Page 64 of One and Only

With her dad.

With Olive.

It was the kind of work that I enjoyed, the effort that put my mind at ease when it was tempting to overthink how everything could go wrong.

Greer hopped down the steps, flopping onto the couch with a dramatic sigh. “Done,” she breathed, eyes closed in obvious relief.

“You still have paint in your hair,” I pointed out.

She pulled at the end of her ponytail. “Ugh, I know. I’ll get it eventually.” Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed. “When is Olive gonna be here? Do you want to see it now or wait until she arrives?”

I was weighing my answer when she stretched her legs out, bending forward from her seat on the couch to wrap her hands around her toes.

“Oh my gosh, my legs are so sore,” she groaned.

My eyes got stuck on the impossibly long, toned stretch of bare skin under her denim shorts. “I’ll…” My voice trailed off.

Greer lifted her head. From that angle, I could see straight down her tank top.

Her bra was white. Cut low on her chest.

I blinked.

“I’ll, uh, I’ll wait,” I managed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“You okay?” she asked, a smile clear in her voice.

“Yup.”

How you got used to the lack of something in your life was amazing.

Since Josie, I’d only had a handful of nights with a woman who sparked my interest. But those sparks always faded fast.

Nothing, and no one, had held my interest past an evening. And I wasn’t a one-night stand guy.

I never had been.

Sex, without commitment, without loyalty or trust, had never appealed to me. I wanted to be in love with someone again, but no one had lit up that part of my brain.

That studied curves under shirts and wondered how they might feel in my hands.

That part of my brain where I couldn’t help but study long legs; I wonder how they’d wrap around my waist.

And as I watched her roll her head to the side, stretching out her muscles as the silky fall of her hair moved over the back of her neck, oblivious to my study, I knew that Greer was managing exactly that.

Instead of a light, it was a warning siren.

Danger. Approach with caution.

Do not touch the wild creature if it comes near you.

Greer stood, gently arching her back with another groan, ambling into the kitchen, her hips swaying unconsciously as she pulled a drink from the fridge.

I pinched my eyes shut.

Because fuck, this was not good.

She’d told me, clearly and repeatedly, that I was not her type. I’d told her the exact same in return.

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