feel safe, and I don’t get that feeling very often anymore.
I grab a pair of cotton shorts and a tank and go into the bathroom to get changed. It’s only midday, but we’re both so exhausted. I brush my teeth and my hair, then I join him on the bed, hesitantly sliding in. He doesn’t wait, he rolls and takes hold of me, pulling me to his chest and wrapping an arm around me. “I won’t bite, sweetheart.”
“You seemed broody and shy a few days ago.”
“You were broody and shy. I was just acting how you were acting.”
“I was not,” I protest.
“I tried to smile at you once and you practically ran in the opposite direction.”
“I’m shy, okay!”
He chuckles. “I don’t mind. The closet sorted it out for me. If I knew how clumsy you were, I would have planned that myself.”
“How kind. Getting a girl to like you by making sure she locks herself in a closet. Some people would call that creepy, Oliver.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, well, it worked. I got to talk to you.”
“And get locked in a closet with me. Twice.”
“And chase you around wearing a wolf costume.”
“Creepy,” I laugh.
“Totally.”
“I’m glad, though,” I admit. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had fun, and since I’ve felt so comfortable with anyone. I mean, you could still be a killer for all I know, but at least you’re nice to me.”
He snorts. “I’m not a killer. And if I was, I wouldn’t be trying to sleep next to you, I’d be subtly holding the pillow over your head.”
I giggle. “True.”
“I don’t have it in me to be a killer. I’m too nice.”
I feign a gasp. “I don’t believe it. I saw how you took on the role of wolf when you were wearing that mask. That wasn’t nice, Oliver.”
He pinches me lightly. “A man has to do what he has to do to get the girl.”
“Who says you’ve got me?”
He rolls me so I’m facing him and presses a soft kiss to my lips. His eyes lock with mine, and my heart flutters. “Might not have you yet, but I’ll get you, sweetheart. Don’t you worry about that. I’ve met a lot of people in my life, but none who have just fit in so effortlessly. We were meant to meet each other, of that I’m sure.”
I smile. “I think so, too. Even if we did spend our first few times together getting chased around by a bunch of angry teenagers.”
“Don’t forget the closet.” He chuckles.
“Oh, I won’t forget it. In fact, I’m already planning our second date in there. I have it all mapped out.”
“So long as you’re there, I don’t mind,” he says, kissing me again and sliding a stray piece of hair from my face.
“You know yesterday was Halloween, so that means we pretty much got together on Halloween. I’m not sure that’s a good start.”
“Well, depends how you look at it,” he says, stroking his thumb over my cheek.
“Do elaborate,” I say, raising my brows.
“Well, most people get together on any old day of the week. You and I got together on a really cool day, and we have a story to tell because of it.”
“Actually,” I say, smiling shyly, “we’re not actually together, not yet anyway. We’re just . . . thinking that’s where we’ll go. I’m not letting your heroic efforts of shoving me into a closet while getting chased by a bowling ball sway me.”
He chuckles. “I’ll make more of an effort next time, really get you where I want you.”
I laugh. “I’m glad I met you, Oliver.”
He kisses me again. “Me too, sweetheart.”
“And hey . . .” His eyes meet mine. “Happy Halloween.”