Love Online(31)
“Good.”
“The only thing people really tease me about is my last name.”
“Your last name? Why? What is it?”
He flashed a wicked grin. “Guess.”
“Um…I’m gonna need at least a little clue.”
“Can I touch you?” he asked.
His question made me pause. “Yeah.”
He then reached for me and started to feel around my face and my shirt.
“You’re wearing it. My last name.”
“I am?”
Ollie snickered. “Yeah.”
I wracked my brain. Colón...like cologne, maybe? I figured that was a good guess since his father was from Costa Rica.
“Colón?”
“No.”
Then I remembered the father wasn’t even in the picture, so why would Ollie have his last name? Duh.
“You’re gonna make me totally guess, aren’t you?”
“Yup.” He giggled.
I’m wearing it.
“Pants?”
“Nope.”
“Shirt?”
“No.”
“Watch?”
He shook his head. “Uh-uh.”
Boxers?
I snapped my fingers. “Boxer?”
He laughed. “No.”
There really wasn’t much else that I was wearing. Jesus. What could it be?”
“I’ll give you a hint…”
“Alright…”
“You were close when you said ‘shirt.’”
Shirt. Shirt. Shirt.
“I’m coming up empty, Ollie.”
“It’s the kind of shirt you’re wearing.”
“The kind of shirt…oh…black! You’re last name is Black.”
His giggle grew louder. “How would I know what color your shirt is if I can’t see?”
Damn it. Good one, Ryder. Fucking brilliant.
Okay, it was something he could feel. I looked down at my shirt. “Cotton!”
“Nope.”
I smacked my head. “You’re killing me here. Put me out of my misery.”
Ollie finally said, “It’s Shortsleeve.”
Shortsleeve!
Shortsleeve?
“You’re last name is Shortsleeve?”
“Yup. Eden’s, too.”
Eden Shortsleeve. No kidding.
“Wow. That’s a very unique name. I’ve never heard it before.”
“Me neither…other than us. And Mom.”
Eden peeked her head in. “Can I steal Ryder away, Ollie?”
He shrugged. “I guess.”
“As you can see by his neutral reaction, I’ve been riveting company.” I rustled his hair. “We’ll hang out again soon.”
“When are you going back to California?” he asked.
I looked over at Eden and said, “I don’t know, buddy. I haven’t figured it out yet.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
* * *
RYDER
I looked around, noticing that Eden had cleaned up all of the dishes while I was with Ollie. The vague noise of Ollie’s iPad in the background was the only sound that registered as I found myself alone with her for the first time in a while.
Our bodies were close as we stood before each other in her kitchen. Every inch of my skin was aware of her.
My lips ached to kiss hers. Even though I wanted that more than anything, I held back, unsure how she would feel. Hadn’t I sprung enough on her today? Yes, she exhibited a certain level of comfort with me online, but this was the real deal. I couldn’t just assume everything would be the same—she hadn’t chosen this scenario. She hadn’t invited me here. Until I could confirm her feelings, I wasn’t going to assume it was okay to kiss her or touch her. And as of right now, she still seemed a little on edge around me.
“So, Ms. Shortsleeve, I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on your last name.”
“Yeah. That’s me. Thanks a lot, Ollie.” She smiled and just looked at me for a while before she shook her head. “I still can’t believe you’re here, that you found me.”
“Are you happy I’m here?”
Eden nodded. “Yes. Please don’t doubt that.”
Relief ran through me. I reached for her hand, and she looped her fingers in with mine. Even that simple touch caused my dick to stiffen. If this was how it was gonna be, this would be one of the longest weeks of my life—or however long I was staying.
“I really don’t want to…but I have to work tonight,” she said.
Disappointment filled me. “You can’t take the night off?”
“I’ve been off the last couple of nights, remember? I can’t afford to disappear. It’s making me nervous. I’ll lose my clients.”
Never had I understood her need to keep that job the way I did tonight. Now that I saw how much responsibility she had, it was clear why she needed that steady income. It was sure as hell a lot more money than she made waitressing.
“I totally get it, Eden. I’m sorry for not immediately understanding.”