by Allie York
“If I knew you were interested in this, I would have had you come help a long time ago,” Rick smiled, looking me over. “You know you’re welcome any time.” Rick rested a hand on my shoulder, squeezing slightly.
“Good to know. See ya later,” Rick’s smile faded when he looked at Harris, and he walked toward the back. Harris and I left into the early morning darkness, climbing in his car and heading home.
I must have dozed on the way because I blinked and Harris was taking his hand from my leg to put Jolene in park. Now, I’m calling his car by a name. I started to get out, but noticed Harris yawning again.
Then I said something completely out of character, and bold, “Do you want to stay the night?” I realized my mistake immediately and tried to clarify, “I’m fifteen minutes closer to work and you can get up whenever, and go back in. Blair will be out all night, and I know you’re tired. I wasn’t being-” My explanation was cut off by Harris pressing his lips gently to mine.
“I have an extra set of scrubs in the trunk, but only if you’re sure. Don’t let me intrude,” Harris had barely backed off my lips when he spoke. I nodded, truly not wanting to risk him falling asleep at the wheel on the way home.
“Come on,” I slid out of the car, digging my keys out and opening the door to a barking dog. Harris followed me after grabbing his bag from the trunk, looking around as we made our way to Ziggy’s crate. The black and white blur shot out, ricocheting around the house while I took Harris to the bathroom. I gestured for him to go in, “My room is over there.” I pointed across the hall, “Let me take him out.” Harris gave me a nod and shut the door.
Ziggy dashed out into the dark yard, doing a wide circle, and stopping to pee on a bush. We dragged back in, and he rushed to my room, plopping down at the foot of my bed. I snatched some more practical pajamas from the dresser and changed in Blair’s room. I could hear water running in the bathroom when I passed, so I went into the living room. I had just laid back on the couch and closed my eyes when his voice made me jump.
“I don’t think so,” I was suddenly hauled off the couch and dragged down the hall in a daze, “Get in bed, Ozma.” Then I looked at him. Harris was in a white undershirt and scrub pants with bare feet. He was also wearing glasses. Black, thick rimmed glasses. Is it suddenly hotter in here? I crawled across my queen bed, anticipating a ‘goodnight’, but the lights went out and the bed dipped. Three things happened at the same time. I lost the ability to breathe, my heart jumped into my throat, and I got so damn turned on that a person could have drowned in my panties. The man was in my bed and I had no idea what to do about it.
Chapter Thirteen
Harris
I was being one bold motherfucker, but I had the chance to wake up next to her, so I was going to take it, even if there was no sex. After one date and one ‘take your girlfriend to work day’, I was ready to sell my soul to Ozma. As fiery and badass as she liked to come across, she was so innocent, and I loved that about her.
I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her back to my front, smelling her hair and getting hard as hell pressed against her. I was too tired to make a move, but my cock didn’t get the memo. Ozma seemed more like the slow and steady type, so I wasn’t going to push her. My cock, however, didn’t get the memo. It took more self-control than I ever would have given myself credit for to not roll her under me and fuck her senseless.
Ozma took my hand wrapped around her waist and fiddled with my fingers, “Harris,” She sounded breathless and tired. I grumbled something resembling a yes, “I’m your girlfriend now?”
“Yes.” It was loud and clear that time.
“Were you going to inform me?” She rolled onto her back and I nuzzled into her nose with mine.
“I did, when I introduced you to Layla. If you have a problem with it, you’re going to need to wait until I’m more awake,” I felt my own voice dragging with fatigue.
“As long as we take things slow, I think I can accept that title,” She kissed my nose, leaning against me. Slow wasn’t a word I wanted when it came to Ozma, but her wish was my command. I was lucky enough for her to put up with me, so I would go as slow as she wanted, “I just haven’t done this before. So, be patient with me.” I let that sink in and nodded. Between her being vague and me being tired, I wasn’t sure what I had just agreed to, but it could all be sorted in the morning. Her breathing evened out into slow, shallow breaths, and I let myself fall asleep next to her.
I did not wake up next to Ozma; instead, I woke up to a cold, empty bed and the smell of coffee. My alarm was buzzing annoyingly somewhere, making me groan and cover my head. No, it was my phone ringing, not the alarm. I scrambled out of bed to grab my phone from my bag, tripping in my blindness, and nearly face-planting into the wall.
“Harris Oswin,” I slumped back on to the bed, groping for my glasses and sliding them on. I didn’t even check the caller ID.
“Hey, I wasn’t sure how late you wanted to sleep, but didn’t want to wake you up either. I guess I woke you up. I’m so sorry. Anyway, I set the coffee pot for noon, but it stays on for two hours. Go back to bed,” Ozma’s sweet voice hit my ears and my morning wood throbbed. With her smell all around me and her voice in my ear, slow would not have happened if she were home.
“What time is it?” I yawned.
“It’s one, but if you want to go back to sleep, go ahead. Really, go back to bed,” I dragged myself out of her room in search of the kitchen, “Now I feel bad for waking you up. I’m sorry.” I found a mug and poured the coffee. Her kitchen was small, but cozy and set up just right for entertaining. Wine glasses hung from a full wine rack and the fridge held a pony keg paired with enough fruits and vegetables to feed a small army.
“No, I need to get up and get to the gym before I go home to shower. Thanks for the coffee. I’ll lock up before I go.” I leaned against the counter, taking a long drink, and letting out a sigh. If I had known I was in for a long night, I would have napped the day before, but it was an unexpectedly busy night in emergency.
“Okay,” Ozma hesitated for a beat, “Thanks for staying last night. You seemed so tired and I would have worried if you drove home.” Well, if that didn’t make me smile, nothing would. I love that she cared enough to worry. “I’ll let you enjoy your coffee. I’ll talk to you later. Oh, and check the bathroom mirror.”
“Maybe I’ll swing by in a bit?” I was definitely swinging by and would make sure to have food in hand when I did. I’d remember my sister too. Rose wasn’t real happy about me not bringing her a gift last time, and being on Rose’s bad side was worse than being Ozma’s.
“Don’t feel like you have to. I wasn’t trying to be needy, I just didn’t want you to oversleep,” She sounded more than a little defensive and her statement pissed me the fuck off. It meant that someone had called her needy for wanting their attention. It meant that some asshole hadn’t treated her right, someone hadn’t given a shit about her needs. I wanted her to need me, to crave my attention, because she was getting it whether she wanted it or not.
“I want to see you, Ozma. If anyone is needy, it’s me, and I’ll be there in a while. Don’t say shit like that to me. I want to be around you and sure as shit hope you enjoy my company too.” My tone was probably a little more harsh than necessary, but damn if I wasn’t trying to prove a point.
“Hey, calm down, caveman. I just didn’t want you to think I was trying to monopolize you, okay? If you want to come by, I’ll be glad to see you, but if you have things to do, I get it,” All the spunk came back to her tone and I smiled. I liked her all worked up. “Wash your coffee mug or Blair will get pissy.” Ozma laughed after saying it and I tipped back the rest of my mug and pushed off the counter to the sink.
“Got it, boss. I’ll see you in a bit,” I didn’t give her time for another witty response before I hung up and I ran through the house to clean up. My emergency bag had everything in it from a toothbrush to socks. In the bathroom, a Hangman game was set up on the mirror in
dry erase marker. ‘Phrase’ was written on the top and the blank spaces were neatly lined at the bottom. The marker was on the sink and I filled the spaces in after writing some random letters at the bottom. I drew half of a hanging man and laughed to myself. ‘Good Morning.’ Hangman had always been my favorite game, but I suddenly loved it even more.
I made the bed, wiped down the bathroom sink, making sure the lights were all turned off, and took one last look at the game on the mirror. I rinsed my mug in the sink, dried it, and put it back in the cupboard. I had spent the night at the hospital so many times that I kept a bag in Jolene’s trunk for times like when I couldn’t make it home. Ozma’s place was closer to the hospital than mine by a good fifteen minutes, ten if her dog was dying, and her request for me to stay was music to my ears. By the time I crashed in her bed, I had been up nearly thirty-six hours, and having her next to me meant I drifted right off.
I rolled Jolene into the gravel lot, parking next to the yellow bug again, and I carried in the four bags of food for the girls at the boutique. I am walking into this damn boutique for the third time. Damn it. Again, a steady stream of people bustled in and out, all of them loaded with bags. Blair and Ozma had cornered the market on the boutique scene. I still didn’t know what a boutique actually was. To me it was just a clothing store.
The sight I walked in on was not what I was expecting. Rose was helping a customer, Blair and Ivy were ringing up a small crowd of girls, and Ozma was cornered near a dressing room by Rick Jenkins. His back was to me, but I’d know him anywhere, and I wasn’t real thrilled about seeing him in my girl’s boutique. Him backing her into a corner, even if she didn’t look cornered, pissed me the fuck off. Actually, she was laughing, and talking with her hands. My lack of sleep was making me crazy and jealous. As if she could sense me, her eyes darted from Rick to me and the sweetest smile moved across her face. Ozma said something to Rick, who spun and gave me an angry glare. Yeah, motherfucker, nice try. I walked over, holding the Tropicabana bags up for her to see. Rick Jenkins was asking for trouble, but had the nerve to look at me like I was the one causing issues.
“I catered since you let me stay with you last night,” I made sure to say it loud enough for Rick to hear. Forget that we hadn’t actually had sex, I wanted him to think we had. The guy needed to know exactly where Ozma belonged, and that it wasn’t with him.
“Well, aren’t you sweet,” It was Blair who answered, “If you had sex in my bed, I take back my former statement.” Blair snatched the bag from me with a shudder running through her. The gagging face was hilarious.
“Blair! Oh my god!” Ozma’s blush started at her chest and ran all the way up to her cheeks. I put my arm around her and pulled her close.
“Rick, hey man, what a surprise seeing you here. Sorry, I didn’t get you any lunch. Place looks great, doesn’t it?” I looked around the boutique, noting all the pink and girly decorations. I kissed the top of Ozma’s head, smiling at Rick.
“It does, the girls should be proud,” He grit the words out, forcing a smile, “I better get back to work, lunch is about over. See ya tonight, Harris.” Rick made his exit, looking back to give me one more ‘fuck you’ look, as Rose bounced over and took a bag, kissing my cheek. Rosie was dressed up again, matching the other three girls perfectly. Ozma was wearing one of those dresses that stopped at her knees with heels that made her legs look amazing. God, what I wouldn’t have done to push that dress around her hips and bend her over that desk in her tiny office. If Oz wanted slow, she needed to stop looking so damn amazing. Those dresses got me every time. Things with her were going to boil over eventually, but first I had to address the Rick situation. Maybe Ozma didn’t understand what was going on, but she needed to know that Rick was not part of the deal.
“Can I talk to you a second?” Without letting her answer, I pulled Ozma toward the office, sent her in first and shut the door a little too hard.
“What’s wrong?” Her big brown doe eyes almost made me forget the sight I walked in to, but then I saw Rick’s stupid face in my mind and got pissed all over again.
“What’s going on with you and Rick?” My tone had a little too much bite, but I didn’t give a shit. I was the one in her bed, I was the one coming to see her at work, not Rick Jenkins.
Ozma looked confused, “Me and Rick? What the hell are you talking about?” She took a step back and hit the desk, “Look, I’m not sure what your problem is, but I really don’t like what you’re implying right now. I left my jacket last night, he brought it by, and I’ll talk to Rick all I fucking want, got it?” Her arms cross over her chest probably to keep her from waving them around while she talked. Anytime she got irritated she did it and it was cute as hell. I immediately regretted my decision to confront her, but she was so damn cute when she was mad, “I can talk to who I want, when I want, Harris. You aren’t going to act like a jackass just because we’ve been out a couple of times. Declaring me your girlfriend to some skinny chick who wants to fuck you doesn’t mean you own me now.” Ozma rolled her eyes, “I need to get back to work.” What skinny chick wants to fuck me? Layla?
I blocked her exit, gathering my thoughts. The girl just put me in my place, again, “Wait, no. We aren’t done here.”
“The hell we aren’t!” Ozma pushed to go around me, but I blocked her again.
“I’m sorry,” I ran my hand over my beard, not really sorry, but not willing to bury myself further, “He just said some things and I let it get to me. I’m sorry.” Ozma kept glaring, “I’m running on too little sleep and I’m being a dick again.” She uncrossed her arms, reaching a hand out to me, as her face softened, “I didn’t mean to sound like an ass. Well, maybe I did a little.”
“What did he say?” I tugged her closer so that her body was against mine, and despite it being an inopportune moment, my cock jumped to attention. Her curves would be the death of me.
“It doesn’t matter. I just really want this and the idea of someone else wanting it too is enough to turn me into an asshole,” Admitting to her that I would love to own her and fuck her on every available surface seemed like a bad idea, and I wanted out of the hole I dug. “Who are you convinced wants to fuck me?”
A smile graced those amazing lips, and her dimples appeared, “Tell me what Rick said and we can discuss it.” Touché, beautiful.
“He may have said that he’s been hard for you for years. He told me I needed to back off, but just so we’re clear here, I’m not backing off. I could kill him and feel no remorse.” I leaned close to her ear, wanting to make my intentions clear, “And whomever it is wanting to fuck me, doesn’t stand a chance unless it’s you.”
Ozma let out a slow breath, inching closer, resting her cheek against mine, “I should get back to work.” Her voice shook and she tried to pull back again, but she wasn’t getting far wedged between me and the desk.
“Ozma, I don’t care about Layla.”
“I don’t care about Rick,” Our closeness had us both a little breathless, “And about the wanting to fuck you, I think I could get there.” My gut sank a little. I got the fact that I may have been a little more carnal in my desires from day one, but hearing her say she didn’t really want to be with me was a blow to the ego. I took a step back, “Please don’t look at me like that,” Her eyes closed and she dragged her bottom lip between her teeth, “I haven’t done any of this before, unless you count being groped by my boyfriend of three weeks in high school. just be patient, and try to be less of an asshole, okay?” There was a lot to process in that sentence, but I was stuck on one fact. Ozma was a virgin, and that idea thrilled the shit out of me. It gave me the chance to be her first and only. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and lock her in my place with me. I wanted to change her mind about ‘getting there’ and let her find out all the stuff she’d been missing.
“I can be patient,” The office was suddenly suffocatingly hot, “But you are going to have to put up with my jealous bullshit. You make me a little crazy, but I ca
n’t help it.” In reality, I was wondering how long I could be patient before my need for her became too much to handle. Ozma was pure temptation, and when she opened that pretty little mouth, I was fucking done.
“Okay, but don’t be an ass. You make me a little crazy too,” Ozma put her arms around my waist, flashing me those dimples, and I felt my cock jerk against her. I could be patient, but he couldn’t, especially once he knew it was uncharted territory.
“See you soon? If I don’t leave right now, I’ll break my promise to be patient.” I admitted. Ozma nodded, smiling, and I kissed her roughly before heading out to grab a nap before going back in for a long night shift. Ziggy was sitting guard outside the office door and made me pet him before I left, wishing I could repeat the night before by waking up in her bed, surrounded by Ozma’s presence.
Being late slowly became my default setting. It never failed that when I needed to meet someone somewhere, I couldn’t be on time. I checked my watch and jogged across the gravel parking lot toward the fenced area of the park. Being late was one thing, being late to meet Ozma was another. We snuck time in whenever we could, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough. Every other Sunday had become our time to spend out and together, but I overslept again. I finally made it down the muddy bank and to the gate when I spotted her across the lawn. Ziggy ran huge circles, being chased by an irritatingly familiar lab mix. Duncan belonged to Rick which meant he was hanging around my girl, again. I blew out a sigh and pushed past the small crowd near the two gates to where Ozma was leaned against the fence next to Rick. This guy is everywhere.
His shit-eating grin had me clenching my fist, “Rick, fancy meeting you here.” Ziggy finished his circle, Duncan hot on his tail, and leapt into my arms. I carried the silly dog to Ozma, “Sorry I’m late. My alarm didn’t seem to do the trick this morning.” I leaned down to kiss Ozma gently on the cheek.
