by Sarah Peis
He didn’t waste time taking me up on the invitation and leaned down, kissing my ankle. He trailed wet kisses up my leg until he stopped where I needed it most. And when his mouth latched on and sucked, my back arched and I moaned.
I wasn’t going to last long, and it looked like he wouldn’t either because he kissed his way up my body, and once his mouth found mine, he entered me. I sighed in pleasure—or relief, I couldn’t be sure because my thoughts were a mess—and ran my hands through his hair, holding him to me.
“I love you,” he said, his lips moving on mine with each word. It didn’t take much after that, the orgasm sweeping through me. Oliver joined me not long after, his whole body tensing and a loud groan filling the room.
He rolled off me but didn’t let me go; instead he took me with him and reversed our position so I was lying on top of him.
“I love you too,” I said and nuzzled into his neck.
A girl could get used to this.
“Where the hell is my furniture?” I yelled, walking into my room. My very empty and clean room. “And my clothes? Hell, where is all my stuff?” I looked at the window. “What kind of monster would not only clean out my room but also take my curtains?”
I turned in the empty space, marveling at how big it was. It always seemed small to me. Guess if you tried cramming a shop full of clothes into a bedroom it would get a bit crowded.
“Why are you yelling this early in the morning?” Sunshine asked, appearing at the door to my room, sleep mask pushed up her head and her eyes only half open.
“It’s two in the afternoon. And it’s Monday. Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“Took the day off. Just couldn’t deal with Monday this week.”
I threw my hands up and turned again, hoping there was anything left at all on second glance. Nope. Whoever took my stuff didn’t even leave a dust bunny or scraps of lint behind. The thieves vacuumed after taking all my things.
“Why are you here?” Sunshine asked, yawning long and loudly.
“I live here,” I said, folding my arms in front of my chest. “Where else would I be?”
She frowned, looking confused. Or maybe she was still half asleep. It was hard to tell.
“But you moved out yesterday. And you didn’t even tell me.” Now that look I could definitely decipher. She was hurt, and I didn’t even know what I’d done.
“How could I have moved out yesterday? I was in LA. I told you about the trip.”
“Movers came early yesterday and took everything with them. I figured you must have hired them.”
My eyes grew bigger with every word until I could only sputter under my breath. “But that wasn’t me. I never organized anything like that. And where would I move to?”
Sunshine blinked at me. “It’s too early for this. I think I might still be asleep. Maybe this is an alternate reality, and once I wake up, everything is normal again and you will have stopped yelling.”
She turned on her heels and left.
Great. How the hell could I find out who took my stuff? This was ridiculous. And I didn’t have time for this. Oliver had dropped me off at the shop this morning after we caught an early flight back. Things at the shop were busy, but I forgot the design for a new dress I was working on, so once we had a quiet few minutes, I ducked out to grab it from my room so I could work on it this afternoon.
Which would have been a quick trip if someone hadn’t moved all my things. Without my knowledge.
“This is ridiculous,” I fumed, stomping out of the room and down the stairs.
“Just leave your keys at the front door. If you forgot anything, Sunshine can grab it for you,” Lincoln called out from the kitchen when I stormed past.
“But I’m not planning on moving out,” I ground out between clenched teeth.
“Trouble in paradise already? Don’t say I didn’t tell you this would happen,” he said.
“There is no trouble anywhere. And even though someone seems to have moved all my stuff, I have no intention of moving out.”
“We already have someone moving in tomorrow. Sorry. Should have thought of that before you moved in with your boyfriend. Who lied to you and most likely also cheated on you. But I guess old habits are hard to break.”
“Why are you talking to me like that? I thought we were friends.” I couldn’t keep the tremble out of my voice. What the hell was wrong with me these days? I needed to get my emotions under control. This was not the time for tears.
Lincoln looked almost sorry when my eyes filled with tears. But not sorry enough to apologize.
“You know I wanted to be more than friends. And I was willing to wait for you. But you made your choice. I’m sorry, but I’m sure you can stay somewhere else if Oliver already kicked you out,” he said.
That was not the person I knew and lived with. Or used to live with.
“I’m not living with Oliver,” I said, a tear escaping.
“That’s where they were taking your stuff, so I guess you should try a different story. Now if it’s not too much to ask, could you please leave? I really need to get some work done.”
Wow, I guess he really was done being my friend. And I realized I didn’t care at the moment. The person I needed to talk to was Oliver.
I left without a goodbye, leaving my key before pulling the door behind me for the last time.
I tried calling Oliver while I was walking back to the shop, but he didn’t pick up and it went to voice mail. I didn’t leave a message, just dialed his number again. Now I wasn’t proud of myself at this moment, far from it, but there may have been a few more calls that all went unanswered.
I was still in a stomping mood when I walked back inside the store, the door banging against the wall when I opened it. I needed to deal with my confused emotions, because taking it all out on my shop would be expensive. And it would probably make me even madder when I had to pay for the repairs.
“Are you all right? You were gone a while. I was getting worried,” Chloe greeted me when I stormed past the register. There were only a few people inside, so at least I didn’t scare away too many customers with my erratic behavior.
“I’m fine. Just don’t have a home anymore. Or anywhere to sleep, really. And Oliver and I are likely done. But I’m fine. Everything is just dandy.”
Chloe stared at me openmouthed, but I didn’t have it in me to reassure her that I wasn’t crazy. Instead, I walked into my office and closed the door, sliding down until I landed on my butt. I needed chocolate. But there was no way I could go out in public at the moment.
Unpleasant things would happen. Things I wouldn’t be able to come back from.
I needed my friend. I got my phone out and pressed number one on my speed dial.
“Hey, Maisie. How was your trip?” Willa answered after a few rings.
“Good. Are you busy at the moment? I need a favor.”
“You leave on a trip to meet your boyfriend’s family and all you say is ‘good’ when I ask you how it was? Hell no. I’m coming over.”
“Excellent. I’m at the shop. And bring a few brownies, cupcakes, and those lemony thingies from Sweet Dreams, please.”
There was no hesitation, just my friend supporting me in my time of need.
“You got it. I’ll be there in twenty. Don’t go anywhere.”
I snorted. As if I would. The only thing I was planning on doing was sitting behind my desk and staring at my black computer screen until Willa got here with the goods. And there wasn’t much else I could do. Helping at the shop would only scare the customers, and since I didn’t have my design, I couldn’t lose myself in my sewing.
The staring was going really well when Willa came through the door without a knock.
“Hey, I could have been naked in here. Don’t you knock?”
“Sorry, the boys at the garage are rubbing off on me. None of them knock. And of course you weren’t naked. You knew I was coming.”
I held out my hands, and she handed ove
r a familiar paper bag. The smell alone improved my mood dramatically.
“Okay, so this is only half the stuff. If you’re a good girl and tell me what happened, then I’ll give you the rest.”
“Which bag are the brownies in?”
“The one I’m holding.”
I jumped up, ready to tackle her to the ground, but the bitch was quicker than me and escaped to the other side of the desk. “Now, now, we don’t want to hurt ourselves. Last time you tried to chase me, you pulled a hamstring. Remember how much that hurt?”
I remembered and had no desire to repeat the experience. I sat back down and opened the bag she had given me. At least I had some of those lemony thingies.
“Talk,” Willa said, taking a seat in the chair in front of my desk.
I was busy opening the bag and deciding what I wanted to eat first, so instead of answering, I just waved my hand at her. She wouldn’t be offended. She knew food always came first.
“Start at the beginning. I want to know everything.”
And so I did. I told her everything, up to what happened today. Which was where she broke out in laughter until she nearly fell off her chair.
“That’s priceless. I wish I could have seen your face. I’m so going to use this on Landon. I still owe him a prank.”
“It wasn’t funny. In fact, it’s still not funny now. And you promised me the second bag, so hand it over.”
Willa was still chuckling when she pushed the brownies across the desk.
“And now you know why I might have to break up with him,” I continued. “Because it looks like he just moved all my stuff without my knowledge and told Lincoln that I was moving out. And he already rented out my room again.”
“Honey, I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you are completely dense sometimes. Lincoln has wanted to be with you for as long as he’s known you. And he knew he had definitely lost you when Oliver showed up and swept you off your feet. Now I know you think he was your friend, but he really wasn’t. A real friend wouldn’t have just dismissed you the way he did.”
I couldn’t even argue with her. After all, he was being an asshole about the entire thing. “Shut up and tell me this isn’t too fast. What if we move in together and then he decides he’s had enough of me? I’ll be homeless.”
“You’ll never be homeless as long as you have me and Stella. And your parents would love for you to move back in. Stop being so dramatic. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
I thought on her words. Then I thought some more. Apparently I wasn’t talking enough, because Willa threw a pen at me. “Stop second-guessing everything. Just because Ray is one messed-up dirtbag doesn’t mean every man is. And I think Oliver is your other half. You are yourself and happier than I’ve ever seen you since you’ve met him. I didn’t see it before because you didn’t tell us about him, but we knew you had someone since you kept disappearing randomly. Your aura has improved as well.”
“You’ve been talking to my mom again,” I said. Because that was Mom-speak, for sure.
“She dropped off one of her cakes.” We both scrunched up our faces in disgust. “I licked it first and nearly fainted from the taste and smell. So I put it out for everyone at the garage, and Landon had a bite before he realized that it tasted like three-day-old farts.”
Willa grinned big and shrugged. “But don’t tell her. If she asks, I loved it and ate the whole thing, not even giving Jameson a bite.”
“I wouldn’t go that far or she’ll make it for you again.”
“True. Let’s hope she never asks.”
There was a knock at the door, and both our heads swiveled toward the sound.
“Come in,” Willa called out when I said nothing. I narrowed my eyes at her, but she just flipped me off.
Oliver came in, flowers in one hand, a bag from Rayna in the other. He nodded at Willa. “Hey, Willa, how are you doing?”
“Fantastic. And good timing. I was just about to leave.”
Oliver turned to me with his stupid dimple and annoying ocean blue eyes. “Now before you yell at me, just remember that I was planning on telling you. But I had an emergency and was on the phone from the moment I got back into town. And who could have guessed you would go home before the shop closed tonight.”
“You got this, tiger,” Willa said to me and waved. “Call me if you need a place to crash.”
“She won’t,” he responded before I had a chance to.
“All depends on what’s in the bag. Because Willa already brought me brownies,” I said.
Oliver grinned and came around the desk, putting the bag in front of me and holding the flowers out. I took them, unable to keep the smile off my face.
He leaned his butt against the edge of the desk and faced me. “Rayna told me she already sent supplies out. That’s why there’s some salted caramel slices in there.”
“Already have an in with the locals, do you?” I asked and pulled the bag closer, brushing his thigh with my arm.
“Pays to be dating a local girl. And I’m a likeable guy. Hasn’t anyone told you yet?”
“I might have heard that a time or two.” More like a time or twenty. Because my parents seemed to think Oliver was amazing, and whenever I talked to them, they liked to remind me, just in case I’d forgotten. I think they were just scared they would never have any grandchildren and wanted to make sure I stayed with him long enough to deliver the goods.
“Now before you yell at me, let me explain,” he said and leaned forward, drawing me in like a bear to honey. I accidentally leaned closer, taking a deep inhale, caramel slices forgotten. Besides, I really shouldn’t eat them, because I could feel the brownies having a dance-off with the lemony thingies in my stomach. And if they didn’t declare one of them the winner soon, I would have to say goodbye to them both.
“I love you. You’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, so why delay the inevitable? We were going to move in together sooner rather than later anyway. And I love you.”
“Okay, go on,” I said, hoping he would get to the point soon, because I felt like a trip to the toilet was in my near future.
“That’s it. That’s as far as I’ve gotten.”
I shook my head and sighed. “You’re terrible at this. Lucky for you, Willa has already done your work for you.”
“She has? I can never tell if she likes me or is planning my murder.”
“Probably both. She likes to cover all bases,” I said. Before I had a chance to tell Oliver that I was willing to give us living together a go, the dance-off in my stomach reached boiling point, and I jumped off my chair and dropped to my knees under the desk.
I grabbed the trash can that was under there and emptied the contents of my stomach into it. Oliver was under the desk with me, holding back my hair with one hand and rubbing my back with the other. It was a sweet gesture, but I wished he wasn’t so close, because I was beyond embarrassed that I had just puked in front of him.
“Are you okay? Was it something you ate? Should I take you to the doctor?”
After I finally stopped retching, I sat back and took the tissues he held out to me, then wiped my face and mouth. “I’m okay. I think eating that much sugar just didn’t agree with me after all the vegetables you made me eat in LA.”
Guy was a health freak. And he made me try every vegetable under the sun just so I could tell him which ones I liked. There weren’t many, but he was so happy every time he found something I would eat, I happily obliged, trying everything he fed me.
“If you’re sure,” Oliver said, his tone disbelieving. I hoped I wouldn’t find myself at the doctor’s office for a useless checkup tomorrow. Knowing he could just move me in with him without my knowledge didn’t give me much hope.
“Can you take off early today? Maybe you should lie down,” he suggested and helped me stand up.
I wholeheartedly agreed with that idea, and after drinking some water and popping gum in my mouth, I checked in with Chloe.
It was only an hour before closing time and the shop was quiet, so she was happy to close up by herself.
Oliver didn’t delay in taking me home. And when I got there, I found all my clothes were already in his wardrobe, and he had cleared out a spare bedroom so I had my own sewing room. Clothing racks lined the walls, and an enormous desk sat in the middle, my sewing machine on top with plenty of space to work.
I went to sleep that night with a smile on my face and Oliver wrapped around me. Maybe this whole living together wasn’t such a terrible idea after all. Even if he didn’t ask me like a normal person.
My lungs were burning, my calf muscles screamed at me to stop moving, and my legs were about to give out. Yet I kept running for all I was worth—which was about $46.98, last time I checked my account. I only had a few feet to go; I had to do this, or my business would be in ruins. Done before I even really got it off the ground.
“Why are you sprinting like your hair is on fire?” Willa asked, standing in the door of my shop, all serene and calm when everything depended on this moment. Didn’t she get how serious this was?
“Must get the dresses shipped,” I struggled to get out.
“That run saved you about half a minute. If that. You parked about six hundred feet away. Probably less.”
“Shut up,” I said, wheezing out another breath. Definitely needed to ease up on the chocolate fudge mug brownies. Whatever evil genius invented something that delicious and easy to cook should be held accountable. I mean, just put it in a cup and cook in the microwave for a minute and it’s done? Really? Could you make it any easier to consume copious amounts of calories under the pretense of baking?
I put a hand to my head to feel if I was overheating. “I think I’m going to pass out.”
“Come on, move your skinny ass inside so we can do the impossible and ship 243 dresses today.”
Willa ignored my choked sob when I heard the number again and instead walked into the shop, not bothering to hold the door open for me. Whatever precious time I’d made up by sprinting, I just lost by bickering with her.
“Some friend you are,” I grumbled and caught the door before it shut completely.