Page 14 of Notorious (Hollywood Heartthrobs #2)

But there was the overwhelming sense of protectiveness as well.

I wanted to be the man he turned to when he had good news to share, the one he came to when sadness overwhelmed him and he needed a shoulder to cry on.

It wasn’t something I’d ever wanted before, but to be there for Ollie would be a privilege, not a burden or an inconvenience I once believed happened between couples.

Maybe it’d been so long since I thought about how mama and papa were when they were together, I’d forgotten what love looked like.

Although papa was busy with his medical practice, he still made time to come home every night and talk to us over dinner.

And when Saturday night rolled around, they’d have someone they trusted babysit us as he took mama to dinner and to whatever they decided on for the rest of the night.

They loved dancing; salsa or ballroom. It didn’t matter as long as they were together.

They both loved comedy, so when dancing didn’t appeal to them, they often went downtown to the Comedy Store or the Laugh Factory for a show.

What I hadn’t remembered all these years later were the quiet moments of conversation, mama’s shoulder pressed against papa’s chest as they spoke in low tones, figuring out a problem or telling a story about an experience one of them had that day.

The camaraderie they shared, even with seven kids and being pulled in a million directions, their marriage took priority.

Mama’s eyes dimmed, but the light never abated after his death.

I realized it when it happened, but close to seven years later, I know for a fact I would not have been as strong.

The pain was palpable in our family, all the more because mama lost her soulmate.

But as a kid of nineteen, I remembered the pain of losing one of the two pillars of strength in my life and no thought extended to my other siblings.

Something in me recognized the younger version of myself avoided feelings or attachment of any kind after the sadness lifted bit by bit.

It was easier to sleep with whomever I wanted and give myself an arbitrary timeline of one night rather than risk my feelings.

But part of me, even back then, craved the type of relationship my parents had.

Fear of losing myself was minor compared to the terror of exposing myself and allowing any part of me showing vulnerability in front of another person.

It wasn’t even my trepidation of someone knowing me inside and out, but the dread of losing them.

Another lightbulb went off as I made the correlation after all this time and my mouth tilted up in an ironic smile.

Most men I knew in Hollywood, with both fame and money, lived alone.

Hell, Kaid lived in his giant glass and metal monstrosity you could see from space by himself.

Even Spencer, before Lee and he gave into the attraction they’d felt the moment they met, lived in a mansion by himself with Lee in an entire separate house behind it.

I mean, who needed eight bedrooms to themselves?

The moment I brought home my first paycheck from a summer blockbuster action flick, I conferred with my family and we purchased a home in the hills where all of us could stay.

Never once did it occur to me to break away from my siblings and make a life away from them, despite being a selfish asshole.

We were a package deal and when one of us succeeded, we all did.

Sam was still in medical school, so I paid off all his bills, including tuition. When Emilia and Omi decided where they wanted to go to college, money wasn’t an issue. And when the triplets decided on their future in the next few months, I had money set aside for them.

And those were two sides of myself I strove hard never to merge. Well, until I brought Ollie home.

Another squeal of laughter came from Ollie’s booth, pulling me from my musings. There he was, knelt down in front of a toddler, holding out a stuffed whale. Instead of taking the toy, the boy threw himself into the man’s arms and hugged him with all his might.

Ollie stood, cuddling the little one close, before he turned toward the boy’s parents and smiled, shaking his head.

After a brief conversation, the boy reached for his whale toy and blinked, giving a jaw cracking yawn; the universal sign of nap time. When Ollie leaned down to hand the boy over to his mom, the baby gave a screech and held on for another minute, until he drifted off to sleep and gave up the fight.

As the parents and adorable boy walked off, I sidled up to Ollie and waited.

“Hey, there,” I said.

Ollie turned to me, recognized me in a split second, before he let out an endearing little squeak. He threw himself into my arms and cuddled into me.

“You’re home,” he breathed out.

For two tall men, we fit together and my body started humming when he buried his face against my neck.

With a huge smile on my face, I asked, “So, I take it you missed me?”

Ollie pulled back, radiating sheer joy as he put his finger and thumb together, showing an inch. “Maybe, a little.”

He laughed at my disgruntled expression. But before I leaned down and waited with bated breath to press my lips to his, a high-pitched screech interrupted us.

“What happened to my stock?”

Ollie, ever the charmer, pulled back and stepped up to the man, who, by the looks of it, ran the carnival. Or at least the prize booths.

“It’s strange. All the little ones had the best luck with popping the balloons.

It must have been the barometric pressure since I heard the meteorologists predicting a La Nina.

But thanks for the opportunity to run the booth, I had a lot of fun and we raised over the amount they required for the charity donation, so it’s a win all around. ”

Left standing speechless with his mouth open and boggling eyes, he watched my man turn back toward me.

Ollie noticed me watching the entire byplay and winked at me.

My disguise must’ve worked because the man who made a living by ripping off kids and families had no recognition in his face when I looped an arm around Ollie’s waist and we walked off together.

“Thank you for being here. I did not want to deal with that man alone again.”

My spine stiffened, and I growled out, “Was he hitting on you?”

The light giggle warmed me, and I relaxed as he shook his head.

“No, I think he wanted to intimidate me because he thought I’d be a pushover.

To me, he treated the kids as bothersome and talked down to the student representatives tasked with the setup.

For a minute there, I thought Linus was going to punch him.

After I sent the triplets off to man the dunk tank, I got back at him by letting the kids choose a toy, even if they didn’t win.

I restocked the prizes six times over the afternoon, so he’ll flip shit when he checks underneath the table to find empty boxes where he stored the rest of the prizes. ”

Laughing at the way Ollie’s pride shone through, I wondered aloud. “I never thought of Linus as a fighter.”

“He’s laid back until you ruffle his feathers, and then he’s a fierce protector.

The man stuck his chest out and tried to intimidate me when he was giving me instructions on working the booth.

He even slowed his speech, and that was when Linus grew irritated with the condescending lecture, especially when the man reached for my arm, and he snapped. ”

We’d walked away from the booth and found ourselves on the outskirts of the fair, still thriving. I spotted an oak and led Ollie around the other side, grateful for the privacy.

“I missed you, too, you know,” I said.

A gorgeous blush stained his cheeks, and I lifted my hand and ran my thumb over the heated skin, inhaling the warmth of the man along with the hint of citrus.

“Several times since it happened, I thought I imagined it all. I’d all but convinced myself you hadn’t asked me to be your boyfriend. But the way you’re looking at me now, while it still feels like a dream, it’s also real,” Ollie whispered. “Are you freaking out?”

At first, his question confused me. But when he glanced up at me, I lost my voice for a second and let out a grunt.

My hands smoothed up and down his arms. “I know I’m a horrible prospect for a boyfriend, and my past actions are screaming I’m not into commitment?—”

Ollie shook his head once, hard, and then relaxed, softening his expression as he looked at me with a kind of wonder I couldn’t understand.

“No, beautiful, it wasn’t an accusation.

I’m wondering because it’s been several weeks since we’ve been in the same room, all the while still getting to know each other.

Talking on the phone or over video doesn’t always feel the same once you’re back in the same zip code and face-to-face.

That’s what made me wonder out loud. And , I’ll emphasize this over and over, you need to stop beating yourself up over past decisions that were right for you,” Ollie said.

I stopped fighting the urge to kiss the man I’ve only put my lips on twice my entire life, which seemed a shame, bordering on criminal, and groaned out, “Can I kiss you?”

His breath rushed out, and my fingers tingled. He beamed at me and said, “Please.”

With neither grace nor coordination, my hands reached up to cup his face. I tilted my head and devoured his mouth as though I were a drowning man and he was essential to my survival.

Somewhere in the fervent need, my hat disappeared as Ollie lifted my sunglasses on top of my head, but nothing other than a natural disaster would have prevented me from feasting on the man’s delicious mouth.

When his lips moved away from my own, I chased his touch with little care for how desperate I seemed.

The next second, my face burrowed against the front of Ollie’s chest as his hands protected my head.

I was about to open my mouth and ask what had changed when he shushed me.

I relaxed into his hold, trusting him, as I wove fantasies in my mind about tasting every inch of his naked, scorched skin as he moaned below me, begging for more.

“Where did you park?”

“In the second parking lot on the other side of the school. Why?”

His silence lasted all of about thirty seconds before he whispered, “I could have sworn I spotted flashing from a camera, but when I opened my eyes, no one was around. I think we should leave.”

Without waiting for my answer, Ollie pulled out his phone and texted something.

When the device beeped, he let out a relieved breath, bent down and picked up my cap and sunglasses, waving as though I should put them on, before we started walking us toward the open gate so we could cut through the stands and behind the school where I parked.

We jumped into the SUV and he locked the doors behind us.

He glanced around and found a dark tint on all the windows.

“People can’t see in, right?”

“No, well, not unless they’re pressed against the glass. What are you worried about? I get photographed all the time,” I said.

My statement made Ollie pause. “Oh.”

That one word held weight, and I knew he was beating himself up for our hasty retreat.

“Don’t worry about it. I arrived in a disguise, and you haven’t experienced what a pain the paps are when you don’t want to be photographed, so it’s understandable you’d want to protect me. Who did you text?” I asked.

“I texted Landon to see if they had a ride home. He told me not to worry, but now that my kiss-addled brain is clear, should I be worried?

Shaking my head, I said, “The media don’t know about the triplets or any of my siblings. I’ve taken mama to premieres, so they know about her, but everything else is under tight security. It’s how my siblings can lead a normal life without being hassled.”

Each word caused Ollie’s eyes to widen and I’m shaken to see how much of my world he still doesn’t know about.

“Didn’t you search for me or my friends while I was gone?” I asked.

He shook his head, “No, it, well, don’t laugh, okay?”

When I nodded, he continued in a whisper, “I don’t want to invade your privacy.

If you want to tell me about your life, I’d be happy to learn all about you.

Otherwise, I see it as a waste of time to dig through all the information and try to piece together whether something about you is the truth or complete fiction. ”

My heart thumped once hard against my chest and I reached for Ollie’s hand, linking our fingers. I’ve never met someone as genuine and caring as Ollie, and I lost another piece of my heart to the man.

“Let’s go home,” I said.