The Bad Boy's Redemption (4 page)

There was going to be no escaping this. The only way he was leaving Olivia’s side was if she kicked him to the curb and told him never to come back. He simply couldn’t bring himself to walk away—the mere thought was enough to send a howl of outrage echoing through his head.

Which meant it was time to do some serious thinking about what the future held for him and for the woman wrapping her arms and legs around him with no sign of letting go.

CHAPTER SIX

Olivia

Olivia cranked up the Hits From the Sixties channel as she showered and got dressed, singing along to the sappy lyrics about love and loss and boyfriends back with a grin on her face. She shimmied into her thickest spandex running pants, paired them with a skintight long-sleeved pink shirt, and smirked at her own reflection as she pulled her hair into pigtails on either side of her head.

Colt was going to go wild when he saw her.

She’d never been as confident about her body as she was right now when she was still pleasantly sore from a night spent with a beautiful man who clearly couldn’t get enough of her. For the first time in her life, she felt sexy, seductive, and irresistible, and she couldn’t wait to see Colt’s eyes light up as he caught sight of her in head-to-toe clingy fabric.

Heck, who was she kidding, she couldn’t wait to see him again period.

She was falling in love. Falling, falling, falling, drowning in a sticky sweet vat of love honey with no urge to fight her way free.

Even yesterday, she had been careful to keep her longing for Colt purely physical, but hearing him say that he was falling in love with her had opened the floodgates to her heart and sent a tidal wave of emotion surging free.

She was in love! In love for the first time and the world was a wild, wonderful paradise full of amazing miracles and nothing could convince her otherwise.

When Colt texted to say he was running late and would meet her at Daisy’s, she didn’t blink an eye because life was good and only getting better.

When she slipped on the ice at the bottom of her front steps and ended up falling flat on her ass and bruising her tailbone, she simply smiled as she cussed the pain, figuring that’s what she deserved for dancing down the steps in the middle of winter.

And when she got to the hardware store to find Daisy and Colt in the middle of a heated discussion near the snow shovel display, she didn’t hesitate to float across the room and put her arms around them both, pulling them into a hug.

“Don’t fight,” she said, releasing them with a grin as they both glanced down at her with startled expressions. “Today isn’t a day for fighting. It is a day for victory. I have our race order all worked out.”

“Oh you do, do you?” Daisy’s brows lifted before she turned to shoot Colt a frustrated look. “Have you told Mr. Bossypants about that? He likes to be in charge, you know.”

Olivia bit her tongue, resisting the urge to say something about how much she enjoyed letting Colt take charge. She would spare Daisy the innuendo. It was the least she could do considering her friend had yet to experience this miracle of amazingness that was falling in love.

Instead she said, “Colt is bossy, but he knows I’m a master of running strategy. And a wise boss is one who knows when to delegate tasks outside his sphere.”

“I’m not sure this is outside my sphere, but I’m fine with you taking charge.” Colt smiled, the appreciation in his eyes as he scanned her up and down making it clear he was a fan of her race day outfit. “I like the pigtails,” he said, reaching out to tug one as Daisy made a disapproving noise.

“I’m going to get our coffin and lock up for the day,” she said, moving between them and heading toward the back room. “Help yourself to coffee and donuts if you want. Everything’s behind the counter.”

Olivia watched Daisy go before glancing up at Colt and whispering, “What’s wrong with her?”

“You know, typical Daisy. Always thinks she knows best.” He moved toward the front door and flipped the open sign to closed, before turning back to her with a strained smile. “You want a bear claw?”

Olivia frowned. “No, I want to know why you’re being weird.”

“I’m not being weird,” he said, laughing softly as he pulled her in for a hug. “I’m just a little worn out from not sleeping last night. This insatiable sex fiend kept me up way past my bedtime.”

“You poor thing.” She pressed her face to his chest, inhaling the soapy, clean laundry smell of his sweatshirt and the more intimate smell of Colt underneath. “Then I guess we’d better have coffee and donuts. You’ll need a sugar rush to get you through the race.”

He kissed the top of her head before taking her hand and leading her behind the counter. They each had a bear claw and a cup of creamy coffee in hand when Daisy came back in, pushing their coffin, wearing a green helmet with orange spikes sticking up from the top.

“I love it,” Olivia said, laughing. “You look like a dinosaur.”

“Doing my part to intimidate the competition,” Daisy said with a wink. “Now let’s talk strategy. We should probably have our fastest go first, right? So Colton’s definitely running the first lap.”

“I’m not much faster than Olivia. She’s an animal,” Colt said, the admiration in his voice sending a flush of pleasure through her chest. “And it takes me longer to limber up. But whatever you think, Olivia. Your call.”

“I was actually thinking that Daisy and I should push you first,” she said, grabbing a napkin and wiping the bear claw sticky from her fingers. “That’s going to be our slowest lap, simply because you weigh the most. But if Daisy and I are fresh we should be able to at least stay even with the other front-runners. Then, you two can push me next and establish a lead before Colt and I bring it home strong during the last lap.”

Daisy clapped her hands together. “Sounds good. Let’s go find a spot before it gets too crowded. There are fifty teams racing this year. If we get any more entries next year, they’re going to have to have two heats.”

Olivia went to join Daisy, grabbing onto the handle jutting out from the other side of the coffin.

“What about water bottles?” Colt asked, lingering behind them. “Should I grab some from the back? They’re three dollars a pop if you buy them at the race.”

“Good thinking,” Daisy said over her shoulder. “Grab a few and we’ll meet you by the side door.”

As Colt disappeared into the back room, Daisy and Olivia started pushing the coffin down aisle seven, where Daisy kept the seasonal displays. Now the shelves were lined with dwindling supplies of Christmas lights, tinsel, fake evergreen boughs, and dancing Elvis Santas, who began wiggling as the women passed by.

Olivia laughed at the dolls; Daisy responded with a disapproving grunt.

“What?” Olivia asked. “You’re awfully moody this morning.”

“I’m not moody,” Daisy said softly, casting a glance over her shoulder. “I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you’re my best friend, but he’s my brother.” She sighed, a fraught sound that sent a shiver of unease prickling up Olivia’s spine. “Just know that I’m doing the best I can, okay? I don’t want to choose sides, but sometimes it’s not easy to be Switzerland.”

Olivia stopped, turning to face Daisy over the garishly painted coffin. “You won’t have to choose sides, Dee. Colt and I are grown-ups. If things don’t work out relationship-wise between us, we’ll be adults about it. We won’t put you in the middle of anything uncomfortable.”

Because things are going to work out, I just know it
, she thought but didn’t say aloud. She didn’t want to stress Daisy out any more by revealing just how deep down the love hole she’d fallen.

Daisy’s lips parted, but before she could respond, Colt was back, striding up the aisle toward them. “I got five, just in case. We can share the ones we don’t drink with the losers.”

“Perfect,” Daisy said, her competitive grin returning. “I am so ready to smoke the LLPD team. Their reign of terror ends today.”

Olivia laughed, her worries vanishing as Colt slid behind her to dump the water bottles into the coffin and patted her hip. His affection was there, even in that swift, simple touch. She could feel how much he wanted her—and cared about her—every time they were together.

Daisy didn’t have anything to worry about.

On the off chance she and Colt ran into trouble in their new relationship, they would work it out without any unnecessary drama. They both cared too much about each other—and Daisy—to do anything else.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Olivia

Outside, the air was crisp and the sky so blue it was like a giant, Caribbean ocean stretching out overhead. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but the air held a fuzzy, mineral scent that made Olivia think they’d have snow before nightfall.

But for now the day couldn’t be more perfect for racing.

The morning sun had melted the last of the ice clinging to the sides of the road, leaving the pavement soggy, but not slick enough to be dangerous, and the humidity warmed the air just enough that it wouldn’t sting their lungs while they were running.

As they pushed their coffin down the sidewalk to where the road around the courthouse had been blocked off for the race, Olivia lifted her face to the sun and inhaled, relishing the feeling of being exactly where she was supposed to be with the people she loved most. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so completely content and she took a silent moment to thank her sister for bringing her home.

The only thing that could make this day better was if Kelly were here to cheer her on.

But then, maybe she was.

Olivia glanced around at the colorful banners hung above the street, the tinsel dripping from the streetlights, and the costumed people unloading brightly painted coffins from the backs of their trucks, seeing Kelly in every bright, silly, celebratory part of this day. Her sister was here with her, in her heart, and she suddenly wished they had come up with team costumes.

“Next year we need to do costumes.” She smiled at a group of older women all dressed as bumblebees with over-sized stingers, pushing a coffin painted to look like a honeypot down the street. “Kelly would be ashamed of us for missing out on a chance to get dressed up.”

Daisy reached across the coffin, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “You’re right.” She tipped her head back, glancing up at the blue sky. “Sorry, Kelly, we’ll get our act together by next year. I promise.”

“As long as you don’t make me dress up in anything like that,” Colt added beneath his breath, nodding toward two men in skin-tight superhero uniforms that left nothing to the imagination. “I don’t do tights.”

“But you’d look great in tights,” Olivia teased.

“Ew, gross,” Daisy said with a shudder. “No, thank you, I have no desire whatsoever to see my big brother in tights. We’ll come up with something silly, but tasteful.”

“We could be pirates,” Colton said. “I’ve already got the peg leg.”

Olivia glanced down at his running leg. “That’s much cooler than a peg leg.”

“And cost a pretty penny more,” Daisy said. “Good thing they offered a military discount.”

Olivia looked up, wondering at the undertone of censure in her friend’s voice, but now wasn’t the time to say anything. She didn’t want to cause more friction between the Brody siblings and they were nearing the starting line, where dozens of other racers were already lined up and ready to start.

“Crap, we’re too late to get a place at the front,” Daisy said, adjusting her helmet. “I can’t believe how crowded it already is.”

“It’s all right.” Colt motioned to the far left, where two groups of loud college boys in red and blue fraternity sweatshirts were talking shit to each other over steaming mugs Olivia suspected contained something more powerful than coffee. “Let’s get a place behind those guys. They’ll take off fast and we’ll be able to jump ahead of the group next to them.”

Olivia nodded, casting an appraising glance at the three slim women in mice costumes and oversized black sunglasses next to them. “I would normally challenge your sexism for assuming the frat boys will be faster than the ladies, but the three blind mice don’t look like they’ve been training. Not enough calf muscle beneath that spandex. The frat should be able to take them no problem and then we’ll slide in front.”

“Challenge my sexism,” Colt repeated, huffing as they angled into position behind the fraternity crew.

The men’s eyes skimmed over the new arrivals, but when they saw that Daisy was wearing a dinosaur helmet and Olivia was standing too close to Colt, they looked away. Clearly they were the types who thought women were only interesting for one reason.

Olivia experienced a fierce rush of happiness that she wasn’t with a man like that.

“I’m the least sexist man I know,” Colt continued. “I’m the one who always made the other boys let the girls play.”

“It’s true,” Daisy said. “He was always the nice one.”

“I remember that,” Olivia said, casting an admiring glance up at him. “It was one of the many things I always liked about you.”

He grinned. “Well, thank you, ma’am. But I’ll confess I didn’t start off thinking about equality. I had a little sister who had taught me that girls played dirty and I wanted as many dirty rotten cheaters on my team as possible.”