by Molly O'Hare
Olive knew Miranda was right, but that didn’t stop the betrayal and hurt from running through her. Within two days, everything she was accustomed to had been upended. That’s a lot for anyone to take in.
“It’s not like he’ll be here often anyway,” Miranda remarked. “He’s always at the fire station, and when he’s not, he’ll be out with his flavor of the week.”
“That isn’t the point. With Hank the Tank…” Olive physically revolted. “I hate that nickname everyone calls him.”
“It’s stupid, I agree.”
“Back to what I was saying,” Olive started again after shaking the thoughts from her head. “With Hank moving in, I can’t be me anymore. Olive Quinn: awkward, hates people, never goes outside or wears a bra. I’ll be banished to my room or forced to wear a bra. I don’t want to wear a bra. Bras suck and stifle my creativity. Oh god, don’t even get me started on underwires. Who the hell came up with underwires for bras, anyway? I bet you it was a man. Yup, it had to have been a man. A woman wouldn’t have invented something that after a little while, a hard metal wire pokes out and causes you excruciating pain; when all you want to do is walk to the store and buy some snacks. But no, instead I'm walking down the sidewalk discreetly trying to move the wire to a place where it’s not trying to puncture through my skin and kill me.”
Miranda chuckled. “You have a point about the bra, but you said the same thing about pants and you’ve grown accustomed to wearing them.”
“Not by choice! I only wear them because you kept the air on “cold as fuck.” If I didn’t wear pants these thunder thighs would have gotten frostbitten.”
“I keep it cold because you have that weird obsession with the holidays.”
“I do not!”
Miranda’s brow rose before she pointed to the corner of Olive’s bedroom. “You have a freakin’ Christmas tree up.”
“Yeah, what’s your point?”
“It’s the middle of June. No one needs a Christmas tree up in the middle of June.”
Olive held her hand to her chest as if she’d been shot. “How can you say that?”
Miranda instantly rolled her eyes. “It’s the middle of June. That’s how I can say that.”
“Haven’t you heard of Christmas in July? I’m just a few weeks early.”
“Christmas in July,” Miranda scoffed. “Olive, you haven’t taken it down in the three years we’ve lived here.”
“Damn, Scrooge much? Sorry, my joy of the holidays makes you a bitter humbug.”
Miranda held Olive’s shoulders. “Please leave this apartment more often and get some fresh air. I really am worried about you.”
“Do not shit all over my love of the happiest time of the year. And, stop deflecting on the fact that you went behind my back and moved in your brother.”
“Think of all the material for your books you’ll get now.” Miranda swiped her hand towards the bedroom door. “His friends are delicious, what more can you ask for? Hot firemen as your personal research subjects. You can save your computer from all the viruses from those porn sites you...” She made air quotes. “…use for research.”
“Hey, don’t knock it. Those sites are a golden tool for my line of work.”
“Whatever. It’s done. Now, let’s go back out there and get the rest of my stuff packed away.”
Olive huffed before following her friend. “Remember those research subjects include your brother the next time you read one of my books.” Olive couldn’t help the smirk that spread across her face when Miranda’s eyes widened. Take that you, traitorous devil woman!
“Oh shit, what have I done?”
Olive pushed Miranda’s shoulder shoving her towards the door. “Serves you right.”
As they walked back into the living room, Olive’s heart stopped as she saw a shirtless, sweaty Hank standing in the middle of the room. How in the hell was it possible to look that good? He had muscles for days. Her eyes went to his abs as she started mentally counting them. Sure, half the men in her books were described like him, but that was in her mind. Men did not look like them in real life. And, why the hell was he looking at her like she was a tall glass of water and he was a man dying of thirst?
Her whole body shivered. She one-hundred percent stepped into an alternate universe.
“There you two are,” Hank remarked. “I thought you’d left all the work to us.” He nodded his head towards his station buddies that’d agreed to help move Miranda out and him in.
Olive looked around at the men scattered throughout the room. It was like a Hot Fireman/Paramedic calendar threw up in her apartment. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
She turned towards her friend and smirked, which made Miranda blanch for a brief second before she spoke. “No, we haven’t left. We were just discussing something in Olive’s room,” Miranda announced before making her way to one of the many boxes in the living room.
“That so, and what did you and Olive Oil need to discuss?” Hank smirked in her direction.
“Do not call me that!” Olive glanced around the room for something to throw at his head. She’d grown up with Hank teasing her every chance he got, and if he thought she would just stand by and let him do it in her own home he had another thing coming.
At her annoyance, Hank chuckled. “Oh, I think living with you will be lots of fun, Olive Oil.”
Olive turned back to Miranda ready to demand she make him leave when Hank yelled out, “Any of you seen Dog?”
A chorus of no’s rang out throughout the room which made Olive roll her eyes. “Let me guess, another one of your degenerate friends?” she asked glaring at Hank.
His eyes brightened with laughter as his smile grew wider. “Miranda didn’t tell you about Dog?”
Olive’s eyes shot to her best friend who now busied herself with removing an invisible piece of dirt from her shirt. “No, I guess that tidbit of information escaped her,” Olive sneered.
Hank disappeared out of the room leaving Olive with her brow raised and her arms crossed at his sudden departure. Well, okay then. Clearly living with Hank was not going to be a walk in the park.
A few minutes later she heard Hank shout, “Found her!” He then made his way back into the living room. That’s when Olive spotted the largest Maine Coon cat she’d ever seen in her life cradled in Hank’s arms.
“What is that?”
Hank pat the cat on its head causing the ginormous thing to tilt its face in his direction seeking out more attention, or possibly meat from a small animal being used as a sacrifice. “This is Dog,” he said with a grin.
That’s when she snapped. “Who the fuck names a cat Dog?”
Continue Hank and Olive’s story In Teased by Fire.
Also by Molly O’Hare
Hollywood Hopeful Series
Hollywood Dreams
Risking It All (Danny and Lexi’s Story) – Coming soon
Stumbling Through Life Series
Stumbling Into Him
Stumbling Into Forever
John & Emma’s story – Coming soon
Teased Series
Teased by Fire
Lucas & Miranda’s story – Coming soon
Standalone Novels
Nothing But a Dare – This book
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About the Author
Hey, thanks for coming to my about the author to check me out! Has anyone told you, you’re beautiful and amazing lately? Just in case they haven’t, I am!
So you want to know a little more about me? Well okay then. Much like any author out there, sleeping doesn’t come easily to me. As it turns out, I’ve got horrible insomnia. Like, scary horrible. Anyway, when I was younger, to help myself fall asleep I’d tell myself stories. Each night I’d pick up where the story left off previous
ly until it was complete. Then I started writing them down. A few months later, here I am, sharing my lack of sleep with all of you. Who said the stories in our heads can’t be fun for others?
Fun Facts:
I fell out of the bed this morning. (Graceful is not my middle name.)
I saved a kitten from a bad accident and now it has a paralyzed arm ( you can follow my reader group for updates on Twitch).
I will call every dog I see “puppy.”
Five books later and my Corgi still thinks she’s the ruler of the world.
I haven’t watched TV in four years.
For my 30th birthday, I held a Tarantula. (I’m terrified of spiders.)
I want to take and RV trip through the US and stop at all the State Parks.
The biggest Fun Fact… With the help of my reader group I’m trying to convince my husband to get me another Corgi.
