Love's Game (LarssonSiblingSeries#5)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

His chocolate brown eyes fall on me for a second before his tail wags and he's staring up at Dexter again.

Dexter laughs, "This is brilliant."

"I think this is how a mother must feel when her son gets his first girlfriend," I say, pouting my lips for effect.

"Stop being so dramatic," he responds, picking up the stick that sits by his feet to lob it towards the water fountain.

I watch Sed chase after it. "I'm not dramatic. I'm hurt."

Reaching out for me, Dexter seals his fingers around my shoulder to pull me towards his body. "Don't be so silly."

Jabbing him in the ribs, I can't help but smile when he moves away, telling me that he's incredibly ticklish. He should have kept it quiet. I have a form of torture now.

"Olive," he shout-laughs, desperately trying to get away from my fingers that prod him.

"Who's the master now?" I snicker, catching up with him when he attempts to run away with his coat in my clasp, other hand still tickling him.

"Stop," he's beside himself with laughter now as he gasps for air. "I can't control my arms and I might hit you!"

I grab behind his neck which causes him to squeal like a girl. "This is payback."

"For what?" he squeals a second time, dimples denting into his cheeks.

Now he's asking, I come up short on things to say, knowing I'm only tickling him because I enjoy seeing this side of him.

So I come up with something random. "For leaving your dirty socks on the kitchen floor!"

"Wait," it seems he's almost to the point of gagging when his laugh turns into wheezing. "That isn't me. I swear it. Please just stop."

I know that he could get away from me if he really wanted to do, so I'm not too concerned by his pleas.

"Then why do they have DL sewn on as an initial near the elastic?"

"Olive, that's enough," he lets out a growl, turning me around and up in the air so he can trap my arms and hold me close to his chest.

Our breathing matches as we pant in the silence of the park. Dexter doesn't make any move to put me on the floor, probably petrified that I'll tickle him. So we stay in this position for a while, watching Sed still play with the stick in the distance, surprisingly not feeling one bit awkward.

"Never tickle me again."

I smile. "I can't promise you that, sorry."

"You need to promise me," he responds, sounding annoyed.

Trying to wriggle out of his grip, I stay still when he doesn't let go. "Let me down."

"No."

I try to mediate. "I can't breathe. You're cutting the air supply to my lungs with your freakishly strong grip."

He chuckles, "Don't care. Payback is a bitch."

"Your a bitch," I respond, starting to cough. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Possibly," he chuckles in my ear this time.

Getting some momentum, I swing my legs back and forth which causes him to stumble back. "Then who would massage your calf muscles in the middle of the night when you get cramp?"

Yeah, that happened last night when he came hobbling into my room, almost crying with pain. I thought he was overreacting at first until I switched on the light and saw his muscle moving in waves under his skin.

"I don't know," he says, sounding like he already knows I won.

"Exactly," I sigh, turning a fraction to see the top of his head, "put me down.

Dexter responds, lowering me to the ground. "Okay."

My feet touch the grass and I turn to him. "That was silly of you."

I can tell he's confused because it takes him a moment to answer me, left eyebrow slightly lifted. "Oh, yeah? Why's that?"

Playing him good, I whistle to Sed, knowing that he's going to ignore me. True to my suspicions the dog carries on sniffing the ground near the oak trees.

I start to walk towards Dexter's back. "Call him will you?"

None the wiser, he smirks, "Oh so you're admitting I'm his favourite?"

"For today," I say, watching Dexter turn his back to me to shout Sed's name.

Sed makes his way over.

I make my way onto Dexter's back.

"Sucker," I shout, wrapping my legs around his hips and one arm around his neck so my free hand is able to poke him at the top of his ribs, my body not going anywhere when he jumps all over the place.

In the words of Dexter Larsson - payback's a bitch.

...
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