Page 26 of Almost Love

“Right back at you.” She squeezed her best friend.

Once he’d dragged himself to bed, Clementine cleaned up the kitchen, loading the dishwasher and putting the cookies into a different container that Indigo would not find. Then she got Indigo to help her pick up their things, because there was no way was she leaving the mess waiting for Mack to find in the morning. Then she forced Indigo into the shower to wash off the day before helping them into their pajamas. Once bothMacArthurs were tucked into bed, she let herself out of the house.

Driving home, she thought about how Mack had raised Indigo all alone for so many years. How heartbroken he’d been when he came back from Scotland with the baby. Now, he’d seen a woman who caught his attention and inspired him to paint again. Then her thoughts drifted to Oakley and she huffed in frustration. Feelings were so pesky and she honestly didn’t like them. They made you do stupid things and behave like an idiot. She didn’t have the time to understand or navigate all of that. She just wanted to bake, live and get through the day.

Oakley was unknowingly dismantling all of that.

She was annoyingly letting him get away with it.

CHAPTER 8

Oakley had gone to sleep the night before in a really good mood. He’d had a breakthrough with Clementine, or so he liked to think. He might have said that he liked the pastel ones, but the gray coat made all his favorite things about her stand out—her dark eyes, her soft pink lips, the golden strands in her dark hair. It was worth the time he’d spent that week coming up with flavors for donuts. He’d asked everyone at the shop for ideas too. But when he was standing in front of her, ready to list it all out, his heart teetered. She had this weird kind of effect on him and he didn’t know how to process it.

Sure, she was attractive and prickly, two things he liked about people; Oakley didn’t trust the overly happy and bubbly ones as far as he could throw them. There was this underlying magic that he sometimes felt sizzling between them when they stood too close. Plus, he was slowly working his way under her skin and getting her to smile.

He considered that a win.

Especially now that he was making a list of her smiles.

So the dirty dream shouldn’t have surprised him.

Dream Clementine was sitting on a stainless steel counter, completely naked, except for frosting covering her nipples andthe space between her thighs. Her legs were spread wide and she was dipping her fingers into the buttercream and sliding the digit into her mouth slowly and seductively. Her hair was loose and ruffled, like someone had been dragging their fingers through it. At first he thought he was a spectator, but then she hooked a finger and called him forward.

They’d fucked on the counter, icing spreading from her body to his. Then moved to the floor, where she put more frosting on him and licked it off slower than was necessary. The whole time, he was captivated by her beautiful body, the way her soft skin moved as she did. When they had the most epic orgasm, Oakley woke himself up with a loud gasp and found that he was naked and alone in his bed, hand wrapped around his dick, sweat beading across his body.

Holy fuck.

While he liked sex as much as the next person, there were dark parts of his life that now made enjoying sex a little more complicated. In high school, he’d dated a girl who liked him for his surfer fame and dumped him when he quit. There was Jasper, who was probably the shortest relationship of his life. And like a lot of people his age, Oakley indulged in casual sex with random strangers. It had been a few years since he’d been with anyone emotionally or sexually, and while he hadn’t missed it, he had to wonder if dreaming of sex with afriendmeant something.

He hadn’t come to Wildes with the hopes of tripping into feelings. Then Clementine Kinney appeared in his line of sight and there was no going back.

“Okay, no more dirty dreams about a woman that only wants to be your friend,” he muttered as he got out of bed.

Even though he had the morning off, there were a million things he needed to do. First, a virtual session with Kristof and then working on sketches for a new client. Once he was ready, hewalked out of his bedroom as a ball of golden fur came charging at him. He dropped to the floor with a laugh as his tiny Maltipoo crashed into his stomach.

“Good morning, Gracie,” he said and ruffled his dog’s fur. She nuzzled into him and then dropped out of his arms, running in circles between his spread legs.

Kristof was the one that recommended he adopt an animal, someone to keep him company when he felt like he was spinning out of control. Oakley had been hesitant, because he didn’t think that he could take care of something else when he was still figuring out how to take care of himself. He’d walked into a shelter in San Clemente and the first dog he met was Gracie. She’d been so tiny and her dark eyes were barely visible through her golden fur, but he fell in love.

Over the years, as he traveled around the country and explored what each city had to offer, Gracie had accompanied him. She loved the adventure as much as he did, she enjoyed the noise and meeting new people. He was glad for it, because he couldn’t imagine his life without Gracie anymore. A mix between a Maltese and a Poodle, his little furball was the best thing he’d ever done. She did calm him, always showing up when he was spiraling. Plus, she was a good cuddle buddy.

As he started the coffee machine, Gracie did her morning inspection around the apartment. Once she was satisfied with everything, she came back to the kitchen for her breakfast. He filled her bowls, poured himself a coffee and with his laptop in hand, stepped out onto his balcony to call Kristof.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

Oakley chuckled at his therapist’s positivity. “Never ceases to amaze me how cheery you are before the sun even rises.”

“It helps that I never sleep, so my good mood carries from one day to the other.”

Taking a sip of his coffee, he leaned back in his chair, laptop resting on his knees. Oakley had met Kristof through his sponsor, Mia, eight years ago. After a couple of stints in rehab and finally getting his life on track, he’d gone to an NA meeting in San Clemente. At the end of a meeting, Mia approached him about being his sponsor. She helped him through the twelve steps, but also suggested that he meet with a therapist. Clearly, he had a lot to unpack with losing his parents, the substance abuse and everything that followed in those dark days.

Kristof was on a list of people who worked with those in AA or NA and after one session, Oakley knew that he’d found the right person. While Mia saved him from falling off the wagon multiple times, Kristof was the one that saved his life. They’d been working together ever since and the only reason he’d made it this far was because of his therapist.

“How’s the small town life?” Kristof asked, lifting his own cup of coffee for a sip.

“Pretty fucking good. Still loving the job and made some friends.”

“Tell me about these friends.”

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