Pretty Little Dreams (14 page)

“What is it?”

Her eyes meet mine. “What?”

“I can tell you want to say something to me, but you hesitated.”

“You’re right. And can I just say for the record that I love the fact that you know me that well?”

I smile, “Well, of course I do.”

She returns my smile, but it falls quickly, “Look, Livvie, I need to say something and it isn’t easy because I know you don’t want to talk about what happened.”

My smile falls at her words and I feel my body stiffen.
“But?”

“But I wouldn’t be your best friend if I didn’t tell you that while I understand that you can’t talk to me right now, you still need to talk to someone.
And I don’t mean Luke, although you should talk to him too. I mean a professional.” She stops and takes a big breath, it’s almost as if she’s trying to get it out as fast as possible before she loses her nerve, “Livvie, I can’t even begin to imagine what you are going through. I know that my encounter with Deacon, while terrifying, was not anywhere close to what you experienced, and even I have decided talk to a therapist about it. Please, please, please talk to someone too, Livvie. Please.”

Tears fill my eyes at her words but I’m too choked up to speak.

“You are one of the strongest women I know, but even you can’t get through this alone. Just think about it, okay?”

I manage a nod, and swipe at the tears falling down my cheeks.
“Thanks for loving and caring about me, Pyper. I’m lucky to have you.”

“Yes you are!”

“It’s true.”
We both sniff and I decide a change of conversation is in order again. So, I say what I know both of us are thinking, “So, it looks like Martha Stewart threw up on my leg.”

She looks at me and I stand up, albeit awkwardly, and flash my newly bedazzled leg cast in the light.
We look at it, then at each other, and laugh uncontrollably. The laughter makes me feel good; normal. This is what I need.

14.

LAUGHTER AND LUST

Luke

W
hen I return
to Olivia’s condo, I’m immediately met with the sound of laughter. I stop in my tracks for a moment and listen to the beautiful sound. The sound of Olivia’s laughter is one of the best things I’ve heard in a long time. God, it feels like forever since I’ve heard her laugh like that. I feel a small twinge of jealousy that I can’t claim it as my doing. And maybe a bit of guilt that perhaps she had been right about what she needed.

I follow the sound and find Olivia seated on the couch with a blanket thrown over her lap.
Pyper sits at her feet with her back against the coffee table, facing her. The TV is on and there are two dudes on the screen arguing over something, but Olivia and Pyper aren’t even paying attention to anything around them. Two wine bottles are on the coffee table, and they each have a glass of wine in their hands.

I stand quietly, unnoticed around the corner.
My girl looks so beautiful. She’s got her hair piled high in a bun, and a few strands have fallen around her cheeks and I swear they are glistening a little in the light, making me want to touch them. She’s got a huge smile on her face while she listens to whatever Pyper is going on about, her cheeks are flushed from the alcohol, and her eyes are sparkling. Her body appears relaxed for the first time in days, her shoulders aren’t tense and she’s hunched a bit in comfort instead of ramrod straight. The haunted look that’s been a constant in her eyes has disappeared – at least for the time being. She looks carefree and happy, and while sure, it may be that the alcohol is influencing her reaction; hell, I’ll still take it.

I walk around and approach slowly because I’ve noticed that lately, any sudden motion makes her jump.
She may try to cover it up when it happens, but I notice. I notice everything about her. When she sees me, her face lights up, I feel my heart skip a beat and my breath hitch in response, “Well hello there, handsome.”

I try and smooth my features so I don’t look like a love sick, pussy-whipped, sixteen-year-old, but I’m not sure I succeed when I see her smile widen, “Hi angel, looks like you are having a nice time this evening.”

“We are. Why don’t you join us?”

“Don’t mind if I do, but first I’m going to grab one of those,” I point at her glass.
I go into the kitchen to grab a glass and then pour the last of the wine from one of their bottles for myself.

While I’m pouring, Pyper who didn’t bother saying hello, other than giving me a smirk, asks Olivia, “Hey, remember the time we went a whole week without talking to each other?”

Olivia snorts, “Of course.
How could I forget? I was so pissed at you, you bitch. You totally stole my crush, Adam.” She points her finger at Pyper in emphasis and Pyper laughs.

I choke on my wine, “Adam?” I ask Olivia as I sit beside her on the couch.
She places her hand on my thigh and it makes me twitch below the belt. My skin immediately feels hot under her palm and I can’t help but wish she would move her hand higher. Stupid, traitor body can’t control itself around her at all. I look from her hand to her eyes and see she’s already looking at me. I raise my eyebrow at her and give her a smirk, admittedly because she finds both actions sexy, and the flush on her face deepens. Because I am sure that I am the cause, I can’t help but lean in and give her an all too brief kiss on the lips. I taste the wine on her lips and she smells damn near edible. Her lips press against mine in return, and if Pyper wasn’t here, I would push her down on the couch and take more right fucking now.

“So ANYWAY,” Pyper interrupts rudely and I roll my eyes – it’s a good thing I really like her. I growl a little under my breath making Olivia giggle, “Yes, you were mad at me because I talked to Adam.”
Pyper giggles.

Olivia chokes on the wine she was sipping and coughs a couple times, “Talk?
Oh please.” She turns to me, “I was looking for Pyper after school. I walked past the staircase, by the library, and happened to see red out of the corner of my eye. I turn towards the stairs and see that red-headed slut,” She points at Pyper accusingly, “Lip locked with Adam in the alcove!”

“Who’s Adam?” I ask again after getting ignored the first time.

“Adam Caruso,” Olivia answers.

“Adam Caruso?
The douchenozzle track star that walked around high school like he was God’s gift?”

“That’s the one,” Pyper replies.

“She did you a favor if you ask me.” I reply, not at all because I’m jealous. Not even a little.

“I had a crazy crush on him.” Olivia swoons.

“Oh really?” I ask at the same time feeling the green eyed monster rear its ugly head and claw at my chest. I don’t like thinking about my girl crushing on anyone else. At all. Even if it was years ago.

“Oh don’t worry, lover boy, she was much crazier over you.”

I can’t help it. That makes me grin; huge. Damn straight she liked me more. I feel like I should do a victory dance or pound my chest or something. Oh man, I’m so whipped. Olivia laughs and I can’t help but smile automatically in response at the sound. It’s a sound that until tonight, I didn’t realize I missed so desperately. Sure, she’s laughed since she’s been back, but the forced sound is absent this time.

“So, why would you be in the alcove with Olivia’s crush?
Not that I mind the fact that it was you instead of Olivia, but that doesn’t seem like you to hurt Olivia like that.”

“We were just talking, it wasn’t a big deal-”

“Talking with her TONGUE,” Olivia scoffs.

“You didn’t let me finish!
I was going to say ‘at first’. Look, I don’t really know how it escalated to kissing, one minute he wanted to ask me a question about our home economics class, and-“

“A question about home ec?”
I laugh totally interrupting her and not caring when she sighs in annoyance. This is too good. “What the hell kind of question could someone have about home ec?”

“Yes, very good point, Luke.
She never did tell me what happened. We eventually just gave in and started laughing after we bonded over a horrible outfit our nemesis, Kim Anderson, wore to school one day. I just let it go and moved on to my crush on you,” Olivia says squeezing my thigh, making me twitch yet again. She needs to stop doing that or I won’t care that Pyper is in the room.

“So now is as good a time as any to fess up then, huh Pyper?”
I tease, “I bet I have a good idea what he said to you. Was it something along the lines of, “Hey babe, can I double stuff your oreo?’ Olivia bursts into laughter which of course is gasoline to my fire. “Or was it more like, ‘Can I slap my meat on your grill?’”

Olivia starts giggling out of control, “Oh my gosh… Luke…. I can’t… I can’t… breathe,” I smile at her and laugh too.
She’s bent over at the waist and when she catches sight of Pyper, she places her hand over her mouth to try and stifle her giggles, to no avail. Her actions prompt me to look over at Pyper and I’m met with a death glare. Her arms are crossed over her chest and she’s fighting a losing battle trying to keep a straight face. Her lips keep twitching at the corners, but then she straightens them again into a hard line.

Not one to be outdone, Olivia chimes in, “Was that what it was, Pyper?
You just couldn’t help yourself after that and the next thing you know you were sucking face?”

Pyper loses her battle and they both explode into a fit of giggles, most of it likely spurned on from the alcohol running through their veins.

“Good one, angel.”

“Thanks, babe.” I stare at her and then look at her mouth. I love her lips, her smile. Suddenly the air starts to feel thicker and all I can think about is how I want to take that mouth of hers. My clothes feel itchy and too tight, especially between my legs. I look back at her face and see her eyes are staring at my mouth now, and her laughter fades away. I smirk and it makes her look back at my face, and into my eyes. Her eyes reveal how much she wants me, and I know she sees my need reverberating back at her because her cheeks flush in knowledge. I want to rip her clothes off and have my way with her - on this couch, against the wall, on the floor, on the damn coffee table - I don’t care. I just want her. I start to move my mouth towards hers like there’s a magnet pulling us together.

That is… until we’re rudely interrupted.
Again.

“Ahem, excuse me.
The third wheel redhead is still sitting in the room you two.”

I curse under my breath and Olivia laughs.
“Well then, I think it’s time we leave the room. What do you say, angel? Ready for bed?”

She nods before she even realizes she’s doing it, once again looking at my face, knowing going to bed doesn’t mean sleep.
Her gaze travels down and I swear each spot her eyes touch on their journey, makes my body tingle in reaction. When she reaches my lap, her eyes widen a little and she says, “I could go to bed now. Suddenly I’m really…. tired.”

“Yeah, I’ll just bet you are.”
Pyper teases.

Olivia glances at Pyper in embarrassment and starts edging to the front of the couch cushion so it will make standing up easier.
I jump up and grab her crutches from against the wall, and turn back to her, stopping dead in my tracks.

“Babe…what the hell is that?”

“What?”

“That,” I say pointing.
Pyper is already laughing and I think even rolling around from it on the floor a bit, but I ignore her.

Olivia looks down to where I’m pointing and when she realizes it’s her leg I’m talking about, she stares at it for a minute too as if she’s seeing it for the first time as well.
“Pyper had a surprise for me. It’s called ‘cast bedazzling.’
Do you like it?”

“Umm,” she starts twisting her leg back and forth and light prisms dance off the walls.
How do I tell her it looks like a whole craft store is glued to her leg?

“Oh you know you love it!
You think it’s sexy!” Then she pushes her leg to the front showing it off a little more, “Do you want some of this?” She asks, turning it one way, “How about a little of that?” She twists her leg the other way. She’s laughing and I start to return her laughter until she overcompensates on her twist and loses her balance. I drop the crutches, swoop in and pick her up, holding her close to my chest, while she cracks up at herself. “My hero!” She’s drunk off her ass.

I start walking towards the room, “Night, Luke and Olivia,” Pyper calls out behind me.
“Night,” I call and Olivia singsongs, “Nighty night, Pyper Wiper.”

Once we’re in her bedroom, I kick the door closed behind us and deposit her on the bed gently so I don’t bump her cast.
She sits there looking up at me, and I realize she’s swaying back and forth a little, even as she’s seated. “Let me get your pajamas for you.”

“No.”

I raise my brows in question, “No?”

“No, I want to sleep naked,” she semi-whispers as if she’s doing something naughty.
I inwardly grumble. This is going to require self-control that I’m not sure I possess tonight.

“I don’t know how well I will be able to control myself if you do that.”

“Who says I want you to control yourself?”

“You’re in no condition to fool around.”

“Actually, once I’m naked, I will be in just the right condition.”

I step towards her, “I will help you get undressed, okay?
But that’s it.”

This time, she smirks at me.
“We’ll see.”

She raises her arms inviting me to slide her shirt over her head.
When I do, my breath hitches at the sight before me. Under her plain ‘Fashion is my Passion’ t-shirt, she is wearing a white lace bra that takes my breath away. Her flesh looks pearly white and so soft. I want to touch it. She locks me in a stare and seductively runs her fingers over the tops of her breasts that are overflowing over the cups of her bra. Fuck. Me.

She licks her lips and I nearly lose it, like an adolescent virgin seeing tits for the first time.
“Olivia,” I say warningly not moving my eyes from her breasts. She, of course, doesn’t listen and keeps trailing her fingers back and forth. I bet I look like a man possessed. Possessed by boobs. Excellent. I’m such a weak bastard.

I swallow hard and take a deep breath, “Okay let me help you get your sweats off.” I take a small step toward her as if I’m afraid her boobs will reach out and bite me.
I inwardly call myself a pussy and close the distance, pulling her up to standing. I help support her so she doesn’t topple over and she doesn’t help matters by pressing her breasts against my chest, causing me to suck in and hold my breath. I slide down her body, latching fingers of one hand into one side of the waistband of her sweats and pull down. It’s rather awkward getting the pant leg down her cast. One arm is trying to hold her up and the other is trying to pull her pants down, one side at a time. The odd position has my face right in her breasts, and I swear she pushes them even closer to me, into me I’m going to deserve a fucking medal of honor after this.

Once I get her sweats pulled down far enough, I sit her back down.
Letting out the breath I was holding, I squat down and slide them the rest of the way down her legs, and pull them off her feet. Her white lace panties are just as gorgeous as the rest of her and I just want to touch her. Of course my dick responds and begs, standing at attention. My jeans feel tight and in the way, my whole body hot. While I’m bending at my knees, the little devil opens her legs. I hurriedly stand up, after taking more than a momentary peek, and she laughs.