Chapter Thirty Five – A Little Spoiling

The shrill ring of the alarm on Ben's cell phone broke the stillness of the room and startled Ben and Olivia out of sleep. Olivia groaned and snuggled against Ben's chest. She didn't want to get up. It was far too comfortable lying against him like this. As long as she stayed there with his warmth under her cheek she could remember the pleasure of last night. Getting up would completely break the spell, and she didn't want it to be broken. She wanted to hold on to it for as long as she could.

Ben didn't particularly want to get up either. He'd been fighting for months to end up exactly where he was now. Unfortunately he had a solid reason for getting out of bed that he couldn't ignore no matter how much he might want to. Slowly he brushed some of Olivia's hair out of her face, subtly drawing her attention to him.

"I have to go to work, Liv."

She curled up even closer in response.

"Call in sick," she mumbled against him.

Ben laughed and kissed the top of her head. He didn't have a much larger inclination to move than she did, but he had to. There was no choice.

"I can't. We have a big meeting today."

He kissed her again and slowly sat up, forcing her to roll off of him in the process. She finally opened her eyes and looked up at him with a warm smile. Her hair was splayed haphazardly across the pillow, and Ben couldn't help taking a moment to soak in the image of her. He hadn't noticed it the night before, but her cream colored sheets created a beautiful contrast with her warmer skin tone. It all made her look even more gorgeous.

"Thank you for last night."

"It was pretty amazing. Minus having an audience the entire time," he agreed.

Ben had been a bit uneasy knowing that Suvi was in the room with them the entire night. Suvi had even been watching, his eyes following their every move. No matter how intently focused Ben had been on Olivia and the feeling of their bodies meshing together, the knowledge that Suvi was there had remained in the back of his mind. It had definitely been creepy, though not as bad as it would have been if Suvi were an actual kid.

"Yeah. I'll have to work on that. Have him lie outside the door or something."

It would keep him close enough that he should still be able to warn her of any impending seizures. Ben was right though. She really didn't want an audience again, even if that audience was just a dog.

Ben leaned over and kissed her gently.

"I need to go or I'll be late."

"Okay. Will you stop by after work?"

A brilliant smile washed across Ben's face. They didn't usually get together this often, but maybe they were on their way to a new usual. Ben definitely liked that possibility.

"Couldn't keep me away."

Olivia smiled happily and snuggled back down in her pillows and blankets. She looked way too comfortable. It really was rather unfair. About all he wanted to do was get back under the covers and feel her warm body pressed up against his again. That just wasn't going to happen. Well, he would just have to try and get her up and moving too.

"You know you're going to have to get up eventually," Ben told her.

Instead of replying verbally Olivia grabbed one of the nearby pillows and chucked it at his head. Ben ducked automatically even though the pillow was bound to land incredibly short. The sudden appearance of something flying through the air caught Suvi's attention. His head popped up off his bed, and he shot to his feet a moment later to chase the pillow. When it landed he pounced on top of it. His angle and momentum were perfect to send both him and the pillow sliding across the floor. Ben laughed and reached down to rub his head.

"Go back to your mom and drag her out of bed."

Ben motioned toward Olivia, and Suvi trotted back over to her. He stuck his nose up over the edge of her bed. Olivia reached out to stroke the fluff there. Suvi took that as his cue to join her on the bed, essentially claiming the spot Ben had just vacated. Instead of dragging her out of bed like Ben wanted, he curled up next to Olivia and rested his head on her stomach. She was even less likely to move now.

"Some help you are," Ben grumbled.

"He knows who he should be helping. Aren't you going to be late?"

"You are way too smug," he laughed. "I'll see you later."

O . o . O . o . O

Olivia and Suvi didn't really start moving until around seven thirty. It was even later by the time they left her apartment for their morning walk. As they were heading through the lobby Olivia suddenly heard her name called out.

"Ms. Benson!"

She turned to find Emma Treach waving enthusiastically from the bottom of the steps. Emma had her backpack slug across her shoulders and was standing with her mom.

"Heading to school?"

"Uh huh! Mom's walking me down to the bus."

Both Treaches had reached her by that point. Emma was nearly rocking back and forth from her toes to her heels in excitement. Olivia knew she was trying really hard to contain her desire to pet Suvi. They'd discussed before that when Suvi had his vest on and was working nobody was supposed to pet him. Emma always tried her best to listen to that when she ran into Olivia and Suvi, but it was hard for her.

"You and Suvi should come too!" Emma added enthusiastically.

"Emma! I'm sure Olivia has other things she needs to do," Monica Treach replied.

"I don't mind," Olivia returned with a smile. "We were just going for a walk anyway."

"Yes!"

Emma raced toward the door, her mom and Olivia following behind her at a slightly slower pace. When they got outside Olivia took Suvi's vest off so he could enjoy himself on the walk. Suvi trotted around at the end of his leash sniffing everything they passed. With his vest off, basically giving the okay for petting, Emma slowed down so she could stroke his back as they headed to the bus stop.

"You've been doing alright, Olivia?" Monica asked.

"Everything's been great. Most of the novelty has worn off since I got him. People are either supportive or they leave us alone. I'll take that."

"And Suvi?"

Olivia smiled and let her eyes shift toward her dog. His tail was flying back and forth as he sniffed at Emma. The little girl was still happily petting his back.

"He's amazing as always. Apparently he's about to get majorly spoiled too."

She'd just spotted a group of three kids on the corner waiting for their school bus. It was likely the bus stop they were heading for. The other kids would know Emma, and seeing her petting Suvi would make them want to pet him too. Olivia wouldn't mind that, and Suvi would definitely enjoy it. In fact, he would mind more if she didn't let the kids pet him.

"They will definitely enjoy waiting with him," Monica laughed.

When they reached the gathered group that was exactly what happened. There was a round of "Can we pet him?". Olivia was more than happy to let them. A half dozen hands brushed over Suvi's fur. Soaking in all of the attention, Suvi tipped his head up and let his eyes drift half closed. He would be more than happy to stand there and let the kids pet him for the rest of the day. Olivia simply held the end of the leash and watched him. She loved it when he had the opportunity to be a dog and enjoy some time off the job. It was utterly adorable to watch his moments of complete bliss too.

"Bus is coming," Monica warned the kids.

They took their last few minutes to continue petting him as the bus drew closer. It slowed to a stop with a high pitched squeal of breaks. Suvi's head shot up and he spun on his haunches, nearly diving into Olivia's legs. She knelt down and wrapped an arm around him in an attempt to calm him. It had been a little more challenging than usual to get down to his level. She'd had to extricate him from his hiding spot between her legs first or she would have basically sat on him.

"You really can be a wimp sometimes," she teased.

The bus pulled away with the same screech, and Suvi whined softly. Olivia rubbed his ears before standing again. Suvi immediately pressed his head against the side of her leg so she rested her hand on the other side of his head. He would calm down eventually, probably before they even got home. This wasn't the first time he'd reacted badly to a high pitched noise. Usually a gentle hand on his head and a reminder of his commands was enough. If she put the vest on him now he would probably shape up right away, but she was willing to let him be dramatic for a little longer. He really was a goofball. It was no wonder he and Ben got along so well.

Author's Note: Well, you got a few more chapters than usual this round, but they all seemed to go together. I just didn't want to split them up. Stay tuned for more, though the next set definitely won't come as quickly.