nightclub, adamant he couldn’t have her in his life. And now he couldn’t imagine what his life would look like without her.
The trust she’d placed in him by telling him her story was overwhelming. She’d been right. People didn’t understand mental health issues. Heck, he didn’t. There had been a part of him that thought depression could be overcome if you just put your mind to it; but hearing more of Olivia’s lived experience as they’d walked had completely changed his perspective.
And it had changed his perspective of her.
His little fighter.
They’d stopped at a local pizza place on the way home for dinner, and they’d talked about the internet, how it was supposed to be this great source of good, but instead it became a cesspit of keyboard warriors determined to tear down instead of lifting up. His heart cracked for her a little.
As he pulled up at a parking spot outside her condo, Anders reached over and stroked Olivia’s thigh. “Älskling. Darling. Wake up, we’re home.”
She flinched and then opened her eyes, looking a little lost until she realized where they were. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”
Anders leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. “Emotional day.” He stepped out of the car and walked to her door, opening it for her as she gathered her coat and hat from the footwell. “I know you’re tired, but can I see you up to your apartment?”
Olivia let out a big yawn and nodded. “I’d like that.”
Once the car was secured, they made their way to her apartment. “Is Natalie home?” he asked.
Olivia shook her head. “No, she’s on night shift again.”
Even better for what he had planned.
Olivia shrugged out of her coat and hung it on the hooks in the hallway, and Anders followed suit. Olivia looked at him with a mixture of lust and nerves on her features. It was a heady combination. “Don’t worry, I’m not staying. I’m putting you to bed.”
“I haven’t been put to bed since I was nine,” Olivia said.
“Which way to your room?”
“Down the hall, second on the left.”
Without waiting for further instruction, Anders picked Olivia up, grinning as she laughed and wrapped her legs around his waist.
“I didn’t realize it meant I’d get carried.” She snuggled her nose against his neck, pressing teasing kisses against his skin.
When he reached her room, he sat her down on the edge of the bed, where he got down on his knees and began to unlace her hiking boots.
“I can do that,” she said, stretching her hands above her head.
Anders glimpsed an inch of skin but resisted the urge to lean forward and kiss it. There would be plenty of time for that later. “Where’s the fun in that when you’ve got me here? There aren’t many people I’d get on my knees for.”
Olivia ran her fingers through his hair, her nails deliciously scratching his scalp. “I’ll remember that.”
Once he’d removed her boots and socks, he playfully pushed her down on the bed. The way her hair spilled out on the bedding reminded him of the hotel room at Christmas. How her hair had looked across his thighs, how it had looked in his hand as he’d taken her as vigorously as she’d wanted, no, as she’d needed him to.
“Watch the way you’re looking at me, Liv. A man only has so much control.” He wanted her to be one hundred percent sure of his intentions and to have plenty of opportunity to tell him to stop.
He reached beneath her butt for the waistband of her leggings and wiggled them down her thighs until he could drop them on the floor. The skin beneath his fingers was so soft and smooth, and he placed a wet kiss to the inside of each knee.
“I thought we said clothes needed to stay on.”
“The important ones are going to, I assure you. Do you want me to stop?”
Olivia shook her head. “No. I was just teasing.”
Anders reached for her hands and lifted her so she was sitting again. With a swift move, he pulled her sweater and T-shirt over her head. “Goddamn, Liv.”
Naked apart from a black bra so sheer he could see her nipples. Nipples so pink and perfect he’d feasted on them during the night they’d spent together. Now they were erect and inviting him to play.
He shook his head.
Her panties were the same. Sheer, with obvious signs of dampness. Arousal for him.
His dick throbbed, shifting quickly from interest to full-blown erection. “You might just cause me an industrial