Page 44 of Finally Home

Ollie ruffles her hair as she passes him, and she responds by flipping him off.

“I’m telling Mom,” he chuckles, calling out after her. When he turns his focus back to me, the smile falls from his face, blanketing his face with concern.

“You okay?”

I nod. “Yeah, just some girl talk.”

Ollie joins me on the bed, but his entrance is anything but graceful. It is more of a launch, landing him on his elbow, which is now propping his head up on his fist. He taps the area infront of him with his fingers, and a devilish smirk takes over his features. “Wanna mess around on my sister’s bed?”

I laugh, finally feeling at ease after the intense talk with Pay and acknowledging the truth of my feelings for this man. “Something is seriously wrong with you.”

I press my palm against his chest to shove him away, but he catches my wrist and tugs, pulling me on top of him.

“Well, your mouth says no, but it seems your body might agree to it.” That husky tone sends shivers down my spine, and my breath comes in quick pants.

Something might be seriously wrong with him for suggesting that, but I think something might be seriously wrong with me, too. I can’t seem to take my gaze off his lips.

Reading my thoughts, he grips the back of my neck and pulls my face to his, slamming his lips to mine. He rolls us so that he is now on top and sandwiches one of his legs between my thighs.

“We should definitely not be doing this in your mom’s house, let alone on your sister’s bed.”

“You’re probably right,” he says but doesn’t move.

Ollie brushes his fingertips along my temple as he looks down at me with an undetermined emotion filling his eyes. Whatever he was going to say will have to wait because Connie calls his name from downstairs.

He squeezes his eyes shut and groans. “To be continued later.” Ollie presses his lips to my forehead in a tender kiss before pushing himself up off the bed.

Chapter 20

Ollie

Hollie is quiet on the ride home. I try to think what caused the switch in her. She may have been shy when we first arrived, but by the end of the evening, she fit in perfectly.

Dinner went great, minus Joel’s shitty attitude and then his quick departure just before we left.Good fucking riddance.But even a blind person could have seen the tension between him and my sister after whoever called.

I shared Hollie for most of the day, and now I just wanted time to myself with her, so I had made up an excuse about why we had to sneak out. My mom and sister passed Hollie back and forth in multiple hugs, causing Archer, Rhy, and I to laugh. I’m sure they like having another girl in the mix. It’s been a while since it was more than just the two of them. That feels like a damn lifetime ago.

I knew they were going to love her. Payton and Hollie had even exchanged numbers. Something shifted in them after I caught them with their girl talk earlier.

I link my fingers with Hollie’s. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

“Your family is so nice.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, I could see why that would be so upsetting.” I don’t mean to make fun of what she was saying, although I know my teasing tone might give that appearance.

And based on the stern glare Hollie is giving me right now, I know she thought that, too.

She sighs, sinking back into her seat, but then turns her body to face me more. “No, they’re perfect.” And that response makes me laugh out loud. “Ol, you’ve met my family. They’re the total opposite. Your mom hugged me, sometimes just for no reason or to just say thank you for making you smile. And your sister told me she’s happy that I’m a part of the family. She literally just met me. My parents have never told me how proud of me they are. And here we are lying to these wonderful people.”

Her chest rises and falls, and I can see her mind spiraling, and I’ve never been more thankful to be pulling into my driveway already.

I put my jeep in park and turn to face her. I cup her cheeks, and my thumb catches a tear.Fuck.I lean in and kiss her tenderly. More tender than I usually do. I allow us both to get lost in the kiss.

“You need to stop doing that,” she says, bringing her hands to cover mine. She says that often, but this time, the words themselves feel heavier. “Or I’m going to get used to it.”And there it is, the window I’ve been looking for.Hollie says she’s going to get used to it like that is really a bad thing.

“What if we weren’t lying? What if this wasn’t fake? You and me.”

She pulls back slightly, trying to read my facial expression. “What do you mean?”

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