Meeting Heath hadn’t been so bad. Her conscious butted in.
No, Heath had been the only positive, even if he came on strong. If only she had met him at a different point in her life, and not on the run. If she didn’t have to fear for her daughter’s safety, she would give into his temptation. Forget about everything happening for a while. Heath looked like the kind of man who could make her forget her own name. He came pretty close with just a kiss.
“What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours?” Heath chuckled.
“Internal war.” She softly admitted.
“About kissing me I hope.” His eyes turned heated.
If only he knew.
Her body screamed to give in, like Eve with the apple. To give into temptation. It would be so easy to close her eyes and block out the rest of the world for a few seconds, or have Ivy stay the night with Susan, so she could have a crazy night with Heath, but men were why she was where she was. She had to resist. If not for her sake, then for Ivy’s.
That didn’t stop her body from leaning towards his though, or her staring at his plump, kissable lips.
“We shouldn’t.” Was her weak protest.
“We should.” Heath countered, sliding his hand to the back of her head, making her shiver.
His touch was gentle and sweet. She felt like putty in his hands. How many other women have succumbed to his advances so easily? To be fair, she put up a fight for a month, which she was sure was longer than any other woman of his acquaintance.
Heath leaned down closer to her face, and she couldn’t pull away now, even if she wanted to, and she didn’t want, too. She was starved for affection and wanting for Heath. She deserved a little happiness in her life, even if it was only this kiss. Olivia was tired of resisting not just herself but him.
Just as their lips would have touched someone bumped into them almost knocking her over. Olivia looked around to see who bumped into her, but all she saw was a tall person walking away, wearing a black hoodie pulled over their head. They left a faint trace of cigar smoke with them. It was still pretty warm for someone to be wearing a jacket, and even odder, it was pulled over their head.
“Well, that was rude.” Heath murmured. “How about we pick this back up, or better yet, get some dinner and afterwards…” He let his words trail off, so she could fill in the blanks.
Heath’s words were enough to snap her out of the fog, reminding her what Heath’s end goal was. She shouldn’t be getting involved with him or anyone for that matter. She had to think about Ivy. How had she forgotten that for even a second? Because a man paid attention to her and wasn’t abusive. Was that all it took to win her affection anymore? Had she not learned her lesson with Royce? He was nice in the beginning, too.
“I have to go.” Olivia stepped away, but Heath grabbed her arm.
“Not so fast. We were having a good time. Forget that guy. Let’s get out of here. It’s not like you have someone waiting at home for you.”
She did, actually. Not at home, but here at the carnival. “I’m sorry, Heath. I know I was giving you the wrong impression, but there’s nothing between us nor will there ever be.” Olivia wrenched her arm free and stormed off to find Ivy, so they could leave.
It had been nice pretending she had a normal life for a few minutes, but now, it was time to face reality. She was running for her and Ivy’s life. She needed to get them somewhere far away from Royce. He may not have found them yet, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t looking.
Olivia made a point not to stay in a town for more than a few weeks. She had already stayed in Fort Irwin a month. If she stayed much longer, Royce was sure to find them. They had to stay on the move. It was the only way to stay ahead of Royce.
These small towns she didn’t make as much, so it was taking her longer to save up for them to leave. The cash she had stolen from Royce was running low. They didn’t have a choice, but to stay a little longer. Getting involved with a local, even for one night, would just complicate her already complicated life even more.
There would be time for her sex life again, but it just wouldn’t be anytime soon. And it wouldn’t be with someone like Heath, who was only interested in just sex. She didn’t want to risk falling in love, but she wanted more than casual.
She found Ivy standing with Susan next to the water tank. They were both giggling, while throwing balls at the target, trying to dunk the man sitting on the board.
Olivia froze. It was the first time her daughter looked happy in a long time. Years almost. She was so quiet normally. Fort Irwin and Susan were good for her. If she wasn’t afraid Royce would find them, Olivia could see them settling down here.
She watched her daughter silently not wanting to ruin her daughter’s fun, because her personal insecurities, but they had to leave. They couldn’t have personal connections to any town. If God forbid Royce came here and asked about them, her and Ivy would stick out in everyone’s mind.
For Ivy’s sake, they had to keep their distance from everyone, even at the risk of pissing her daughter off. They had been safe the past three months, but if they started getting lax, that’s where they would start to make mistakes.
“Ivy,” Olivia called out, marching up to her.
“Mom?” Ivy whirled around concerned. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine. Everything is fine.” It really wasn’t. Olivia was scared and taking it out on her daughter. She was scared of what she was feeling for Heath. Scared of Royce finding them. She was scared of everything. Her flight instincts were kicking in overtime. “But it’s time to go.” Olivia reached for Ivy, but she dodged her.
“No, I want to stay.”
