Page 12 of Finally Home

“Is your mom always that—” He pauses, searching for the word.

“A joy? So motherly? A bitch?” I can think of plenty of words to describe Vivian Armstrong.

He bellows a deeper laugh. “I was going to go with intense, but yeah, all those words work, too. You know what, I take it back.”

My head whips up, meeting his gaze as I stop emptying my bag. Panic washes over me for a moment, worried that he means he’s finally realized my family is awful and he no longer wants to be my fake boyfriend.

“Take what back?” There’s no hiding the shakiness in my voice.

He must notice because he pushes himself up and closes the distance between us. “Stop thinking whatever you’re thinking. I’m in this, Holls.” My shoulders relax, and his new nickname for me makes my heart flutter slightly. I’m honestly not sure how to feel about that. His hand comes up to cup my cheek and tethers me to safety from falling down the rabbit hole of my thoughts.

“I have one rule. I’m not sure what happened to the free-spirit woman I traveled in the car with today. But as soon as we were in your mother’s presence, I watched you slowly sink into yourself. No more of that. Okay?”

His thumb swipes up between my brows. I think back to that night at the bar when he pointed out that when I’m uncomfortable, a frown forms there.

“I’m serious, Holls. In the short time I’ve known you, I can see how strong and badass you are. I mean, you literally went after your dream and basically said fuck you to all the haters. Well, I want you to say fuck you to all the haters here. If they don’t like the woman you’ve become, then fuck them.” He frowns. “Not literally, of course,” he jokes. His expression goes serious again. “I’m right here with you the entire weekend, okay? It’s me and you, and fuck everyone else. Let’s just enjoy ourselves. Can you do that?”

“Okay,” I mutter, wondering if it’s true even in the slightest.

“Good. I’m going to go shower and wash off the drive.” He turns and disappears into the bathroom.

I flop back on the bed, wondering what the hell I possibly have gotten myself into here.

Chapter 6

Ollie

Steam fills the bathroom by the time I step into the shower. I press my palms into the cold tile and let the warm water pulse against my back. My thoughts are all over the place right now, and I hope that the shower can wash my feelings down the drain.

I hated watching Hollie fall into herself. Gone was the girl in the car—the one who quickly became bubbly and free once she got out of her head. Even after my brief interaction with her mother, I understand completely why she needed a buffer for this weekend. Hell, if that was how it was with just her mother, I don’t know what it would be like to be surrounded by everyone, including her ex. I guess time will soon tell since we will have dinner with them soon.

In order to stop thinking about my frustrations, my mind travels to Hollie. I’m determined to nail this whole boyfriendthing—flirting, touching, and kissing. What are her lips going to taste like? Feel like? I’ll be the best fucking fake boyfriend in the history of fake boyfriends.

My cock likes that thought—especially since I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t thought of Hollie during the last few days while jerking off. It could be so easy to wrap my hand around my shaft and fuck my fist until I’m coming to take the edge off. But it’s one thing to jerk off to thoughts of Hollie when I’m alone at home, and it’s another thing to jerk off to thoughts of her when she’s just a few feet away from me.

I also don’t want to take too long in here—not that it would. I could beat the world record for fastest jerking off, but I ignore my dick and use the tiny bottles of shampoo and bodywash that the hotel provided.

After my dick has gotten the hint and I finish rinsing off, I pull back the curtain and step out onto the bathmat.Fuck.In my haste to get into the bathroom, I forgot to grab my clothes. Grabbing a white, fluffy towel off the rack, I use it to dry off slightly. Water droplets still drip down my chest. I can quickly run and grab my clothes and then come back in and finish drying off.

I open the door and instantly feel the temperature change between the cool bedroom and the steamy bathroom, causing me to shiver slightly.

Hollie is currently leaning over the bed, setting up her pillow wall she mentioned, and I chuckle. This pillow wall might be the death of me.Actually, no, seeing her bent over the bed will be the death of me. I already hear the funeral march playing in the distance. Images that I’ve been thinking about lately come rushing to the forefront of my mind. I’m pretty sure this was how one of my fantasies played out. Would she react the same way that fantasy Hollie did if I walked up to her, dragged my hands up the back of her leggings before traveling to the frontand slipping my fingers underneath? Would she be wet? Tell me to fuck off?

I need to stop thinking these dirty thoughts before—whelp, too late. All the thoughts rushing to my mind sent all the blood rushing straight to my cock. So much for deflating my erection from earlier.

Hollie turns and freezes, gasping. Is it because I’m only in a towel or that my cock is trying to poke through? While these towels are fluffy, they’re not thick enough to hide that.

What would she do if, instead of gripping the towel tighter, I just accidentally let it go and it fell to the floor?No, Ollie, don’t scare the girl. You’re here to help her, not fuck her.

“Sorry, I forgot my clothes.”

Hollie still hasn’t moved from her spot beside the bed, nor has her gaze lifted from my stomach. I can’t help the smirk that takes over my lips. If I go back in that bathroom, there’s no way I’m not jerking off, so I have a new plan. My dick is screaming for release.

“Why don’t you go shower, and I’ll just get dressed out here.”

Hollie fumbles for words before nodding and placing the last pillow on her great wall of pillows to separate us.See that, dick?She has no intention of touching us while sleeping in the same bed. She rushes over to her suitcase and grabs a bag and a robe before disappearing into the bathroom.

Did Hollie like what she saw when she saw me in a towel? I caught the way her eyes locked on the water droplets that dripped down my stomach. She might not admit it, but heat filled her eyes as she watched me. Would she touch herself in the bathroom? I wouldn’t blame her.

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