Page 79 of Time To Live Again

“Olive”—I pull her into my arms—“I loved every second. My mission is to get to know youinsideandoutsidethe bedroom. I want to know everything you desire or fantasize about. Every. Little. Thing. Be open with me and show me what you like. And I’ll do the same. Everything we’ve done so far makes me want to do it again, especially in front of the mirror.” I kiss her neck.

She rests her chin on my chest and looks up at me. “I don’t know what it is about you. When I’m with you, my inhibitions go out the window. My hormones rage nonstop. I love it, but I’m not usually vocal about it. And that mirror incident was a first and definitely a favorite of mine too.” She teasingly bites my pec.

“Then let’s put that on the list underhell yes.”

She nudges me away and puts the container back under the sink. I get my suitcase and take it to her room. Something on the dresser catches my eye. I step closer to it as Olive joins me.

I point at the bottle with a grin. “That’s my cologne.”

She throws her arms up in surrender. “You caught me red-handed.”

“Now, why would you have that?” I pick up the bottle and spray my neck with some.

Her eyes close when she inhales. “You know I love how you smell. I saw the name when I was in your bathroom.”

I shake my head. “Sneaky. Good idea, though.” I pull on a blue Henley and a pair of black sweats from my suitcase.

She opens the top drawer and pulls out a pair of black socks, then sits on the bed. “It was that or steal a T-shirt drenched in your cologne.”

“You could’ve done that too. I’ll leave something here before I go on Sunday.”

She grabs my hand. “I’d rather you stay.”

I bring her hand to my lips and kiss the top. “I’d love that, or you could come with me.”

She falls back onto the bed. “In reality, I could, since I’m not working. But…no. You know I can’t.”

At that moment, my stomach roars like a lion. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and we’ve been busy since we arrived.

“Let’s order something. Come with me.” She gets up and leads me to the living room.

An hour later, with a full belly, I’m ready to fall asleep on the couch. Olive’s in the kitchen making us coffee. Her phone buzzes on the coffee table. I pick it up and take it to her.

“Olive, your brother’s video-calling you.”

She puts the milk back into the refrigerator, then takes her phone and swipes the screen. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Just checking on you and yourlover boy. Making sure you’re behaving,” Andy teases.

She rolls her eyes and rests her elbows on the kitchen counter. “We’re fine, weirdo. No complaints from the neighbors yet.”

“Then you’re doing something wrong.”

I guffaw, and I show my face on the screen. “Hey, Andy. Nice to meet you.” Is that his apartment in the background? Nice view of San Francisco.

“There’s my man. My favorite soccer player’s friend.”

“Andy,” Olive warns.

I rub her back to help her relax. “That’s me.”

“Are you coming to my Super Bowl party? I want to meet you. Olive needs my stamp of approval before she moves to that island.”

“Shut up, Andy,” Olive warns again. She looks at me hopefully and asks, “Does it work with your schedule?”

I nod with a grin. “Yes, I’ll be there. If all goes well, I’ll fly in on Saturday and leave on Monday. In and out. That’s the best I can do.” Olive claps her hands silently, then kisses my cheek.

“Awesome. Do you want to invite Sam too?”

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