down her back and over the curves of her ass as I thought about how unbelievably perfect she felt in my arms. Remembering we weren’t alone, I pulled back, but when I looked down at her lust-filled eyes, I couldn’t stop myself from leaning in for another. She opened her mouth with a low moan and I delved deeper, savoring the soft caress of her lips and the quickening of her breath. I was lost, unable to control the storm of desire that was brewing deep inside of me. I wanted her to know there was a promise hidden beneath that kiss—a promise that I intended to keep.
And so it began.
When I heard Charlie’s shower cut off, I took a step back, releasing Olivia from our embrace. “No way I’m going anywhere. Damn, woman.”
Her cheek flushed as she smiled. “You’re crazy. You know that, right?”
I winked and said, “You kiss me like that again, and you’ll see just how crazy I can be.” Seeing that sexy little smile only made me want to kiss her all over again, but knowing the kids were just in the next room, I fought the temptation. The longer I stood there looking at her, the harder it was to resist, so I decided I needed a distraction and said, “Now, are you going to help me do these dishes or what?”
She shook her head and laughed. “You expect me to do dishes after that? No, sir. I’m going to need a cold shower first.”
“Baby, I was just getting started. Save the cold shower for later. You’re gonna need it,” I teased as I walked back over to the sink.
“You’re sounding pretty confident over there,” she sassed.
“Only because I can back it up. Now get that sexy little ass of yours down from there and help me finish this up.”
“Bossy little thing, aren’t ya,” she teased. She hopped down off the counter and walked over to me. With a satisfied smile, she started drying the dishes I’d already washed and put them away.
It didn’t take us long to finish washing them all, and once we were done, I started for the door. Olivia placed her hands on my shoulders as she lifted up on her toes and kissed me on the cheek. She smiled and said, “Thank you for dinner.”
“I enjoyed it. The next one is on you. Now, get some sleep,” I told her, then kissed her softly on the lips. It was a brief but effective kiss. When I looked up at her, I saw the same longing in her eyes that I’d seen earlier. “Good night, Liv.”
“Good night, Clutch,” she replied as she watched me walk out the door.
I stood, staring at the closed door, and thought about everything Olivia had told me. It was almost inconceivable that something that fucked up could’ve happened to them. Not only had they managed to survive, but they’d left everything they knew behind and still ended up on their feet. I had no doubt that was because of Olivia’s strength and determination. All on her own, she’d protected those kids from god-knows-who and still managed to find a decent job and put a roof over their heads. Unbelievable.
As soon as I got into my apartment, I grabbed my burner and called Big Mike. Over the years, he’d become a real asset to the club. He had a way with computers and could hack into just about any account. I wanted him to look into Olivia’s case and see if he could find some leads. Not only did I want to know who killed their parents, I wanted to know who was after those kids. They meant something to me, and I’d be damned if I was going to let anything happen to them.
As soon as he answered the phone, Big Mike said, “You got Mike.”
“Hey there, brother. How’s it going over there without me?”
“Clutch? Damn, man. It’s been a while. How you doing?” Over the past couple of weeks, I’d been too busy to think about everyone back home, but hearing his voice made everything come rushing back.
“Doing good. Been keeping busy. I’ve been working my ass off in Gus’s garage, but it’s paying off. I’ll have them caught back up soon.”
“Good. It’s about time for you to get your ass back home,” he scoffed.
“Yeah, can’t disagree with you there. I’m ready to get back,” I told him. It wasn’t exactly a lie, but I wasn’t being completely truthful either. “I know it’s late, but