Page 10 of Inked Nights

And now she was walking quickly and blinking away tears while trying not to think of her cat or Derek.

She was officially losing her mind.

With a deep breath, she focused on her audiobook while making her one-mile trip around the neighborhood. Any more than that, and she got bored, so she took more than one walk a day. How she’d become so neurotic, she didn’t know, but it worked for her.

On her last leg, she passed her neighbor’s house and smiled, waving as Sierra Montgomery got into her SUV with her two sons, Leif and Colin. Leif was as tall as Sierra now, and Olivia wasn’t sure how that had happened. She’d been living next to Sierra’s husband, Austin, for years, even before he met and married Sierra and before Leif, his son from a previous relationship, had shown up. She didn’t know the whole story as it wasn’t her business, but she knew the family was a loving one.

She also knew that Austin had like seven siblings who were all married and most had kids of their own. Sometimes, Austin had the entire crew over for a family event, and Sierra would always come over with leftovers or even a whole cake, apologizing for the noise. Olivia never minded since everyone was always nice to her and they were never loud after nine at night. She’d had worse neighbors. The Montgomerys were actually pretty amazing. Plus, Austin always came over to help her fix things she couldn’t reach. She might not have a man in her life, but she had friends and acquaintances who helped out when things were beyond her abilities.

Before Sierra drove off, Austin came outside, gave Olivia a curious look, and then went to kiss his wife. Olivia’s heart melted a tad, and she held back a swoon as Sierra took a staggering step backward before getting into her SUV. The man could apparently kiss, and after all their years of marriage, the two were still pretty damn hot.

Olivia was only a little jealous.

And by a little, she meant a lot.

Olivia went to sit on her porch and enjoy some of the breeze before she headed back inside, so she was in Austin’s line of sight as another car pulled into the space Sierra had just vacated. Since the couple constantly had family and friends from the tattoo shop visiting, this wasn’t a surprise.

What was a surprise was the man who got out of the vehicle, his long legs encased in jeans that made his thighs look sexy as hell. He had on a thin Henley that only enhanced his broad shoulders and trim waist. His beard was growing in and made her want to run her fingers through it, and his hair was brushed back out of his face, though she knew he needed a haircut.

Derek.

Holy hell.

Austin knew Derek.

She fought to control her breathing as Austin and Derek did that man hug that always confused her before Austin turned to her, a brow raised.

Traitor.

She didn’t know why that thought popped into her head, or how Austin knew Derek, or even how Derek knew that Austin knew her.

All she knew was that the man she needed to stay away from was currently walking toward her—far too sexily—with an intense look in his eyes. He actually prowled, and all she could think was that he was the predator and she was the prey.

Only, in the end, he would be the one that got hurt. She knew it.

After all, she would deliver the final blow.

Again.

Chapter Four

Derek knew he should take it slow, maybe even so slow that he didn’t go to her right away. He should walk into Austin’s house and let Olivia have her space, all the while knowing that she would be able to reach him if she needed to.

Only he didn’t do that.

He’d never claimed to be a smart man, after all.

He couldn’t help but notice her wide eyes set in her always expressive face. Her hair was piled on top of her head, and she wore tight leggings that showcased her curves.

Curves he’d touched, licked, and bitten multiple times over the years.

He held back a groan and willed his cock to behave. He wanted to keep her in his life, and going to her house unannounced with a hard-on wasn’t the way to do it. He already felt like he was verging on stalker territory so he would have to tread lightly.

“Hey, Olivia.”

She swallowed hard, and he watched her throat work. She didn’t move from her seat, and he had no idea what that meant.

“You’re…you’re here.”