“Oh my God. Luke, I’m so sorry.”
“I should’ve been used to it. I’d been hearing from teachers and other people all my life that I wasn’t like my brothers. I knew I couldn’t measure up to them, but I thought that girl really liked me. When Owen started dating her, I decided I should stop trying to be in a relationship with someone and just have fun. So, that’s what I did.”
“Wait. Owen dated her after the two of you broke up?”
“Yeah. Like I said, she was hot.”
“I’m going to punch him next time I see him.”
“You don’t have to do that. It was a long time ago. He probably doesn’t even remember it.”
“That doesn’t make it any less important. It hurt you, and now you don’t want a relationship with anyone because of it.”
“Well, see, that’s the thing, Ollie. I think I do want a relationship. Or at least I want to try to have one. With you.”
Chapter 5
Olivia
I’m rendered speechless for a minute. Did Luke really just say that he wants a relationship with me? He called me Ollie, so I think he did. He’s looking nervous as I try to find the words I want to say. I have to say something, so I go with my gut and am honest with him.
“I won’t sleep with you, Luke. At least not right away.”
“Can I kiss you?”
“Yes. I’d like that. But will that be enough for you?”
“It has been for the last month.”
“What?”
“I haven’t been with another girl since I started tutoring you. And like I said, I wasn’t with many the last few months, either.”
“If we kiss and you…umm…you like it, but I won’t go any further, won’t that make you mad at me?”
“No, honey. I won’t be mad. I know you’re not ready, and I respect that. I’ll just go home and take care of myself like I’ve been doing.”
“Oh. Oh! You…do you? I mean…me?” Oh God. I can’t even get my words out right.
Luke smiles at me, though, and kisses my hand. “Yes. I think of you when I’m getting myself off. I want you, Olivia. Don’t ever doubt that. I won’t push you to do something you’re not ready for, but I do want you.”
I know I’m blushing like crazy. I should say something. I want to tell him how happy that makes me. But first, I need to finish telling him about me. He was honest, and I need to be, too.
“My roommate said you wouldn’t have been seen with me if you weren’t tutoring me.”
“You roommate was wrong. And a bitch, apparently. You’re the only girl I’ve wanted to be seen with since I was fourteen.”
“Wow. I’m, well, I’m honored Luke. You’re an amazing guy.”
“I’m really not.”
“Yes you are. You’re not allowed to put yourself down in front of me. You’ve helped me so much, and I’ve seen you with the kids you teach. They love you and so does that school. I also saw you today with your teammates. You’re an awesome player, yet you didn’t hog the ball or draw attention to your skills unless it was needed to win the game. You try to help the environment. And you gave me the most epic kiss I’ve ever had in my life. That all adds up to amazing, and I’m sure there’s even more I’ll discover about you that will blow my mind.”
“Thanks for saying all of that and for seeing me. It means more to me than you’ll ever know because no one really sees me. That kiss was fucking epic for me, too, and I can’t wait to kiss you again.”
“Let me tell you my story, first, and then we’ll see if you still feel like I’m worth your time.”
“You won’t get rid of me that easy. Go ahead and tell me what you need to.”
I really feel like he won’t think bad of me or be scared off, and it makes me brave enough to tell him. “You’ve met my parents, so you know how strict they are.” He nods. “I always knew I had to be perfect. Even when I was a little girl, I always kept my room clean and didn’t make a mess because I wanted to please them.”
“They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
“No. They would just tell me how disappointed they were in me if I didn’t do things the way they wanted me to. That meant no sleepovers, not much TV, and definitely no boys. By the time I made it to high school, everyone thought I was a freak, so it wasn’t an issue. I ate by myself and just did my best to not be noticed.” The next part is the hardest, and I pause for a minute to gather my thoughts.
“A beautiful girl once told me I didn’t have to spill my secrets to her. I’m telling her the same thing now.”
“You still told me, and I want to tell you. I’m just trying to figure out how best to explain it.”
“Come here.” He opens his arms. I go to him and let him hold me while I talk.
“My dad has worked for this doctor as an office manager for years. The doctor’s son was a year ahead of me in high school. He never paid any attention to me until I was a sophomore. We were at a party at their house and he was waiting for me when I came out of the bathroom. He pushed me back into the room and said I should show him my breasts. I told him no and tried to get past him. He wasn’t going to let me go, but he hadn’t locked the door and my mom came in. I saw the horror on her face, and I was so relieved to see her. Until he left, and she told me what a disgrace I was to the family. She said they raised me better than to be having sex with a boy in a bathroom. I tried to tell her what happened, but she didn’t believe me.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I wish I was. After that, my parents looked at me differently. Like I was bad, a slut. I decided if that’s what they thought I was, that’s what I’d be. I started hanging out with the troublemakers at school. Ditching classes and partying. But I couldn’t really be bad. I never had more than one drink, and I always made my curfew. And, well, you know I never had sex. I did let boys kiss me, though, so I guess I was a little slutty.” I try to pull away from him, but he holds me tight.
Luke kisses the top of my head. “If you kissing some boys is slutty, then I don’t even know what I am.”
“Stop it. I told you no talking bad about yourself.” I smack him playfully on the arm and he kisses me again, this time on the cheek. “Anyway, I realized that wasn’t the real me, so I stopped hanging out with them, got my grades back up, and started trying to be the perfect daughter again.”
“How’s that working for you?”
“Not well. They keep bringing up my past. I know it shouldn’t matter because I know the truth, but it does. I want them to love me again, Luke. I need them to. I’m trying to do whatever they ask me to. Except for moving home. Oh, and working for Candi. They’re really angry about those two things.”
“How could they not love you? They’re your parents. Even though they’re totally disappointed in me, my parents love the hell out of me. I’ve never doubted that.”
“Your parents are great. Mine just aren’t. Right now, the best I’m doing is keeping the heat off of Rose. She doesn’t need their crap, and if they focus on me, they’ll leave her alone.”
“You do realize that although they haven’t hit you or anything, they’ve mentally abused you.”
“It’s not that bad, Luke. I must be exaggerating. I’m fine. Really. Behaving the way they want hasn’t cost me anything.” I know I’m being defensive, and that he’s probably right, but I’m not ready to admit it yet. Even to myself.
“I didn’t mean to upset you. I just don’t like to see you hurting.”
“You didn’t. It’s just a touchy subject, and I’m sorry I snapped at you. I feel the same way about you hurting.”
“I’d hurt a little less if I could kiss you.”
I reach up from where I’m sprawled across him and run my finger over his bottom lip. “Yeah?”
He catches my finger in his mouth and bites down on it, not hard enough to really hurt. Then he kisses it. “Mm-hmm.”
“Well, you just kissed my finger. And you kissed my head and cheek earlier. Where else do you wa
nt to kiss me?”
His eyes flash dark emerald with desire. “Honestly, Ollie? I want to kiss every fucking inch of your hot body. And then follow my lips with my tongue and teeth. For now, I’ll be happy with your mouth.”
Oh. My. God. The thought of Luke kissing me everywhere, kissing me there, is making me hot. Like really hot. My nipples are hard, and my panties are wet. I almost moaned out loud. That wouldn’t have been embarrassing. At all.
“Did I upset you? I shouldn’t have said that. It’s too soon. I—“
“I’m not upset. What you said was hot. It made me hot. Which is embarrassing, and I didn’t know what to say because we both know I’m not ready for that yet. I would like to be kissed on the mouth now, please.”
“My pleasure.”
* * *
Luke
I’m going to need multiple cold showers tonight, but hearing Olivia say I made her hot is all worth it. Now I get to kiss her, and damn if her asking wasn’t hot and sweet. I’m going to make it as good for both of us as I can.
I pull her up my body so that her mouth is just above mine. She smiles at me as she leans down, and touches her lips to mine. I take it slow, just giving her small kisses, but soon I need a little more. I start sipping at her lips and kissing her harder. She opens her mouth for me, and I slide my tongue inside. She takes control of our tongues, and I let her.
When it gets to be more than I can take, I break the kiss. She starts to protest, but then sighs as I trail my lips across her jaw to her ear. I take a little nibble and then move on to her neck. She tilts her head to give me more access, and I devour her—kissing, licking, and nibbling my way across both sides of her neck. I’m careful not to leave any marks although I really want to. I know it would upset her, and I’ll do anything to avoid that.
“That feels so good, Luke.”
“You taste delicious, Ollie,” I tell her in between kisses. I can’t stop kissing her. I want to move lower, but I’ll wait for her.
“My turn,” she says as she tilts her head and starts kissing my neck.
She’s a little hesitant at first, which is way hotter than is should be. Soon she gets into it, sucking lightly, and flicking her tongue out to lick me. I’ve been trying to be good and keep my hands to myself through all this, but I’m only human. I can’t help but slide my hand down to cup her tit. She pauses for a moment and then arches into me, using her own hands to reach under my shirt and rub my abs.
“Are these real?” she asks as she stops kissing my neck and looks at me in wonder.
“My abs? Yeah, they’re real.” I can’t help but chuckle as I answer her while running my thumb over her hard nipple. She’s adorable. Who knew adorable could be such a turn on? My cock is harder than I think it’s ever been, and I’m going to have to end our make out session soon unless I want to come in my pants on Olivia’s couch.
She pushes back from me to lift my shirt. I move my hand back to cup her again as I watch her look at my abs. She licks her lips, and I almost come undone. “I want to put my mouth on them. Can I?”
Oh fuck. “Umm…”
She takes it wrong and starts to move away. “Never mind. It’s stupid.”
“It’s not stupid. It’s wicked hot. I just may come in my jeans with you having your mouth so close to my cock. But I’ll never say no to your mouth on me.”
“Oh God. You’d come from me just kissing your abs?”
“I’m about to come from you just kissing my mouth and neck. You make me crazy.”
“You make me crazy too, Luke.” She climbs off of me then. “We should stop now, though.”
“Whatever you want. Is it okay if I sit here for a minute and think about some old, wrinkly people before going outside?” Even that may not be enough, but I’ll give it a try.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. Tonight was one of the hottest nights I’ve ever had. I love making out with you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I’m going to go home and dream about you. Will you dream about me?”
“I always do.”
Holy fuck, my girl is hot. My girl? Yeah, she is, and damn if I don’t love that. I give her a chaste kiss as I leave a few minutes later, and tell her I’ll see her for tutoring tomorrow.
* * *
Olivia
Luke texted me when he got home last night to wish me sweet dreams. Then he texted me this morning to tell me to have a great day. I got a text from him while he was on his lunch break at the school, telling me he was thinking of me. I’m meeting him in the Student Union to go over my latest essay and have some dinner.
I walk in and spot him almost immediately because of the girls hovering around his table. He’s not paying any attention to them as he looks over his lesson plan book. There’s a pizza in front of him, with his toppings on one half and the plain cheese I like on the other. He looks up as I walk over and smiles at me as he stands. He’s so hot in his plaid shirt and black slacks. I can’t stop the smile from lighting up my face as I think about him being here just for me.
“Hey, honey. Is that big smile for me?” He pulls me to him and wraps his arms around me.
“Yes.”
“Good.” He leans down and kisses me. It’s not as intense as when we were making out on my couch last night, but it’s definitely more than a kiss between friends.
We break apart, and he pulls out my chair for me before sitting down in his seat again. The girls are still hovering, but now they’re giving me death glares. I’m actually starting to get used to being glared at, and I don’t mind it one bit. As I turn my head, I see my old roommate. Her eyes are practically popping out of her head. I smirk at her, and then turn back to see Luke smiling at me, his eyes twinkling in amusement. “Who’re you smirking at, Ollie?”
“My old roommate.”
“Ah. Come here.” He reaches out a hand and cups my cheek as I lean in to him for another sweet and sexy kiss.
“You didn’t have to do that. I’m pretty sure she saw our first kiss.”
“I’ll take any opportunity I can to kiss you. It’s my new favorite thing.”
“Mine too.”
“Glad we’re on the same page. Let’s eat so I can look at your essay and then kiss you some more.”
We do eat, and he helps me with my essay, but we also steal kisses every few minutes. The circle of girls finally gets the hint and leaves. I head to the restroom while Luke goes to get a box for the rest of my pizza. When I come back, I see him laughing with a gorgeous blonde girl, and I stop in my tracks. A wave of jealousy shoots through me, and I can’t decide if I want to go over and claim my man, or if I should just run the other way. I end up doing neither and just sit down at a nearby table to wait whatever this is out.
I watch for a few minutes as the girl twirls her hair and reaches out to touch Luke’s arm repeatedly. He gently shakes her off every time, which makes me happy, but he doesn’t move away from her. He finally starts looking around and our eyes meet across the room. His eyes widen as he sees me sitting at the table. I look pointedly at the girl with him, and he shakes his head as he walks past her while she’s still talking and heads towards me.
“What are you doing over here, Ollie?”
“Waiting for you to finish your conversation. I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“You’re so cute when you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.” He looks at me with an eyebrow raised, and his lips quirked up into a smirk. “Fine. I’m a little jealous.”
He pulls me to my feet and kisses me hard, holding the back of my head with one hand as he’s holding onto my hand with his other. “Don’t be. It is cute, but I want you to know there’sonly you. Do you believe me? ” He looks me in the eye when he says it, and I know it’s true. I nod.
“Luke? That was rude. I was talking to you, and you walked away.”
He doesn’t break eye contact with me as he answers. “My girlfriend was waiting for me.”
&
nbsp; “Girlfriend? You have a girlfriend?”
“I do. Olivia, meet Steph. She’s doing her student teaching this semester, too. Steph, this is my girlfriend Olivia.”
I look to the girl to shake her hand. I’m about to tell her that it’s nice to meet her when I see the look in her eyes. She’s beyond angry. My eyes widen, and Luke sees it. When he turns to her, she pastes on a fake smile. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Olivia.”
“Yeah. You, too.”
“I’ll catch you later, Steph.”
We walk out holding hands. When we get to my car, Luke leans me up against it and kisses me until I can barely stand. When we come up for breath, I ask him the question I need the answer to. “Did you sleep with Steph?”
Luke looks away, and I know the answer already. My stomach hurts and I want to throw up. I wait for him to answer because I need him to tell me the truth. “Yeah. I did. Once.”
“She was angry when you introduced me to her as your girlfriend.”
“What?”
“She quickly smiled when you looked at her, but before that, she looked really pissed off.”
He looks conflicted for a second and then responds. “She asks me out all the time. Pretty much every day. I keep telling her no, but she doesn’t seem to get it. Maybe now she will. I’m not interested in her. Or anyone other than you. I really want you to believe me.”
“I already told you that I believe you. Plus, you just called me your girlfriend.”
“Yeah. I did. Is that okay. I mean, do you want—I mean, will you. Oh, fuck. I have no idea how to do this.”
I have to laugh because it’s really adorable to see the great Luke Griffin stumbling over his words. “Breathe, Luke. It’s definitely okay, and yes, I want to be your girlfriend.”
Learning To Love (The Griffin Brothers Book 4) Page 5
