no reasoning with the blind panic that overtook me. I was terrified. I knew I wouldn’t see her again if I let her out of my sight, so I was relieved when it started to rain and she began to falter. However, as soon as she toppled over into my arms, my heart dropped into my gut, and I felt like an asshole for causing her to run away in the first place. It felt like we were playing a perpetual game of tag. One of us was always running away from the other, and the other chased in a desperate, hopeless way for reasons beyond our understanding.
I reached up a hand and pulled my shirt off over my head. By now, a small puddle of water had gathered at my feet. I was sure under the bed was soaked where Ollie was sitting, but she didn’t seem inclined to move. I stepped closer to her, moving between her legs so I could get ahold of her dripping shirt as well. I planned to pull it off and wrap the blanket on the bed around her until I could convince her to climb out of the rest of her clothing, but all rational thought fled when it became instantly apparent she’d snuck out of the house this morning with the bare basics, which did not include a bra under her oversized t-shirt.
I wasn’t prepared for the sight of her naked breasts, with their cherry-colored nipples puckered tight from the chill of the rain, to hit me in the gut the way they did. I sucked in a breath and averted my eyes, but it did no good. The image was seared into my brain, and my mouth watered, remembering the way she tasted.
I cleared my throat and started to step back. I didn’t get very far. A moment later, her hands were on my hips, and she was pulling me closer. Her fingers dug into the fabric of my track pants, and her chilly lips landed lightly above my belly button. A full-body shiver shook my entire body as my hand slid from the top of her head to her shoulder so I could push her back.
“You blacked out like ten minutes ago. I don’t know what you need to make things better right now, but I’m pretty sure it’s not sex.” This would go down in history as the single time I could think straight when all the blood in my brain was rushing to my cock.
She shifted so that her forehead was resting against my abs, and her hands moved so that they were wrapped tightly around me. There was a tremor working its way through her whole body, indicating she was still afraid, but her next words let me know it wasn’t the storm that had her shaken.
“Is it because you know what Sawyer did? Are you disgusted that I let him get away with manipulating me for so long? Are you appalled by how weak I was once you left?” I still had a hold of her shoulder, so I pushed her back, put my other hand under her chin, and forced her to look up at me. She blinked and quietly admitted, “Because I am. For a long time, I was so worried about getting away from him that I didn’t have the time or energy to worry about my own complacency, but now I feel it eating away at my insides. I should’ve done something… anything… other than just take it. I should’ve fought for myself harder since no one else would. I realize now that was never your job, Huck.”
I grunted and used my thumb to trace along the line of her jaw. “It wasn’t my job, but I volunteered to do it anyway. Maybe it’s my fault for doing such a good job that you had no defenses of your own when I left. I should’ve done a better job teaching you how to handle Sawyer. He played us both, but neither of us needs to be part of his game anymore. Nothing about you is bad, Ollie. He didn’t ruin you. All he did was make you smarter and stronger. You got away from him, and so did I. We won. Even if he never stops trying to interfere in our lives, we still managed to get out from under his thumb, and that lack of control will drive him crazy. Take the small victories wherever you can find them because