Day 2
Olivia stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Sunlight was streaming into the bedroom, but she felt as if she'd barely slept. When she had excused herself from dinner the night before, it had only been about 8. She had lain in bed and read for a while, but she could hear the noise from the other room as the kids finished up dinner and cleaned up. Things had quieted down about 10, but she'd heard people moving around and muffled conversations well after midnight.
She hadn't been able to fall asleep because she hadn't been able to keep herself from rehashing the events of the day, trying to decipher their meaning. Her conversation with Kathleen had been most troubling. She had tried to decide if that just a teenaged girl meddling in her Dad's love life, or if she knew something. Olivia had come to the conclusion that it was just Kathleen, making something out of nothing. She was positive that Elliot wouldn't share anything about his feelings for her with his kids…that is, if he had any.
She'd spent a lot of time thinking about their relationship over the past seven years. How comfortable they were with each other from the very first day, and how those feelings had morphed and changed over time. It was complicated, but the only conclusion she had been able to come to was the same one she'd come to months ago. And that was that Elliot didn't feel any attraction towards her.
All the teasing and flirting was just Elliot on vacation. He was letting his guard down…relaxing and having some fun. In some ways, it was nice to see this side of him. He had left the anger and rage in the squad room, and Olivia was happy about that. She could take the fun side of Elliot for a week. And she could give as good as she could get. Olivia had decided she wasn't going to let herself get all flustered trying to read anything into every single thing that happened. She was just going to go with it. If Elliot wanted to tease and flirt…push the boundaries of their normal day-to-day interaction, she could too. And then when they got back to New York, they would slide back into their old selves.
Olivia climbed out of bed and ran her hands through her hair. She was happy she had the private bathroom, even though she'd fought Elliot on it. She didn't have to face him or any of the kids before she'd had a chance to brush her hair or her teeth. Not that he hadn't seen her at her worst.
She walked into the bedroom and was about to change for the day, but then she got a whiff of coffee. Since she had no idea what the day held, she decided against changing right away. She grabbed a lightweight hoodie from the end of the bed and shrugged it on, following the smell of coffee out into the main room. She saw Elliot with his back to her, sitting on one of the stools at the island and reading the paper.
Elliot turned as Olivia passed him on the left and headed to the back counter on the other side of the island. "I thought I might get you up with the smell of coffee." He said with a grin, lifting his own mug to his lips.
"It does smell good." Olivia said as she passed by, spying the coffeemaker on the back counter.
Elliot watched as Olivia poured herself a mug of coffee. Her back was to him, and he was surprised to see she was still in her pajama shorts. They barely covered her ass and he couldn't help but let his eyes wander. This was the second time in two days he'd gotten a good look at those long legs. He'd seen her in dresses before, but nothing that showed off those toned thighs and suddenly he felt the urge to run his hands up those thighs and…
Olivia turned around then and he looked up quickly to capture her eyes. Of course, this view didn't do anything to tame his more base thoughts. The woman was wearing a tank top, and it fit her like a second skin. And even though she had thrown a sweatshirt on, she hadn't bothered to zip it up. She clearly wasn't wearing a bra and Elliot wondered about the change in her. After his teasing last night, she had pretty much bolted from the room, and he had expected her to come out this morning all buttoned up.
"Something wrong with what I'm wearing?" Olivia asked, raising one brow at him as she blew on her coffee.
Elliot saw the look she was giving him. Her head was bowed slightly, and she was looking up at him through those long lashes while she pursed those damned lips to blow on her coffee. Was she flirting with him? "No, not at all. I was going to ask if you were cool enough last night but I see that probably wasn't a problem."
Olivia wanted to roll her eyes at him and his insinuation that what she wore to bed was too skimpy. "You said to relax and make myself at home, but if I'm making you uncomfortable…"
"I didn't say that." He said with a grin. "Not at all." He wiggled his eyebrows and wanted to laugh when he saw her narrow her eyes. He loved this banter between them, and the fact that she was letting loose a little.
"Can we talk about your wardrobe for a second?" Olivia asked, motioning towards his t-shirt. "I swear, is that all you have? Where do you get all of those ratty t-shirts?"
Elliot looked down at his worn gray t-shirt. He couldn't even remember where it was from. "You don't like this shirt either?"
"Every t-shirt you've worn looks like you've had it for thirty years." Olivia said.
"I probably have." Elliot said. "I don't spend a lot of time shopping. It's just a t-shirt. I don't have anyone to impress."
"I didn't say anything about impressing someone, but every shirt I've seen has holes." She didn't really care, but she had felt the need to change the direction of the conversation, and his attire was an easy target.
"Fine." Elliot said. He stood up and grabbed the material at his chest with both hands and ripped it apart. He pulled them torn fabric from his arms and dropped them on the counter. He braced both arms on the counter and leaned towards her. "Is that better?"
Olivia felt her skin flush and she crossed her arms over her breasts, embarrassed by her reaction to his brute strength and the bulge of his muscles as he had torn the shirt from his body. She wanted to tell him that yes, that was much better. She wanted to tell him that no man his age should look like that. "Why did you do that?" She managed to say, clearing her throat to get the words out.
"I want you to be happy, and if you don't like what I'm wearing, well…I'll take it off." He sat back down and went back to reading his paper, relishing the response he'd elicited from her. He hadn't missed any of it, and he was happy to see he had an effect on her just as she had an effect on him.
He really didn't know where all of this flirting was going. It hadn't really been his intention when he had invited her. But this place made him happy and a bit more carefree and he was having fun. He thought Olivia was too. So, what was a little harmless flirting. He lowered the paper and saw Olivia was still rooted in place, leaning with her butt against the far counter and drinking her coffee. "Does this mean you're going to come to my room every morning and pick out something for me to wear?"
"In your dreams." Olivia said, giving him a small smile as she turned to pour herself some more coffee.
EOEOEOEOEO
Olivia had tossed her hair into a ponytail and donned a pair of short, denim cutoffs and a white tank top. She skipped the make-up and was sitting on a lounge chair on the deck with her book. Elliot was messing around with something on the grill, and it was still pretty quiet inside and out. The kids hadn't made an appearance, and there were just a few boats out on the lake.
"The kids are going to want to go waterskiing this afternoon." Elliot said as he wandered over to where she was sitting.
He still wasn't wearing a shirt, and he had another pair of scruffy cargo shorts on. Maybe the man didn't have anyone to shop for him. She was going to say something about them, but knowing the mood he was in, he'd probably rip those off too. And she didn't know if she could handle that right now.
"Liv?"
"Huh?" She looked up at him and lifted her sunglasses. "What?"
"I asked if you'd ever been waterskiing?"
"Um, no. And I have no interest in starting." Olivia was a great swimmer, but had no interest in trying to balance on two little skis.
"Aw come on." Elliot said, sitting down on the edge of the lounge chair next to her. "You're adventurous and fearless."
"No, I'm not."
"Are you kidding me? You're one of the most fearless people I know." Elliot said.
"No."
"You'll chase a perp with a gun down a dark alley but you won't try waterskiing? That makes no sense."
"I thought you said I could do what I want on vacation." Olivia snapped back.
Elliot put his hands up in a defensive gesture. "OK. True. But that means you're with me on the boat. You're my spotter." He stood up. "So, after lunch, swimsuit and sunscreen. Down on the dock."
EOEOEOEOEO
The kids had all gradually emerged between 1030 and noon, and Elliot had prepared a big spread on the island. "Eat up. You'll need your energy for skiing!" His voice had boomed throughout the house, and Olivia had heard some of the kids groaning because they weren't fully awake yet. She was rushing to get ready because she had offered to clean up the kitchen so Elliot and the kids could get life jackets and skis and ropes sorted.
She had three swimsuits lying out on the bed. Two were bikinis and one was a one piece. Casey had picked out all three, and the one piece almost didn't count because it had so many cutouts on the side and virtually no back. The only thing that saved her and would hold her in was the tie around the neck. It was a deep coral color; not a color she would have chosen. But Casey insisted the color was great against her dark skin.
One of the bikinis was black and one was white, and they were pretty much the same. Even though they weren't the tiniest she'd seen by a long shot, she'd felt like she was showing a lot of skin when she had tried them on. Casey had told her that was the point, but then quickly assured her they weren't too sexy. She was going to be around Elliot's kids for goodness sake. She thinks Casey called her a prude at one point, but at the end of the day, she had all three in her bag.
So, the question was, which one was good for an afternoon on the boat? Olivia picked up the one piece, fingering the material. But in the next second, she dropped it and snagged the black bikini.
EOEOEOEO
Elliot had everything ready to go, and the kids were all on the beach, discussing who got to go first. He was just waiting for Olivia, and his impatience was growing. He knew she had cleaned up the kitchen, but how long did it take to toss on a swimsuit? He was just about to send Elizabeth up to check on her when he saw her emerge from the house on to the deck.
When he first saw her, he was glad that the kids weren't paying any attention to him. He could see a lot of dark skin and a black bikini, and he wanted the next few minutes to himself. Olivia was wearing the hell out of that swimsuit. As she started down the stairs, he could see the black straps disappear behind her neck, the swell of her breasts and the deep V of her cleavage. The bottoms were low on her abdomen, and her stomach was toned and flat. There were two strings on each side that held them together, low on her hip, and he thought she was about the sexiest damned thing he had ever seen. He adjusted his stance slightly, feeling a burn low in his belly, and willed himself to keep control of his body.
She was trying to kill him.
There was no other explanation. He saw that she had a towel and something black draped over her arm, and sunscreen in her hand. She was wearing those damn aviator sunglasses and as she got closer, he could see a small smile on her face.
She knew exactly what she was doing.
The game had just been ratcheted up a bit, and he was all in.
EOEOEOEOEO
Olivia noticed that Elliot was working really hard to keep his eyes focused on hers as he explained the hand motions that were unwritten code on the water. A thumbs up meant faster…thumbs down mean slower…a pat on top of the head meant home. She had it all down, and a few moments later, they were off. She had refused to wear her life jacket, telling Elliot she didn't want to mess with her tan, and pointing out that he wasn't wearing his. Damn man was standing at the steering wheel, shirtless, with his ridiculous swim trunks on. Navy blue with white whales on them.
She needed to take the man shopping.
Still, his ass looked amazing.
"You're supposed to be watching the skier." Elliot said as he busted her staring at him.
"I am." She said. She was sitting on the long bench along the back of the boat, and she was turned sideways so she could see the skier and relay any instructions.
"Maybe you should change it up and sit in the front of the boat for a while. Then you wouldn't have to strain your neck looking sideways." Elliot said. It was true that it was easier to watch from the front, but mostly he hated the fact that Olivia was at his back and he wasn't getting the chance to see that fabulous body on display.
"That's a good idea." Olivia said, seeing through Elliot's ruse with ease. But it would be fun to tease him. She knew she looked good, and if she'd been forced to look at his bare chest and arms all day…she needed a little payback. She didn't even want to think about the way those swim trunks hugged his ass. She walked up past him as the kids changed skiers and perched herself on the v-shaped bench on the front.
Elliot watched as Olivia situated herself on the V-shaped bench on the front. She sat to one side, and stretched out her legs, propping them up slightly. She dropped her head back towards the sun and ran a hand through her windblown hair a few times and Elliot couldn't help but let his eyes roam over her body.
Jesus Christ. He'd been partners with the woman for almost seven years. She was a beautiful woman. He knew she had a nice body and that she worked hard to stay in shape. He probably stared at her ass more than he should. But this…
She was gorgeous…perfect…sexy.
Elliot swallowed hard, trying to ignore the tightening in his groin.
Olivia turned to face him, biting back a smile as she saw the look on his face. "Are we going to ski or what?" She gave him a slow smile, and saw him look away. He turned and asked if the kids were ready and then they were off again.
The kids were all great skiers, and each one made a several loops around the lake. They had been out on the lake for hours, and Olivia had moved around the boat a bit, tired of sitting. At this moment, they were waiting for Jess to get situated. She was the last one of the kids to go.
"Liv, can you put some sunscreen on my back?"
Olivia parted her lips, ready to tell him to do it himself, but really, that was ridiculous. He tossed her the sunscreen before she could say anything, and she pushed herself up from where she was sitting. She made her way to where he was standing a few feet away, and squirted a generous amount of lotion in her hand. She placed the palm of her hand tentatively on the middle of his back and he jumped slightly.
"That's cold." He complained.
"Baby." Olivia said. She reached up with her other hand and spread the lotion outward towards each shoulder. When her hands reached the top of his shoulders, she squeezed lightly and Elliot let out a small moan.
"That feels good Liv." He dropped his neck forward. "I could use a massage."
"That'll cost you extra." Olivia teased as she massaged his shoulders lightly.
"Whatever you want." Elliot groaned.
"Whatever I want?" Olivia asked. "Hmmm." She moved her hands down his back and spread more of the lotion. This man was hard everywhere, and while she knew Elliot was enjoying this, she was enjoying it more. She had never been allowed to touch him like this. "I'll have to think about that and collect later." She said. She squirted a little more lotion in her hand and finished the job, but she was glad she was done. She felt herself getting a little flustered and she needed to create some distance between them. "OK. Done."
The timing was perfect because Kathleen was yelling that they were ready to go, and Olivia resumed her place on the boat.
All of the kids had successfully completed two turns, and it was late afternoon. Elliot pulled the boat up to the dock and Olivia watched as Kathleen and Jess climbed on the boat.
"Your turn Benson." Elliot said, snagging her life jacket and moving to stand in front of her.
"What?"
"Your turn." Elliot repeated.
"No. I'm not going." Olivia said firmly, shaking her head. A lively discussion ensued, with Elliot and Kathleen involved, and the next thing Olivia knew, she was standing in the water up to her knees and Elliot was dropping her life jacket over her head once again.
"No one expects you to get up the first time." Elliot said as he buckled it. "Or the second or third time." He reached down to grab the buckle between Olivia's legs, and this time, she didn't react. He knew she was somewhat in shock at finding herself here. "And if you do get up, just stay in the wake. Don't do what the kids were doing. That's for later. And when you fall, just stay in place and put your arm up in the air and I'll swing the boat around and get you. Unless you're close to shore." He finished tugging on the buckles on looked down at her. "Okay?"
Olivia nodded.
"I need to hear you say it." Elliot said. "You understand everything I said?"
"I do. I did." Olivia said. She was a little nervous.
Elliot moved behind her and she felt his hands on her waist just below the life jacket. "Don't worry. I've got you."
Olivia saw Elizabeth and Emily in front of her, each with a ski in their hand. They helped her get a ski on each foot, and then she felt Elliot pull her back against his body.
"Lift your legs up and line up your skis. Just lean against me."
Olivia felt Elliot's thighs under hers; he must have his knees bent.
"OK, I'm going to put my hands on your hips, and you try to balance in the water." Elliot said.
A few seconds later, she felt his hands on her hips and he lifted her slightly in the water.
"Ready." Olivia said.
"And Liv, if your bikini bottoms come off, just stay under water." Elliot whispered in her ear.
"What?" Olivia said. But then she heard Elliot yell for Kathleen to go and she felt the rope snap and she was being pulled forward. Elliot was yelling at her to lean back until she was upright, but her natural inclination was to lean forward and the next thing she knew, she had face-planted in the water. She felt herself get dragged for a few feet until she remembered to let go of the rope, and then she was bobbing in the water, trying to get the water out of her nose.
Elliot swam over to her, and he was laughing. "Not bad for your first time."
"I went like ten feet." Olivia said as he latched on to the straps of her life jacket.
"It's always about the balance. Once you get that, it'll be a snap."
"Well, you distracted me with the remark about my swimsuit." Olivia said as he tugged her back towards shore. She felt down by her hip, just to make sure her ass was still covered.
"It happens." Elliot said. "Ready to go again?"
"Are you going to let me quit?"
"No." Elliot said as he whirled her around and they repeated what they'd done before with the skis.
"Then let's get this done." Olivia said. She was determined now. She was going to do this. And enjoy the feel of Elliot's body against hers while she did.
It took three more tries before she finally got up. She only made it about 50 feet, but she did it. The next time, she made it in a small circle around the lake, and she dropped the rope near the spot she'd taken off from. As she swam towards shore, Elliot swam out to meet her. He pulled her up against him, at least as close as her life jacket allowed, and gave her a hug.
"You did it!" he yelled. He released her right away, but kept his hands tucked around the top of her life jacket as she bobbed in the water. "Wasn't that fantastic?" He was grinning ear to ear.
Olivia nodded. It had been fun, but she didn't know if she'd be the skiing enthusiast Elliot was. But his happiness was infectious, and she couldn't help but laugh. "That was great."
"Want to go again?" he asked, nodding.
"Nah. It's your turn." Olivia said, starting to unbuckle her life jacket as she waded into shore. "I'm going to get back on the boat." She turned back to him as she slipped her jacket off. "Unless you want me to help you?" She teased.
"I'm good." Elliot let his eyes trail over her quickly. The wet suit was clinging to her like a second skin and water was streaming down her body. He thought for a second that maybe he was having some kind of sexy dream or had walked into an photo shoot of some sort. She turned to walk onto the beach, and he had the insane urge to charge after her and push her down in the sand and …
"Dad!"
Elliot turned and saw Kathleen motioning to him. "Are you coming?"
Elliot waved at her and followed Olivia up on to the dock. He picked up a slalom ski that was sitting amongst the gear and put his life jacket back on. He watched as Olivia climbed back on the boat, his eyes following the curve of her ass. That damn bikini was a distraction now and he needed her to put some clothes on. He was almost thankful when she sat down in the boat.
Kathleen turned to Olivia. "I like your suit." She said with a smile. "And I think Dad likes it too."
"Kathleen." Olivia said, a small warning in her voice not to go there. But she couldn't say too much. She knew he did too.
"Maybe if I had a body like that, Jimmy Slater would ask me out." Said Jess.
"Girls…" Olivia started, unsure about what to say.
"What?" Jess said. "It's true."
"It's not all about looks." Olivia said. "A guy should like you for who you are."
"Says the woman with the Victoria's Secret body." said Jess as she rolled her eyes.
"Dad likes you for who you are." Kathleen said. "And he likes you in that suit."
Olivia heard the innuendo in her voice, but before she could say anything, she heard Elliot telling Kathleen he was ready.
Kathleen pulled the boat out and explained that her dad was quite a good skier and they were going to pull him right off the end of the dock. They heard Elliot yell "GO!" and Kathleen hit the throttle, pulling Elliot up with ease.
Olivia couldn't take her eyes off him as he glided back and forth across the wake. He made it look effortless and he gave her a cocky wave as he held on to the rope with one hand and cut back across the wake. Olivia thought about her own pathetic loop around the lake, and wondered when he'd had the time or opportunity to learn to ski like that.
They made one last loop around the lake and Olivia saw Elliot make the signal to go home. They dropped him near the dock and Kathleen made another small loop around and then docked the boat perfectly. Elliot was there in a flash, helping Kathleen and Jess off the boat. Then he reached for Olivia, and she was surprised when he put his hands under her arms and lifted her down. His hands slid down to her ribs, but he kept them there as he looked down at her.
"Someone got some sun today." He said. "And some freckles."
Olivia lifted a hand to her face self-consciously.
"I like them." Elliot said with a grin. "They're cute." He placed a small kiss on the end of her nose and then released her, turning and walking back towards the house.
Olivia watched as he walked away, and her head was spinning. Things had been all over the place, and she wasn't sure what the hell was going on. This was only her second day here and already things seemed out of control. She saw Elliot turn when he reached the end of the dock.
"Coming?"
She could only nod and follow.
EOEOEOEO
Everyone was exhausted from their day on the water, and Olivia was glad to retreat to her room for a while. She showered and changed, and lay down and napped for a while. She'd never been much of a napper unless it was catching a few zzz's in the cribs when she hadn't slept for days. But she hadn't slept well the night before and the sun had taken its' toll.
She awoke to Elizabeth shaking her gently, and telling her it was time for dinner.
Dinner was just as chaotic as it had been the night before. Olivia had to assume this was how it was going to be, and she wondered if any of them had crashed at all between skiing and dinner. She watched Elliot, but he was absorbed in conversation with Dickie and Josh, and she heard the word fishing. He must be planning to take them out.
Olivia was sitting hear Elizabeth and Emily and they were talking about the upcoming school year. Kathleen and Jess were across from her, but they seemed to still be talking about boys…the same one mentioned earlier in the day…and weren't paying any attention. She finished her meal quickly, and was about to leave the table, when Elliot announced he'd be lighting the bonfire at 9. The kids started talking about S'mores and ghost stories and Elliot looked across the table at her and winked.
Everywhere cleared the table, and the older girls were on kitchen duty. Elliot snagged two beers out of the fridge, opened them, and handed her one. "Let's go outside."
He led them down the stairs and to the lounge chairs on the edge of the grass. He motioned for her to sit, and he sat down in the chair next hers. The sun was already setting, and the lake was quiet. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, taking sips of their beer and enjoying the view.
"Are you having a good time?" Elliot asked.
Olivia thought about everything they'd done in just two days. A day and a half really. "Yeah."
"Is this what you expected?"
"I didn't know what to expect." Olivia said. "I've never done anything like this."
"OK." Elliot said.
"But it's been great El. The kids seem to love it here. And I can see how much you enjoy being with them."
"I miss them." He said simply.
"I know." Olivia said softly. "I wish things could have worked out differently for you."
Elliot sighed. "It is what it is." He took a sip of beer. "In the end, getting a divorce was the right thing to do. It was over."
"Still…" Olivia said. "I know how hard it's been."
Elliot reached over and placed his hand over hers. "Thank you."
"For what?" Olivia could feel the heat of his hand seep into hers.
"For being there." Elliot said. "And for coming along this week." He turned and looked at her, her face shadowed with the setting sun. "I'm glad you're here."
EOEOEOEO
There was a lot of laughing and joking around the bonfire, and Olivia was laughing at the kid's antics. They all seemed to have a great sense of humor, and Olivia wondered what it would have been like to grow up with siblings, or even close friends like these.
Right now, they were teaching her how to make a S'more. They couldn't believe she'd never had one before. Olivia pulled her toasted marshmallow back from the fire and Elliot was read with the graham crackers and the chocolate. He pulled her marshmallow off the roasting stick and she lay it down against the rocks lining the fire pit. Elliot handed her the gooey mess, and she groaned as she took her first bite.
"This is delicious!" She said, and she saw Elliot break out into a grin.
Elliot couldn't believe she'd never had a S'more in her lifetime, and he felt a moment of sadness for all that she had missed in her childhood. He was so happy that she had come along, and that he could be the one to share all these firsts with her. He saw Olivia lift the S'more to her mouth again, and without thinking, he leaned forward and took a bite off the other end. His mouth was mere centimeters from hers, and when he pulled back, he saw how large her eyes had gotten.
"I told you, your food always looks better."
