Secrets in the Ashes: Fragments of Desire

Chapter 2: The Big Brother Talk

I put my headphones in, turning on my cleaning playlist and tucking my phone back into my shorts pocket. When I was done with his lunch, I brought it to him in his home office and then returned to cleaning. I moved on to the pile of dishes that had accumulated over the weekend, scrubbing the counters and then tackling the mess on the stove. It seemed as if Olly had attempted to make some sort of sauce and it had boiled over and burned, sticking stubbornly to the burner.

After the kitchen came the den, where Olly spent most of his late nights watching old movies or entertaining guests. There was the typical mess of popcorn in the cushions and buttery grease on all of the remotes. Once I was done there, I moved onto the bedroom and bathrooms.

While changing the bedding, I shook out a pair of lace panties from the sheets and rolled my eyes. After donning a pair of gloves, I picked them up off the floor and tossed them into the trash.

Whoever they belonged to, wouldn't be back ever again to retrieve them.

Olly changed his companions like one changed their sheets – there was a new one every week. Come tonight, there would surely be another one.

My small group of close friends would sometimes make bets on what color hair she would have, or what color of way-too-short dress she would wear. I had the unfair advantage of knowing his preferences, so I usually won.

I turned from the trashcan as my face slammed into a well-toned chest. "Jesus Christ!" I yelped and stumbled back, ripping out my headphones.

"I'm sorry, I tried getting your attention, but you couldn't hear me with the headphones in." Olly stood before me, shirtless and slick with sweat.

I wiped the bit of sweat from his chest off my face and struggled to drag my eyes up his body to meet his stare. I may have put him in the 'off-limits' category of hot men in my life, but I wasn't a fool. The man was drop-dead gorgeous.

He had dark brown hair and crystal clear blue eyes. His lips were full and his cheekbones sat high on his face. There were two beauty marks; one above his lip and another on his strong jaw. I often fantasized about kissing them late at night when I was alone and sure that no one could read my thoughts.

I cleared my throat and shook the sinister thoughts from my mind, giving Olly my full attention. "What's up, boss?"

He gave me a half-smile, his white teeth peeking out from the corner of his lips. "I was just asking how much longer you would be in the bathroom. I need to shower, but I can just go to the guest bathroom if you're going to be a while."

"Oh," I looked around to see if there was anything that I still needed to do in the bathroom. "Nope, I think I'm all done in here. All yours."

He threw the towel onto the floor and gave a small apology when I immediately picked it up and tossed it into the laundry basket. I turned to ask him something, but the question vanished on my tongue when I spied his broad back facing me, his athletic shorts already on the floor around his ankles.

The blush that heated my cheeks was scorching as I quickly turned and ran out of the bathroom, slamming the door firmly behind me. I swore I heard a chuckle from the other side right before I heard the shower turn on.

I fought down the tight fluttering feeling in my lower stomach and forced myself to focus back on cleaning. By the time I had finished, I had worked my way all the way back downstairs.

Olly emerged from upstairs just as I collapsed onto the couch, covered in a thin sheen of sweat and shame.

"I don't suppose you would be up for making food?" He asked as he fussed with his wet hair that kept falling into his face.

I jumped up from the couch before I could get comfortable. "Anything for you," I said and then froze. "I mean, of course I am." I rushed from the den before he could say something witty or sarcastic.

That had always been our dynamic. I was always getting flustered by him, and he was always teasing me about it. While he may not know exactly how I felt about him, he wasn't oblivious to his effect on women.

I zoned out as I began cutting up ingredients for a sandwich and side salad; thoughts of blue eyes and beauty marks eating up my focus. When I snapped out of it, I was staring down at two sandwiches that looked picture perfect.

Olly was in the den still, so I brought him his plate on the couch.

"So have you thought about my offer?" He asked as he took a bite of arugula and feta cheese, letting out a soft moan that robbed me of my sanity.

"I have." I gulped and took a bite of my own salad, avoiding his side-eye gaze.

He nudged me with his elbow and pressed pause on the movie that played on the large television. "Am I going to have to drag it out of you, Harlow?"

"Sorry," I said as I stared at my plate. "I have a few questions, and maybe a few stipulations."

"I'm listening."

"If I move in full-time, this will be my permanent place of residence, right?" I shoved another forkful of greens into my mouth and chewed nervously.

"Naturally. Is that a problem?" He turned on the couch so that he was facing me, his knee pressing into my thigh.

I shook my head. "No, but it means that this will be my home too."

He nodded with a smile as I finally spared him a glance. "Are you telling me you want a say in the décor or something?"

Smiling softly, I shook my head. "No, I just mean that, do I get a say in who comes over?"

His brows furrowed, unsure about where I was going with this. "Do you have a boyfriend I need to know about?" I swore there was a tinge of jealousy in his voice, but I pushed that hope aside. Surely he was just concerned that I may try to invite a strange man into his house.

"No, nothing like that. I mean, I don't have a boyfriend or anything."

"Good," he said much too quickly and turned back towards the television. "I'd have to have a word with him if you did."

"Oh, the big brother talk?"

"Big brother talk?" He asked, confused.

I rolled my eyes. "You know. Like the threatening talk a big brother gives his sister's prospective partners?"

He looked down at where I had sunken into the couch, shying away from where this conversation was going. "Do you see me as an older brother?"

I didn't know what to say. If I said yes, it would be a lie. But, if I said no... "I see you as my boss." It was the truth, but only in part.

"Why do you want a say into who comes into the house, Harlow?" He asked, dragging me kicking and screaming back to the conversation.

I cleared my throat, suddenly unsure how to ask him to not bring home a strange new woman every week. "Never mind, it's nothing."

I felt his stare intensify, the gears in his mind turning audibly. "Was that it then?"

"Well, I need to figure out what to do about my flat and all of my things."

"Say the word and I'll pay for breaking the lease agreement. As for your things, I have more than enough space for you to fit everything. I actually wanted you to move your room upstairs if you come on full-time."

My head whipped towards him. "Why would you want me to move from downstairs?"

He took another bite and smiled, facing forward towards the television. "What if I need something in the middle of the night? I don't want you to be too far away."

I blushed and crossed my arms over my chest. “I'm not moving upstairs. You can't make me."

There was only one other bedroom upstairs, and it was right next to Olly's. On top of that, it belonged to his brother. Not that the older West brother was ever around to use it.

“Harlow, this isn't up for discussion." He ended the conversation as simple as that.

Why did the prospect of me being so close to him made me so nervous? Perhaps this was wrong in my head for how much he could affect me. Truth was, I wanted it, too.