Page 27 of Oliver

“Oh fuck,” he breathes as my tongue slides out, and I see the spunk painting the cupboards in front of him, his hands still gripping the counter top. Fuck, he came untouched with just my tongue inside him.Damn, that’s hot. I grip him and move him aside gently before I slide my tongue over the mess he made that’s trickling down the cupboard and onto the floor, before swallowing it down.

“Holy hell,” he rasps. “I can’t decide if that’s insanely hot or insanely disgusting.”

“I can’t decide if that’s insanely hot or insanely disgusting,” a mechanical voice echoes, and I start cracking up as Oliver’s eyes widen.

“What the bloody hell was that?” he asks, sliding his briefs and pants back up in a rush, his face flaming as the voice repeats his words a second time.

I’m still laughing as he makes his way through the RV searching for an intruder. He returns with the talking parrot in his arms and a grin on his face. “You bought this?” he says.

“You bought this?” the bird echoes again.

“Oh, bloody hell,” Oliver grumbles as he turns the bird over to switch it off and we hear the first part of “Oh, bloody—” before he succeeds.

“You liked it,” I say with a smile and a shrug. “Making you happy doesn’t just involve my body.”

He kneels next to me, as I haven’t bothered to get up yet, and presses a kiss to my lips. “You, Hunter Price, are remarkable,” hetells me, and I smile against his lips. “Now how do we make sure this thing doesn’t interrupt us post coitus anymore?”

I laugh. “You turned it off, it should be good.”

“Bloody hell, that was terrifying,” he says, running a hand through his hair.

“Funny as hell, though,” I say, and he narrows his eyes at me.

“Yes, I’m sure it was delightful to watch me stumbling to dress and walk around like a lunatic all for the sake of a toy bird.”

“I mean as far as entertainment goes I’d give it a solid eight out of ten.”

“You little arse,” he quips, his eyes twinkling as he reaches out and begins to tickle me. I shriek and roll onto my back, gasping when he doesn’t let up. I’m laughing so hard I have tears sliding down my cheeks. But then he’s pinning me underneath him and kissing me breathless.

OLIVER

The next morning we wake bright and early to get ready for our day at the zoo. We slept in each other’s arms last night, and I honestly can’t remember when I’ve felt more safe or at peace. Hunter's body pressed close to mine, his warm breath against my neck and his arms slung over me. I slept better than I’ve slept in years, and really didn’t want to get out of bed. However, Hunter coaxed me up with the smell of tea, freshly baked rolls, and fresh fruit, so I can’t complain too much.

We eat, then shower again and dress before packing a small backpack with some water bottles, sunscreen, and a couple of small snacks. Hunter ties his hair up in a messy bun again and puts a red baseball cap on, the messy bun sticking out of the back. It’s honestly incredibly hot, especially since he’s wearingshorts and one of those loose fitting muscle tanks with the oversized arm holes so you can bloody see his entire chest. Not that I’m complaining. I don’t think I ever fully appreciated those shirts until now.

I slide my sunglasses on and we catch one of the buses that makes trips to and from the zoo, arriving shortly after they open.

“We should get a picture,” Hunter says, “for Mom.” We stop at the zoo entrance and take a selfie. Hunter sticks his tongue out and raises his fingers in a peace sign. I simply smile. Then he turns and surprises me by pressing his lips to my cheek and taking another photo, his hand gripping my neck in a way that feels almost possessive.

When he shows it to me I can’t help smiling more. We look happy. “We won’t be sending that one to Mom,” he tells me, a note of melancholy in his voice and the sparkle in his eyes dimming a bit. But it doesn’t last long before he’s gripping my hand and pulling me towards the ticket counter.

We make our way around to all of the different animals, starting with the Golden Lion Tamarin, which I’ve never heard of before, but is a type of endangered monkey.

We see the llamas, the reptiles and amphibians, before making our way to the barnyard animals. Then we stop at the Primate Preserve to see the gorillas, monkeys, and lemurs.

Afterwards, we break for lunch. It’s nothing fancy but it’s decent and it fills me up, giving me enough energy to continue our afternoon, which I’m finding myself enjoying immensely. I can't remember the last time I was at a zoo, and I’ve always loved animals. I wanted a pet growing up but Mother and Father never allowed it; said it would be too much work. I’d thought of getting one as an adult but worried I wouldn’t have the time to care for it properly with the hours I keep. Maybe that’s something I should reconsider since I recently started working from home. Ido get lonely, though not as much with Hunter around. My chest squeezes at the thought of him leaving at the end of the month.

After visiting Big Cat Falls we take a ride on the carousel. However, rather than horses, it’s all different kinds of zoo animals. I’m a bit flustered at the idea as I consider carousels to be for children but Hunter grips my hand and pulls me along, assuring me it’s perfectly fine, and I find myself smiling like an idiot the entire time as we ride next to each other, me on a panther and him on a giant tortoise.

“Christ, I don't think I’ve been on one of those since I was five and my nanny took Olivia and I to the fair,” I tell Hunter once we’ve gotten off and started walking again.

“Really?”

I nod.

“Jesus, that’s depressing.”

“It was worse when she got scolded for taking us, bringing us home covered in dirt and cotton candy and smelling like barn animals. My parents were horrified, and even though Olivia and I loved it we never went back.”

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