Against All Odds

Chapter Eight

The rest of the heat passes in a haze of sex, knotting, sleeping, and Ollie forcing me to drink water. By the fifth day, I am exhausted, and I wake up for the first time without the haze of heat over me.

Blinking open my eyes, I wince at the light coming into the room. My head is pounding, more so than usual when my heat ends. An arm is draped over my waist, and this time I know that it belongs to Ollie.

Despite the pain in my head, I roll over and right into Ollie's chest. He is passed out, not even startling from me rolling into him. His plush lips are parted in sleep, his hair flattened against his forehead in the front while standing straight up in the back. The sheet is pushed to the bottom of the bed, and I can understand why. It is stifling in here, too dangerous to open the window during my heat to get some fresh air. But the kicked down sheet leaves Ollie's body completely on display, and if I wasn't so sexed out right now, I would be eagerly showing my appreciation.

The thought has me stopping short, giving my head a small shake in confusion. Sure, I have always known that Ollie is attractive: being a little taller for an omega and shoulders slightly wider. His dark hair made the gold in his eyes pop, and the dark lashes didn't hurt either. Even the freckle above his top lip is attractive, something that would seem out of place on others but just seems right on him.

But I have never allowed myself to indulge in those thoughts, always shaking them away before they could get too far. It is much harder to do now, though, since we spent this heat together. The draw that I felt before is becoming stronger, something that I can't shake away.

Letting out a small sigh, I roll out of the bed, careful not to jostle Ollie awake. He just continues sleeping, though, rolling over to my side of the bed and hugging my pillow to his chest. With a fond smile on my face, I walk over to the bedroom door, opening it to see Emmie sitting right outside, obviously waiting for us.

"Hi, Emmie," I whisper, bending down to pick her up. The motion has me wincing, and combined with my headache, I decide that I could really use an ibuprofen. She allows me to pick her up, carrying her into the bathroom so I can quickly swallow some pain medicine before going into the kitchen.

My paperwork is still scattered across the dining room table where I left it days ago. Setting Emmie down, I walk over to organize everything, eyes catching on the few apartment options that I had printed out. They aren't too badly priced, but the thought of moving just adds more to my headache.

There is too much to think about right now in terms of financials. September will be over in a little over a week, and I have to find a new place by then. I'll just have to settle with one of the apartments until I can find something better later on.

It is soothing to be in the kitchen, making a skillet along with country style potatoes and bacon, while sipping on some coffee.

Ollie's house is adorable. It is relatively private, a nice backyard with a few fruit trees and bird baths. It isn't too big or too small, and the fact that it is a couple decades old adds some character to it, rather than having all crisp lines and gleaming exterior.

While I wait for breakfast to cook, I make sure to call and check up on the coffee shop and bookstore. They are connected, making it a comfortable place for people to relax and unwind, especially on drizzly days like today. I'll have to go in sometime this afternoon to take over for Xenia in the bookshop and finish payroll, but other than that, they are doing fine.

Ollie is stumbling in right when I am ending my call with Dr. Cole's receptionist, making an appointment for next week to see her.

"Good morning," I say, smiling as Ollie stumbles over to one of the stools to sit down. "Coffee?"