Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 15515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 78(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 78(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
I can’t remember the last time someone hugged me, maybe Mom, but my arms go around Olivia’s small frame, and I pull her to me.
It’s five seconds tops, but I don’t wanna let go. I want to keep holding her, and I do … until Alice clears her throat. “We’re not sure if you like seafood, so we also have some pasta and stir-fried chicken. Not as fancy as you’re probably used to, but my Olivia is a fantastic cook. Come on, sit beside me.”
Their dining table is only good for four people, and the chair wobbles when I sit. Alice is beside me, Olivia across, and Sammy to her right. The dishes are simple—mixed seafood, baked scallops, fish tacos, stir-fried chicken, and spaghetti and meatballs.
It’s the best meal of my life. I clean my plate and go back for seconds.
I’m not even a seafood person, but everything tastes exceptional. So much better than all the restaurants I’ve been to.
“This is really good,” I say between mouthfuls of fish tacos.
“I told you you should open those really hip bars where they serve amazing foods.” Sammy nudges Olivia.
“Okay, first of all, who taught you about hip and bars?”
“Alaia. She said those in the Maldives are really awesome. I wanna go someday.”
“Someday? You mean when you’re twenty-one, right?”
Sammy rolls her eyes. “Alaia said they just dance in bars, and it’s fun.”
Olivia puts down her fork and props her elbows on the table, twisting to gaze at Sammy, who’s busy taking out the meatballs. “They don’t just dance in bars. It can be risky.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s bad people everywhere.”
“I have Oliver to protect me.” I almost choke on the food, but I can’t deny how good it feels that Sammy believes I’ll keep her safe because I absolutely will. “And I like dancing.”
“You can dance here with me.”
Sammy rears back and wrinkles her nose. “No. You suck at dancing.” She turns to me and points to Olivia. “She sucks at dancing. She once tried that samba thing and tripped on her own feet. She had to get stitches on her forehead.”
Olivia huffs out a breath. “Oh, are we sharing embarrassing moments now? Because I have loads in my arsenal.” She also turns to me. “When she was two, Dad bought her a Barbie. She—”
Olivia doesn’t get to finish because Sammy jumps from her seat and slams her palm over Olivia’s mouth. Olivia’s laughter is muffled, and she retaliates by tickling Sammy’s underarms.
Meanwhile, Alice keeps eating, totally unfazed by the chaos unfolding before her. She must have noticed me watching her because she elbows me and says, “They have at least fifteen years between them, but I might as well have two teenagers under this roof.”
“Is it always like this? This happy?”
“No. Like every family, we have fights and disagreements. But at the end of the day, we love each other. Isn’t that what matters most in life? Sharing moments with people you love?”
I’m still thinking about that an hour later as Olivia and I settle side by side on the couch. Sammy and Alice are both in front, lounging on the recliner. This is apparently a family tradition. Ending dinner not just with dessert but watching a movie together.
I don’t know what we’re watching, but the main characters are a fox and a rabbit—not something I would ever watch by myself. It’s Sammy’s turn to choose, and it’s either this or the movie with weird, tiny yellow creatures.
Even with the windows closed, the air is chilly inside, so we all have blankets draped over us. Olivia and I share one, but I honestly don’t need it. My body burns just by sitting close to her.
I have jerked off to her multiple times in the past three days. Just thinking about that kiss has my cock roaring to attention, ready to spill my seed.
Olivia sits cross-legged and her knee nudges my thigh. That’s when my self-control begins fraying thread by fucking thread. Her touch burns through the several layers of clothing between us, and I’m absolutely fine bursting into flames.
Usually on Fridays, I stay late in the office, grab dinner from the Italian restaurant across the street, and spend two more hours on the rooftop going over contracts before hitting the sack.
Not today.
On this particular Friday night, I’m watching cartoons and sporting a boner all because my body lights up at Olivia's simplest touch. Thank God for the blanket.
Thirty minutes into the movie, I can no longer pretend to be paying attention. Olivia’s wearing a simple white sundress, so I rest a hand on her bare thigh, convincing myself that this is enough.
I watch for her reaction, the soft glow from the TV screen illuminating her gorgeous profile. If not for the rapid rise and fall of her chest and her eyes at half-mast, I would have thought my touch didn’t affect her.