Julie
I literally want to punch Oliver in his smug face.
I made a silent point and slept in the living room last night, in protest of his shameless kissing fiasco, and the only thing that got me was a half-chilly Monday and loneliness. Everyone else had plans—they’d all coupled up and did sweet little things, then howled like animals at night. So, even if I wanted to sleep in the girls’ room, I couldn’t. It was no longer the girls’ room—it’s Harley and Staci’s room.
And they are loud.
Oliver and I lie in the firelight, trying not to think about the loud moans coming from them just across the hall. I blush, using the darkness to hide my embarrassment because it’s sort of turning me on. “They are so damn loud,” Oliver growls, his arms covering his face as if that would drown the two of them out.
“Just tune it out,” I say and turn away from him on purpose. “You’re good at ignoring the obvious anyway.”
He laughs at me with such gusto that it makes my skin tingle. “Is that so?”
“You don’t have to be such as ass all of the time, you do know that, right?” I blurt out and suck in air. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
He waves his hand at me like a white flag. “No offense taken. You of all people have every right.”
You’re absolutely freaking right, I have the right. If kissing me and then telling me you didn’t want to kiss me ten seconds later was any indication of how badly I need to punch you in the face, then green light’s a-go, mister. I bite my bottom lip and stare at the ceiling. It’s just ridiculous how close he is to me yet how far away he makes himself.
“Hey, I was thinking about heading into town tomorrow.” He’s trying to talk over the loud sex noises down the hall. “Do you want to go? Might do both of us some good to get out of here for a day. Maybe we can escape the escapades across the damn hallway.”
I fake a loud gasp and roll my body over to face him again. A boyish grin spreads across his handsome face. “Me? Be seen with you? Are you sure that’s okay?”
Oliver isn’t amused. “I said I was sorry. What else do you want?”
My lips flatten into a thin, frustrated line. “You say that a lot. It loses its meaning after the first dozen times.”
“What do you want from me?” His voice grows gruff and scary—it vibrates up his throat and reaches out to grab me.
I sigh and roll back away from him, this time fully focused on not letting him get to me again. “Nothing, I’ll let it go.”
“Thank God,” he murmurs, but I hear him mumble something under his breath. I don’t care, I don’t care, I hardly care at all.…Okay, I want to know what he said, but I don’t want him to know I’m thinking about him…
“You’re thinking awfully loud over there.” His deep voice sends shivers down my spine.
“I’m trying to sleep,” I mutter. Oliver’s breath is hot as it reaches the bare flesh on my shoulder and I shiver more noticeably this time. His breath smells like whiskey, the remnants of his several nightcaps with the boys floating in the air for me to breathe in.
“So, the mall with me tomorrow?” He pokes my side playfully, making that burning feeling inside of me return in the pit of my stomach each time his warm finger meets the soft part of my hip. I make a point to take a few lengthy seconds to answer. “No, I think I’ll take a hike tomorrow.”
“Hey, I can come with you if you want.” He starts to sound like he’s moving closer to my ear, inch by inch, and the bed shakes from my skin trembling in the darkness. I make a weird grunting noise and allow him to collect his thoughts—maybe take back what he just said to save a little face and back down.
“You don’t want me to come with you.” He blows out hard air, making strands of my hair float in the sudden breeze. “Okay, then, I get it: I’m a jerk and you don’t want to be around me.”
The air grows cold between us. I can feel it from behind me, folding my body into it. I don’t like being mean to him just for the fun of it. “You can come with me,” I say into the dark night air. “I want you to come.”
He scoffs. “Yeah, sure you do.”
I groan aloud and turn my body, this time with such velocity, that the bed shakes a little more than I wanted. It tosses me toward him, my chest resting against his hard, warm torso. He makes a small, sexy, agreeing noise and doesn’t bother pushing me away. His rough hand squeezes my hip, his green eyes sparkling down at me. I place my palm on his chest and try to push myself away from him, but his grip isn’t letting me go anywhere.
“How much do you want me to go on your hike with you?” His voice shakes with laughter. “Bad enough to kiss me again?”
I scoff. “Kiss you? You kissed me! You practically attacked me!”
Oliver’s grip tightens, his thumbs moving inside the fabric of my pajama shorts. My legs lose all feeling in seconds as the rough edge of his finger leaves a mark on my hot skin. “Oh, yeah? Maybe I can do something to redeem myself.”
My eyes narrow. “I can’t take this back and forth anymore. You should let me go.”
“And if I don’t?” A wicked smile flashes across his face and he lowers his lips onto mine.
My entire body feels like jolts of electricity are rushing through it at the speed of light. I allow myself to relax into his grip and he takes charge, caressing my tongue with his and melting my anger into putty. Even for our second impromptu kiss, he completely tangles my insides. I let myself glide toward him; his hungry, low growl lurches from the back of his throat and I know it’s time to stop.
I pull away gently and don’t look at him. Oliver sighs and runs his finger down my collarbone. “I still hold a grudge for my ex.” His voice is shallow but stable, as if he’s choosing the right words to say before committing to them. “It’s been hard to let her go…she messed me up really bad, I won’t lie.” He trails off and runs his fingers through his dark, chocolate hair. “I guess…I mean, we can both feel the attraction, right?” I watch his large hands motion between us. “I can definitely feel it.”
I giggle. “I can feel it too.”
He smiles and I smile back. “Good, so it’s not just me. I just don’t want to hurt you, Julie, you know. I want to figure out what this is, if I’m into you for the wrong reasons or—”
“I get it, Oliver,” I snap. “No need to explain.”
I can feel his heart beat through my t-shirt. “No, come on, don’t do that.” He lifts my face to his and lightly kisses my lips. “I just don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to you.”
I scoff, annoyed. “Seems pretty obvious to me.”
Oliver’s laugh feels like silk bed sheets against newly clean skin. “I’m going on that hike with you tomorrow.”
“Yeah? What makes you think you’re still invited?”
“Well, if you get eaten by bears I would never forgive you.” He smiles at me and we both burst into laughter, the bed shaking beneath us. In this moment, as he stifles his laughter and locks his gaze with mine, I feel sexy.
“Okay, you can go with me under one condition,” I say as he lowers his head toward mine, no doubt going in for another kiss.
Oliver clears his throat. “And what’s that?”
My mouth is suddenly very dry. I don’t want to ruin the moment by trying to have a real conversation, but I’m growing weary of the hot and cold thing he loves doing so much with me. I notice him looking at me, puzzled. “You can’t be a jerk to me anymore.”
His sadness feels like a heat wave on my skin, slightly burning me. “Okay, look. We’re both coming from bad situations,” I say. “We both deserve to be happy. Let’s just enjoy this week and be happy together, enjoy each other, and once we go home, we can see where life takes us.” My mouth always moves ten seconds faster than my heart.
His hair falls into his face and he smiles down at me. “Does that mean I still get to kiss you whenever I want?” He glides his tongue across his teeth and smiles. “I could use some of that in my life.”
My cheeks slowly heat. “You never had that to begin with—don’t push it.”
He groans playfully and grips my hip, pulling me closer to him. “I can’t spend a lot of time with you without touching you, Julie.” His voice is so matter-of-fact, it makes me shiver. “I want you—there’s no secret about that.” His warm index finger traces the spaghetti strap tank top I’m wearing and butterflies flutter around my ribcage. His lips lightly graze my collarbone as my breath thickens and I grip the back of his head. He pulls me on top of him, pressing his lips to mine and holding me against his body with force. “I want you.” He breathes the words and then we hear it.
Staci cries out Harley’s name.
Oliver’s face twists in horror. “Sorry, that killed it for me.” He slides me from on top of him to his side and shakes his head. “They need to shut the hell up!” he screams so they can hear him, then huffs, crossing his arms. I giggle at his pouty lips and roll back over, turning off the bedside lamp. In the darkness, I wait for him to slide his rough hand over my hip and graze my curves, but after a few minutes, I let my body relax into the soft mattress in defeat.
“Hey,” he whispers dangerously close behind my ear, “I like how you see me sometimes, you know? I haven’t had someone look at me like you do in a long time.”
My breathing deepens. “For someone as ice cold as you try and pull off being, you sure do wear your heart on your sleeve, Oliver.”
There it is.
His hand.
Oliver’s fingers tug at my side and he gently forces me toward him. I can feel the heat of his hard chest on my back and again, my body stiffens and I wait for more. I feel the ember inside of me growing, getting hotter the closer he gets to my center. Instead of ravaging me, he nestles himself into my blonde mess of hair and breathes in, satisfied, as his hands grip my side gently. His fingers start to slide down my thigh, and before I can push his hand away from slipping in between my legs, he swiftly turns my body and pulls me on top of him again. He presses my lips to his; he moans into my mouth, and as he holds me against him, his warmth is the most incredible thing I’ve ever felt.
“Why do you like teasing me so much?” he growls and kisses my forehead, releasing me and putting me back down next to him. “It’s frustrating.”
“I’m not trying to be.” I gasp for air, the walls closing in around me. “This is all confusing for me.”
“Why am I so addicted to you?” He cradles my head to kiss me, looking into my eyes with such intense desire that it makes me shiver. “Do I make you feel safe?” he asks me.
“Safe?” I breathe out slowly, my eyes halfway closed.
Oliver laughs low. “Yes, safe.” I can barely hear him over my own thoughts, which are racing around me faster than I can catch them. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” I instantly say, swatting my brain so it will shut up.
He makes that sexy agreeing sound and releases me, my body still shivering from whatever the heck he just did to me. “Good, now get some rest for our hike tomorrow.”
***
“Jules.” I hear a voice like nails on a chalkboard. “How many times have I asked you not to go to bed without me?”
Brandon.
I cringe and I can feel myself cower. “Sorry.”
His scratchy voice sighs and I feel his weight on the bed behind me. “I just wish you were better, that’s all.” I silently cry, but the bed shakes anyway. “Come on, Jules.” He throws his arm around my chest and lightly squeezes. “Don’t cry. All you have to do is be better, okay?”
“Okay,” I say in a soft voice. “Sorry.”
Brandon is annoyed. He hates it when I constantly apologize. His grip around me tightens and I wait for it—wait for the first blow. Instead, he lights a cigarette and lets go of me. I hear him breathe the smoke in and out. “Stop always saying, ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s pathetic.” He undresses and purposely misses the laundry basket. I can feel his smirk from behind me, imagining me slaving over his dirty clothes. “I’m going to take a shower; come with me,” he demands.
***
“Julie! Come on, wake up!” Oliver’s smooth and safe voice cuts through my dream and I wake up to him shaking me, terror in his eyes. He gasps and clutches me to his chest. I feel the wetness where my tears were staining his t-shirt. “What the hell was that?” He breathes into my hair and tightens his grip. “That was really scary.”
“Sorry,” I say and wince, waiting for the annoyance from him. I’d gotten his shirt wet yet again.
Oliver strokes my hair gently. “Sorry? For having a nightmare?”
No, sorry for being a mess when you want a princess.