Ollie let out a long groan.
“I never got to return the favor last night,” she whispered. She bit his earlobe before she bent to kiss his neck. “I really want to do that.”
“Later.” He fell back on the bed and pulled her shirt over her head, scooting her up so that his mouth closed around one breast.
“Ollie!”
“Baby, I am going to make you scream,” he said, his voice rough with need. He started to fumble with her bra. “Do you know how long I’ve been dreaming about this?”
Nerves twisted her stomach. Years? Decades?
Oh shit.
No actual sexual experience was going to be able to live up to that kind of hype! It had been a pretty long time for her. What if she’d forgotten how to do things? What if Ollie didn’t like the way she did the things she knew? What if—
“You’re thinking too damn loud again.” He pulled off her bra and rolled over so she was under him. Then he kissed her hard. “What are you getting twisted about, huh?”
Allie took a deep breath. “You’re good at this, aren’t you?”
“What?”
“Sex.”
He pulled away from her and blinked. “I… don’t know how to answer that.”
“You are.”
He frowned, and dammit, even his frown had her body heating up. “Who’ve you been talking to?”
“I don’t need to talk to anyone. I’ve seen the way your old girlfriends look at you.”
“What are you talking about?”
He was so big and so hard and so sweet and so… everything. She wanted him like her next breath. Ollie braced himself over her, propped up on one arm and looking down at her like he wanted to eat her alive. She should have shut up and sent an enthusiastic “thank you!” to the universe, but she just kept talking. The nervous blather spilled out of her mouth.
She had some kind of verbal disease. It was the only explanation.
“Your old girlfriends. They always came back to the Cave after you broke up with them, like they were just hoping you’d reconsider. And you’d be really nice, but they always had the same look on their face. Like someone gave them a big bite of chocolate cake, then told them they’d never have another one and all chocolate was off-limits forever.”
He looked at her like she’d grown a third eye.
“It’s true. Jena and I used to joke about it. ‘There goes another one. The bear ruined her for all other men.’”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “So you’re worried I’m going to ruin you for all other men?”
Her breath caught and her mouth dropped open, but no words came out.
Allie was already ruined for all other men.
Because she loved him.
“That’s not what I meant,” she whispered.
“Because let me tell you something…” He began kissing her face softly. Her cheek. Her lips. He nudged her chin up and tasted her neck. “There aren’t going to be any other men for you. And there aren’t going to be any other women for me.” His big heart pounded against her chest as he lowered his head. “In case you didn’t catch it earlier, my plans are more of the permanent kind.”
She’d caught it. She just didn’t believe it.
“Ollie,” she whispered. She didn’t know what else to say. He was everything she’d ever wanted, but more than she’d let herself hope. Allie had given up on happy endings coming her way. To have the possibility of one dangling in front of her was terrifying.
He put a hand on her cheek, stroking a thumb over her flushed face.
“I love you,” he said simply. “I don’t remember a time I haven’t loved you, Allison Smith.”
For once, she had no words. She reached up and pulled him down, kissing his lips as he gathered her up in his big arms and rolled them across the bed. Then the sweetness turned hotter as he tugged on her jeans. She was already aching for him, ridiculously aroused by the scent and taste of the man who held her. His beard rasped over skin that felt electrified. Every touch set off another spark.
Before she could get her hands on his jeans, he was thrusting up, the harsh denim scraping against the inside of her bare thighs.
“Chocolate cake, huh?” He bit her lower lip. “Woman, I hope you’re hungry.”
“Starved,” she gasped, reaching for the button of his jeans. She managed to get them open and shove his jeans down his hips, taking over with her feet as her hands closed over something far more important.
He swore silently, but Allie wanted to purr.
It was one thing to suspect. Far more satisfying to know.
He pushed himself into her hands. “You know, it’s a good thing I like these panties, or they’d be ripped off.”
“Respect the lingerie, bear.”
“Oh, I do,” he growled. “But right now?” He scooted down the bed and pulled slowly as he kicked off his jeans. “They’re just in my way.”
And then there was nothing between them. He crawled over her, nudging her legs apart so he could settle his body over hers.
The heat was all she could feel. And the solid weight of him. The brush of his chest hair against her breasts. His arms braced beside her shoulders. The heavy weight of his thighs between her knees. The hard hot length of him…
“Allie?” He arched over her, holding her close, his breath against her temple as he slid inside. “Allie,” he whispered again.
His chest was a bellows. She reached her arms around his body and held on, pressing kiss after kiss into his shoulder.
Yes, yes, yes.
He was all the way inside, and Allie realized she’d never felt safer. Never felt more at home.
And holy hell, he felt amazing.
“I love you,” she said, letting out a slow breath. “So much.”
It snapped whatever leash had been holding him back, and Ollie began to move.
And Allie? She just held on tight.
She dug her nails into his back, but that only seemed to excite him more. He fisted a hand in her hair and thrust, his hips working in a rhythm that lifted her like a wave. Within minutes, she was cresting, lights bursting behind her eyes as she cried out, only to realize he wasn’t stopping.
A roll to the side and he grabbed her leg, hooking it over his elbow and opening her wider.
He groaned when he slid deeper. “Flexible.”
“Yoga.”
“Still hungry?”
“Uh-huh.”
He reached a callused hand between her thighs and set her off again.
Now Allie was the one cursing.
“Baby…” Ollie grinned at her. “You got a dirty mouth.”
“You like it.”
“Bet your ass I do.” He reached behind her and slapped her bottom, making her jerk and him moan.
Ollie rolled to his back and sat up, lifting her, then setting her down hard as he took her mouth. In that position they were face-to-face, and she realized what he wanted.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned close, taking his lips in a sizzling kiss as she moved over him. It was slower and achingly intimate.
One hand splayed across the small of her back and the other brushed the hair from her eyes.
“You love me?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yes.”
The new angle stroked already-sensitized nerves. Allie felt like she was moments away from snapping.
“How much?”
A press of his hand, and she was gasping into his neck with another release.
“I love you… like crazy, Oliver Campbell.”
“Like crazy,” he panted into her ear. “Yeah. That’s how it is.”
Then Allie smiled because there was nothing else to say in that perfect moment when Ollie closed his eyes, let his head fall back, and she felt him let go.
SHE woke slowly, the morning sun peeking through the drawn shades in his bedroom.
Ollie was snoring behind her, having exhausted both of them in one very long night. She glanced a
t the clock.
Ten thirty a.m.
Her eyes went wide. The fact that no phone was ringing was evidence that their friends knew exactly what they’d been doing the night before. That had clearly been a coordinated intervention on the part of Jena and Ted.
Man, she loved those girls.
And Ollie.
Her heart fluttered.
I don’t remember a time I haven’t loved you, Allison Smith.
As if reading her mind, the arm around her tightened a little and hugged her closer to his chest.
He’d woken her twice during the night, clearly as starved for connection as she was. Allie’s body felt deliciously used. Worn out and limber with the loose-jointed exhaustion that was only produced by a long night of really good sex.
And yes, Ollie was very good at it.
But she wasn’t so bad herself. It really was like riding a bike.
In this case, a really big, bearded, heavily tattooed bike who liked to use his teeth in all the right places.
He made a noise behind her and Allie had to smile, because it sounded so much like a bear that she almost laughed. It was a low, rumbly, almost grumpy sound he made in his chest when he was sleeping, and she loved that she knew that now. Loved that she would recognize it anywhere.
“Cake,” he mumbled, tightening his arm when she started to giggle. “Allie?”
“Mm-hmm?”
“Thank fuck,” he mumbled. “Wasn’t a dream.”
“You said cake in your sleep.”
“Really good dream…”
His hand slid from her waist down her hip, and he lifted her knee, working his thigh between her legs.
“You aren’t good at waking up in the morning, are you?”
“Mmm. Cake…”
She laughed louder and grabbed the hand that had wandered up to her breast. “No cake. We’re taking a break from cake, or I’ll be walking funny.”
He hitched her closer and buried his face in her hair. She could feel his beard tickling the back of her neck.
“Love you, Allie-girl.”
Her heart was so full she thought it might just be possible for it to burst.
She loved her children. Adored them. But… they were her kids. And they needed so much from her.
Ollie filled her up. She felt like she’d been walking through the desert only to find she’d been circling an oasis the whole time. And now that she’d wandered in, leaving its cool shelter might just kill her.
But what if she never had to leave?
There aren’t going to be any other men for you. And there aren’t going to be any other women for me. In case you didn’t catch it earlier, my plans are more of the permanent kind.
Some animal instinct urged her to run. It was happening too fast. It wasn’t the right time. He could break her heart. Break her children’s hearts. Leave a hole even bigger than Joe had left because Ollie was everything Joe was supposed to have been and wasn’t.
He would get bored eventually. Get frustrated with her and the kids. The cutting remarks would start, and then the coldness. She could handle anger, but if Ollie turned from her like Joe had—
He made the rumbly bear noise behind her and she stilled. He pressed his hand over her racing heart and she knew he was really awake.
“Stop arguing when I can’t fight back,” he said quietly.
She hugged his arm with both of her own. “I’m panicking.”
“Okay.” He took a deep breath, but he didn’t sound angry. “Why?”
“Because… it’s fast.”
“We’ve known each other our whole lives.”
“But the kids—”
“I love your kids,” he said softly, playing with a piece of her hair that was lying on the pillow. “I really do. I loved them before, but having them here… They’re really cool people. And they’re funny as hell. Even when they’re fighting.”
“They’ll wear on you eventually, Ollie.”
“Like they never wear on you?”
He was right. Ollie was way more patient than she was. Always had been.
“Kids try your patience. They get annoying,” he said. “Then you send them off to someone else’s house for the night and hopefully you like them better when they come back. Some of my younger cousins make me want to leave them out in Sandy Wash and hope a flash flood takes them away. But I get over it. Usually after I’ve made them clean my shop or the bar.” He pinched her belly.
“Stop.” She slapped his hand.
“No.” He laughed. “I like your belly. It’s soft.”
“I hate my stretch marks.”
He laughed harder.
“What?”
“Baby, I didn’t even notice you had them. Were you checking out all my scars?”
“No. Most of them are covered by tattoos anyway.”
His voice dropped. “Want to cover up yours?” His hand spread over her bare hip. “I could definitely see some ink on this pretty curve right here.” He flipped her over, and his fingers teased her lower back. “Or maybe something here.”
“Like Property of Oliver Campbell?”
“You read my mind,” he said, dipping his mouth to taste hers.
Their kiss was long and lazy. If Ollie noticed her morning breath, he didn’t mention it.
“So,” he murmured against her lips, “still panicking?”
“Not so much. You muddled my mind with thoughts of cake.”
“That is now my favorite sex-euphemism. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you approve.”
He laid his head on the pillow next to hers. “Tell me what you’re really scared of, Allison.”
Oh, he saw her. Saw right to the heart of her. It was glorious and terrifying, all at the same time.
“Don’t hurt me.”
His eyes softened and his hand came to her cheek. “Allie—”
“I never felt this way about Joe. I can admit that. I never… It wasn’t this big, overwhelming thing. I loved him. I was… content. Even happy for a while. But—”
“Am I a bastard again for admitting I’m glad?”
She shook her head. “I made my own bed and got four great kids out of the deal. But you…” She took a deep breath. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. You’re steady and honest. Affectionate. Funny. If you hurt me, I’d break. Really, really break. And I don’t know how I’d put myself back together for my family. So yeah. You terrify me, Ollie.”
She could see him thinking, but his eyes never left hers.
“I can’t promise you I’ll never hurt you,” he said quietly. “’Cause… I’m a guy. And all this is new for me. Your being here. The kids. Everything. I’ll probably get impatient. Or get jealous of your time. I work too much. My family…” He let out a long sigh.
“You are kind of a pushover about fixing their problems for them.”
“Yeah. And I’m really bad about leaving laundry lying on the floor.”
“I noticed that.”
“But I’d never hurt you on purpose. I don’t know if I even could; I can’t imagine wanting to.”
“I’ll mess up too. I don’t know how to be with a good guy. I might walk on eggshells for a while. Overreact to some things.”
Ollie nodded. “Then like I said before, we’ll take as much time as you need. You know what I want.” He paused. “I guess I need to know if that’s what you want too. Eventually. When all this shit is over. When things are safe and you can go back home. I need to know you’re not gonna be done with me.”
She smiled, oddly relieved that he had his own insecurities about them when he always seemed so cool and confident. “You think I’d pass on the best man I’ve ever known? You’re stuck now, Ollie Campbell. I never was very good at turning down cake.”
He kissed her, and it was a promise. And that was all she needed right then. She’d still panic at times, but she knew that Ollie would be there to talk her down in his quiet, methodical way.
“Just so you know,” she
said when they came up for breath, “I’m not sleeping in your bed when the kids are in the house.”
He groaned. “Please?”
“No way, mister.”
“Not even every now and then?”
“I have a teenage son. Forget it. We’ll figure something out.”
“Fine.” He rolled over on top of her. “Better enjoy the bed while you can, Allie-girl, because your back is gonna be feeling a lot of my desk at the bar from now on.”
She laughed and slapped his back, but Ollie just grinned.
“Time for cake.”
Chapter Twenty
ALEX, CALEB, AND SEAN ARRIVED at the bar just as Ollie finished the books for the week before. Tuesday always ended up being a catch-up day, which worked because it was the slowest night at the Cave. He heard the front door open and caught the familiar smells of his friends.
“He’s whistling,” Sean said. “It finally happened.”
“It better have,” Alex added. “Do you know what four kids did to my coffee table? Ted was no help. She just laughed at them. In fact, she might have helped.”
Ollie stood and walked to his office door.
“It’s disturbing that you two are even discussing this,” Caleb said. “Besides, we all knew—”
Ollie shut the door in their faces. Then he locked it and walked back to his desk.
Whistling.
“Hey.” Someone—probably Sean—pounded on the door. “This isn’t cool.”
“We watched all your kids, man. Where’s the love?”
“Ollie”—Caleb rapped his knuckles on the door—“I actually do have some new information I wanted to run by you.”
He stood and walked to the door, silently opening it and staring down at his three friends.
“Well?” Alex asked.
Ollie said nothing, just pushed his way past them, grabbed a bottle of water from behind the bar, and went to one of the larger tables to sit down.
“Seriously, man.” Alex sat down across from him. “So did you and Allie—”
“Do I ask you about your sex life with my cousin?” he asked Alex.
“No.”
“Then shut the fuck up.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “Fine. But we all know why you’re whistling.”
Waking Hearts Page 23
