“You’re onlyfinebecause of pure dumb luck, Ollie,” he snaps, his amber eyes flashing. “What you did was incredibly stupid and dangerous. If you were mine, princess, I’d make sure you wouldn’t be able to sit for a week,” he says in a low, dangerous growl that has Ollie’s eyes widening and her breath catching in her throat. “But you’re not, so I’m going to make this very clear; doanythingstupid like that again, and my threat of tying you to Bean will become your reality.”
He gives her a hard look before turning on his heel and storming away.
Ollie blows out a shaky breath as his footsteps fade. “Goddamn, is he intense.”
I turn my attention back to her. “He is, and for good reason.” I close the distance between us and frown down at her. “He’s also right. What you did was incredibly dangerous, even more than when you saved our lives at the bridge.” Without conscious thought, I reach out and trace my thumb across her cheek, just below her cut. “It could have ended far worse than a small cut on your cheek.”
Just the thought of her being injured—or worse,dying—because of her hard-headed bravery is a punch to the gut. While I never want to change who Ollie is as a person, I can’t stomach the idea of her throwing herself into danger like that.
Ollie reaches up and grabs my hand. “But it didn’t. I was careful, even if it was risky, and I’m fine, Theo.” She twines our fingers together and squeezes. “If I hadn’t done what I did, it could have beenfarworse. The horde was coming straight for where Alex and I were, and I figureddrawing them to the Scourge would be better than us being the ones getting chomped on.”
I sigh and shift until I’m standing between her spread legs. “I get that, but Ollie, I’m not sure you understand just how devastated we’d be if something had happened to you. How wreckedI’dbe.” We may have only known each other for a short amount of time, but the feelings I’m developing for her areanythingbut temporary.
Her lips part and her eyes widen. “Theo…”
I stifle a groan. I love the sound of my name on her lips. The need to show her how much I need and want her rises inside me. I don’t fight it; I embrace it. My hand reaches up to grab the back of her head as I dip down and press my lips against hers.
She tastes just as good as I remember as I drink in her breathy moans. Her hand darts up to grab my shoulder, fingernails digging into my flesh as I deepen the kiss. My tongue dips between her lips to slide against her tongue, almost mimicking the way I would fuck her with my cock. I groan at the thought, my hand tightening on the back of her head as my hard dick jerks against the fly of my trousers.
There’s a scuff and a sharp intake of breath behind us. I half wonder if Rhys came back, but that thought flies from my head as quickly as it formed. My entire focus is on the stunning woman in my arms.
Ollie breaks away from the kiss with a gasp, her pink lips swollen and her face flushed. “Theo,” she says, her voice throaty and filled with desire.
I hum as I brush my lips across her cheek to her ear. “Ollie,” I breathe in her ear before kissing down her neck. I can taste the salt of her sweat and smell the floral perfume of her soap. Fuck, I’m addicted to her.
She squirms against me, the heat of her crotch pressing against the bulge of my erection. Pleasure sings in my blood, and I groan against her neck.
“We should stop,” Ollie says, but she doesn’t stop moving against me, and if anything, her hand on my shoulder tightens until I’m sure there are little half-moon indents from her nails in my skin.
“Should we?” I nip her flesh before soothing the sting with my tongue.
She gasps as her hips buck against me and she curses. “We really should.” The words sound like they’re being forced from her lips.
That’s twice she’s said that. I frown and reluctantly pull away from her neck, pausing to admire the red mark I made before focusing on her face. “What’s wrong?”
She bites her lip. “Alex.”
Alex? “Did he say something to you?” I won’t hesitate to punch the idiot if he made Ollie feel bad about her sexuality.
She shakes her head. “Well, no, but I said something to him.”
Ah.“You told him what happened the night before.” When I made her come on my fingers while Rhys—the kinky bastard—watched.
“Yes.”
“So why does this mean we have to stop?” I’m sure I’ve made my stance clear; I’m more than happy to share. Hell, that’s pretty much my dream relationship with this woman.
“Because he still doesn’t want to share. He thinks this is a competition, and at the end, I’ll have to choose. I don’t want to do that, not when it’ll put your friendship in jeopardy. Plus, I don’t want to hurt any of you.”
I’m pretty sure that’s not the only reason she doesn’t want to choose, but I won’t call her out on it. For now. No, my biggest concern is that she still thinks she owes us something just because we’re both interested in her when I’ve repeatedly told her the opposite. Our emotions aren’t her responsibility.
I open my mouth, but she continues before I can speak.
“I know what you’re going to say, and I get it, but I can’t risk it, Theo. Please don’t make me risk it.” She’s practically begging me with her emerald eyes.
Fuuuuck. I want to kick Alex’s stubborn ass. The irony of Ollie considering this too big a risk when she literally ran in front of a bunch of guns isn’t lost on me. Yet another cute, if frustrating, quirk of hers.
Sighing, I step back and run a hand through my hair. “Alright, Ollie. I’ll back off for now.”
