Page 13 of Texting, Trouble & Touchdowns
I let the moment stretch, watching how her fingers twitch—like she wants to argue but doesn’t know how to counter me.
Finally, she shakes her head and turns back toward the door.
“If I say thank you again, will you leave?”
I lift a shoulder. “Depends. Will it be sincere?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Then I’m staying.”
She groans into her hands. “Lucian.”
“Olivia.”
Her fingers curl into fists.
I grin. “Want me to run you a bath or something? Get you a glass of wine? I can cook while you’re taking that bath . . . unless you want me to join you.” I wiggle my eyebrows.
She turns so fast I half expect her to grab something heavy to throw at me.
“There you go, flirting again,” she says, then pokes my chest with her finger. “I already told you I won’t play your game.”
I laugh, lifting my hands in mock surrender. “Fine, but my offer stands. I can cook a homemade meal while you relax.”
“No, but thank you. Now, go home. Where is Sarah?”
“She’s at home. We agreed that if she let me visit you alone, I’d take her to the trail tomorrow morning.”
She scoffs. “Next time, bring her. I’d rather talk to her than you.”
I press my hands to my chest. “You wound me, woman.”
“Go to Sarah and have a good night, Lucian.”
“Fine,” I say, ignoring her exhausted glare, “but I will see you tomorrow.”
Her entire body tenses. “Why?”
I nod toward the fence. “Gotta supervise.”
She looks like she wants to fling herself into the sun. “You do not need to supervise.”
“You never know. Could be a shady fence guy. What if he tries to scam you?”
Her head tilts in disbelief. “Lucian. You hired him.”
“Exactly,” I say. “What if I made a mistake?”
Her jaw tightens. I watch, fascinated, as she fights a full-body shiver of irritation. She finally presses her fingers into her temples. “You are unreal.”
I smirk. “Oh, sweetheart. I’m very real. You’ll see me first thing in the morning.”
She lets out a strangled sound, turns, and slams the door in my face.
I laugh the whole way down the steps.
Because Olivia thinks she’s winning this game.
