Page 44 of Broken Halos
“I know, Mama, but Coach Lewisisa handsome man. I suspect there’s a reason you like to watch his interviews.”
“The man knows football, and he cares about his players,” Millie countered. “He gives troubled players a chance when no one else is willing to risk it. I admire that in a person. Besides,” she said huffily, “he’s not the one fumbling the ball, throwing interceptions, missing tackles, or botching routine field goals.”
One could argue he didn’t bench players when they continued to screw up, but it wouldn’t be me. I wasn’t going to upset Ollie’s mama. Instead, I said, “You know how fickle Cincinnati fans are, Millie. One day he’s Football Jesus, and the next, he’s the worst coach in the NFL.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” she said, nodding her head like I was preaching the word. “They did the same with Dusty Baker when he coached the Reds and now look at them. Tell me how they’re better off now. Traded all those talented players to keep one pitcher who hasn’t completed a season in years.”
“Mama is passionate about her sports,” Ollie spoke up. “God, family, and sports.”
“Good food ranks above sports. You ought to know this by now, Oliver.”
“Millie, did you teach Ollie how to make tomato soup and grilled cheese so fancy?” I asked, suddenly understanding the extra touches Ollie put into his food, including the oatmeal. I saw him adding brown sugar, cinnamon, and a touch of honey to the milk before he brought it to a soft boil and added the oats and fruit.
“I sure did,” she answered proudly. “Delicious, isn’t it? And such simple touches.”
“It was the best I’d ever had.”
Ollie squeezed my hand where it rested between us in the back seat. Did he know he was the best I’d ever had inallcategories? I thought it looked weird when we both got in the back seat to head to the restaurant like Millie was our Uber driver, but I got over it when Ollie slid his hand over mine. The tender way he circled his thumb over the top of my hand reminded me of the way his tongue circled the head of my cock the previous night. I shoved the thought aside and tuned back into Millie’s conversation before I got a hard-on.
When we got back to Ollie’s house, Millie only got out of the car long enough to hug us both. “I hope to see you again soon, Archie,” she said.
“I promise you will. Thank you,” I whispered during our hug so only she could hear. She didn’t ask me why I was thanking her, because she knew I meant the unconditional love that turned Ollie’s life around. Her reply was to squeeze me harder.
I reached for Ollie once we were alone inside his house. “If you want to know, I will tell you the nitty gritty on my disastrous relationship with Ryder, or even the Cliff Notes version if you prefer.”
Ollie briefly covered my lips with his finger. “I will listen to anything you want to share, but I already know your past is filled with losers who were too stupid to see and appreciate the gem you are.”
He knew this in the same way I knew his family had abandoned him when he came out, forcing him to live on the streets. I didn’t need him to rip open old wounds and recount his story, because my instincts and observations told me what I needed to know about his past. I was more interested in his present and future, and I could see he felt the same way.
“Do you believe me when I say neither Ryder nor what he wants now is important to me? Will you believe me when I say you’re the only guy I want and need?”
“Yes,” Ollie whispered then kissed me.
We’d shared soft, teasing kisses and deep, penetrating kisses. This kiss was…in a class of its own. The need and want were still present, but they were tempered by something deeper that felt like unspoken love. Ollie continued to kiss me as he walked me toward his room and only took his mouth away from mine when it was time to remove our shirts. I watched as he deftly discarded his collar and shirt while I fumbled with my buttons. Our mouths joined once more as we reached out to take off each other’s pants. Kisses turned to laughter when we realized our pants were tangled around the shoes we’d forgotten to remove in our haste. It didn’t take us long to fix the mess and keep stripping off until Ollie was completely nude and I was left standing in just my silk stockings.
“Did you say something about me removing your stockings with my teeth?” Ollie asked.
My response was to place my hand on his head and gently push until he kneeled before me. Ollie removed both stockings with his teeth, then I tied him to his bed with them while Ollie looked at me with unbridled love and lust. I made love to him until I thought we would both die. Afterward, I untied Ollie’s wrists and collapsed on him. He wrapped his arms around me tight and shouted, “Hallelujah!”
“GOOD MORNING,OLLIE,”CLAIRE SAIDwhen I walked through the door. “Usual order?”
I liked that I frequented the coffee shop near Archie’s house so much in the month we’d dated to have a usual order. “Good morning, Claire.” I heard the bells above the door jingle when another customer entered the café, but I was too busy looking at the muffins and cupcakes in the display case to pay attention to who it was. Did I want the same thing as usual, or did I want to shake it up a little? “Can you add a few of the pumpkin pie cupcakes to my usual order?” I must’ve missed the Monday lunch rush because there was only one other person in the café besides the person who just entered and me.
“Sure thing,” Claire said. “I like that you’ve waited until the middle of October to choose something with pumpkin in it.”
“I associate carved pumpkins and pumpkin seeds with Halloween, but pumpkin-flavored foods with Thanksgiving. The fact I’m eating a pumpkin anything before November first is newsworthy.”
“Well, you’re normally two months behind everyone else’s September first pumpkin spice frenzy then.”
“I’ve never had a problem with being a rogue.” I heard a derisive snort behind me and turned to see who so rudely intruded in our conversation. “Oh, it’syou,” I said just as rudely.
“Do you use the same tone of voice with your congregation, Pastor Ollie?” Ryder asked, raking his eyes over my jeans and flannel shirt. His expression said he wasn’t impressed by what he saw, but I didn’t really care because I was minutes away from seeing Archie, and perhaps talking him into bending over his desk. I wouldn’t let this jerk ruin my afternoon. “How much longer do you think you’ll keep Archie’s attention?”
“Forever, I hope.” It was true, why deny it?
“Hope in one hand; shit in the other,” Ryder replied. That wasn’t exactly how the saying went, but it was close enough. He opened his eyes in mock horror and gasped. “Forgive me for my vulgar language.”
“You’re forgiven, my child,” I said serenely.