Page 109 of Trust Me

Chapter 30

Oliver

Despite how amazing our kiss was—to me, at least—it hadn’t happened again. Not yet.

Dean was a one-track mind sort of guy. The entire time he cleaned, he was completely locked in, and I just didn’t want to be that person who broke through it.

After finishing up, I thought about jumping his bones, but I kept myself contained, even as something buzzed under my skin, threatening to break free. Since I was also worried about overwhelming him, I kept things polite. He smiled, so I smiled. He asked if I was ready, and I gave him an awkward double-thumbs up.

It was going great.

We stopped at the front door, and I watched Dean start to unlock it. I rose on my toes, then lowered myself slowly, over and over again while I waited.

With his hand on the knob, he turned to me. “You okay?”

“Never been better,” I replied a little too quickly.

He frowned but continued to push the door open. Grimacing, he walked as quietly as he could toward the bedroom. It was a good effort, but I could tell that Remi was awake by the way he was lying on his side, probably so that he could see what was going on. It was unlikely he’d get a wink of sleep without that gun of his.

“Can you give me a minute?” I murmured.

Dean looked curious, but he just dipped his head before he went into the room, closing the door behind him. Turning around, I met Remi’s eyes. He lifted a brow, and it drew attention to the darkening bruises.

I walked over to him calmly, keeping my expression soft. He scooted back to give me room, and I laid in front of him.

“Your bar looks good as new,” I told him.

“You’re a saint, Oliver Bennett.” Reaching out, he patted my cheek. “Never change.”

“I thought it was good to change.”

“Not you. You’re already perfect.”

I shook my head. “I don’t like when you say that.”

“Tell me what’s eating at you, then. If Odin will grant me a splash of wisdom, maybe I can help you figure it out.”

“We kissed.”

He blinked a couple of times, then breathed a laugh through his nose. “You’re freaked out.”

“Yes and no. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but now there are all these things in my head that I can’t unravel. I just don’t have experience here, and I don’t want to—”

When I stopped abruptly, he nodded, even as his lips pulled to the side. “You don’t want to be like me.”

“I don’t want to make the same mistakes, that’s all. But now that I’m here, I’m starting to understand that . . . desperation you have.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “You’ve been guarding your heart for a long time, Oli. Are you surprised this isn’t as simple as you imagined?”

“No, but I’m not prepared, so I’m asking you for help before I screw it up.”

“You never listen to anything I say, but I know what it’s like to lose your soul, so hear me on this. A man who shifts like sand is shaped by every foot that walks on him. But a man who shapes himself is stone.”

I wanted to scold him for speaking in riddles, but instead, I took a moment to think about it.

“How do I know if I’m changing because I need to, or if it’s for the sake of someone else?”

“It’s like everything in life. You have to know yourself.”