Midnight Daffodil (Poisonous Petals #1)

Chapter 33Olivia

thirty-three

OLIVIA

V era and I enjoyed our much needed girl time as we strolled the shops lining the streets of Seattle. We spent most of the day shopping before returning to her place for the evening.

The cats greeted us with lazy yawns and stretches as we stumbled through the door with all of our bags. We had wrapping paper, bows, and all the pretty things for the holidays.

“What do we want for dinner tonight, girl?” Vera looked down at her phone, opening a food delivery app. “Cuz we all know your ass ain’t cookin’.”

I laughed as memories of the nasty breakfast came flooding back.

“I dunno. Maybe Mexican? That sounds amazing right now,” I told her as we spread our goodies on her living room floor. “Some chips and queso.”

Wrapping until our fingers ached, we did our usual gossiping. Because we were, in fact, the most basic of friends. Vera ordered the food and shooed the cats away from the gifts that were not yet riddled with cat hair.

The food finally arrived, and we absolutely devoured it, leaving us in food comas on the couch as Oatmeal pawed at the leftovers.

“I’ve missed this so much,” I told her quietly.

She smiled, closing her eyes, the dim light of the television illuminating her features. “Me too, girl.”

“I’m gonna head to the room for the night,” I said, picking up my phone to call Luke.

“Not before you call your hot, hunky boyfriend first, right?” she teased as she stretched out on the armchair.

“You know me so well.”

“Goodnight,” she mumbled, snuggling into her armchair.

I closed the door to my room. Falling on the bed flat on my back, I dialed Luke.

“Hey, sweet angel.”

His baritone went straight down my torso, settling in a warm spot in my lower belly.

“Hi, Sergeant, I need to turn myself in,” I said huskily. “I did something bad.”

His voice darkened. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of my bed.” Playing along perfectly, his low voice made my sex throb.

I stifled a giggle. “Maybe that's what I want, Sergeant Ride me. Oops, I mean, Ryder.”

“How about I turn this cruiser around and have you cock my gun.”

I heard laughter erupt in the background and a grunt from Luke. “God dammit, Aidan, if you don’t shut the hell up.” Luke quelled a laugh of his own.

“Oh, he’s just teasing, babe,” I laughed into the phone as I heard Aidan making kissing noises. “But I wouldn't mind you showing me how big of a baton you’re packing.”

Luke didn't miss a beat. “It’s bigger than Aidan’s; that's a fact.”

“You fucking wish, the ladies are dying to be frisked by me.” Aidan snorted in the background. Luke scoffed, adding a few choice words before laughing again.

“I have a surprise for you, Olivia.” Luke returned his focus to me and changed the subject.

“Luke Ryder, you’re just full of sweet things, aren’t you? First, you leave gifts for me at Vera’s, and now there’s more?”

The night he stepped in on my date; he dropped off baby blue roses and sunflowers, my favorite chocolate brownie deluxe ice cream, and a fuzzy throw blanket.

He is perfect.

“Only for you, angel, but the surprise has to wait until the morning,” he told me. I heard car doors closing and Rev barking in the background.

“Are you at the station?” Confusion rippled through my tone; typically, he just hopped in a cruiser and went for his shift.

“Yeah, Lampton is here, said he wanted to touch base with me about something. Whatever the hell that means,” he replied.

My heart skipped a beat. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, baby, of course it is, and even if it wasn’t,” he said, his voice quiet and reassuring, “you don’t have to worry about a thing.”

“Okay.” I yawned as I heard pawing at the door.

I opened it to let Noodle in for the night, leaving it cracked so he could come and go as he pleased. Tension slowly receded as my jaw unclenched and my shoulders relaxed.

Trauma really was a bitch.

“You need to get some sleep, angel. I promise everything will be fine with work, and I’ll tell you my surprise over breakfast tomorrow morning,” he said.

We said our goodnights, and I lay in bed.

I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

Noodle curled up next to me, purring as I turned on my side to cuddle him. Drifting into the realm of dreams, visions of Luke and the life we might build together fluttered through my mind like whispers, echoing through my subconscious like a lullaby.

He fit perfectly in my life.