by Lilly Pink
“You don’t have to do this, you know? He already got way more out of you than either of us expected.”
Greg turned to Olivia and saw her standing with her arms crossed, looking at him like she was trying to accuse him of something. He was really going to have his work cut out for him. Convincing Olivia to accept him as her mate was going to be even harder than he had already anticipated.
“I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Jimmy seems like a good kid, and it makes me happy to know I can help make his day a little bit better. Sometimes all people have are rare moments of happiness to help them get through their hard days. I get the feeling Jimmy has had a lot of hard days and is getting ready to face more. If I can be a part of the happy times he remembers to help him through those bad days, then I would consider that a true honor.”
Olivia studied him and Greg was sure she was trying to decide whether or not he was full of shit and Greg couldn’t blame her. Most of the guys he played with only did things for those less fortunate if it would benefit their public image in some way.
“Look Olivia, I understand that you don’t know me and have no reason to trust me. I mean you and Jimmy no harm, I just thought it would be nice to have some company, and I thought Jimmy would really enjoy hanging out for a while.”
“Alright,” was all she said before she turned and walked into the living room where Jimmy had gone. Greg smiled as he followed behind her. He loved that she wasn’t smitten with him because of his celebrity status because he wouldn’t want her to fall for him because of something so superficial. Good thing Greg was always up for a challenge because Olivia was definitely going to make him work for her affections.
As they all settled in to watch the movie Jimmy had picked out, Central Intelligence, Greg made sure to sit beside Olivia on the couch. Whether or not she noticed, he wasn’t sure, but he definitely spent the majority of the movie watching Olivia. Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart were entertaining, but Olivia was mesmerizing, and he could feel his inner lion calling out for her.
Greg decided his luck must be turning around when Olivia began to nod off not long into the movie. Before he knew it, she was passed out leaning on his shoulder, and Greg couldn’t resist the urge to put his arm around her as she slept. Jimmy glanced over at them when Greg had first wrapped his arm around Olivia’s shoulders and Greg winked at him. Jimmy smiled and nodded like he approved, and Greg took that as a positive sign.
He figured it couldn’t hurt to have Jimmy on his side, and he would take all of the help he could get. Greg rubbed his hand lightly up and down Olivia’s arm as he enjoyed the feel of her skin beneath his touch. Even if it was just her arm, the heat that he felt warming his body was astounding.
“You like her, don’t you?” Jimmy was watching them again when Greg looked up in response to the boy’s question. “I know you didn’t invite us over here just to hang out with me, but I appreciate it anyways. She is really great, by the way, so just promise me you are not going to do anything that might hurt her, okay? She really deserves to do something for herself because all she ever does is worry about others. She seems a little mean on the outside until you get to know her, but when you do, then you will see she is amazing. She’s pretty much the coolest person I know.”
Greg looked down at Olivia, still resting against his shoulder, and smiled. He looked back up at Jimmy who was still watching him.
“For the record, I have enjoyed hanging out with you tonight as well, but you are right. As soon as I saw her I knew that I had to find a way to spend some time with her. You know, you are pretty wise for such a young guy.”
Jimmy laughed quietly. “Yeah, I figured it wasn’t my good looks that drew you to us. Don’t worry; I’m glad I got to meet you either way, and I promise to say good things about you whenever she’ll listen. By the way, I am seventeen-years-old, so it isn’t like I’m a child. Plus, when you’ve lived through everything I have, you tend to grow up a little faster than your average kid.”
“Yeah, I guess you would. Thank you for sticking around so that I could spend some time with her, though.” Greg lightly tipped his head toward Olivia. “Hopefully I can find a way to break down some of those walls of hers.”
“Good luck. Quick tip, she generally can’t stand professional athletes. She doesn’t understand how you guys can make so much money just to play a game when there are people working hard and struggling to survive.” Jimmy was suddenly serious when he made his last statement.
Greg wasn’t surprised by what Jimmy had just said. He had assumed she wasn’t a fan for some reason, and Jimmy’s words had just given him the why behind it.
“Then I’ll make sure she knows I am not the average football player. I don’t throw my money around on dumb things, and I certainly am not a partier. Thanks for the heads up, Jimmy. I think we are going to be really good friends.”
When Jimmy smiled at Greg’s last statement, Greg winked at him, and they both laughed.
Olivia stirred and before Greg knew it, she had jerked up and off of his shoulder like she had been burned.
“Oh my God! I’m so sorry.”
Greg and Jimmy laughed at her and she glared back at them both. The next thing Greg knew, Olivia was standing up and moving towards Jimmy, clearly ready to get them out of there.
“Thank you for everything, Mr. Wilds, but I’ve got to get Jimmy back home before his parents send out a search party. I can just call a taxi to take us back to the stadium where we left my car if you have things you need to do.”
Greg stood and walked over to Olivia and Jimmy and grabbed hold of Jimmy’s chair before she could.
“First of all, please call me Greg. Secondly, I am not going to sit here while you let some stranger give you a ride back to your car. I brought you here and it’s no problem to drive you back. Besides, it will ease my mind knowing that I saw you get into your vehicle myself.”
“Thank you, Greg, although, I feel the need to point out that you are basically a stranger too, and this will be the second time we got into your car today,” Olivia said, and Greg could have sworn he heard a peal of laughter in her voice.
“Yes, but like I told you earlier today, I don’t plan on being a stranger for long. Besides, you did just take a nap on my shoulder for the past hour. I would say that should move me out of stranger territory, at the very least,” Greg retorted. Olivia went beet red at his reminder of her little nap on his shoulder. “I think you might have even drooled on me a little bit. I think drool should get me a few brownie points. What do you say, Jimmy? You think Olivia owes me for her use of my shoulder and drool-related damages?”
“Oh, she totally owes you, Greg. I can’t believe she drooled all over you like that. Olivia, you better be nice to him because I would have shoved you right off me at the first sign of drool.” Jimmy was laughing so hard Greg was surprised he had been able to get all of that out.
When Greg turned back to Olivia, he was pleasantly surprised to see that she was smiling. “Good, then it is settled. Olivia, to make up for the drool you left on my shoulder you will have to spend the day with me tomorrow.”
Greg turned around and headed towards the front door pushing Jimmy along with him as if the matter was settled. Since he had no intention of taking no for an answer, he supposed it was a done deal in his mind.
Olivia followed them out of the house, laughing the whole way to his car. They all made pleasant conversation as they drove back to the stadium to Olivia’s car. Jimmy did most of the talking as he rambled on about telling his family and friends about his day spent with the awesome Greg Wilds. Olivia and Greg just laughed at Jimmy’s enthusiasm as he went on. Greg was happy when he caught Olivia glancing at him when she didn’t think he was looking.
When they made it to the stadium parking lot, Greg got out of the vehicle and went around to the passenger side to open Olivia’s door to let her out before going to the back to assist Jimmy. Once he had Jimmy transferred into Olivia’s car, he held her door open for
her as she got in.
“Here is my number,” Greg said as he handed Olivia his business card. “What time should I come pick you up tomorrow?” he asked while he stood between Olivia and her open car door.
Olivia’s eyebrows went up in confusion before she said, “I thought you were joking about that. I really can’t just drop everything to spend the whole day with you tomorrow at a moment’s notice even if I did want to.”
Greg was disappointed, and he hadn’t considered the fact that she may already have plans for the next day. He really hadn’t given her much time to plan for the spending the day out with him, but he didn’t want to wait.
Hell, if he had his way, Olivia wouldn’t be going home right now.
Before he had been able to come up with a plan of his own for what to say next, Jimmy spoke up, “You are so full of crap Olivia! You told me earlier today that you had kept tomorrow completely free so that you could recover from a day spent at a football game where you were sure to be bored to death.”
Olivia leaned forward and laid her head against the steering wheel, groaning in frustration. Greg laughed as he said, “Perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Let’s say 11:30 that way you can still sleep in a while if you want to and then I will take you out for a late breakfast or early lunch.”
Olivia lifted her head from the steering wheel and looked at Greg like he was crazy. He just smiled and bent down to place a quick kiss on her cheek, and when he stood back up it looked like Olivia’s eyes were going to bulge right out of her face.
Smiling, Greg shut the car door before she could protest. It was going to be a long night waiting to see her again, so there was no way he was going to stick around long enough for her to find a way to get out of spending more time with him.
He couldn’t wait to tell his mother that he’d found his mate. Even if Olivia didn’t know she was meant to be his yet, he was pretty confident he would be able to get her to come around. After all, a bond as strong as he could sense between them wasn’t something that could be ignored, not even by a less sensitive human like Olivia.
CHAPTER THREE
Olivia
Olivia was not sure how she wound up going out with a football player. At some point, it seemed like she had let down her guard and allowed her hormones to make decisions for her. As much as she wanted to deny that she had been attracted to Greg, she found it impossible to completely shut him out. Instead, she was getting ready to spend a whole day with him.
When the doorbell rang, it took her a moment to calm her nerves and remind herself that this date would never turn into anything permanent. With that in mind, she decided not to take the day too seriously. She would try to turn off her mind and have fun; after all, it wasn’t every day that a handsome, rich man asked her out, so she was bound to experience some things she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do otherwise.
When she opened the door, Greg smiled like it was Christmas morning and handed her a beautiful arrangement of lilies. “You look beautiful, Olivia,” he said. Then he bent slightly, took her hand in his, and kissed her lightly across her knuckles.
Olivia never wore makeup, but for once she was wishing she had on blush so that it could cover up the red she could feel burning her cheeks. The feeling of his lips against her hand was enough to send her heart racing, and she was worried Greg could hear it as it beat against her chest.
“Thanks. You look great too,” Olivia said as she reminded herself that she was going to try to have a good time, which meant she should be nice too.
After she had put the flowers in a vase, Greg took her hand and led her to his car. He helped her in before going around and getting into the driver’s seat. After Greg drove away from her house, Olivia asked, “So, what are we going to be doing today?”
Greg was smiling as he briefly glanced at her. “First, we are going to eat like I mentioned last night. After that, we are going on a little road trip to one of my favorite places in the world.”
Olivia was a little shocked. Taking someone to a place so special was something she would imagine a person would do after they were with someone for a while, and had developed significant feelings for them. Definitely not something she expected to be doing on a first date, or outing, whatever this was.
Greg surprised her again when he took her to one of her favorite locally owned restaurants, Angie’s. After they ordered, Greg told her that this was one of his favorite places.
“Everyone here is so nice and they don’t treat me different or hound me for autographs while I’m eating. Plus, the food is amazing. Nothing like having a real home-cooked meal that you didn’t have to cook yourself.”
Olivia smiled at him.“Yeah, it’s one of my favorite places too.”
Olivia found herself analyzing everything he said or did while they were eating. She was beginning to think that Greg might not fit into the stereotypical box she usually placed professional athletes. He didn’t seem to be arrogant or flashy with his money, and he actually seemed to have a preference for the simpler things in life. Yesterday, he had been the star player for his team when they won a major game, yet he chose to spend his evening entertaining her and Jimmy in his home instead of attending the after parties.
After they finished eating, they set out for the next destination on his list of entertainment. The entire time they were in the car, Greg held Olivia’s hand in his own. She was beginning to think that her body would never get used to his touch. The way her body would heat up and her heart began to race every time he touched her only seemed to get more intense over time.
It was like her body had become more in tuned with his. She’d never reacted this way to anyone in her life, and she usually didn’t give in to men or allow them to change her opinions so fast. Olivia was confused by her body’s reaction; yes, Greg was gorgeous, but that didn’t account for how her body was overheating at his every little touch.
They had been driving for over half an hour already and Olivia was beginning to get a little concerned about where they were going.
“How far is it to this mystery place you’re taking me?” she asked.
“We’ll be there in another twenty minutes,” Greg replied. “I promise it will be worth the long drive when we get there.”
“It better be, mister,” Olivia replied sarcastically.
“Yes, ma’am,” Greg drawled out in a poor imitation of a southern accent.
They both laughed hard. It was nice to just relax and be herself for once. Olivia spent so much time working and taking care of others that she rarely just enjoyed life. She wasn’t complaining because she loved that she was able to make a difference in other people’s lives, but sometimes she needed to take time for herself.
“Are you going to tell me where you’re taking me yet?” Olivia asked.
Greg glanced at her, then looked back to the road before he said, “You don’t know how to handle surprises very well, do you?”
“I guess not, but in my defense, no one has tried to surprise me in many years.”
“That is a shame, but one I will make sure gets remedied starting right now.”
Olivia’s face scrunched up in confusion as she asked, “What do you mean by that exactly? I’m not sure how you can remedy something like how many surprises I have experienced in my lifetime.”
“By not telling you where we are going until we arrive and you see it for yourself,” Greg said with a smirk.
She smacked his arm playfully. “Asshole.”
For the rest of the ride she watched the scenery around them grow more and more remote. Everything was green and plush as she looked out the window trying to get an idea of where they were, or where they might be going. When Greg turned off of the road and began driving into the woods she wasn’t sure what to think.
They drove through the brush for a couple of miles before Greg parked the car and got out. Olivia was still sitting in the car watching him walk around to the passenger’s side to open her door. She wasn’t sure what wa
s going on, but she definitely hadn’t expected him to bring her to the middle of some forest.
When Greg opened her door and held out his hand to help her out, Olivia looked him up and down like he was crazy. Instead of taking his hand immediately, she crossed her arms over her chest before she asked, “Did you just drive me to the middle of nowhere so there wouldn’t be any witnesses when you dump my body?”
Greg laughed, but he didn’t answer her. Instead, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her out of the vehicle. Olivia shrieked at the unexpected move which only made Greg laugh harder. When he sat her down beside him, she pushed both of her hands into his chest, and shoved him backwards away from her.
He held his hands up in a show of surrender before he reached out and wrapped his hands around her upper arms. “I promise I am not a serial killer,” Greg said jokingly. “We have to make the rest of the trip on foot.”
“Just how far are we going to be walking?” Olivia asked, gesturing down to her feet and the sandals she was currently wearing. “I didn’t exactly prepare for hiking through the woods when I got dressed today. If you had given me a clue about what we’d be doing I would have worn my sneakers.”
“You won’t be walking where we are going so the shoes you are wearing won’t make a difference,” Greg told her.
“I don’t understand. If we can’t drive, and you said we have further to go into the forest, how else are we getting wherever it is you’re taking me?”
Olivia was growing more uncomfortable. Sure, Greg was a known figure in the public eye because of his status on the Cowboys football team, but that didn’t automatically make him trustworthy. If Olivia were to stick to her normal instincts, trusting Greg would be the last thing she would do. Something about him had seemed different, though, and she was drawn to him in a way she couldn’t understand. Because of that she had decided to give him a chance and just try to enjoy the day. Now she was beginning to doubt her decision, however.
“I know that you don’t know me very well yet, but I am asking you to trust me right now,” Greg said as he rubbed his hands up and down her upper arms in a gesture meant to put her at ease; it wasn’t working.
