Of course he didn’t. Amber had seen him naked hundreds of times. Thousands, even.
Olivia frowned at the unexpected jealousy that rose up in her. Derek had an ex-wife. He probably had a bunch of ex-girlfriends, too. Neither of them were virgins, so there were exes. And she was genuinely glad he had a good relationship with the mother of his children. She wouldn’t wish unhappiness and conflict on any of them, so she was being ridiculous.
And she believed him when he said he had no interest in getting back together with Amber.
After taking a deep breath in an unsuccessful attempt to center herself, she opened the door and almost walked right into Derek’s naked chest.
She looked down to make sure he was wearing pants and then lifted her gaze back to his face. “I was just getting dressed.”
“Sorry,” he said quietly.
“I’msosorry,” Amber called from the living room. “I’m just going to grab Isaac’s book and then I’ll be out of here.”
“It’s not a problem,” she said, because the mood was pretty much gone, anyway. “Take your time.”
“I was just planning to run in and out. I’m not used to Derek having company, so I didn’t even think to knock. I will from now on. And a text first would be good, I guess.”
When Amber disappeared into the other bedroom, Derek gave her an apologetic look. “I should have locked the door.”
Olivia smiled to conceal the mixed emotions she was experiencing. On the one hand, it was nice to hear Derek wasn’t in the habit of having women in his apartment all the time. On the other, it seemed odd to her that they didn’t have more boundaries.
When Amber returned with the book, Olivia watched Derek shifting his weight from foot to foot, and then he took a deep breath. “So you guys probably figured it out already, but this is Olivia. Olivia, this is Amber, my ex-wife.”
The formality of introductions steadied Olivia, and she smiled as she stepped forward with her hand out. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Amber laughed as she shook her hand. “It’s probably a weird way for us to meet, but I’m glad we finally did. And I also want to say thank you for getting on board with Village Hearts. It means a lot to my family.”
“It’s a great organization and I’m proud to be a part of it.” She almost offered congratulations for the baby news, but at the last second thought better of it. She didn’t know if Amber was actually telling other people yet, or if Olivia had gotten insider information she should keep to herself.
“Okay, I’m going to run now.” Amber held up the book. “Again, I’m sorry for busting in like that, and next time I’ll text first.”
Once she was gone, Derek walked to the door and locked it before turning to face Olivia. “That was awkward for you. I’m sorry.”
Awkward was definitely an understatement. “I’m just glad it was her and not one of the guys you work with. Or that she didn’t wait outside while your son ran up and grabbed the book himself.”
He made a face and then crossed the room to pull her into his arms. “That’s definitely not how I wanted you to meet her.”
“That’s not how I ever want to meetanyone, but especially not your ex-wife.”
“I can almost guarantee it’ll never happen again.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry.”
As embarrassing as the moment had been, she didn’t want it to ruin her first night at his place. “Where were we?”
Heat flared in his eyes again, replacing the guilt. “I guess now that you’re dressed again, we should do something about food before I get you undressed again. Would pizza make you forget what just happened?”
She pushed back enough to look up at his face. “Have you been talking to Kelsey?”
“Uh, no. Why?”
“Pizza is my ultimate comfort-food-slash-reward.” She laughed. “And since I just met your ex-wife for the first time while naked, but didn’t cry, it can be both at the same time.”
“Pizza and a movie it is.”
But he kissed her first, biting her bottom lip gently while his hands slid under her shirt, and it was almost an hour before he got around to calling in the order.
* * *
“Would those air ducts really support a grown man like that?” Olivia asked, waving a hand at the television screen. “And that would make so much noise in real life. They’d find him in, like, a minute.”
