“You’re not going to finish me off?”
I hung my head. “Nope.”
“She’s lucky,” Leigh stated, referring to Mia as I washed my hands in the sink beside her.
“I’m the lucky one.” I dried my hands off on my pants and pushed her knees together. “Keep your legs closed and don’t let those boys fuck you.” I had some sort of attachment to this young girl now, had to keep her innocence intact.
“You’re leaving me?”
“Get dressed, Leigh.” I snatched my hoodie off the ground and left her in the bathroom to find Dex.
He was in the kitchen with his bodyguards.
“Well?” he asked with a smirk.
“She’s a virgin.”
He took my hand and brought my fingers to his nose. “Fuck, you actually did it.” I jerked my hand away. “Faint but delish.”
“Don’t fucking touch her.”
“Did you get her off, Oliver? Don’t tell me you left her high and dry here with a house full of horny blokes.”
“I’m leaving. Your cash is already in your car.”
“I’m calling Ghost’s right-hand man and telling him I have a Virgin for sale. His turn around time is a few months or so. Your job is to make sure she stays a virgin until then and not to disappear again. Keep your phone on you.”
What should’ve only taken an hour to get back home had taken me three. I had to make sure no one was following me. This was the only home Mia has known. I wasn’t going to let anyone take that away from her.
I walked into our home, greeted by a fire burning in the fireplace and the living room walls a lovely calming moss green. All the furniture was back in its original state, and my brows lifted as I looked around. We’d been in the house for a little over two weeks now, and Mia set a few framed polaroid pictures from Dolor over the mantle. I walked by, admiring our first picture we’d ever taken in the center, surrounded by a photo of Mia, Zeke, and me, Jake and Mia, and one of just me writing in my journal. The piano was open, and my heart soothed inside my chest, knowing she was finally able to play again since we lost Zeke.
“Mia,” I called out, dropping my keys in the wooden tray over the coffee table. I pulled off my hoodie and peeked in the kitchen before making my way to our bedroom.
The shower was going, and I removed the rest of my clothes, wanting to join her.
“Ollie?” she asked, hearing me from the bedroom through the cracked bathroom door.
Completely naked, I opened the bathroom door all the way and steam slammed into me. “Yeah, love. It’s me.”
“What took you so long?” she asked, and I pulled the curtain back and stepped in. “And what do you think?”
I looked her up and down. Water ran off her lashes and the tip of her nose as soap buds splattered over her ivory skin. Green paint was stuck in her wet hair and smeared against her cheek. “Perfection.” I brushed my nose against hers, not wanting to touch her entirely until I washed this horrid night off me.
She pressed her lips together in a glowing smile. “I’m talking about the paint color.”
“Oh, that?” I asked, squeezing soap over the loofah and quickly washed my body. I shrugged. “Eh.” Mia shoved my shoulder, and I wrapped her into a bear hug. “I’m kidding, love. I love it.”
Mia lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed me under the stream. “Thank you for coming home.”
“Mia,” I laughed, “Why do you say thank you like I did you a favor?”
She lifted her shoulder. “Because you did.”
It had beenover a month since I’d arrived back into the UK, and Ollie and I kept to ourselves, for the most part, making up for the lost time and making the house a home. He had another book signing coming up, and I was beyond excited to sit beside him and watch him with people who read his work.
It was a short walk into Surrey where I would finally meet Travis and Summer. The sun didn’t set until after nine at night during the summers, and the clouds lifted, allowing the sun to shine over us and promising little to no rain. Most of the buildings were either made of brick or cobblestone, outlined with wooden green or white details, and shingled roofs with chimneys poking from the top. White flowers bloomed from the cracks of the storefronts, and I peeked through the windows of the quaint shops to see charming knickknacks, hand-carved details, and hometown feels. I closed my eyes, breathing in the fresh air with a hint of flowers in the rain and gripped Ollie’s hand. “I love it here.”
“This is your home, Mia. You were born here.” His comment immediately made me think of Lynch, and I wondered if he knew I was back or wanted to see me. Ollie paused at the crosswalk, and I glanced up, admiring him and his style. He dressed like he didn’t care, in his hunter green pants, loose white tee, and a fedora.
