“I thought he would come back by now.” There was a rustling at the end of her line and she murmured something to someone.

“You were having sex with Jameson! I knew it! Everyone is having sex right now!”

“Do you want me to come? And just for the record, you horny newlywed, I wasn’t having sex with Jameson. We were…we were just lying in bed. He is sleeping actually.”

I sat up straighter and almost knocked down my champagne glass. “You’re falling in love with him!”

“Okay, now you’re just rambling nonsense. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“No,” I whined, taking the last gulp of my champagne. “I wanna come to you. I’m seconds away from going to his room and just rubbing myself all over his sheets. I can’t stay here for long.”

“It sounds like you already did that.”

“Not exactly. Soooo, would you like to tell me about how you are in love with Jameson but pretty much scared out of your mind to hope?”

Silence.

“Ok. Hold tight. I’m coming to get you.”

***

“He smells so, so good, Lucy. I smelled everything in his room. It was so, so good. Why don’t you smell like him?” I leaned forward in her arms and tried to sniff her hair. “You still don’t smell like him.”

“I’m thinking that’s a good thing right now. Try to stay still for a minute! We’re gonna fall down the stairs then you’ll never get to smell him again.”

“I can’t fall. I want to smell him and lick him all over.”

“Good, then help me a little so we can get you up these last few steps and in a bed.”

I hummed a song that was stuck in my head and managed to make it in front of our apartment’s door with Lucy’s help. “I did it!” I yelled, lifting up my arms. “I did it! Now, what do I win? One night with Jason?”

Lucy’s hand clamped down on my mouth. “Be quiet for god’s sake,” she hissed, and instead of taking out her key, she knocked on the door.

Marcus opened it. “What is going on—”

“Marcus,” I cried and threw myself in his arms.

Catching me at the last second, he glanced at Lucy before looking down at me.

“I got married,” I announced as I shoved my ring in his face. “See?”

“I do see,” he said, pulling me up in his arms as I started to slide down.

“What’s wrong with her?” he asked to someone over my shoulder. I looked back and remembered that Lucy had brought me back home. Then I noticed that my hands were touching bare skin.

I frowned at Marcus’ naked chest. “Why are you not wearing anything?”

“I think you lost the privilege to ask that, don’t you think?”

My frown deepened. “Why should I lost privy-le…privilg—”

“Oh, stop it you two,” Lucy exclaimed from behind my back. “Either help me get her in, or get out of our way so I can—”

  Before she could finish her words, I was up and in Marcus’ arms.

“Whoaaaa,” I chuckled. “You never carried me before, Marky. Why didn’t you ever carry me? I don’t think I’m feeling so good,” I added, resting my head on his shoulder.

Charlotte was leaning against her doorframe, her face unreadable. “Char, I missed you today,” I said, holding out my hand to her, but she shook her head and closed her door.

“Where are you going?” asked Lucy, following us hurriedly. “Take her to my room.”

“What’s wrong with Char?” I asked, but both Marcus and Lucy ignored me.

“Marcus, are you hearing me?” she repeated.

Marcus opened his door, carried me to his bed, and gently placed me in the middle.

I curled into myself and murmured, “My stomach is doing something inside.”

“What do you think you are doing, Marcus?”

“I’m taking care of her. Someone has to.”

“What the hell do you think I was doing?”

“You’re being too loud,” I said, cringing and grabbing on to the sheets so I could stop spinning.

“Come on, Olive. Let’s go to my room.”

“Let her be,” interjected Marcus. “Jameson is still in your room and Olive’s room is practically empty. She needs to sleep it off. Where the hell is her so-called husband?”

“That’s none of your concern, Marcus,” I heard Lucy say.

Someone sat down beside me and started to brush the hair away from my face. It felt nice. Why couldn’t Jason brush my hair away, too? It must’ve been Marcus. I couldn’t remember Lucy having such big hands. “I think it is. Doesn’t look like you are doing a very good job of looking after her, Lucy.”

I groaned and turned my back to them. I was too tired to listen to them bicker.

Chapter Twenty-Three Jason

Fuming, I stood in front of Olive’s old roommate and ex-boyfriend, trying my best to not deck the guy.

“Get me Olive,” I growled for the second time.

“She is not in a state to see you right now, man. I suggest you come back in the morning.” He tried to close the door in my face.

I had come home late, only to find an empty bottle of champagne and Olive’s laptop next to the pool, but no Olive.

When I’d tried to call her, I found her phone in her own room right across from mine. Worried out of my mind, I’d gone through her phone, called her friend Lucy, and learned that she was at their place.

I hit the door with my palm and forced him to open it. “Olive,” I yelled into the apartment. Instead of Olive coming out, a sleepy-eyed Lucy appeared behind the douchebag.

“What’s going on here? Jason? Are you here to get Olive?”

“Yes,” I gritted through my teeth, keeping my eyes on Marcus. “Can you tell her that I’m here?”

Grabbing on to Marcus’ arm, Lucy tried to pull him back, but he wasn’t budging. That son of a bitch had his eyes on me, too.

“Have you lost your mind, Marcus? He is her husband for god’s sake.”

He gave an unamused laugh. “As if I would believe that was true after the way she came here.”

My eyes flew to Lucy’s with a different kind of worry. “Is Olive okay? Did something happen?”

“As if you care about her,” Marcus spat.

Lucy’s face softened. “She is fine, Jason. She just drank a little too much. She is sleeping it off, that’s why I said on the phone that you could come and get her in the morning.”

Fed up with the idiot, I bulldozed my way into their apartment.

“Hey!” he yelled after me.

Just come at me boy, I thought. Come at me so I can take it out on you.

“Where is she?” I asked, looking at Lucy.

Charlotte, the other roommate, was watching everything unfold calmly in front of an open doorway. I took a step toward her and she shook her head. “She is sleeping in Marcus’ room.”

I whirled on Marcus, my patience completely gone. “You son of a bitch! Did you touch her?!”

“What do you care? You’re nothing to her.” He raised his voice and puffed up his chest, coming toward me. Before I could reach him and mess up his pretty little face, Lucy grabbed my forearm.

“Stop it, both of you! He didn’t, Jason. Jeez.” She shot an annoyed look at Marcus. “No one did. I was sleeping next to her. Come on,” she explained in a rush and pulled me toward another closed door.

My hands were itching to lay it on the guy, but I let Lucy’s small frame pull me away from him.

I entered the room after her and saw Olive sleeping in the middle of the bed, her legs pulled up into her stomach. All my anger melted off me and my heart settled down. I would have to sit down and think about what that meant.

Putting one knee on the bed, I slid my arms under her back and knees and lifted her up in my arms as gently as possible. I took a deep breath and caught her beautiful scent.

Her eyes blinked open and a sweet smile spread across her face. “Jason,” she mumbled quietly. She rested her head against my chest and closed her eyes again.

She reeked of alcohol.

I cleared my throat to soften my tone. “It’s me, sweetheart. I’m taking you home.”

“I don’t wanna go,” she murmured. “We were having sex.” She looped her arms around my neck more securely and pushed her face farther into my neck.