Ever After (Love to the Rescue Book 3) (18 page)

“I don’t believe this breaks any laws.” She lifted his shirt over his head. Her hair tickled his chest as she bent over him, kissing her way from his throat to the waistband of his shorts.

He hissed out a breath.

She pressed a light kiss against his zipper, then lay beside him, her body pressed firmly against his, her brown eyes as alive as the forest behind her. And dear God, he’d never seen anything more beautiful.

He ran a hand through her hair, cupping her cheek. “You are so amazing, so beautiful.” So much more than he could ever put into words.

They lay together on her blanket, kissing, touching, teasing, for as long as either of them could bear.

“Sex in a tent is another fantasy of mine,” she whispered against his neck. “I think it could rival sex here beneath the pines.”

“I promise it will be even better.”

She sat up and tugged him with her as she crawled inside the tent. He followed, too weak at the knees to stand if he’d tried.

He zipped the entrance closed behind them, and they fell on each other in a wild scramble to get naked. He tugged on her shirt while she fumbled with his pants until they were panting and giggling like a couple of teenagers in the backseat of a car.

“Olivia,” he pressed her against him, body to body, skin to skin.

“Pete.” She gripped his cock, and he thrust into her hand.

He pulled her down on top of him in a frantic tangle, groping hands and the friction of hot skin. He slid a hand between her legs, feeling her heat, loving that he had this effect on her.

He couldn’t give her two point five kids and a ranch in the country, but he could show his feelings the only way he knew how. He thrust two fingers inside her, and she cried out.

His own need was overpowering, but first, he wanted to see her come. He bent his head and kissed her, devouring her with his mouth while his fingers stroked, slow and steady.

“Please—” she whispered. A shiver rippled through her body, and his balls tightened.
Goddamn.
“Now, Pete.”

“Right now’s all about you, babe. Take your time.”

Her hips bucked against his hand, and a needy whimper escaped her lips. He slid his free hand beneath her, drawing her closer so that he felt each movement of her body on his, letting it fuel the need already pulsing hot and heavy in his dick.

Olivia squeezed her eyes shut, gripping him with trembling legs as she panted his name. “I can’t—”

“Go ahead, baby. Let go.” He circled his thumb over her clit, and she screamed as she came, writhing against him, eyes closed and so beautiful.

So fucking beautiful.

“Wow.” She went limp in his arms, glowing with pleasure.

He gave her a moment to catch her breath, then he drew her closer, his cock straining against her belly. “I need to be inside you. Now.”

She reached behind them and handed him a foil packet. Hands shaking slightly, he sheathed himself in the condom. Olivia kissed him, then rolled him to his back and sank onto him with a soft moan. A desperate breath hissed from his lungs.

She surrounded him, hot and wet, gripping him and taking him right out of his mind as she began to move. He gripped her ass and gritted his teeth as she rocked, each movement of her hips taking him deeper. She gyrated in his lap with a needy gasp, and his control snapped. He flipped her beneath him, thrusting hard and fast inside her until she screamed again.

“Oh, my God, Pete!” Her body clenched around his, and he was lost. The orgasm took him hard until his whole body shuddered, and he collapsed against the sleeping bag in a boneless heap.

“Fuck.” He flung an arm around her and pulled her against his chest.

“I seem to have that effect on you.”

Yeah, she did. She’d taken him right outside himself, and he was awfully afraid his world would never be right again without her.

Fuck.
He was so screwed.

O
livia lay on her back on the blue and yellow checked blanket she’d had since college, her fingers entwined with Pete’s, staring up at the majestic pines overhead. Everything about the moment was perfect. Her nostrils filled with the scent of fresh pine. The wind rushed through the trees with a steady whisper, while in the distance a hawk called.

Peace. If she could take a picture to illustrate the word, this was it.

She looked over at Pete. He lay with his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm. He was a part of her peace. He calmed the part of her that had been restless and reckless.

She’d fallen in love with him. And for however long they lay together on this blanket, she was going to revel in it. For these moments were separated from the real world, and she could enjoy the rush, the thrill, the
joy
of loving him.

She rolled onto her side and pressed her face against his neck. No cinnamon smell today. Nor had she seen him bake, but then again he hadn’t seemed to have any trouble sleeping either. His arm came around her, drawing her even closer.

“Did you have a nice nap?” she asked.

“Mm hmm. I sleep a lot around you.” His voice rumbled up through her.

She thought of how tired he’d looked when they met. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”

“Maybe. What time is it?”

She looked down at her watch. “Just past two.”

After their romp in the tent, they’d dressed and come outside to eat the picnic she’d packed: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, and chips. Neither of them kept their pantries particularly well stocked so it was the best she’d been able to come up with on the spur of the moment. After eating, they’d stretched out to enjoy the view.

“That means we have time for this—” He tugged her on top of him. “Before we head back.”

She bent her head and kissed him. “You are insatiable.”

“I always wake up hungry.”

They crawled back inside the tent and made love to the rhythms of the forest around them. It was magic. No matter where things went from here, this was a memory she would keep and cherish.

She hoped he would too.

It was pushing four o’clock by the time they made it back to his car. They were both in pretty serious need of a shower but decided to stop at the vet to check on Timber first.

It was a harsh reality check after their magical afternoon.

One of the vet techs took them back. Olivia knelt in front of Timber’s crate, and the dog looked up at her, letting out a high-pitched whine. Pete crouched beside her, and Timber’s tail wagged harder, whacking against the metal bars of his crate. The IV was gone now although the feeding tube remained, barely visible behind a fold of vet wrap stretched around Timber’s abdomen.

“He’s probably ready for a walk if you guys want to take him out for a few minutes,” the tech said.

“You bet,” Pete answered.

He clipped a leash on his dog, and they walked outside together. Timber raised his leg on a sign, then walked about aimlessly for a minute and whined.

“Your throat hurts, huh?” She crouched next to him. Timber thrust his head into her lap and whined some more.

They spent about ten minutes outside with Timber then brought him back inside and said good night. Hopefully they’d be bringing him home in the next day or two. And then what? How long was she going to play house with Pete?

Pete walked upstairs. Hallie sat in the middle of his bed, staring at him like a queen from her throne. “Don’t get too comfortable,” he told her. “You’re not staying.”

She pounced, grabbed his sneakers, and held on, biting and kicking. Kind of like the woman downstairs. She’d leaped right into his life and gotten all tangled up. She couldn’t stay either. But damned if he wanted her to go.

Olivia came into the bedroom behind him. They showered, then sat at the kitchen table together and ate some kind of Asian noodle dish she’d ordered from Mikoto’s. It was nothing he would have ever chosen for himself, but not half bad.

After they’d eaten, they watched TV together for a little while. Then Olivia turned to him. “I want you to show me how to bake.”

“Excuse me?” He’d come to expect the unexpected where she was concerned, but even so, this caught him off guard.

She leaned closer. “You don’t smell like cinnamon anymore. I miss it.”

He pulled back. He’d never baked with a woman he was dating, not with anyone since he was a kid helping his grandma in the kitchen. Baking muffins and cookies with her was one of his few truly happy childhood memories. She’d died when he was twelve, but he’d never forgotten the time they spent together, the way she’d helped him escape the pain at home. And so when he couldn’t sleep, when his mind buzzed with things he’d rather not think about, he baked.

Olivia was looking at him now, brow wrinkled, those warm eyes focused on his. Something told him she knew exactly what she was asking for. She understood things about him he didn’t even fully understand himself. And she wanted to do this. She wanted to bake with him.

“Okay,” he said.

She smiled, a simple smile that did funny things to his chest so that it was hard to draw breath. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips, then took his hand and led him into the kitchen.

“So what do you want to make?” she asked. “What’s your specialty?”

“I bake a lot of muffins.”

She slapped his arm. “And you made fun of me for eating a muffin just this morning.”

“I don’t eat them.” He wanted to take the words back as soon as they’d left his mouth.

Her eyes widened. “Why not?”

He shrugged. “I don’t really care for them. It’s just something I do when I can’t sleep.”

“So what do you do, throw them all away?”

“I give them to the women’s shelter.”

“Oh.” Her brain was spinning so fast on that tidbit he could practically hear it. “So what kind of baked good do you like to eat?”

“Well I do like chocolate chip cookies.”

“Then let’s make those.”

“I don’t have chocolate chips.”

She propped her hands on her hips. “And why not? When’s the last time you baked chocolate chip cookies?”

He squeezed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. A couple of years?”

She looked like she had plenty to say about
that
, things he probably—definitely—didn’t want to hear, but instead she said, “Then let’s go down the street to Walgreens and get some.”

So they did. They bought chocolate chips, and they baked cookies together in his kitchen. And it was one of the most intimate experiences he’d ever had with a woman.

And he probably—definitely—didn’t want to think too hard about
that
.

Olivia watched him dress for work from the safe haven of his bed. For once, she hadn’t dragged him out to MacArthur Park to watch the sunrise. They’d both slept until his alarm had gone off, and truth be told, she was in no great hurry this morning.

So she lay there, watching as he layered up in all his protective gear, the vest, the crisp uniform, the belt. His gun. And she still didn’t like that part. But she respected what he did, respected pretty much everything about him.

“Here.” He held out a silver house key. “I should be home around four.”

“Thank you.” She took it, wishing it meant more than it did.

“See you later.” He bent to give her a kiss, and then he was gone.

She lay in his bed, and since she had no job of her own to get to, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. When she woke, Hallie was tangled in her hair, scurrying around like a frantic little mouse.

“You’re a freak, you know that?” She disentangled the kitten and set her on her chest. Hallie pressed her forehead against Olivia’s chin and purred. “A lovable freak, though.”

She put Hallie on the bed and went into the bathroom. She showered and dressed in a purple sweater and jeans, feeling somewhat out of sorts here in Pete’s house without him. It was Sunday, which limited her options as far as job hunting.

Tomorrow she’d go to the courthouse to pick up the paperwork for her community service. Now was as good a time as any to get started fulfilling her community service hours while she was between jobs.

She was tempted to text Pete and tell him she’d eaten chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, but stopped herself when she remembered what he’d said about his work phone being public. His personal phone lay forgotten on the nightstand. And anyway, it felt a little too familiar, when she and Pete were…well, she wasn’t sure what she and Pete were.

But they sure as hell weren’t a couple living together, no matter how it felt right now. He was just being overprotective after what had happened at her house, but once the culprit was caught, he’d expect her to go.

Which left her with a limited window of time to break through his barriers. She wanted more than just a fling with Pete Sampson. Yeah, she’d agreed to a casual relationship, but surely even he knew that ship had sailed. They’d shared things that went far past casual, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

She wasn’t giving up without a fight, and she was damned good at fighting for what she wanted.

Pete walked out of the station at four fifteen. He couldn’t wait to get home to Olivia. He’d been thinking about her all day, imagining her lying in his bed or baking in his kitchen. For tonight at least, she was his, and he intended to take full advantage of that fact. He was pulling into the driveway when his cell phone rang.

“Hi, Maggie,” he answered.

“Hi,” his sister said. “I was just calling to remind you about dinner at mom’s tonight.”

“Tonight? But it’s Sunday.”

“I know, that’s why I called to remind you. We didn’t do dinner this Thursday because I had a work thing, remember?”

Well now he did, but shit, they were going to have a field day with him if he brought Olivia to family dinner. “Rain check?”

“Are you still at work?”

“Just got home.”

“Well, Mom went to church with Mr. Barnes this morning. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to hear how that went.”

“Really?” He stepped out of his cruiser and clicked the locks.

“Yep. So I’ll see you at six?”

“I, ah, may bring someone with me.” He held the phone away from his ear and cringed.

“Someone, as in, a girl?” Maggie’s voice rose.

“Yes a girl, but don’t get too excited. She’s just staying with me while she gets some things sorted out.”

Maggie squealed. “But you are sleeping with her?”

He cringed again. “Jesus, Maggie.”

“I’ll take that as a yes. Tonight’s dinner is going to be epic. What’s her name?”

“Olivia.” And she was probably going to hate him when he told her what he’d just gotten her into.

“Well, I can’t wait to meet Miss Olivia. See you at six.”

Pete shoved the phone into his pocket and opened his front door. He followed the sound of cabinets closing and found Olivia in the kitchen, putting away groceries. Bailey lay on a dog bed in the corner, asleep.

“You didn’t have to grocery shop,” he said.

She turned with a smile so warm, so bright, that he lost his breath. “Well, I had a lot of free time on my hands today so I stocked up on some essentials. I was thinking about making a stir fry tonight.”

“My sister just called to remind me I’m supposed to have dinner with her at my mom’s tonight.”

Olivia’s brow wrinkled. “Oh.”

“Want to come with me?” he asked.

Her face brightened. “I’d love to.”

He was never going to live this down, not with any of the women involved. He was so screwed. Bailey scampered over to say hello, tail wiggling, and he bent to pet her.

“I sat with Timber for a while today. Dr. Johnson thinks he’ll be ready to come home tomorrow,” Olivia said.

A knot in his chest loosened. “That’s good. Real good.”

She clipped a leash on Bailey and walked to the back door. “Hang on. I’m trying to walk her more regularly to keep her from peeing in your kitchen.”

“I appreciate that.” He went upstairs to change, only to be reminded of the rabid kitten that now inhabited his bedroom. His house had been taken over by Olivia and her critters. When he came back downstairs, she was sitting at the kitchen table, typing something on her laptop.

“I’m organizing a protest,” she said.

“What?” He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.

“We’re going to protest outside Town Hall on Friday. And before you ask, I’ve been planning it since before what happened to Timber. That undercover video was swept under the rug. Halverson Foods is getting away with abuse, and now they’re trying to scare me into backing off. Well, it won’t work.”

“Liv—” But he couldn’t say it. He couldn’t tell her the sheriff would have a fit when he heard about this, even more so if he knew Olivia was staying with him.

“This has gone on long enough. I’m ready to end it. The abuse has to stop.” She stood and closed the laptop. “But I know you don’t approve, so I’ll work on it later. What should I wear to dinner? And what do we need to bring?”

He looked down at her purple sweater and jeans. “You’re fine, and we don’t need to bring anything. My mom loves to cook.”

“And
my
mom taught me you never go to someone’s house for dinner empty handed. We still have about a dozen of those cookies left. Will that do?”

Another thing he’d never live down, once his mom and sister realized he’d baked with Olivia. “Yeah, that’ll do.”

“Okay.” She started rummaging through his cabinets then, coming up with a large white plate, which she started arranging cookies on.

“I have to say, I didn’t expect this domestic side of you.”

She gave him a smile over her shoulder. “I’m full of surprises.”

And wasn’t that the damn truth. An hour later, he stepped through his mother’s front door with Olivia at his side.

“You must be Olivia.” His mom came and took Olivia’s hands in hers. “I’m Elizabeth, Pete’s mom.”

“Elizabeth, it’s so nice to meet you.” Olivia gave her a genuine smile, reminding Pete that she was a chameleon of many colors. She was just as at ease here in his childhood home as she was with her animal rights group, raising hell against Halverson Foods.