by K. Webster
“You better eat,” I said gruffly, and the spell was broken.
She stepped back and snatched up the coffee. Pulling a notepad and pen from a kitchen drawer, she began to make a grocery list. After that, we managed to resist our desires. We spent the next two months doing just that.
A couple of months later…
“Olive, hon, tilt your head a little more to the right,” Sophie the photographer ordered.
Leaning over, I remained still as she shot a few more pictures.
“Okay, sweetie. I think I’ve got enough. You did great. Beautiful as always,” she gushed before walking out of the studio.
My head was pounding and I felt slightly ill because of it. Sliding down to the floor next to my bag, I picked up my bottle of water and sipped it. I’d forgotten to grab breakfast on the way, which had clearly been a mistake.
Pulling my phone from my bag, I dialed Bray. We’d fallen easily into the role of best friends in the last two months. Both of us had made quite an effort to not pounce on one another. Now that we’d spent lots of time together without sex, he’d really become my best friend.
“Hey, love,” he said into the phone when he answered. I grinned at his nickname for me.
“Hey! I just finished a shoot and realized I skipped breakfast. Want to grab lunch?” I asked. We typically met several times a week for lunch. Slowly but surely, he was helping me get over my fear of being in public. At first it had been awkward and weird, but eventually I’d gotten used to it. I’d yet to run into Drake, which I had hoped meant that the city was big enough to where I would never have to see him again.
“Of course. Need me to pick you up or do you want to meet somewhere?” he asked.
Scooping up my bag, I headed for the exit. “I’ll meet you at the office. I should be there in fifteen minutes,” I told him and hung up. It was good that I was meeting him at the office because I needed to talk about Pepper’s bridal shower with Andi.
I was still grinning when I rounded the corner from the building and ran right smack into a hard chest. The familiar smell enveloped me and I jerked away from it. Everything spun as my senses were flooded with his scent.
“Ollie?” the voice asked. My knees went weak and the world tilted. How in the world had I managed to run into him?
“Leave me alone,” I hissed as I backed away from him. His hand reached out, grabbing my wrist, and I nearly threw up.
“Ollie, I’ve missed you so much,” he said sadly.
Pulling from my newfound confidence, I yanked my hand from his grasp, surprising both of us. “Don’t ever touch me again, Drake,” I spat at him, turning on my heels and heading straight for a waiting cab.
“I’ll see you soon, Ollie,” he called after me, successfully sending a fit of chills through my body.
After throwing myself into the cab, I refused to look at him as it pulled away from the curb.
“Let’s do it at her parents’ house,” Andi suggested. I was standing at her desk, waiting for Bray to get off the phone. We were still trying to hash out the details for a bridal shower for our newly engaged friend.
“That’s a good idea. Her family will know where to go and Sandra would love to have it there,” I agreed.
“Olive,” Bray said behind me, poking me in the ribs. I yelped but giggled when I turned around and saw his boyish grin.
“Ready, dork?” I asked, picking up my purse. He slung his arm over my shoulder. I still shuddered any time he touched me, but I was getting better at hiding it.
“Yep, crazy girl,” he teased.
Andi laughed at our banter. She’d grown used to our friendship. If anything, she was happy I’d found a friend to hang out with since she and Pepper were so busy with their own men. Bray and I had never spoken to her about our brief romantic spell together.
Once we got into the elevator, Bray spoke.
“Okay, what’s up? You’re going through the motions, but I can tell you’re upset about something. Did the photo shoot not go well?” he asked, looking down at me. I sighed heavily, suddenly feeling ill again. He really did know me well and could read my emotions so easily.
“Bray, I ran into Drake,” I replied, lip trembling. He spun me around to face him, hands tightly gripping my shoulders.
“What the fuck, Olive? Did he talk to you?” he demanded anxiously.
“Yeah. He seemed pretty happy to see me. He said he’d see me around,” I choked out, bile rising in my throat. Suddenly, I felt lightheaded and gripped his waist.
“I won’t let him hurt you,” he promised.
The elevator spun wildly and everything went black.
“Olive!” Bray shouted, pulling me back into consciousness. I blinked my eyes several times, feeling confused. The room was still spinning. Bray was holding me to him, which was good because my knees felt weak.
“I think I might be sick,” I groaned. When the elevator stopped at the garage level, I barely made it out before I emptied the contents of my stomach all over the concrete just outside the elevator.
“Olive, I’m taking you home. What’s wrong? Did Drake make you that upset?” he asked, rubbing my back.
“I think it’s a combination of things. This morning I skipped breakfast. Once I saw Drake, I instantly started to feel worse. I’ll probably be okay once I eat,” I said shakily. He nodded and helped me into his car.
We went straight to my apartment, where he settled me on the couch. Bray got busy in the kitchen and emerged with some soup, crackers, and a glass of clear soda.
“You can’t skip meals, Olive. Surely you’ve learned from Andi and the way she gets when she doesn’t eat,” he chided, setting the food down in front of me.
“I know. I was just in a hurry. It was probably more the Drake thing than the lack of food,” I confessed. His face darkened at the mention of Drake again.
I slowly ate my soup and started feeling better immediately. Bray watched me the entire time.
“Bray, you should eat something too. You still have to go back to work,” I told him.
He frowned but made no moves to get up. “I’m not going back to work today. I can afford to take half a day to look after you,” he stated simply and went to the kitchen to make a sandwich.
Rolling my eyes, I went and brushed my teeth to get the acidic taste out of my mouth. He was polishing off his sandwich when I made it back to the room. Patting the cushion beside him, he motioned for me to sit.
“How do you feel now?” he asked once I plopped down. I curled up next to him and let him put his arm around me.
“Much better. You’re too good to me,” I replied, leaning into him.
Stroking my arm, he kissed the top of my head. Feeling incredibly tired, I fell asleep.
She fell asleep on me, and I seethed with anger. If that asshole was stalking her, I would fucking kill him. It worried the hell out of me that she’d run into him. Scooping her up, I toted her to her bedroom and put her under the covers.
Walking out to the living room, I called Jordan.
“Hey, man. I’m not coming back to the office. Olive is sick so I want to look after her.”
“No problem, Bray. We’ll see you tomorrow,” he said easily.
“I want to talk to you about something. Do you remember that PI Pepper’s dad used?” I questioned.
“Yeah, I have his contact info I can send you. Might I ask why you need it?”
“You can’t tell Pepper or anyone. I don’t want Olive knowing I told you this or she’ll be pissed at me. Her ex nearly killed her several months ago. She ran into him today. I believe, if given the chance, he’ll follow through with it. I want to protect her,” I explained.
He grunted angrily at my words. “That explains a lot about why she is the way she is. I’ll email you the information. This fucking sucks, Bray. I can relate, considering all we went through with Elizabeth and that crazy-ass Cole. I’m sorry, man,” he huffed into the phone.
“Me too, Jordan. I will always protect her. I
f I ever run into that asshole, he better run fast the other way because I’m going to beat the fucking shit out of him,” I spat furiously.
“And I’ll fucking help,” Jordan agreed.
We hung up and I went back in there to Olive. Crawling in beside her, I put my arm around her. We might not be romantically involved, but we spent a lot of time together and we almost always had to be touching in some way. I must have woken her up because she rolled over to face me.
“Who were you talking to?” she asked.
“Jordan. I was telling him I wasn’t coming in today. Do you feel any better?” I questioned. Her bottom lip poked out slightly and my gaze fell to it. This was the hardest thing about our relationship. There were times when we wanted to do more than cuddle—it was clear to the both of us.
Normally, she would be the first to pull away, but not today. Instead of answering my question, she leaned slightly closer to me. The smell that was hers invaded my senses and I fought not to inhale her. Uncharacteristic for our relationship, she leaned in the rest of the way and softly pecked my lips, leaving them pressed to mine.
We stayed there for a second, lips touching, gazing at one another. Her hand snaked up to my cheek and she grazed it with her thumb. She parted her lips just barely and I slipped my tongue into her mouth. Our tongues softly danced together to a unique rhythm. When she sweetly moaned into my mouth, I lost control.
I drew her to me with the arm that was around her as I deepened our kiss. Two months of fighting our feelings for one another were suddenly tossed aside as we gave in to our suppressed desires. Her hand made its way to the buttons on my shirt and she began undoing them one by one. I pulled away from our kiss for a moment to look into her blazing eyes.
“Olive, I want you so fucking bad. I never stopped wanting you,” I confessed.
She smiled broadly at me. “Me too, Bray. Make love to me,” she purred as her she batted her dark lashes at me. I leaned her over onto her back and unfastened her jeans. The girl wore shorts a lot at home, but when she wore her tight little jeans, it was the hottest fucking thing on the planet.
Sliding her jeans off, I admired her smooth chocolate-colored thighs. Having forgotten what she tasted like, I leaned over and dragged my tongue up the inside of her thigh, enjoying the sweetness.
“Oh my God, Bray, I missed you so much,” she moaned. Even though we’d seen each other every day for the last couple of months, I knew she meant that she missed me in this way. Grabbing her panties, I jerked them down her legs and off of her.
She sat up and pulled off her top, no longer embarrassed for me to see her marred skin. Her bra quickly followed. I finished unbuttoning my shirt and tossed it and my undershirt away from me. When I sat up on my knees to undo the button on my slacks, she knelt in front of them and unfastened them for me. Pushing my pants and boxers down my thighs, she freed my cock and stroked it with both hands.
Her perfect palms rubbed me almost into coming immediately.
“Baby, I missed this so badly that if you keep touching me like that, I’m going to come all over your belly in another few seconds,” I groaned. She smiled saucily at me. Saucy was a good look on Olive.
“Get rid of the pants and lie on your back,” she commanded. Bossy Olive was fucking hot too.
Complying, I did as I was told and laid back on the bed.
She positioned herself between my legs and bent over me. Grasping my dick in both hands, she tentatively licked the tip.
“Fuck,” I moaned, grabbing her hair. Olive took that as reassurance and sucked my entire cock into her mouth. She felt so fucking good as she teased, licked, and sucked me like I tasted amazing.
“Babe, I’m about to come,” I warned, expecting her to take her mouth off of me. But she was encouraged and she sucked me hard until my release burst from me. Olive swallowed until my dick stopped throbbing in her mouth. Once I was finished, she pulled away with a grin.
“I’ve waited so long to do that,” she admitted. She looked absolutely beautiful and glowing after her present to me. Clearly she was proud of her abilities. I was fucking impressed as hell.
“Your turn,” I growled, pulling her to me. She squealed when I rolled her over to her back. Kneeling down between her, I licked up her slit and she bucked her ass off the bed from the contact to her clit.
“Bray,” she moaned.
I licked her again slowly. When she grabbed handfuls of my hair and pulled me to her shaven pussy, I picked up the pace. Sliding my longest finger inside her, I located her g-spot and stroked it while I tongued her sensitive flesh.
“Ohmygod,” she rushed out, exhaling sharply as her body convulsed with an orgasm. I could feel the walls of her sex clench around my finger with each pulse of her aftershocks. When she finally settled down, I pulled my finger from her and looked over her beautiful body.
The angry scars across her belly made me hate Drake more and more each time I saw them. She must have been terrified for her life and in so much pain. I would like to carve his fucking face.
She was watching my face as it went from desire to fury in seconds. I dragged my eyes away from the words scarred across her torso and revered her perky tits. Leaning over to one of them, I licked her nipple and sucked it into my mouth.
“Ouch. A little rough,” she whimpered, pushing my head away. I looked at her quizzically but dipped back down and kissed it gently the next time. When my lips made their way to her neck, she whined and wrapped her legs around my hips in an attempt to get me inside her.
“Hold on a sec,” I panted as I quickly hopped off of her and found a condom in my wallet. She grinned at me as I sheathed my dick and climbed back between her legs.
With my hand, I guided my dick into her, slowly letting it get covered in her wetness before I began thrusting in and out of her. She felt so fucking good, and the walls of her pussy gripped my dick as if it didn’t want to let it go. Her panting picked up speed as I quickly plunged in and out.
When she scratched my back as her orgasm shuddered through her, I came quickly from the combination of the roughness and the clenching of her pussy. Spent, I collapsed over her, resting on my elbows.
“Olive,” I said, kissing her lips briefly.
“Mmmm?” she asked, completely sated.
“Why have we been fighting this connection? I only want to be with you. You’re all I’ve thought about since the day we met. Please tell me we can be together,” I practically begged.
“Bray, you’re all I think about as well. I think you are a great friend, but I want more than that with you. With you, I want the whole package. My only concern is breaking it to Andi. I think she’s used to the idea of us being together so much already. Maybe we should—” She was interrupted by the bedroom door flinging open.
“Olive, Jordan said you were sick—what the fuck?!” Pepper exclaimed once she realized Olive and I were obviously in the middle of a sexual moment. Instead of backing out of the room, she was glaring at us.
Yanking the covers over us, I met her glare with one of my own. “Pepper, do you fucking mind? We’ll be in the living room in a minute. Give us a second to put some fucking clothes on first,” I spat at her.
She looked absolutely livid. After she backed out of the room, shaking her head, and slammed the door behind her, I turned to look at Olive.
“Shit, babe. I’m sorry she walked in on us. Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded, resolved to finally let the cat out of the bag. “I’m ready to tell everyone and get it over with. Bray, I’m tired of hiding how much I care about you. I want to hold your hand in public without fear of someone finding out. We shouldn’t have to hide this,” she affirmed.
Leaning over, I kissed her deeply. I was tired of keeping my feelings for her under a lid as well.
“Let’s do this,” I said reassuringly as I rolled off of her and began to dress.
When we walked into the living room, Pepper stood from the recliner and glared at us. Not being able to meet
her stare, I looked down at my feet.
“You two have some fucking explaining to do,” she spoke, barely able to keep the anger from her voice.
“Olive and I met the night of Andi’s birthday party. We hit it off immediately. After spending some time together romantically, we decided to keep our relationship to just friends in an effort to not hurt Andi. The two of us have been strictly friends for two months now, but we decided we want to be more than that. Andi will understand. I know it,” he explained. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it supportively. Risking a glance at Pepper, I cringed when she pinned me with her furious stare.
“Well whooptie-fucking-do! You think because you guys decided that you want to be together that things are perfectly fine now? Olive, you weren’t fucking there when Andi almost DIED from her depression!” she shouted.
“I was, Pepper, and it was fucking horrible! Andi is stronger now than she was when we broke up. She will be okay!” Bray yelled back.
Ignoring him, she turned to me again. “You. She fucking took you in off the street and you turn around and fuck her ex-fiancé the moment she turns her back. The ex-fiancé that cheated on her. The ex-fiancé that nearly made her kill herself. How fucking low could you go? Pack your shit and get out of my apartment. There is no fucking way I’m letting you hurt her, because once again, I’ll be the one left to fix her,” she spat hatefully. “He’ll just cheat on you too. Once a cheater, always a cheater.”
My mouth gaped open as tears stung my eyes. She glanced over at me, and even though she was pissed, I could tell she regretted what she’d said. When she crossed her arms angrily, she slightly winced. She’d recently had surgery on her wrist and was sporting a pink bandage. I was mesmerized by the thing until Bray’s voice snapped me back to the present.
“Pepper, you were always such a bitch. Olive’s better without someone like you in her life,” Bray growled over at her, dragging me back to my room.
