Page 89 of Bad Boy Neighbor

I’m taken aback by his rude comment. Then it clicks. Miles.

Did he see me with Miles?

Why on earth would he have seen me?

Maybe Sebastian or Lana told him. Or as far-fetched as it may seem, but wouldn’t surprise me one bit, he might have followed me. What a goddamn stalker.

“You saw me with Miles? He’s my father…”

His jaw almost drops to the ground at the same time his body stiffens, obviously from shock at my revelation.

“Your father? I don’t understand…” he trails off.

“When I left home, my father… well, as I knew him, told me in so many words I was never meant to be in their precious family. My mother confirmed she had an affair, and it explained why Edward hated me so much. Miles is my father. He’s Australian. Last night, I met him for the first time. So, now you know…”

Oliver removes his baseball cap, running his long fingers through his hair. I know him well enough to understand he’s trying to process what I’ve just said. It’s now out in the open, and our passive-aggressive, back-and-forth emotional game of tennis should finally end.

“I… I had no idea,” he mutters, dropping his eyes to the ground.

The ache of longing to be with Oliver echoes through the marrow of my bones. My mind wanders to our last night together, reliving the way he felt inside me, the way he touched my skin and buried himself deep within. I never knew missing someone could take over every fiber of your being, and the reality is icy cold when standing only inches away from the man you want so badly.

My fingers desperately want to reach out and caress his face, but the torment of our time apart holds me back.

“I should go…” His face softens, and he pauses, an odd smile playing on his lips. “I promised Sebastian and Lana I would take them somewhere.”

“Right…”

“So, are you joining them for dinner tonight?”

I nod, suddenly falling into silence.

“I guess I’ll see you tonight.”

“Yeah,” I say, keeping my expression to no more than a faint, slight smile. “I guess I’ll see you tonight, Oliver.”

Twenty-Seven

Oliver

“Will you get a load of this place?”

Seb raved on about this restaurant located high above the city in the Sydney Tower. He went on and on about the food being a culinary experience, and what better way to experience the amazing food than with revolving views of Sydney’s skyline.

Thank fuck his rambling took the heat off the tension at the table.

Lana is sitting beside him, and on her left, Ace is wedged in a small chair. The little tyke is busy on her phone, watching some video which keeps him quiet.

Gabriella is beside me, quiet as a mouse. The corner of my eye gazes at her arms resting on the table. Her skin looks soft, just like I remember it. I can smell her perfume lingering in the air. It is intoxicating and makes it impossible to concentrate.

And the dress she wore—fuck me.

It’s black, strapless, and pushes her tits up so there’s nothing else you could possibly focus on.

I’ve smashed one bourbon down, the only drink I have allowed myself in the last eleven months. It went down smoothly, instantly relaxing me to a point that Seb doesn’t irritate me anymore with his culinary talk.

“So, this is nice.” Lana bares her teeth with a wide smile. “I think the last time we were together like this was when…”

Seb shrugs his shoulders, oblivious to the tension. “The night Olly got pissed ‘cause Gabbo was dancing with that dude at the bar.”

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