AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We head down a trail that takes us to the water’s edge and stroll along the small beach. The sun’s shining, a nice breeze is blowing, and a few boats decorate the water with brilliant colors.
“I think this is where I’d live if I had a choice,” Olivia tells me with a happy sigh.
“It’s too much of a commute,” I say, “and not nearly as nice in the winter.”
She manages to walk too far away from me, so I close the gap between us and take her hand. Surprisingly, I enjoy the feel of her fingers in mine. I rub the back of her hand with my thumb, loving how her soft skin feels and the way she shivers next to me. She’s certainly as affected as I am.
“Yes, but it would be worth the long commute,” she says.
“Why don’t you live out this way then, or outside the city?”
“How do you know I don’t? We don’t know anything about each other. I could have a house on each of these islands for all you know,” she says with a laugh.
“We might be a mystery to each other, but I’m good at reading people. You love it here, but it’s clear from what you said that you don’t have to commute, so you obviously don’t live on the islands. My guess is you live pretty close to work — walking distance, or at least a short bus ride.”
She doesn’t look at me as we move forward, and she takes so long answering that I wonder if she’s going to ignore my comment.
“That’s a pretty good guess. Too bad you won’t find out. At least not today.”
“Are you going to share anything about yourself?” Mystery is good. But this is getting a little ridiculous.
As if she can sense me pulling from her, she turns and smiles. “Well, you know about my best friend, Piper. She’s the most important person in my life. I couldn’t live without her. So that’s knowing something.”
“What about family?”
“I don’t have any left.”
“That’s sad. I can’t imagine not having my brothers. We sometimes fight, but we’re always there for each other.”
“I was an only child, and I lost my dad when I was young.Lostisn’t quite the word. He decided my mother and I weren’t good enough for him. My mom died several years ago. So now it’s Piper — only Piper.” She laughs as if this isn’t a big deal, but I can hear the pain in her voice. She isn’t as good an actress as she seems to think she is.
“Some people aren’t meant to procreate,” I tell her. “Unfortunately, they do.” It isn’t as if I’m the person to comment on parents. They don’t get worse than the ones I was given.
“I fully agree. But here I am, for better or worse.”
We fall into silence and walk a while longer before I lead her back to the cabin. I want to ask a thousand questions, yet at the same time, I want to respect her privacy. I’m in uncharted territory with Olivia. We step onto the cabin deck and I lead her inside, then slowly back her up against the wall.
“I need to taste you again, Olivia.”
Before she even thinks of uttering a protest, I lean forward and capture her lips in a hungry kiss that shows her how much she affects me. She groans into my mouth before winding her arms around me and giving back as much as she’s getting. My fingers dig into her hair as I turn her head, needing, wanting, hoping this is going to lead us straight into the master bedroom.
After I’ve given her sweet lips a few more lingering caresses, those hands of hers, which have been gripping my shoulders, shift and she runs them across my chest... and then pushes.
I lean back the slightest bit, in a daze. “What?” I ask, my hoarse voice surprising me.
“It’s time to get me home, Tyler.”
Her eyes are filled with passion, her body quivering in my embrace, but she’s telling me no. I feel in my bones that I can change her mind. She wants me, even if she feels she needs to wait. Maybe it’s a three-date rule or something.
I normally don’t date women who are prudish. I like sex, don’t like waiting, and don’t want to have to stick around when I don’t want to. I’m breaking all sorts of rules with Olivia. And so far it seems to be worth it, though I can’t figure out how yet.
ChapterNine
Tyler
“This woman is driving me insane!” I look at my phone for the hundredth time in a thirty-minute span.
“Then,” Blake says, “she’s obviously not the one for you if you’re getting this riled up so soon after you’ve met.”
