"We hardly know each other. You don't owe me anything." He clasped my other hand too. "But I'm here if you need to talk."
"It's my ex. Our divorce was finalized six months ago, and I haven't heard from him since. Until the day I arrived here, and he texted me to say he wants me back." I turned my face toward Ollie. "Nico called me today to say he misses me and wants to give it another try."
"What do you want?"
"Not him." I moaned again, even more miserably this time. "He cheated on me. I mean, he used to tell me all the time how I don't behave like a proper lady, then he goes and screws the checkout girl at the grocery store." I gritted my teeth. "At the store."
"He sounds like a real prick." Ollie gave my hands a little squeeze. "And he's obviously a moron. He had an incredible woman like you, and he went and fucked some checkout girl? If I ever meet him, I'll punch his lights out."
Maybe his anger should have shocked me, possibly even disgusted me, but it didn't. I got a funny warmth in my chest when he threatened to deck my ex. Nobody had ever taken my side when they found out Nico had cheated, and definitely not when we got divorced.
"You're so sweet, Ollie," I said. "But how can you be sure he's the idiot? Maybe I messed things up."
"No way. I get that you've got this complex about thinking you're a mess and screw everything up, but I don't see that at all. You're amazing."
"I feel so good when I'm with you. The sex was incredible, and I really want to do that again, but maybe we should spend some time getting to know each other first." I hunched my shoulders, afraid he might say no to the next part. "Like maybe a week with no sex?"
"Sure. Let's do that."
Relief sagged my shoulders. "I'm so glad you said yes."
He got up and held out his hand. "Time for me to show you more of my world."
I took his hand and let him lead me away.
Chapter Twelve
Ollie
Mara was so much fun to be with, which would've surprised me if we hadn't screwed each other's brains out earlier. She put on an uptight front most of the time, but when given the chance and some encouragement, she could cut loose like nobody's business. When we got to the hot spring, I made a joke about jumping in with our clothes on and how she was scared of nudity. She knew I was kidding.
"Is that a challenge?" she asked teasingly. "Because I'm not freaking out anymore, in case you haven't noticed."
"Oh, I noticed. But I'll bet you a free massage that you won't get in the hot spring even if you keep your clothes on."
"You're on."
She kicked her sandals off and took a running leap at the hot spring, splashing down with so much energy that the water sprayed up around her and splattered me where I stood six feet from the pool. She surfaced a couple seconds later, grinning and laughing.
I jumped in too, with my clothes on.
We got into a splash fight, both of us laughing so hard we had to stop to catch our breath. She was so fucking amazing. Anyone who met her for the first time would never realize she had so much joy inside her, just waiting to come out and play. I got to see it. She trusted me enough to show me the real Mara, the one she'd been afraid to show to anyone. I loved that. I liked her, a lot.
And I'd known her for less than two days.
Once I managed to drag Mara out of the hot spring, we headed down some of my favorite trails where we could see the birds and the wildlife, places I hadn't shown her yesterday. She got so excited when a deer trotted past us. The girl had never seen one in person. Never.
"How is that possible?" I asked.
We sat in a small clearing filled with wildflowers, their blossoms in full bloom---just like Mara, who had spread her petals today.
"I lived in the city, in Philadelphia, and never drove anywhere," she said, picking a small flower and studying it. "The few vacations I took were at big resorts. I've seen the beach in Tahiti, but not the woods in America."
"You never, ever left the city. Not even for a day."
"Well, I've driven through rural areas. But I never got out to do more than use the bathroom at a rest stop."
"Uh-huh." I was still struggling to wrap my head around that. Never seeing the woods? Or a freaking deer? "Guess I can't imagine living that way, but everybody's different. The city is your home. I found out a rural naturist retreat is where I belong."
She ran her fingers over the petals on the flower she'd picked, still focused on it. "Not sure the city is my home. It's all I know, but..." She dropped the flower and looked at me. "Being here, with you, I'm starting to wonder if I've missed out on what really matters." She sucked in a deep breath, her eyes fluttering shut. "I love the way it smells here, so fresh and clean and sweet. And the grass feels soft on my toes. It's wonderful."
I loved watching her face while she enjoyed all of those things and so much more. She seemed younger, and definitely freer.
We stayed in that clearing for a while, kissing and talking and kissing some more. I could've kissed Mara all day. Her lips were soft, and she tasted better than any woman I'd ever kissed before. Maybe I was kind of smitten. Maybe she didn't actually taste different from other girls. I didn't care, because I'd never felt this good in my life.
We went to the lake again too. Mara waded out into the water up to her knees, giggling
