Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
So caught up in my perusal of her, I’m unprepared when she’s suddenly in front of me, leaning in to give me a hug. “Hey, Bax, it’s been a long time.”
The scent of whatever fucking perfume she’s wearing grips me by the balls when her arms wrap around me. It’s feminine and soft—the same as her features and her body pressed against mine.
“I…” I clear my throat when she lets me go, and her smile widens as she tips her head to the side, causing her dark hair to spill over her shoulder.
“Don’t tell me you forgot about me.”
I want to say I would never forget her, but I obviously have.
“Hey.” Liam appears out of nowhere, slinging his arm over her shoulders, and my hand involuntarily balls into a fist on top of my bent knee. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“It was a last-minute decision.” She smiles up at him, patting his stomach. “I got the job, so I came to celebrate with Kourtney.”
“Yeah?” He grins.
“Yep, I start Monday.”
“Congrats, kid.” He gives her a squeeze, and I look between the two of them, the puzzle pieces clicking into place. A few weeks ago, he mentioned that his sister was in town visiting, but he hasn’t mentioned her since then, and I didn’t think about it because I’ve never seen her when she came back home to visit.
Shit.
There is no fucking way this woman is Olivia. Liam’s little sister, who used to follow us around, and when she wasn’t doing that, her nose was stuck in a book.
“Oli?” I mutter, and her gaze comes back to me.
“Yeah.” Her face softens like it did earlier, and it ramps up her beauty tenfold.
Clearing my throat, I shake my head. “It’s been a long time.” Fuck, this feels awkward. I haven’t seen her for years, and before that… well, before that, she was just Liam’s little sister. She sure as fuck didn’t look like the woman standing in front of me now.
“I know.” Her smile is soft.
“How have you been?” I ask as Liam takes a seat on the stool next to mine.
“Just trying to settle in and get used to small-town life again.”
“You’re in Chicago, right?”
“I was.” She drags her eyes off mine when Kourtney walks up and touches her shoulder.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Kourtney says quietly. “I just got a message from my agency, and I need to step outside to call them back.”
“Oh.” Olivia looks back at the table where they were sitting. “I’m done with my drink, so I’ll just grab my stuff and meet you outside.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying.” Kourtney glances at me, then Liam, and I notice her cheeks tinge with pink.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I want to see the space so I can work on moving in this weekend.”
“All right, I’ll meet you outside.” Kourtney looks between Liam and me, saying goodbye before she turns on her heels to leave.
“What’s going on?” Liam asks Oli as soon as Kourtney is out of earshot.
“She has a room she says I can rent from her, so I’m going to go check it out.”
“And you’re going to move in with her?” Liam questions with a frown.
“Hopefully. It would be nice to be settled in before I start work Monday.”
“Are you sure you wanna do that?” His frown deepens. “I know you two were friends growing up, but you haven’t really spent much time with her since you moved away.”
“She stayed with me for a month when she was working in Chicago over the summer, so I have, in fact, spent time with her. Plus since she travels as a nurse, she’s hardly home.” She returns her brother’s frown with one of her own. “I thought you’d be happy to have me out of your hair.”
“I don’t mind you staying with me.”
Her face and her tone both soften. “There’s barely room for you at your place.”
She’s not wrong. About five months ago, he bought a couple of acres and has been living in an RV on the land while his house is being built. And even though his RV is nice, it’s small, even for one person. So, I can only imagine how tight it would be for the two of them and his dog, Lucy.
“Kid—”
“It’s fine, and it’s only temporary. I don’t want to rent an apartment until I know for sure where I want to live.”
“Fine.” He sighs, and she shakes her head before giving him a hug.
“I’ll be home later.”
“Drive safe.”
“Yes, Dad.” She laughs, then looks at me and starts to lean in like she’s going to give me a hug, but second-guesses the move and shifts on her feet. “It was nice seeing you, Bax.”
“Yeah, you too,” I mutter.
After shooting me a bright smile, she knocks Liam in the shoulder with her fist, then turns and wanders back across the room to get her bag and jacket. All while I try—really fucking try—not to check out her ass as she goes. It’s difficult, even after I remind myself that she’s Liam’s little sister.