Page 47 of Under Control
Olivia didn’t even give the old shitbox a second glance, though. She opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, smiling at him.
“Hi,” he said before cupping his hand around the back of her neck and giving her a hello kiss.
He’d intended for it to be a quick one, but as soon as his mouth touched hers, he forgot about his intentions and the fact he was barely pulled over, with his foot still on the brake. All he knew was the softness of her lips, the warmth of her breath and the feel of her fingertips digging into his upper arm.
“Missed you,” she whispered against his mouth.
She had no idea how much he’d missed her, but he didn’t want to stop kissing her long enough to lay it out for her. He devoured her, and her small moan of pleasure made him forget everything until a car horn jerked them back to reality.
Olivia chuckled as she reached for her seat belt. “At least we weren’t standing on the sidewalk this time. So where are we going?”
Derek pointed at the navigation screen on his phone as he pulled into traffic and then turned down a side street. “I already grabbed the first donation. Now we’re just heading down to the South Shore to pick up a painting. There are some things people will bid higher on if they can look at them instead of just seeing a printed-out picture. And having some cash-and-carry items for instant gratification also helps get people in the bidding mood.”
“Wouldn’t it be faster to take the highway?”
“Probably.” He glanced over long enough to see her skeptical look. “Okay, definitely. But we’re not in a hurry and I like spending time with you.”
“I like spending time with you, too. I was just thinking that the quicker we get the donations picked up, the more time we’d have to relax...at my place.”
“We’ll take the highway back,” he said quickly. “Hell, I’d turn around right now, but I told George I’d take care of it tonight so Ella would stop nagging him about it.”
“I’m glad you called me. I wasn’t sure when I’d get to see you again.”
Rip the bandage off.“How would you feel about getting together next weekend?”
“I’d love to, but don’t you have your kids next weekend?”
“Yeah.” Even though the thought of saying them out loud scared the crap out of him, he forced the words out. “I thought maybe we could all do something together. The four of us.”
“Oh.”
That single word didn’t offer up many clues as to how she actually felt about the idea. “Notjustthe four of us, though. Aidan and Lydia are having a barbecue and I’m taking the kids with me. If you go with us, you can meet Isaac and Julia, but there will be a lot of people you know there, too. I was thinking it might be less pressure on you. And them, I guess.”
“That sounds fun.”
“I think you’d enjoy it. It’ll be a little like the fundraiser at Kincaid’s, but with kids and a lot more food and less drinking. Okay, it won’t really be like the fundraiser at Kincaid’s. I just said that to entice you because you seemed to like everybody.”
“I did like everybody. I want to meet Isaac and Julia, too, and you’re probably right about it being a good way to do that. Probably less awkward for them than the four of us sitting at a table, talking.”
Less awkward for all of them, Derek thought. “Good. I’ll tell the kids.”
“Not that it would change my mind about going with you, but is Amber going to be there?”
“No.” He reached over and took her hand, lacing their fingers together. “She knows the guys and she’s still friends with a lot of the women, but when it comes to these kinds of things, they’re like my family and I got to keep them in the divorce.”
“That makes sense, I guess. Jess and Rick will be there?”
“As far as I know.”
“Should I plan to meet you there? I have her address, so I’ll be able to find it.”
“If you come to my place, you could meet the kids first and then we could all ride over together.” He wanted to keep her first time meeting his kids casual, but notthatcasual. Some subtle signals to Isaac and Julia that Olivia wasn’t just another friend at the barbecue might help the process along. “If you don’t mind doing that.”
“Of course I don’t mind.” He glanced over at her, and her smile looked genuine enough. “I’m looking forward to meeting them. I really am.”
“It’ll be fun. I know you usually work on your book on Saturdays. Am I cutting into your work too much?”
This time her smile didn’t look quite as genuine, but she shook her head. “I’m fine. I’ll work on it a little bit each night to make up for it.”
