“Better now, Olivia Ann?” Joshua asked as he grasped her hand.
“Yes,” she sighed. “So have you been to this shelter before?” she asked.
“I have. All of the Fate Harbor firefighters volunteer their services in the surrounding communities. This shelter is supported by the Snoqualt Interfaith Council. The administrator is Leslie Parsons and her partner Sarah Clark. They used to administrate the women’s shelter in Snoqualt, but they were actually able to get one of the women who had been abused and in need of the services three years ago to take over. Lisa got her degree this past year, and has really turned her life around, and she credits the shelter and Leslie and Sarah for her success. But that’s not entirely true, her success is a result of all the hard work she’s done.”
“That’s so impressive,” Olivia breathed.
“Yeah, Lisa is an amazing woman,” Joshua responded.
“Have you met her?” Caleb asked.
“A couple of times. Both Ian and I have gone over and provided a little extra security on our days off when they’ve needed it,” Joshua explained.
“Are we going to visit the women’s shelter?” Olivia asked.
“If we have time,” Joshua answered, “but I doubt we’ll have the time. Leslie explained that the Marsdon shelter was vandalized yesterday, so Snoqualt had to take in a lot of their occupants. I think they will really need our help getting coordinated at the Snoqualt shelter for the next couple of days.” Olivia understood.
Joshua pulled into a parking spot on the street near the county courthouse of Snoqualt. It was a well-kept part of town and not what she was accustomed to when she thought of homeless shelters in Boston. Joshua could see what she was thinking.
“There are definite advantages to living in smaller communities. People live closer together, so there really isn’t a ‘bad’ part of town. But there are still disenfranchised and people in need, no matter where you live.” Joshua took her hand as they crossed the street, and Caleb followed. Joshua continued to hold her hand, even when they entered the shelter, and Olivia found she liked it. They signed in at the front desk, and then Leslie and Sarah came out to meet them.
Both of them were familiar with Olivia and her organization, and they remembered Joshua. They were very courteous to Caleb Samuels, as well, thanking him for his time in volunteering. Olivia realized that they both wanted to ask her many questions about American Humanity Connections, but they were both busy and needed their assistance with the additional people who had arrived from Marsdon.
“I need one person to hit the phones to find more beds. Unfortunately, a lot of the beds were damaged at Marsdon, so we need to find some locally,” Leslie said. “Sarah put together a short list of places that have been helpful in the past. Other than that, you’ll just have to use your ingenuity and the Internet. I also need someone who can just calm some of the folks down, they’re pretty stressed. We’ve got some mentally-ill folks who are disturbing some of the other inhabitants. Then, I need one of you to just figure out what else needs to be done and do it.” Leslie handed the list to Joshua and walked away.
The three of them looked around the large room, seeing that it was subdued chaos. Caleb turned to Joshua and Olivia. “I’ve spent time with the vets with PTSD, so I think I can work with the mentally ill and see about getting them a little calmer. How does that sound?” Joshua and Olivia looked at one another and then nodded at Caleb. As he walked away, Olivia took the list from his hands. “I’m good at asking for donations, so why don’t you let me take care of the beds. If you see anything else that we need to have donated while you’re doing your walk-through, let me know, and I’ll get it for us.”
“Are you going to just purchase the beds?” Joshua asked.
“What’s the challenge in that?” she asked with a cheeky grin. Joshua swooped in for a quick kiss. Olivia wanted to lean in for a longer one but knew this wasn’t the time or place. “I’m taking a rain check on a lot more of that,” she promised.
“I’m counting on it, Olivia Ann. Now, where do you plan to set up? I want to keep an eye on you.”
“For God’s sake, Joshua, I’m perfectly safe,” Olivia said, frustrated.
“Deal with it. I’m not asking for a lot, I’m not restricting your movements. I’m just asking you where you’re going to be. Is that so unreasonable?” Olivia heard the bite in Joshua’s voice and realized he was right. She gripped his forearm.
“You’re absolutely right, that’s not unreasonable. I’m sorry. I was planning on setting up right over there,” she said, pointing at a small empty desk that was obviously set up for children to do their homework. Joshua gave her a warm smile.
“Thank you. Text me if you leave that spot, okay?” She brushed her fingers up and down his arm in a soothing motion.
“You got it.” He left her with one last kiss. She went to the small desk and started making calls with her cell phone. It was an hour later when she noticed a shadow fall across the desk and looked up. It was Caleb. She held up a finger as she finished listening to what was being said. She wrote down some notes, said, “Thank you,” and hung up the phone.
“How goes it?” the big man asked.
“Good. We have fifteen beds, a catered dinner, a truckload of non-perishable food, seven more desks, and seven laptops coming in this afternoon.” Olivia watched as he gave her a slow smile, his green eyes twinkling. Kara was right, sex on a stick.
“How in the hell did you manage that?” Caleb asked.
“The local news show is coming in to do some coverage for their six o’clock report, and who doesn’t want to make the news?” she asked.
“And, let me guess, you arranged for the media to show up at just the right time,” he said, nodding his head in comprehension.
“Yep.”
“What was your angle to get them to come?”
“Oh, that was easy. I told them how the local community was stepping up to give time and resources when the shelter desperately needed it, and that many of those items will be delivered here right before the six o’clock news slot, and wouldn’t that be a great public interest spot?”
“God, you’re devious.”
“Whatever works, Caleb, whatever works.” Olivia smiled. “So how long are you going to be babysitting me?” she asked.
“You’re not buying that I’ve come to help?” he asked.
“Oh, I believe you are the type of man who gives back to your community, but I also believe that my men have corralled you and Leif into watching out for me for a little bit.” Olivia had been more than a little angry about it earlier, but when she thought about things from their perspective, she couldn’t really blame them. She would be just as concerned if their lives were in danger.
“They didn’t corral us, we volunteered. You’re a special lady, Olivia. We all plan to do what we can to keep you safe.” Olivia had to admit that there was something about men like Joshua, Ian, Leif, and Caleb that did tend to make a woman feel very much protected.
“Well, thank you, Caleb, I appreciate that. How did it go, getting folks calmed down?” she asked.
“It was as I suspected, some of the agitators were vets. When I was able to get them alone so we could talk a bit, they were able to finally relax.”
“That’s great. How do you think they’ll react to the arrival of the camera crew and the supply trucks?”
“I think we’ll all feel the need to go for a walk out back about then,” he said with a smile. Joshua joined them at that moment.
“Did she tell you how she tricked all of Snoqualt?” he asked Caleb.
“Yeah, she showed me the man behind the curtain,” Caleb said with a grin. “She sure can work it, man.” Joshua put his arm around Olivia. “She’s good! I can’t believe I thought she was actually going to purchase things for the shelter.” He shook his head good-naturedly. “Hey, I got a text from Ian! The CFO and CEO of InfoDyne want to take him out to dinner tonight.”
“The interviews must be
going well,” Caleb said. “See, Olivia, I told you he’d be fine.” Olivia gnawed her lower lip.
“I still worry. The more I think about it, the more I think that InfoDyne has the most to lose with the Atlanta project. I think it’s them. I hate that Ian is out there all by himself.” She looked at Joshua for more reassurance.
He pressed her head against his chest and kissed the top of her hair. “Sweetheart, Ian has been trained for exactly this type of operation. It really is something he excels at. He’ll be home tomorrow. All he is doing is information gathering. The worst that can happen is that they might suspect that he’s after something. But their suspicions won’t get him harmed. Okay?” Olivia looked up into Joshua’s gray eyes and nodded. For this relationship to work, everyone was just going to have to trust each other and depend upon one another.
“Would Ian have asked for help if he thought he needed it?”
“Absolutely,” Joshua assured her. “Neither one of us were cowboy cops. We want to live so we can home to you each night.” That last statement finally calmed her nerves. It was exactly how she felt about having Caleb and Leif watching over her. She would do whatever was necessary to stay safe, because she had a life that was very precious to stay safe for.
* * * *
When they arrived at the house that Caleb shared with Leif, they went in to say hello to Leif. Leif handed Joshua a big manila envelope, some keys, and what looked like a garage door opener.
“What’s all that?” Olivia asked.
“It’s from the security company,” Leif answered. “They finished the installation at Ian’s house, and I did the walk-through, like you asked. They did a really good job, Joshua.”
“Thanks, Leif,” Joshua said, shaking the man’s hand. Joshua could see Olivia resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
“Come on, Olivia Ann, let’s get you home and see if we can get in touch with Ian.” He watched as her eyes lit up. Despite all of his and Caleb’s assurances, he knew that until Ian was home she was still going to worry, and if he was totally honest, he was going to worry a little himself.
As they were driving home, Olivia asked about Leif and Caleb. “Why do you think it is that they want to share a woman?”
“I really don’t know,” Joshua answered, honestly. “Despite the fact that Ian and I were best friends, it really never entered our consciousness to share a woman. Even after we both fell in love with you, we didn’t consider it.”
“So, it was really your discussion with Sam that made you decide to try?” Olivia asked a little hesitantly.
“And you. You made me want to do it. I knew that you loved us both, and you were going to reject us both because you didn’t want to choose, and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you forever. When Sam brought up the idea, I jumped at it. Luckily, I love Ian, more than I would even love a brother, so it was easy. And you’re my life.” He reached out and gripped her hand tightly.
“Drive faster, I need to be home with you right now,” she said hoarsely.
Despite the urgency to get inside and make love to Olivia, Joshua carefully went through the inspection of the new security system, ensuring that everything worked according to the specifications in the owner’s manual. Olivia held onto his arm through the entire walk-through. The only time she let go was to check her phone and his for any texts or calls from Ian.
When he was done with the inspection, Joshua noticed that she was favoring her left arm, a sure sign that her injured arm was hurting. When he asked her about it, she reluctantly admitted that she had overdone it at the shelter, trying to assist in getting the non-perishable foods onto the shelves. He shook his head, unsurprised, and got her a pain pill. He also noticed that her shoulders were stiff, and while they awaited Ian’s communication, he decided that his woman could use a little pampering.
He took her into the bedroom, and laid her down for a massage—a naked massage.
“I thought you said that it was just my shoulders that were looking tense,” she teased.
“Olivia Ann, the rule is, if you are in bed with me, you have to be naked.” He looked down at the beautiful woman before him, encased in her tank top and jeans and his flannel shirt, with no makeup, and thought he had never seen any woman so beautiful. She was still flushed with the success of all she had accomplished at the shelter. He remembered the looks of wonder by the children who realized that they would have desks and computers to do their homework on while they were at the shelter. Then there was the hot, catered meal from the local Mexican restaurant, which everyone had thoroughly enjoyed. When the news spot aired, two other restaurants phoned in to volunteer to feed the shelter for subsequent nights, delighting Leslie and Sarah. Olivia was truly their miracle worker, and she was his.
“Yep, naked is definitely a rule,” he reiterated. When she started to unbutton the shirt, he gently pushed her hands away and took over the task. When he got to the peach tank top, he was delighted to see that her breasts had already increased in size. It wasn’t that he was enamored by a larger breast size, but he was relieved to see that she was gaining back some of the weight she had lost. He helped her to slip out of the tank top.
“You weren’t wearing a bra?” He couldn’t help his outraged tone.
“Joshua, I hardly need one,” Olivia said wryly.
“Another rule. Olivia Ann wears a bra. I can’t handle the idea of other men ogling your breasts.”
“Look, dude, you didn’t even notice I wasn’t wearing a bra! If I hadn’t been wearing your shirt, I would have worn one, okay?” she said in a placating tone. He thought about that and nodded his head in agreement. Then bent his head and sucked a puckered nipple into his mouth, relishing the warm texture and sweet taste of his Olivia. She threw her head back in obvious joy, ratcheting up his level of excitement. He glided his hands down to her waist, making quick work of the button and zipper of her jeans. He broke away from the enticing morsel of her nipple.
“Stand up. I have to get you out of these jeans,” he gasped. She gave him a dazed look, and then grabbed his shoulders to stand on unsteady legs as he pulled down her jeans and panties in one swift movement.
“Fuck the massage, you get naked, too,” she begged. Joshua gave her a quick, considering look and helped her back down onto the bed, pushing her to lie on her back, her legs dangling off the end. He yanked off his clothes, throwing them in a heap, and then he knelt down between her legs, pushing them apart with a snarl. He breathed in the musky scent of her desire, and then plunged his tongue between the lips of her cunt, sighing in relief.
“Joshua, harder, please, your fingers inside me. Bite my clit, I’m begging you.” Olivia pushed her pelvis upward. Never had the need been so strong. Joshua shoved three fingers deep inside her clenching channel, and she wailed in pleasure as he lovingly took her clit between his teeth and laved her flange of flesh with his rough tongue. Her juices gushed over his fingers and hand as she screamed in orgasm.
Fleetingly, Joshua realized it was probably because she was so feeling so many vulnerable things at once that Olivia was experiencing a need to be dominated. She was worried about Ian, and was feeling frightened and in need of protection. But, more than anything, Olivia needed to feel that someone she trusted was taking control of things for her, and he wanted to give her what she needed.
“More, you have to fuck me.” Joshua stood at the end of the bed, grabbing beneath her knees so that they were over his forearms, spreading her wide, her pelvis flush with his groin. “Oh, perfect.” Olivia thrashed, striving to get closer.
Joshua grasped the perfect globes of her ass in his hands and pulled her close, plunging deep, reveling in her moans of satisfaction. “Do you like that, Kitten?” He thrust in with powerful strokes. In and out, taking her higher, until once again he shot her into orgasm. God, she was beautiful. He loved seeing her perfect breasts quake as she shuddered in pleasure, her body gleaming with perspiration.
“More, Joshua, can you take my ass?” she begged. He
looked down at his still-hard cock inside his woman’s pulsating pussy, and he slowly pulled out. He lifted her higher, spreading her even wider. He felt a tremor go through him, as he saw how much of Olivia’s cum had dripped from her cunt down to anoint the rosette of her anus. It was slick and quivering, as if the climax she had just experienced had also caused her asshole to relax and grow needy.
“I need it, I need you to fuck my ass,” she said, echoing his thoughts. He bent, positioning the head of his cock at the puckered hole, feeling the moist heat of her slick arousal. Just that little press had her tightening up.
“If you want this, Kitten, you’re going to have to relax.” Joshua looked up, and his gaze was immediately held by the avarice in her Caribbean-blue eyes.
“I want this. I need this.” He saw the absolute truth in her expression.
“Okay, baby, relax and press out against me, can you do that?” He watched as she nodded her head, determination and want clearly written on her face. Then he felt it, a slight loosening that had his cock moving forward a small amount that felt wonderful. His gaze immediately dropped down to that amazing sight where they were joined, and he pushed a little deeper, watching as her body welcomed him further, her juices easing the way. He heard her slight gasp, and he immediately looked up to inspect her face to see if he was hurting her, but he didn’t see any pain. Instead he saw an expression of wonder and contentment.
“More,” she whispered. “I need more of you, please, Joshua.” He knew that even though she said that now, there was still going to be a bite of pain. He eased her further up on the bed so that his hands would be free to touch and play with her clit. “No, I need you now,” she complained.
“It’s okay, we’ll get there,” he promised. He shifted so that his knees were now on the bed, and he pushed hard, until the head of his cock popped through the tight muscle of her sphincter, causing her to keen his name in response.
Protecting Olivia [Fate Harbor 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 19