Good Lord, just how close was she watching him to notice something like that? The thought was fleeting because I belatedly remembered the boy had entire social media pages dedicated to tracking his every move.
“Sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I could deny with the best of them, even with the girl looking at me like I’d lost my mind. Plus, the truth was, after that little encounter and the way Huck had jostled me, I really might not know Huck Snyder like I thought I did. He was trying to scare me and he almost succeeded.
Huck
My plan to be the great seducer was failing epically because I’d done too good of a job convincing Ollie to stay out of my way. If I walked into a room she was in, she immediately walked out. If I found a reason for our paths to cross either at the house or on campus, she would almost immediately find an excuse to switch gears and go the other way. Not to mention, we were both working and bogged down with schoolwork. Since the beginning of the semester several weeks ago, I would guess I’d seen her less than ten times, and each encounter had lasted less than a few minutes. She was really relying hard on the idea that if she was out of sight, she would be out of mind. However, like I told her when I saved her from the creeper who was hitting on her at the start of the semester, it was like something was buzzing under my skin, and I couldn’t stop the sensation. Even without putting my eyes on her, I knew she was there.
I could feel her. I could smell her. I could hear her. It was as if her presence was seeping into every nook and cranny of the old house. I didn’t have to see her face to know that she was still under my roof, making me more unsettled than I wanted to admit. I would rather have all my teeth plucked out with rusty pliers than fess up to the fact that when I pulled her to my side and touched my lips to her temple the other day, I’d felt the impact of the simple gesture all the way down to my soul. They were familiar gestures that reminded me of a simpler time. But there was a new element there when I touched her, a new awareness of her that made my blood hot and my skin tingle. There was new awareness when I felt how soft her skin was and how silky her hair felt that lingered long after she was gone. All of those new sensations made my dick hard. I would die before I listened to the tiny voice warning me that I was attracted to her because she was my Ollie, not just a cute girl in close proximity. No, I was drawn to her on a much deeper level, and it scared the shit out of me. So, I didn’t exactly mind that we’d been two ships passing in the night the last few weeks.
However, all of that aside, I still wanted her gone and any threats from Sawyer off the table. I didn’t owe Ollie a single thing. But, I owed Harlen and Vernon pretty much everything. I needed to suck it up and charm the pants off of her so I could get her to fall for me, or at the least fall into bed with me. It was my experience that the quickest way to break someone’s heart was to make them think they were special—then show them that they weren’t.
I remembered how much it hurt when Ollie turned on me after the accident. I never thought I was in love with her. We were just kids, after all, and our lives were already beyond messed up, but I was crushed when she picked Sawyer over me. It didn’t matter to me that she felt responsible and guilty for the fact my half brother could no longer walk. All I could focus on was that she told the authorities I was responsible, and it made me feel like I was suddenly her second choice when I’d always come first. I intended to get rid of her for my own peace of mind, but I would be lying if I didn’t acknowledge there was a pretty big piece of me that wanted her to hurt in the exact same way that she’d hurt me.
When she agreed that I caused the accident on purpose, that I tried to hurt her when all I’d ever done was protect her, it crushed me and made me question everything I thought I knew. That uncertainty followed me for a long time and forced me to keep nearly everyone I encountered at bay. I didn’t let anyone get close enough to hurt me like that, so I was very much alone for most of my life. It wasn’t until the boys came along and I realized they needed someone as much as I did that I finally lowered my guard enough to let them in.
After I got home from a shift that felt like it would never end, I was getting ready for bed when I heard the stairs from the attic creak and groan. Whenever we ran a special at the bar where ladies drank for free, it was a madhouse. If they weren’t shifts that were guaranteed to make such good money, I would’ve asked for the night off. It was well past midnight and the skies were clear, so there wasn’t a reason for Ollie to be creeping around the house so late. But whatever her reason was, it gave me a good opportunity to bump into her and finally start to throw some of my well-practiced game her way. It was rare for a woman to turn me down when I put my mind to getting to know her, and Ollie was already predisposed to appreciate some of my finer qualities. She already knew the kind of guy I was deep down inside, even if I kept telling her how much I’d changed. She was the opposite of most girls. I needed her to fall for what I had to offer on the outside now that I was no longer a clumsy, chubby kid. I needed her to be superficial and shallow, like most of the girls I picked up at the bar for a one-night stand.
I stripped off my shirt, kicked off my shoes, tugged the waistband of my jeans down so that they were hanging precariously low on my hips, and dragged my hands through my hair so it was an attractive mess. I looked like I had just crawled out of someone’s bed after a round of very rowdy sex, which was exactly what I was going for.
Let’s see if Ollie could blatantly walk away from me now.
When I entered the kitchen, where I followed the faint sounds Ollie was making, the only light in the room came from the open fridge. Ollie’s curly blonde head was bent inside as she rummaged through one of the drawers. I’d yet to see her eat a meal at the house, and I hadn’t seen her bring groceries in, but that didn’t mean much since I really hadn’t seen her at all in several days. And if I knew Vernon, there was no way the kid would let our new housemate starve. I could almost bet on the fact he asked Ollie what she liked and stocked up when he went to the store. He was a good kid with a soft heart, and he knew all too well what it was like to go hungry. He would never let that happen to someone else on his watch. Especially someone he was fond of. Despite all my warnings, there was no missing that our youngest really liked the unwelcome blast from my past.
Since I was barefoot, I barely made a sound as I moved behind her. When she turned around, she had an apple in her mouth and a bottle of water in her hand. With the faint hint of light behind her, and her wild and unruly hair practically glowing, she reminded me of an old Renaissance painting.
She made a strangled sound when her eyes landed on me, but her teeth were locked on the piece of fruit, so the noise was muffled. I lifted an eyebrow at her and reached past her shoulder to shut the fridge, which brought our bodies very close together.
“What are you doing up so late?” I’d told myself to keep my tone friendly and flirty, but it still came out slightly accusatory.
She crunched down on the apple, chewing slowly, and narrowed her eyes at me in the darkness. It seemed like it took forever for her to swallow so she could answer. “I have a quiz tomorrow. I wanted to study before bed but lost track of time. I didn’t even realize how late it was until I heard you come home. I’m headed to bed now. I’ll get out of your way.”