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Olivia had taken control, and now she owned him completely.
He rested his forehead against hers, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. A smile curved her mouth, and she glanced up, looking him straight in the eye. “That was better than I imagined, and I have quite the imagination.”
“We’ll have to do it again some time,” he joked.
“How about now?”
He laid back, taking her with him and tucking her into his side. “I’m going to need a few minutes. You sucked the life out of me.”
“I guess we can lay here for a while.” She kissed his chest and snuggled into his side.
Her finger traced the imperfection above his pec. His body tensed as her touch traced over the scarred skin.
“What’s this from?” she asked.
His port scar—the only visible reminder of his childhood illness. All the other scars were skin deep, unable to be seen by anyone but him. He didn’t like being vulnerable, didn’t like to admit that at ten years old, he didn’t know if he’d make it to twenty-five. But here he was, alive and with a gorgeous woman in his bed. He didn’t want to walk down memory lane into the dark depths of the road. He wanted to leave all that shit behind him as he’d been doing.
He didn’t believe in looking back. Looking forward was the only way to go. The minute he looked back he’d be reminded of everything he lost.
If he told her the truth, he’d be opening the door for their connection to deepen. He couldn’t let that happen. He didn’t want to see the sad look in her eyes when he told her about the shitty hand he’d been dealt. Olivia was light, and he didn’t want to let his darkness dim her.
He grasped her biceps and flipped her beneath him. That adorable giggle floated out, and he captured her mouth in one fell swoop. All his thoughts silenced, and he let the taste and feel of Olivia take him away.
Chapter 17
Olivia sat across from Isla and Harper in a booth at Aunt Greta’s diner. She had a few hours before her shift started and called the girls to grab a late breakfast. It was another added benefit of being home. She could call her best friends for an impromptu get together without the hassle of planning around a train schedule.
Harper took a sip of her herbal tea. “Heard Daniel showed up at McConnell’s last night.”
“According to Maria, Shane almost knocked him out,” Isla added.
Olivia laughed at the misinformation caused by a train of gossip going through the town. It was time she set the record straight. “Shane didn’t almost knock Daniel out, though I kind of wish he did. Shane didn’t even make a fist. He did, however, defend me. I was embarrassed at first by the whole situation, but I don’t know… with Shane it’s different. Like I can be myself without worrying what he might think. Even if the version of myself is a little messy.”
Isla took a bite of her waffle and lifted her chin to Olivia. “But…?”
“What do you mean but?” Olivia asked. There wasn’t anything else left to tell.
“You have that look like you want to say more, but you’re holding back.”
Olivia touched her cheek. “I don’t have a look.”
Harper all but snorted. “Yes, you do.”
Isla’s features softened, her porcelain skin radiant and beautiful without a touch of makeup. “We’re your best friends. You don’t have to worry about what we might think.”
“What she said,” Harper said around a bite of pancake.
It was silly really, but it had been nagging at her, and maybe talking it out with her friends would help her get some clarity.
She took a sip of her coffee and placed down her mug. “I feel like there’s something he’s not telling me. He has this scar on his chest, and when I asked him about it, he kissed me instead of answering. I’ve asked him about his friends, and he always manages to dodge the question. If I could just find out… I don’t know. I just want him to be able to open up to me, you know?”
He’d talked about his mom so openly, but there was something he wasn’t saying. There were gaps in his story, and it hurt that he didn’t trust her enough to share those pieces of himself. Whatever it was that he was holding back, she didn’t care. She wouldn’t judge him. She just wanted to know so there were no secrets between them.
Isla shook her head and pointed her fork at Olivia. “Oh no. Absolutely not. I tried to be sneaky once and failed miserably at it.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “Having a radio station involved isn’t exactly sneaky.”
Isla flung her fork toward Harper, stabbing the air. “You shush.”
