Hold my Heart

by Brea Viragh

  His eyes, however, were focused on a figure walking in the door. “Aunt Karen, there you are.”

  Another addition to the chaos. Olympia turned around in her seat to see a hobbled old woman limping into the room with a bandage over her left eye.

  Olympia was about to open her mouth when she felt his hand clasp hers. “Don’t get her started,” Harlan warned in a stage whisper. “She’s a dear but a bit of a hypochondriac. She’ll talk to you non-stop about gout, goiters, and all kinds of things you want to know nothing about, trust me.”

  Karen made her way to an empty seat near the opposite end of the table, greeted with a fresh plate of food. At the same time, Gil and Brett, the middle brother, got into a mock scrape over the last bit of corn, each jostling the other for control of the bowl until Evelyn asserted her authority and took it away from both of them.

  “This is not the type of environment I want Renee around,” Olympia confessed to Harlan. When she glanced over to the little girl, seated between Beatrix and Diane, her mouth was round with laughter even as she stuffed it with meatloaf.

  “It won’t hurt her. It’s socialization,” Harlan responded, his gaze locked on hers. “Look at me. This is a normal dinner for me and I turned out well enough.”

  “That remains to be seen.”

  “I’ve had enough of you complaining about this so-called fake sugar,” Evelyn was saying. “You accused him of that without any proof. Biff Batson was a good man and a good friend to me. There was nothing more between us, how many times do I have to say it! He wasn’t trying to do anything but escort me to my car when I thought you had left me there. Reggie, it was all your own fault—”

  “Oh, so it was my fault, was it? You were sweet on each other, Evie. I know what I’m talking about. You probably wish you’d married good ol’ Biff instead of me. And you two!” He suddenly grabbed Gil’s wrist. “I have had it up to here with your arguing. If you can’t control yourselves for dinner, and especially in front of our guest, then you both need to cool down,” Reggie bellowed. He pushed to his feet again and threw himself in front of his two adult sons, taking them by the tips of their ears when they would not quit their scuffling.

  Harlan smiled wickedly. “You’re going to want to see this.”

  “What am I going to want to see?” Olympia asked, confused.

  And there was his hand on hers, pulling her outside. She spared a moment to grab Renee from her seat again, like a round of musical highchairs. It seemed like the dining room emptied in a matter of seconds, everyone following Reggie and his boys down a short hallway, into an empty den, and out the sliding glass doors toward the patio. And the pool.

  He promptly threw them both in the water. More like they anticipated the throw and helped themselves, the younger one twisting so that he did a cannonball into the water instead.

  Harlan whooped at the action, standing next to Olympia with eyes glued to the water.

  Laughter flowed around them again and it was hard not to feel herself being sucked in by the sheer joy of the occasion.

  “Now behave, the both of you, or I’ll castrate you with one of my collectible spoons,” Reggie warned. Everyone knew the threat was empty.

  Evelyn came up behind him, her hands on his shoulders. “Oh, go on, dear. You know you want to. We were almost done with dinner anyway.”

  The elder Anderson took that as his cue and catapulted himself into the water without any further hesitation. Fully clothed and all.

  “Aren’t you supposed to wait thirty minutes after eating before you get in the water?” Olympia clutched Renee tighter against her when the waves in the pool took on new heights.

  “Not in this family, we don’t.”

  With the exception of Aunt Karen, whom a glance behind them showed standing in the den clutching her eye patch and moaning, the rest of the party got in the pool one by one. No one bothered with towels. Or bathing suits. Diane didn’t even take off her sandals, flipping ass over head into the deep end.

  Satisfied, Evelyn watched the frivolity from a poolside lounge chair and crossed her outstretched legs at the ankles. A picture of relaxation.

  “I hope you don’t mind and don’t think me rude, but I’m going to get in on this action,” Harlan leaned in close to tell her. He placed a tiny kiss on Renee’s head before pausing to kick off his shoes. His eyes rose to meet Olympia’s. “If you change your mind...”

  “I probably won’t, thank you.”

  But she watched him. And her tongue cleaved to the roof of her mouth when he ripped his t-shirt over his head, pausing for a moment to laugh at something his brother said. Olympia couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Those muscles...

  Hubba hubba.

  The sight of his bare chest captured her attention surer than anything else until she felt like she was locked into a tractor beam. Her brain seemed to go into emergency shutdown mode. “Urmgh...” she gurgled.

  Harlan paused at the edge of the pool, his head cocked to the side, beautifully muscled chest rising when he took a deep breath. “Are you sure?”

  Nope, she wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

  And there he went, reading her mind again. His grin turned positively carnal and he winked just before doing a backflip into the deep end.

  There must be something wrong with her, she thought, eyes captivated and tongue swelling to fill her mouth when he broke through the water, droplets coursing down his collarbone and along the sweep of his pectoral muscles. She paused on the scattering of dark chest hair, the tip of the little brown nipple, before finally mustering the strength to look away.

  It was wrong to feel any kind of desire for her manny. Wrong on a thousand different levels. He waved to her before being pushed under by an enthusiastic Beatrix.

  And a few minutes later, she nearly passed out when Harlan stalked up the steps toward her, dripping wet, before grabbing a struggling Renee. “Trust me,” he whispered, seconds before taking the child with him into the shallow end.

  “I don’t know if she can swim...” Olympia protested, then shut her mouth and watched.

  She watched the two of them together, watched how Harlan kept his hands on Renee the entire time, taking her gliding through the water until she was squealing with delight. She kicked her feet when he held her on her belly, slicing across the shallow end to the amusement of his family. It was clear the little girl trusted Harlan completely.

  Wow. It was too much. Olympia shuffled backward until she hit the brick wall of the house, hidden in the shadows, away from the giggles and screams of the impromptu pool party.

  Her brain must have definitely gone into shutdown mode while she watched Harlan hand off Renee to Diane and Beatrix. It was the only logical explanation when she did nothing but stand there, eyes riveted to him as he climbed out of the pool a second time. When he took a step toward her, then another, put both hands around her waist and hoisted her up against him. Pulled her to him until she was pressed to his warm, wet body.

  His breath practically steamed her lips just before he captured them with his own.

  She knew she should move back, get far away from him, break his hold on her and tell him it wasn’t his place to touch her. But oh goodness, there was something so sinfully good about leaning against the hard body of a man. Having his arms around her in a protective shell.

  She couldn’t move, not when he bit down on her lower lip, suckling it into his mouth. His fingers tightened on her shirt and he drew her closer still, capturing the air out of her lungs. Her lips parted with a groan when his hands slid their way down from her back to her behind.

  The rest of the world faded away under his very skillful kisses. Olympia felt her herself drawn to him, urging him closer and wanting to wrap her legs around his waist. The wolf whistles from his brothers did not penetrate the haze. Harlan flicked his tongue across hers, tangling, dueling, and she wanted to eat him alive. She growled, drawing him closer, pushing for more despite the audience. Despite everything.

 
; The multitude of reasons why this was a bad idea fell away, leaving only two good ones. His appeal. And her desire.

  Chapter 6

  He’d hit the lottery.

  It was the only thought in his head and he played it on repeat, savoring Olympia the way she deserved to be savored. Or trying to savor her, once the raging inferno of need driving him took a backseat to logic.

  He broke off the kiss at the sound of his mother telling his sisters to keep the baby from watching. Wait... What was he doing?

  His lips felt bruised as he stared down at Olympia, noting her dark eyes, the color on her cheeks.

  “We’re continuing this later,” he said, low enough for her ears only.

  Half of him expected her to chew him a new one right then and there. He was surprised when she nodded. “Okay.”

  Okay? Okay!

  Clearing his throat, he turned back to his family and played it off as nothing. “Mom’s meatloaf gets to me every time!”

  Gil and Brett whooped their response and Harlan strove for normalcy when his insides were buzzing, alight. Olympia hardly looked at him for the rest of the evening. Through dessert, through a glass of cider, and through packing a sleeping Renee in the back of his car.

  “They really liked you,” he told her softly after they’d spent the first half of the drive back to her house in silence.

  “I’m glad. They’re a lot to take in...” Olympia trailed off. “I did my best. I really did.”

  “But?” he pressed.

  “But they’re...a pleasure. I mean it. I’ve never imagined a family could be like them.”

  “I think the word you’re looking for is crazy.” It was said with mirth and affection.

  She rewarded him with a smile. “Yes. Crazy and too much and over the top. Yet just enough, I think.”

  “You will get used to them eventually. And you know you can’t take anything Aunt Philly says seriously. She loves getting in other people’s business. It’s one of her favorite hobbies.” He took the liberty of reaching across the space, taking her hand in his. “I had fun. Thank you for coming.”

  There was a moment of hesitation on her part. A hitch. Then she took his hand, turning her palm up to his. “You’re welcome.”

  The heat of her threatened to scorch him, and Harlan couldn’t help himself. He wanted. He wanted her more than he wanted to live to see the next sunrise. More than he wanted his next meal. It was saying something because as an optimist by nature, he lived for the excitement of a new day.

  No other woman had captured his attention as she did. It wasn’t the way she bossed him around, and it wasn’t how she pushed him away that made him want to get closer. It was the little things. The subtleties of her. How she finger-combed her hair behind her ears when she was thinking. How she bit the inside of her lip when she was working through a problem. There was a wealth of love inside of her waiting for the right person to claim it. Not love for the baby, because he knew she had that in spades. Romantic love. Sexual love.

  What would he give to be the man who unlocked her heart?

  When they arrived home, he unhooked Renee from the car seat and followed Olympia up to the front door with the sleeping baby in his arms. It was too much for his heart, the picture they made. The way his lady smiled when she opened the door, trying not to make any sound, and the comforting weight of Renee in his arms. This was it, his subconscious whispered. This was the woman he’d been waiting for. The child he’d been waiting for. The life.

  The amusement he felt over the thought he kept to himself. Olympia would flip her lid if she heard him saying anything of the sort. She already found his flirtation frustrating at times, unwelcome at others, and entirely inappropriate most days. Or so she had told him repeatedly. Then again, she’d let him kiss her...so maybe there wasn’t as much hesitation as he thought.

  He had a feeling tonight she might just change her mind.

  “I’ll take her up to bed,” he whispered, gesturing toward the stairs.

  Olympia held open the door for him, holding it wide. Making room.

  The next ten minutes he spent fussing over the baby until he was sure she was tucked in safe and sound. It was funny, he thought. He’d felt responsible for his charges in the past. Responsible and loving, of course, because it was so hard not to fall in love with each one of them. It was different with Renee. Maybe it was her situation—something he could empathize with—or the adorable way she said his name. Ar-lan, without the H, her slight French accent putting the emphasis on the last syllable. It was about the damn cutest thing he’d ever heard.

  Whatever it was, she was quickly wrapping around his heart with a stranglehold and he knew, even once Olympia decided she no longer needed his services, he wanted to be part of Renee’s life. Olympia’s as well if she would have him.

  It would take a little convincing.

  Tonight, he hadn’t anticipated lunging out of the pool to kiss her. Sure, it had been on his mind since he met her, but he hadn’t expected her to respond. He’d acted purely on instinct. In the water, he’d seen her standing, cloaked by shadows, looking joyful for the first time. And in her eyes, there was heat. Longing.

  He’d reacted, and so had she. It was the response more than anything that drove him forward. The moans she made in the back of her throat. The way her fingernails bit down on his arms as she pulled at him...it was more than he could take.

  Harlan finished with Renee and closed her door, making sure to keep it cracked open a little, just the way she liked it. Then he took himself downstairs to find Olympia.

  She was sitting Indian-style on the couch, her feet tucked under her legs. She’d poured herself a glass of wine and, he was happy to see, there was a second glass waiting for him.

  “You don’t mind if I stay for a little while? I’d hate to chug this down and get in my car. Drinking and driving is dangerous,” he said with forced lightness, grabbing his glass and sitting on the coffee table to face her.

  “And who said the glass is for you? Maybe I wanted two,” she replied lightly.

  There was something about the way she looked in the moonlight coming through the window, the play of silver on the dark strands of her hair. There were laugh lines around her eyes, carved from a life well lived and many happy moments. From the tips of her pink painted toes to the top of her head, and everything in between, she was beautiful. If only she could slow down and focus on the important things. Not things like of trying to impress her boss, a small and stout man Harlan had only met once and had taken an instant dislike to. Or securing a promotion she believed would make her happy.

  “Well, they do say red wine is healthy for your heart.” He paused to take a sip. “I’m glad my family didn’t freak you out tonight. Really. The more I think about it, the more I realize it was a lot for you to take in.”

  “Why would they freak me out?” From the way she wasn’t looking at him, he could see that they had a little bit.

  “Because they are loud and odious and they have no social graces,” he answered. Then took a second sip of his wine, enjoying the way the warm liquid curled along his insides.

  “I can see where you learned it from.”

  “Ouch. Score another one for you. You always know how to put me in my place.”

  She stared down into her glass, swirling the liquid around. “I’m not sure how to do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “Don’t play ignorant, Harlan. We both know where the kiss was going. Where we both want it to go.”

  Straight to his nether regions, he thought in a rush, a zap of electricity shooting straight there. His cock stirred and he forced his mind to the conversation instead. “You keep telling me you aren’t attracted to me.” Striving for ambivalent yet feeling the exact opposite, he leaned forward, elbows on knees and hands casually clasped.

  “I’m not.” She shook her head. “I mean, I am, but it’s entirely inappropriate. We’re two different people. And you work for me.”

 
; “Well, technically, I’m a freelance manny, which means I work as an independent contractor, not an employee. I’m free to take on other clients or walk out that door. Right now, you just keep my schedule so full I haven’t been able to fit in anyone else. And besides, I don’t see how we’re that different.”

  Olympia swallowed a laugh. “Are you serious? I shouldn’t have to spell it out for you. There are a plethora of differences.”

  “Then don’t think about it. I’d rather hear you tell me more about this attraction you feel toward me. Also I love it when you use big words.” A slow, wicked smile cut across his face.

  In retaliation, her lips compressed into a mulish expression. “Why do I always get the impression that you’re laughing at me? This isn’t funny. I’m being serious.”

  “Seriously entertaining.”

  He expected her to be more than a little snippy with him. It was a surprise when she grinned, charmingly, and held out a hand for him to take. “I’m not good at this, especially when it’s something I think I shouldn’t do. Why can’t I seem to heed my own internal warnings and stay away from you?”

  His eyes widened. “You feel like you need to stay away from me?”

  “Yes. Maybe.”

  In response, he lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed them, his gaze holding hers, the tip of his tongue flicking out to graze her knuckles.

  “Jeez, what are you doing to me?” she breathed. Unable to look away.

  It pleased him more than he could admit when a little tremor of pleasure shook her. “I’m not just good with children. I want to give you a little preview of my other skills. I’m very handy with my tongue when I put my mind to it.”

  He noticed the moment her eyes darkened, desire flaring to life.

  “Come upstairs.” Still holding his hand, she got to her feet and took him with her. Then finished her wine on an afterthought, as if bolstering her courage. “Come upstairs with me and try not to make this awkward.”

  “Me? Awkward? I would never.”

  “We have to be quiet so we don’t wake Renee.”