Page 16 of Finally Home

My head pops up at the mention of one of my father’s law associates. “He and Layla got divorced?”

My mother and father laugh, as if they’re in on a secret no one else knows.

“Oh yes, it was quite the scandal,” my mother replies. Her voice is full of enthusiasm that has been lacking all night. I swear she thrives on gossip. “Layla left him for her tennis instructor, and Maverick went down a huge spiral. Had to even take a leave of absence from work. Right, Topher?”

My father grunts in response. I then recall what Ollie said about nicknames, and I can’t actually recall a time when my parents weren’t so formal with each other, calling them anything other than Topher and Vivian, not even shortening my mother’s name to Vi or Viv.

“The next thing we know, he was sending a company-wide email stating he had remarried in Vegas to the woman that he had been seeing on the side, anyway.”

Oliver coughs beside me, and we turn, locking eyes. Yeah, this is like a goddamn soap opera. I wish I could say that they were making this shit up, but nope. Welcome to the lifestyles of the rich and entitled.

“Maybe if you came home more, you would know that, sweet sister,” my brother says, adding a dig of his own. The way my family throws my absence in my face constantly makes it seem like they would actually care if I were there. But I know the truth. This family is all about appearances.

The urge to roll my eyes at his comment is so strong, but I know that would end up in more drama. Ollie, however, swoops in.

“I’m sure if her schedule wasn’t so busy with traveling around with Wanderlust, she’d be home more. I’m surprised she even finds time to fit me into her busy schedule.” He winks at me. “I love listening to her experiences. This one time, she was the photographer for a new company called ‘Downward Dog,’ a yoga company that has puppies in the room while they work out.”

He retells the story I told him in the car about one of my favorite photo shoots, as if I had filled him in right away or he was right there with me. I love hearing about my experiences from his mouth. It’s almost like I can forget that it’s my life, and it makes me feel more proud of my journey.

For the first time all evening, Scarlett smiles and looks like she is enjoying herself as she listens to the story. I’m not sure if it’s the story itself or how Oliver is sticking up for me.

“Ugh,” my mother scoffs. “Animals and exercise should not mix. I would hate to have my yoga class interrupted by puppies. The smell alone would take away the relaxation of it.”

“She’s actually amazing,” Oliver says, grabbing my hand, linking our fingers, and bringing our joined hands to his lips.Hello, swoon.“My brother and I have actually talked aboutpurchasing some of her prints that she took around Elmhurst, showcasing local hotspots.”

He talks about it with such passion, though, that any normal person would believe in what he’s saying, but there’s not a single normal person sitting at this table. There’s nothing anyone could say to make them change their mind about my career and life. I could have my photos hanging in the White House and the Queen of England’s palace, and they would still demean it.

“Now, if you don’t mind.” Oliver picks up his napkin from his lap and places it beside his empty plate. “It’s been a long drive, and I’m going to get my girlfriend settled in our room. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong, thank you for dinner.” He nods to my father and mother before turning his attention toward the couple of the weekend. “And the invitation to celebrate the two of you.” He pushes back his chair and stands, holding his hand out to me. “Nice to meet you, Brent.”

I know he knows his name and swallow down my giggle sincesomeoneclearly did it just to annoy Brett. And as I stand and place my hand in Oliver’s, I know his plan was successful because the scowl that has been on Brett’s face all dinner deepens.

“Good night, everyone,” I say as Oliver leads me away from the table. When I glance over my shoulder, I see everyone is staring in shock. I never would have just gotten up and left the table before being dismissed.

Oliver leads me to the elevator, neither of us saying anything.

As soon as the elevator doors close, Oliver finally opens his mouth to say something, but I turn and don’t give him a chance. I basically jump in his arms, giving him a moment’s notice to catch me, wrapping his arms around my waist and planting my lips on his.

I honestly have no idea what I’m doing, besides basically assaulting the man with my lips. But saying “thank you” for defending me in a way no one ever has doesn’t seem like enough.

When I pull back, my skin and lips are buzzing. “I know that was a lot, and to use your words from earlier, I thought you needed out of your head.” I go to step back from him, but his arms wrap tighter around me, and he backs me up against the wall before slamming his lips back against mine.

Our kisses become desperate. I’ve never felt like this when kissing anyone else, not even Brett. Our hands are everywhere, bodies grinding. I can feel his hard dick in his pants, and it only spurs me on more. The elevator stops and dings, alerting us that the doors are opening, but neither of us stops.Fuck, I don’t want him to stop.

Ollie slides his leg between mine, his hands on my hips encouraging me to grind on his thigh.

His lips leave mine, but not for long. They travel south, peppering kisses along my neck. “Ollie,” I pant. “I think that was our floor,” I finally say when I realize the doors have closed, and the elevator moves again.

“Uh-huh,” he says, bringing his lips to mine, silencing me.God, this man can kiss.

The elevator stops again, and the doors reopen. There’s a gasp, followed by a throat clearing, and we break apart to find an older couple standing there, the wife looking absolutely horrified.

I don’t have to look in the reflection in the elevator to know my hair is a mess from where Ollie tangled his fingers in my curls. And I can see my lipstick smeared along Ollie’s mouth. He moves us to the side of the elevator, his hands still on my hips, holding me in front of him. I can feel his erection poking into my back, and I bite back a groan and the urge to press myself further against him.

Ollie reaches around me to hit the button for our floor again, while the couple presses the button for the main floor. The elevator dings on our floor, and Ollie nods. “Have a good evening.”

He grabs my hand and pulls me out into the hallway as if we are running from a fire.Oh my God, I can’t believe that happened.I bury my face in his arm, wondering how the hell this became my life, and as the distance between us and our room lessens, I can’t help but wonder what happens next.

Chapter 9

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