Page 47 of Your Second Chance
“You said yesterday that I hardly know you, and while you were absolutely not snoring?—”
“Hey.” I playfully swatted at him. He chuckled, climbing back into bed and grabbing my hips, dragging me down beside him.
“—you were right. We should go on a date, so today I’m taking you out.”
“But . . .” I hesitated. “You don’t date.”
He shrugged and then pressed a gentle kiss to my nose. “I don’t. Dating is too complicated. You’re complicated.”
I huffed out a breath. “To say the least.”
“But I told you yesterday. You’re like an itch I can’t scratch?—”
“Super romantic,” I deadpanned.
He chuckled. “I like your scratchy itch.”
“That’s it. Nailed it in the nickname department.”
“Good.” He winked. “Get up. Get dressed. We’re going to go out on a date.”
I puffed out my cheeks and blew out a breath.
On any other day, in any other way, Luna would be in here instead of the hunk of a man in front of me, pulling the covers off and begging me to take a shower before I went to work for the day. It would take ages to get out of bed.
The voices in my head would scream at me, reminding me why I shouldn’t get up. The world felt too big, too overwhelming, especially without Mami. Everything inside me whispered that I couldn’t trust myself. The doctor at my previous visit had askedif I was a danger to myself or others. I wasn’t going to harm others—unless you counted shutting people out, refusing to let anyone get close. But the first part... I’d thought about it.
Was I going to harm myself? No. Not in the traditional sense of wanting to die or seeking control. But sometimes, I wondered. What would the world look like without me in it? Without the weight I put on everyone around me? What if I simply disappeared? I didn’t want to die, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to live, either.
I looked down and rubbed my stomach, circling the slight swell. No. I’d live. I’d thrive. For her. I’d build a beautiful life for my daughter, one free of the pain I carried, one that mirrored the innocence and freedom Mami had once given me. Even without a father, I’d emulate Mami’s strength—the power of a woman who never let the world break her.
To do that, I’d have to get through today. I’d have to get through it all and keep the demons inside me from winning.
“Can you please leave then so I can get dressed?”
He looked down at us—at our naked forms—and a small chuckle rumbled from his chest. He shook his head with that grin of his. “You send me out of control, love.”
“You’re welcome,” I replied dryly, earning another laugh.
Ollie stood, and I got the full show. He didn’t bother to rush or cover himself, moving with the kind of confidence that screamedI know you’re looking, love.
And yeah, I was looking.
His tanned skin stretched over thick, corded muscles that shifted with every movement. Ink wrapped around his biceps and sprawled across his chest, the intricate designs drawing my eyes over every sculpted line of his until I had to force myself to look away from places my brain really shouldn’t be thinking about.
He flexed, reaching down to grab his jeans, and Jesus H. Christ, if I didn’t grip the sheets like my life depended on it. His thighs were massive, and when he turned around...
Oh, bloody hell, as the Brits say.
I tried not to gape at his ridiculously thick cock, hanging heavy between his legs, having no business being that obscene.What the actual fuck was that?Why did I not remember how absolutely... wide... it was?
“See something you like?” His voice, smug as ever, broke through my mental spiral, and I yanked my gaze back to his face so fast I might’ve pulled a neck muscle.
“Absolutely not.” I lied, my cheeks burning.
“Sure you don’t.” He winked and pulled his shirt over his head, the fabric clinging to every unfair inch of him as if to torture me further.
The universe clearly hated me.
