Page 83 of The Side Road
Watching the way he moved became a pleasant pastime. He leaned, but he rarely slumped, resting his body on whatever nearby support was available. His back against the wall, his shoulder against a doorframe, his hip against a railing, his arse on a car door. She found his postures charming and sexy.
Oliver evaluated a task before he took it on. To the uninitiated, his processing skills were indiscernible, but Mia knew what to look for. She knew how his body worked; how his thoughts turned like cogs inside his head. It took him seconds to think, consider, and then act.
Oliver and Snood formed a meaningful friendship. Any attention that was not given to Mia went to Snood. When Oliver was in her house, Snood was either at his feet or following him from room to room. More than once, Mia had caught them looking into each other’s eyes, thoughtfullysharing their male gaze. What was going through their heads?
Oliver had passedthe audition for sex. Beyond that was the journey to intimacy and a future together. After two months, he knew every curve of Mia’s body. Every mole. All her fine lines. He knew how to make her blush. How to increase her orgasm. He liked to do both these things regularly, blushing first and coming shortly after.
Being with Mia was equal parts joy and passion. Falling in love, he didn’t want to miss a moment. Not one thing. Every week, he discovered something new. He could make a constellation out of the freckles on her arm. Her untangling yarn capabilities were world-class. No one could untangle knots better than her – if there were an international competition, she would win. Her continued interest in the progress of the Black Shadow – the woman loved a project. The way she waved at dogs, just a brief flutter of her fingers as they passed, was adorable. Then, of course, there was her neckline and the underside of her wrists.
On Monday, when Oliver arrived at Mia’s house, he found her pacing back and forth across the kitchen and wringing her hands. She looked bereft, but when she turned to him, she smiled.
‘I’ve just ordered fifteen balls of hand-spun qiviut yarn. It’s softer than cashmere, eight times warmer than wool, and rarer than gold.’
‘Great.’ He smiled because he thought the moment required encouragement.
‘It cost me a thousand dollars. Wholesale!’
‘That’s a lot of money.’
‘I know.’ She covered her face with her hands. ‘I’m just so happy.’
He thought she might be about to cry, so he wrapped his arms around her. ‘It’s an investment,’ he consoled. ‘It’s why you work so hard.’ Restoring the Black Shadow was costing him a lot more than one thousand dollars.
‘Exactly.’ She sniffed. ‘I’m going to make a traditional Fair Isle jumper.’
Later, Oliver discovered that the downy qiviut fibre came from the musk ox. The animal, a gentle, majestic creature found in Alaska and Norway, yielded extraordinarily precious fibres. There was no doubt that Mia’s project would be a work of art. He was less sure about the Black Shadow. Last week, he replaced the loose spokes and aligned the wheels. This week, he was rebuilding the electrical system: lights, horn, and indicators. The bills for spare parts were coming in faster than he could pay them.
The following week, Mia answered the door with one sock on and the other sock off.
‘I can’t decide if I’m hot or cold,’ she explained.
Oliver’s heart, along with his desire, exploded. ‘You look so sexy. I want to eat you.’
‘Okay, do that. Why does morning sex feel deliciously wicked?’ she asked.
‘Because you’re with me.’
‘Mmm. You do look delicious.’
‘I have a huge hard-on, and I need to fuck you immediately.’
She shivered with anticipation.
‘Which way will I have you today? Front or back?’
‘Both,’ she suggested.
He pulled his T-shirt over his head and reached for her. Together, they tumbled into the bedroom. When he enteredher, he said, ‘Don’t come yet. Let’s cross the finish line together.’
Later, her eyes were burning and her body covered in sweat. Satisfied, he told her to come. She followed his lead. Arching her back, she collapsed into his arms.
As he held her, he asked, ‘So, how’d we do?’
She ran her fingers over his lips and smiled.
‘My favourite part was when you came all over my very hard cock.’
‘Oliver, I don’t need a…’
