His Greatest Treasure (Greatest Love #4)

Chapter 32

32

OLIVER

Waking up with Avery in my arms this morning feels different than last time.

She’s huddled onto my chest, breath spreading in warm puffs between my pecs and leg thrown over my waist. The light is bright in my room from the open curtains, and I take advantage of the opportunity to look at her.

Her lips are parted, no longer swollen from how long I kept them attached to mine long after we’d crawled under the blankets. Blonde hair frizzy and standing up every which way, she looks youthful. Unkempt yet as beautiful as I’ve ever seen her. Even when we were kids, I don’t remember her hair being messy. It was always smooth and shiny.

“We don’t want to play with a bunch of stinky boys,” Tinsley sasses, shoving Noah aside when he hovers, not listening.

She’s only ten, but she can be really mean when she’s hungry. Noah’s nine and always tries to skip out on our football games to sit and watch her. It’s weird.

“Well, I don’t want you to play with us either. You reek like perfume, Tiny,” Maddox grumbles. “It was Oliver’s idea for you to hang with us.”

Noah glares at him and punches him in the gut. “Don’t talk to her.”

Cooper thinks he’s too old to hang out with us because he’s seventeen, so he’s inside painting instead of in the yard. I don’t think he’s that old. Maddox is fifteen but always makes time for us. Especially when Avery’s in town.

I scratch at the back of my neck and look at the blonde girl beside Tinsley. Avery Miller’s fifteen too, but her age doesn’t matter to me. I want to date her someday, even though she’s older than me by four years.

“Don’t start a fight,” she tells the boys, sighing in annoyance at their behaviour.

I jump between Noah and Maddox and look at the older brother. “Listen to her, Dox.”

He frowns at me. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Well, I’m not.”

“You’re such a suck-up. She’s going to notice your crush because you’re so obvious,” he whispers.

Noah leans close, his smirk making him look more his brother’s age than his own. “A crush?”

“I’ll tell Braxton you have a crush on her if you tell Avery about mine,” I threaten Maddox, ignoring his brother.

Braxton is Maddox’s best friend outside of our group of family friends, and I’m pretty sure he loves her already. He always chooses her before the rest of us. I hate her a little bit for it.

“There’s no loyalty around here,” he mutters.

Noah’s gone when I turn around, but it only takes one look at Tinsley to find him back at her side like a creep. Maddox may be weirdly addicted to being near Braxton, but he has nothing on his brother with Tinsley. He’s like a weirdo stalker.

Avery smiles at me when I look her way. She smooths a palm over her slicked-back hair and pulls at her ponytail so it swishes in the air. Her hair is so pretty, but I’ve never told her that. She’s even prettier than her hair.

The prettiest girl I’ve ever seen .

I puff up my chest and head her way, but Maddox grips my shoulder and tugs me against him, keeping me away. Even when I stomp on his toes, he doesn’t release me.

“You’re eleven. Don’t embarrass yourself.”

Even though I want to spend time with her before she goes back to Sweden, I listen to him and leave her standing there with Tinsley.

Next time she comes to Vancouver, I’ll talk to her. I can wait that long.

I blink out of the memory when lips press to my chest. Swallowing to bring moisture back to my dry mouth, I sit up in bed and drag her along my body until she’s straddling my lap. Her cheeks are stained pink when she places her hands on my shoulders and smiles.

We’re both naked, and every slight shift of her body atop mine has me biting back a curse.

“Good morning, stilig ,” she whispers, toying with the hairs at the back of my neck.

“Another Swedish name you don’t plan on telling me the meaning of?”

“It means handsome, butternalle .”

I scowl. “You get pleasure from teasing me, princess?”

“I get pleasure in plenty of ways,” she purrs.

With a slow, upward thrust of my hips, I watch her mouth part on a silent moan as her bare pussy spreads over my shaft, enveloping it in warmth.

I grin and lean forward to chase her lips for a kiss. “Do you want some right now?”

She answers by reaching between us and scooting back just enough to expose the sight of her gripping my cock in her hand. I grunt at the sudden pressure and fight to keep still, allowing her to touch me how she wants to.

“Do you want pleasure, Oliver?” she asks, snapping her eyes upward.

The first stroke of her hand has my toes curling. And the second yanks a groan from my lips .

Her smug little grin is sexier than it should be. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“You’re a cruel woman.”

“Should I stop?”

A second set of fingers wrap around the rest of my cock, and then she’s stroking the full length of it. Slowly, teasing in a way that feels like half punishment and half reward. I palm her waist and urge her forward, desperate to get inside of her, but she shakes her head.

“I want to taste you first,” she says.

My head falls back against the headboard with a whack. I squeeze my eyes shut as she moves down my legs and coats the head of my cock in warm air. Without her waist to hold on to, I grip the comforter on either side of my body.

“Open your eyes and watch me.”

“If I open my eyes, the sight of you with your mouth around me will make me come in two seconds.”

“Don’t ruin my fun so soon, Ollie. Let me suck your cock with your attention on me.” She swipes her tongue over the slit once. “Please?”

I snap them open and throb at what I see. Tits bare and ass in the air, she bends over my lap and looks up at me through her lashes. Her mouth is open, and her pink tongue hovers over my cock, waiting.

“Go on,” I order, but my voice is soft.

She smiles before lowering her mouth over my tip and sucking gently. I huff a shaky exhale and watch, enamoured, as she creeps down another inch, drool dripping down between the fingers that grip my shaft.

“Fuck, you look pretty with my cock in your mouth,” I whisper, collecting her hair from around her face as it drapes over my thighs.

She hums, and the vibrations hit my balls. Her hands start to move once she’s gotten me wet, twisting and stroking while her mouth suctions the first few inches. A swipe of her tongue along the underside of the head has me one second from begging her to stop before I come.

“Don’t make me come, princess. Only doing that in your pussy,” I warn.

Amusement sparks in her eyes, but she doesn’t push me this time. She releases me with a wet gasp and crawls back onto my lap before tucking my cock inside of her and bearing down.

It’s a different sensation than her mouth, and it strips me of restraint. Next time, I’ll let her ride me nice and slow, but not now.

“Hold on, princess. Need to fuck you raw.”

She nods quickly and threads her fingers behind my neck before I start thrusting up into her. My pace is unrelenting, each snap of my hips loud and hard. But she moans and moans until the only thing I can hear is the sound of her pleasure in my ears.

I kiss her with the same desperation I feel kicking in my chest. A glimpse at an obsession that’s been growing for her forever but can now be set free. It’s alive inside of me, and I’m not stifling it again.

She palms my cheeks and holds my face in place, her movements just as frantic. It’s relieving to know she wants me even half as bad as I want her. She knows about my schoolboy crush on her back then and hasn’t let it change anything for her now. We’re starting over together.

“Oliver,” she whimpers, watching me through our kiss.

I hold her stare. “Avery.”

Bliss fills her expression as she squeezes me tight, an orgasm sweeping through her just moments before mine hits. I keep buried to the hilt, shooting deep inside of her as she goes limp in my arms.

Pushing her hair out of her face, I kiss her forehead and then her nose before taking her lips again just once more. Her lips curl into a soft smile, and I know I’m fucked. If I wasn’t already locked in her life forever before, I sure am now.

An episode of Survivor plays in the background as Avery curls up on the couch beside me beneath a fluffy pink blanket and calls her parents. The lingering smell of bacon fills the air from breakfast, and an empty coffee cup rests on the coffee table in front of her.

Hair wet from our shower and draped over her shoulder, she watches me with her lip between her teeth while the FaceTime call rings.

“They don’t have to know you’re even here. But if I don’t call soon, they’ll cancel all their plans for the next two weeks and book emergency flights,” she says.

I hold her thigh over the blanket. “I know your parents, princess. Just because I haven’t seen them in a while doesn’t mean I’ve grown too scared of them to say hi.”

“It’s been a decade, not just a while. And they’re not going to be happy with just a hi. I haven’t told them about us yet, and one look at you here with me and they’ll know. Well, at least Mom will.”

“I want them to know.”

She lets go of her lip and smiles. “Okay.”

The ringing cuts off, and I watch the screen as it turns from black to a slightly fuzzy picture of her parents. They haven’t changed much in the years since I’ve last seen them. Apart from the natural signs of aging, Matt looks eerily similar to the last time I saw him. His brown hair is short and wavy, and his wide jaw is sporting a silver-speckled beard that’s trimmed neatly.

Morgan is like my mother. The only signs of aging on her features are the crinkles at her eyes and beside the corners of her mouth from years spent laughing. There’s a wisdom to her that I can only hope to have one day.

It isn’t wisdom in Matt’s eyes when he notices me sitting beside his daughter, though. It’s protectiveness. Every inch of his expression puts his tense curiosity on display.

“ Varf?r ?r det en man i ditt vardagsrum? ” he asks sternly.

Avery rolls her eyes at him. “Don’t try to intimidate him by not speaking English, Dad.”

“I wasn’t. Your accent is hardly noticeable now. I was testing you.”

“I hadn’t even spoken yet,” she points out.

Matt frowns, clucking his tongue. “Too much time in Canada has taught you how to backtalk.”

“I’m pretty sure that was you, actually. Now, say hello nicely. I’ve missed you.”

He darts his eyes in my direction, and they tighten at the corners before going back to Avery and softening. “Hello, mitt hj?rta. I missed you more.”

The name is the same one she uses with Nova. My heart.

I squeeze Avery’s thigh. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Miller. You as well, Mrs. Miller.”

“Oliver Bateman? Oh, you’re a spitting image of your father now. He used to have the same scowl lines,” Morgan says, smiling warmly. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you.”

“And I can’t say I expected to see you in my daughter’s living room this morning,” Matt grumbles.

His wife pinches his chest. “Ignore him, Oliver. He hasn’t had dinner yet, and he’s just so old now that he gets a bit grumpy if he doesn’t eat during seniors hour.”

Avery snorts a laugh and sets her hand over mine, rubbing it gently. I thread our fingers and tug them into my lap as she looks over at me, eyes sparkling.

Speaking to her parents makes her happy, and I’m already half out of my mind thinking of how hard it would be to plan a trip back home for her so she can see them in person and how I could get it done no matter the difficulty.

“Why are you in my daughter’s living room, Oliver Bateman?” Matt asks, kissing his wife on the cheek instead of feeding into her dig.

“Boyfriends usually hang out at their girlfriend’s house during the day, Dad. Or have you forgotten how dating works?” Avery answers for me.

Matt full-on glares at me now, and I hold it, not giving an inch. I’m not a teenager he can intimidate, and I want him to see that. He’s known me since the day I was born, even if he hasn’t seen me in a decade.

“Boyfriend? Why?” he asks tightly.

“Why?” Avery echoes.

“Why do you need a boyfriend? My heart can’t take it. It would be very thoughtful of you to break this relationship off before it grows any weaker. I’m too old and fragile for this type of news.”

Morgan shakes her head at him, sighing. “And everyone always called me the dramatic one. You’re worse than I ever was.”

Avery strokes a finger along the back of my hand; whether it’s meant to be a symbol of support or something subconscious doesn’t matter.

“You have one of the healthiest hearts in Sweden, Dad. Save the dramatics for Nova,” she says.

“And where is my precious granddaughter? Still sleeping?”

“She’s at Oliver’s parents’ house.”

“Did he make you send her away?” Matt asks, leaning closer to the camera until all that’s visible are his narrowed eyes.

He’s pulled away a moment later, and Morgan’s holding him by the shoulder. “Just ignore him, sweetheart. I’m happy for you. Both of you. When did this happen?”

Her warm, motherly tone is comforting. At least one of Avery’s parents isn’t already planning a way to hide my body the next time they’re here.

“A few weeks after I moved in. He’s my neighbour,” Avery explains with flushed skin. “We didn’t get along at first.”

“Why? Is he mean?” Matt asks before Morgan pins him with a glare.

“No, Dad. We just butted heads a bit. Miscommunication and all that.”

Matt hums stiffly. “Miscommunication isn’t exactly a good sign to a healthy relationship.”

“Avery’s covering for me with that. It wasn’t miscommunication. I didn’t recognize her at first, and by the time I did, I’d already been a grumpy ass to her and been marked off. It took a few weeks to make it up to her,” I say, stepping in.

If he’s going to write me off for my past actions, then I’m more than willing to put in the work to get back in his good graces. I’ve already done that with the most important Miller. I can do it again.

“The apple never falls far from the tree, does it?” Matt huffs in question. “First, your father with your mother, and now you with my daughter. You couldn’t have fallen for one of the nicer boys, Avery? What about Jamieson?”

“Dad!” Avery scolds him before flashing me an apologetic look.

“My brother’s not ready to be a father, Mr. Miller,” I say.

I’ve put it all out there now, and by the gasp that explodes out of Morgan’s mouth, she wasn’t expecting my comment. Matt’s not as obvious with his surprise, but he doesn’t hide it well either.

“And you are? After only . . . what? A few weeks?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”

Avery’s hand tightens in mine.

Her father opens his mouth to say something, but his wife cuts him off with a hand in the face. “I don’t want to hear another word from you, Matthew. No more arguing. I’m so excited for the both of you and will be calling Gracie as soon as we get off the phone to scold her for not telling me about this sooner.”

“Gracie and Tyler both knew?” Matt asks.

“Keep up, honey. Do you think Gracie took Nova for the night without knowing all about what these two were up to? Not possible.”

“She doesn’t know everything,” I say.

Morgan frowns. “More than us.”

“I’ve been busy, Mom.”

“I know. I know. I’m just being petty.”

“It wasn’t planned. Neither of us expected anything after meeting again the way we did. But I’m serious about Avery and Nova. I want to be a part of their lives for the rest of my life,” I say past the nerves in my throat. “I’m up for the task of proving that to you.”

Avery’s attention has me looking away from the camera and toward her. Her mouth is tipped in a gentle smile that has me positive that I made the right call by being honest with her parents.

I smile back and pull our hands to my lips to kiss her knuckles. A heavy, comforting feeling of contentment falls over me as we sit here. We might not be alone, but that doesn’t mean shit right now.

I’m starting to believe it never will.