AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Five
Emmett
“Tank, slow down!” I shouted at my dog as we jogged along the Santa Barbara Beach that ran behind my house. He was usually pretty good at sticking by me, but sometimes his exuberance got the best of him and he would take off at high speed. “Tank!”
Tank snapped his broad head around so fast I was surprised he didn’t give himself whiplash.
“C’mere!” I slowed my pace and clapped my hands together.
I braced myself as he charged toward me, his powerful muscles working overtime. I still found myself in awe of his power, but he was too much of a big goober to do anything useful with it except smother people with love. He was certainly no guard dog. Still, I knew if push came to shove, he’d have my back, no problems.
I dug a treat out of the pocket of my blue Navy sweatshirt and he sat instantly. “Good boy.” I fed him the treat and sat on the sand with him. We watched the ocean in silence.
My phone pinged with a message and Tank shoved his nose against the pocket.
“Get out of it.” I pushed him away.
A notification from the dating app was on my lock screen. When I opened it up, I noticed it was from Olivia.
Olivia:Okay, so it turns out I’m free today. What exactly did you have in mind for this casual date thing?
I smiled to myself.
Emmett:I guess you’ll have to wait and find out. I’ll pick you up in an hour.
I saw the dots to tell me she was replying, but it took a long time for the message to come through.
Olivia:Pick me up at Venice Beach.
She seemed to love that beach. I agreed and got to my feet. “Come on, Tank, home time. I have a hot date.”
Tank barked and wasted no time in running ahead of me.
When we got back to the house, I took a hot shower and changed into jeans, a black and red racing polo shirt, and matching cap. I left Tank with a bone to keep him occupied, then grabbed an extra cap and my keys, and headed out to my red Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. I put the top down and let the sea breeze surround me. I drew in a deep breath. I loved the smell of the salty air. It was fresh and invigorating. The drive from my place in Santa Barbara to Venice Beach took me around an hour and when I reached my destination, I slowed my car right down, keeping an eye out for Olivia.
When I spotted her, my mouth went dry. She was wearing a tight pair of jeans, a grey wraparound top, and cute pink sneakers. Her golden-brown hair was up in a haphazard bun and she was carrying that giant, worn out purse again. I don’t think she realised how sexy she was, and that was an even bigger turn on.
It was clear she had no idea I was here, so I watched her for a few moments. She wrung her hands on the handle of her purse and jiggled her legs. She flipped through her phone, then sighed and looked up at the clear blue sky.
I didn’t want her to be so nervous. I got out of my car and stepped onto the sidewalk. “Olivia!”
She gasped and jumped ten feet. “Oh! Hi.”
I chuckled at the way she tried to cover up her anxiety. “Hi.”
“Am I casual enough?” She indicated her outfit, and I was drawn to the way her jeans hugged her hips.
“Perfect.”
I hoped I hid my reaction to her well enough. I opened the passenger door of my car and her brown eyes grew wide.
“That’s your car?”
“Yeah, one of them.” I never drove my Corvette to work. I saved my Ford Expedition for that—it was less conspicuous.
“Holy moly!”
I laughed. “I like nice cars.”
