Page 17 of Until Bax

“Shit.” He takes a stride toward me as I right myself, but I continue to back away from him.

“I’m okay.” God, my face feels like it’s on fire. “There are also cookies.” I move another pace backward. “Have a good night.” With that, I spin on my heels and rush away, trying not tolook likeI’m rushing.

“Oli?”

Where is a portal when you need one?

“Yeah?” I turn to look over my shoulder from where I’ve stopped on the lawn between his and Kourtney’s houses.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” I bite my lip when I see the roguish smile tilting up his lips, then hustle the rest of the way home. Once I’m locked in the house, I attempt to get the vision of a shirtless Bax out of my head.

But I quickly learn—that’s impossible.

CHAPTER5

Olivia

“You live next door to Bax Mayson?” Holly, who works the front desk, asks as she bursts into my tiny office, causing me to jump. I almost spill my coffee down the front of my scrubs.

“Umm… yes?” I frown, watching her fall into the chair I use when I’m doing injections.

“How did I not know this?” She matches my expression, gathering her long, blonde hair up into a bun and wrapping a hair tie around it.

“Because it’s not a big deal. How did you even find out?”

“My grandma lives in the same neighborhood as him and told me there was an incident yesterday with a semi-truck and that the police showed up. I put two and two together.”

“Oh.”

“She said he came out to help you and that you two seemed cozy,” she adds, acting overly nonchalant.

“We weren’t cozy.” I set my coffee aside and barely avoid rolling my eyes.

“Well, she said you were.”

“We weren’t.I was there. He was just helping me out.”

“That’s a bummer.” She pouts. “He’s hot, and you’re…” Her eyes wander over my face as she scrutinizes me. “Well, you’re you. So I could totally see you two together.”

“He’s my older brother’s best friend.”

“Ooo.” Her eyes widen and sparkle. “A forbidden romance.”

“Don’t you have work to do?” I laugh, pushing out of my chair so I can put my empty coffee cup in the trash.

“No.” She grins. “It’s slow right now, so I have lots of time to harass you.”

“Why are we harassing Olivia?” Julie, one of the co-owners of the spa, asks as she stops at my office door with a smile.

Holly leans forward like she’s about to reveal the juiciest gossip to hit the state of Tennessee in years. “Olivia lives next to Bax Mayson, and my grandma saw them together last night.”

Julie’s eyes come to me. “Are you interested in him?”

It’s not the concern in her tone that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It’s the look on her face that does.

“He’s my brother’s best friend.”

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