**Edited by krisgree***

“The Rented Husband”

2011 © All Rights Reserved

Chapter 20

                Olivia closed her eyes and covered them with her hand for good measure.  If she hadn’t seen it for herself; she would have never believed it.  “Please tell me that I’m hallucinating,” she mumbled lowly.

                Brody chuckled humorously, his body quaking with laughter.  “I don’t think so babe.  I believe this may be the real deal.”

                She carefully opened her fingers and bravely peeked through them at the group of elderly people whom were playing shuffle board just across the way; confirming that she was in fact not hallucinating.

                “Oh dear God,” she whispered, swiftly turning around and burying her face into Brody’s chest.  “Where in the bejesus are their clothes?”

                Brody didn't really have an answer for that one.  He wrapped an arm around Olivia and took a sweeping glance at the group standing in front of them thinking about what a fine mess they got themselves into this time.  

                Nudists.   He scratched at his head with his free hand and pasted a stiff smile on his face.  "Well Liv," he said, then stated the obvious; "I suppose that they’re wearing their birthday suits."

                He felt her head lift up under his chin and glanced down at her.  Her eyes told him that she was not finding his attempt at humor funny at this very moment but hell, he didn't know what else to do.  Twelve elderly people were scattered around playing shuffle board in the buff and they were doing it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. 

                "Look at that; isn't that just the sweetest thing," Lara said; walking up behind them.  "You two are just so adorable."  Lara turned to the group.  "Mable, Edith," she called.  "We found ourselves some newlyweds."

                One of the women who was rather tall with a touch graying hair mixed in with her darker locks and an unusually long nose turned to Olivia and Brody and placed her hand on hip.  "Now Lara Ann, what in the world have you done gone and done?"  She was already walking in their direction before Lara had a chance to say a word.

                "I imagine that two love birds like this would much rather be in a more private setting enjoying the wonderlands of each other than here with a bunch of washed up busy bodies like us."

                Brody felt Liv's hand tighten against his shirt and struggled to reign in his laughter.  This was getting to be a little too much for even him.  He glanced over at the taller lady that had joined them, not sure if this was Edith or Mable.  But he made damn sure that his eyes stayed on that beak of hers.  "Miss-" he started.

                "Nope," she cut in smartly.  "I ain't no Miss," she informed him.  "Edith, just call me Edith."

                "Okay," Brody drawled and dug deep to put on his good old southern gentlemanly charm.  With one arm still fastened around Olivia, he held out his free hand to the lady.  "Edith," he smiled and she took his hand.  Brody lifted it to his mouth and true to his heritage he brought her hand to his mouth and laid a gentlemanly kiss on it.  

                "Oh," she gasped and quickly pulled her hand away, giggling like a forlorn school girl.  Satisfied with the reaction, he felt a little more confident about the situation.  Well, as confident as he could be surround by a bunch of naked old people. 

                Clearing his throat he brought Edith's attention back to him.  "My wife and I are enjoying each other very much thank you," he told her and instantly noticed the way that Olivia stiffened in his arms.  "But even I need a break to recuperate."

                Brody felt a slap on his back and heard gruff male laughter.  He turned to see a very nude and surprisingly very well endowed Murphy standing beside him.  "I try to tell these women that all the time but do they listen?  Noooo," he drawled out and Brody could see that he was staring at his wife, Lara.  "They think we're like that pink bunny or something.  You know the one that you see on that TV all the time, beating that toy drum of his.  They think we can keep going and going and going and going..."

                This time it was Olivia who turned her head away from Brody's chest and looked over at Murphy.  Being human, she looked him over and instantly regretted it.  Her eyes widened at his size and she gulped, snapping her head up to meet his knowing gaze.  "Excuse me?" she said, appalled by her own lack of good sense and even more disturbed that they were even having this discussion in the first place.

                "Your beau there may be a stallion in the bedroom little lady but we're no spring chickens, you know.  A man needs a break every once in a while if you expect us to keep you satisfied."

                Olivia's mouth formed a perfectly shaped "O".  What was she supposed to say to that?  Any other time, she would have no problems coming up with a single retort.  In the court room, with Brody, with her family - she would have found something snippy to say in a heartbeat but right now, in front of all of these people twice her senior; she was utterly speechless.  "Um...."

                Brody sensed her discomfort and although he was enjoying it, standing next to Murphy, he was a little bit uncomfortable himself.  "Why don't we start that game that you told us about," he interjected.  "My wife and I have a dinner reservation later and I would hate for us to be late for it - it's one of them fancy things that came with the honeymoon package."

                "Oh yes," Lara piped up, "And I bet you would like some alone time with the Missus too before hand.  It's always good to work up an appetite before dinner," she said with a not so casual wink.  Turning she waved her hand and indicated for them to follow her towards the rest of the group. 

                Brody laid his hand over Liv's shoulder and felt a pinch in his side.  He looked down at her and she was staring straight ahead with that damnable Ice Queen look plastered on her face.  It was then that he decided he was going to figure out a way to melt that ice.  He had already had a taste of the fire that burned within her and it was hotter than the devil's kitchen.  He wanted more or that fire; a hell of a lot more.

                "You're up," she told him; shoving a stick in his hand.  Brody snickered and shook his head.  Damn, he thought to himself.  He knew that he was asking for trouble when it came to this particular spitfire but hell if he could do anything about it now.  Nope, not a dang thing but go with it and see where fate would take them.  Resigned to his fate he took the stick from Olivia and grinned.  "Watch and learn."

                Olivia harrumphed.  Watch and learn, he says.  She was going to teach him a thing or two before this week was out.   Watch and learn, indeed.  Brody would learn real quick that Olivia Murray wasn't one to be messed with.

                As they played for the next hour, the fact that everyone around her was nude almost escaped Olivia - Almost.  There was that one time that she turned and Murphy was standing by a table and her eyes, on their own accord, drifted down.  When they came back up to Murphy's weathered face he was smiling at her and she quickly turned back to the game and to Brody, her face redder than a fire engine.

                As everyone laughed and carried on around her, she found herself getting lost in her own thoughts.  There was just something about Brody O'Connor that constantly seemed to throw her off kilter and for the life of her she couldn't figure out what that something was.

                She had always prided herself with being the calm and collected one but whenever she was within ten feet of the man that cool demeanor that she was so proud of went flying out the window and she was left as jittery as a new foal learning how to stand on its legs for the first time.

                The man exuded confidence and he was arrogant to boot.  Those traits drove her crazy but it was when she was in his arms that she really seemed to lose her mind.  When his lips were pressed against hers and his tongue working to skillfully seduce her; it was like she no longer had a working brain at all.  The only thing that mattered was what he was doing to her and that, that was what made Brody so dangerous. 

                Very, very dangerous.

                A hand waved in her face and she blinked her eyes several times.  Brody stood in front of her, smiling knowingly as if he knew exactly what she had been thinking about.  "You ready to head back?" he asked softly.

                She gave a curt nod of the head.  Going back was probably the best thing she could do right now.  She wanted to see her sisters and put some much needed distance between herself and Brody and any other guy for that matter.  That included her overbearing father.

                There was a chorus of good byes and Lara made them promise to come back by before they left the island.  Olivia was sort of wistful when they strode through the gate and headed back up the beach but she didn't dare say a word to Brody.  One could only hope to be as lively as that group was if she was lucky enough to live that long.  She would keep her clothes on of course, but the happiness that was so clearly displayed and the love, especially between Lara and Murphy, was one of a kind. 

                Brody grabbed Olivia's hand in his.  At first she tried to pull it back from him but he held on to it tight.  "Appearances," he reminded her. 

                "Yeah," she grudgingly agreed as they came up on the parking lot to their hotel and repeated his word, "Appearances."  For some reason that struck a sour note in her chest.  Hearing his blithe way of referring to their relationship shook her in a way that it really shouldn't have.  This was all a show.  A show to keep her family off of her back and a show to keep his mother out of his business.  It was an arrangement of sorts that was meant to benefit the both of them and nothing more.

                She scowled to herself for even bothering to read anymore into their relationship than what it was supposed to be.  Brody was a player and that was why she chose him for this job in the first place.  As soon as they went back to North Carolina they would slowly retreat back into their own lives.  They would make up a story about the baby and play off a quiet divorce.  Everything would go back to normal and hopefully her family would have learned their lesson and leave her alone so that she could live out her own life in her own way.

                They walked across the parking lot and stopped for a passing bus.  "I want to spend some time with my sisters," Olivia said, thinking about the distance that she wanted to put in between them.

                Brody rubbed at his chin.  "I'm not so sure that's such a good idea."  He didn't like the idea of her being off without him until they had more of a lead on who was threatening her and why.  Besides that, he wanted to work on melting some of that frozen ice that she had built up like a fortress.

                True to Murray fashion she rolled her eyes.  "Come on Brody.  I'm just talking about an evening in the hotel bar with my two sisters.  My dad, you and every other cop will be around us.  It's not like someone will be able to get to me."

                The bus passed by and Brody shuffled her towards the door.  "I don't know," he said again, keeping his gaze straight forward. 

                Olivia pulled him to a stop just outside of the hotel doors.  "You don't know," she mocked.  This time Brody did turn and look back at her.  "Let's get one thing straight Bucko; you are not my real husband and you are not my father.  I am an adult and I'll do anything I damn well please.  I don't need your permission and furthermore I don't need you." 

                Brody was stunned into silence.  Olivia whipped her head around; her blond hair swooshing in a mad frenzy over her shoulders.  She stomped away from him and as Brody watched her leave all he could focus on was the hypnotic sway of that delectable little tuche going from side to side.

                With an angry finger she repeatedly pressed the "up" button to the elevator bringing Brody back to his senses.  Her back was ramrod straight as she patiently waited for the doors to open.

                He stalked forward; intent on telling her exactly what she was going to do when the elevator door opened and Olivia regally stepped inside.  She turned around and faced him, giving him a small two finger wave.  The doors started to close and he made a mad dash to reach them but was two seconds too late. 

                As they closed and she disappeared from view he heard Olivia's last word ringing clearly in his ears, "Suc-ker."

                Damn... damn..... double damn, he cursed himself and with his own angry finger he repeatedly punched at the elevator button all the while watching the lighted numbers above the door as she went up.