It was five in the afternoon and all Olivia had done was bathe and shave. She wasn’t dressed, her hair was still wet, and she hadn’t even texted Joey to let him know she was un-canceling their date.
I can’t do this.
I can’t do this.
I can’t . . .
Her doorbell rang.
Open the door, darlin, Joey texted her as the bell rang again.
Oh damn! She was in a robe, her hair wet, as she jogged to the front door and looked into the peephole.
“I can hear you, Livie. Open the door.”
“It’s not seven yet.”
“You canceled, so the time’s irrelevant.”
She exhaled and her shoulders sagged. Damn it. There was no way of getting around this. She opened the door. “I canceled.”
With a sly smile he placed his hand on her belly, gently pushed her back, and then walked right in as if he owned the place, closing the door behind him. “I’m not great at following instructions.”
“And you don’t eat vegetables. I’m sensing you have a lot in common with my daughter.”
God, he looked good. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt with an old rock band’s logo on it. His mostly shaved hair was a little longer than when she’d met him three days before, and he had a bit of scruff on his face.
“Sit. We need to talk,” he said, his mood changing enough to give her goose bumps. He couldn’t be breaking up with her—they weren’t even dating.
“I know,” she said, putting him out of his misery. “You saw the photos. They look bad, but . . .” She shrugged and then, needing to do something with her hands, she found one of the twenty fidget spinners she had around the house. You’re a good kisser, and yes, I’ll admit it had been a long time since I’d kissed anyone, and yes, “maybe I lost control. But I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I’m not desperate. You’re not that good.” She was babbling nervously. She knew she made no sense but she needed to say something before he did, or else it would be awkward.
Or maybe she’d made it worse . . .
“How long?” he asked, and when her brows furrowed he continued. “Since you’d kissed anyone. How long had it been?” He reached forward and snatched the spinner from her hand and softly placed it on the table.
“Since Neil. Five years. But the clawing . . . I’ll have you know I have plenty of men coming on to me. You just . . . you confused me, and then the elevator got stuck. I’m a woman. Women have needs too. It’s not because you’re a great kisser.” She poured herself a glass of water and then drank it all in one single gulp as he watched her, amused.
“Great,” he said with a smirk that befuddled her.
She placed her glass down a little too forcefully and wiped her mouth with the back of her hands. “What?”
“You said I was great. You didn’t say good. You said great.”
“That’s not the point, the point is . . .”
He took a step closer and her heart rate—her stupid heart rate—spiked.
“The point is . . .”
“The point is?” He smirked again.
What were they talking about? God, he smelled good. Why did he always have to smell that good? And those baby-blue eyes, they were so clear and mesmerizing.
“Uh . . . what were we talking about?”
He chuckled. “Do you think I’m here to discuss the way you kiss?”
“No. More like to discuss the way I was all over you in that picture.”
“I was one of the two people in that picture, if I remember correctly.”
“Well . . . yes. And?”
“And?” He reached forward, cupped the back of her neck and pulled her forward. “And, my cock was pressed against you. I know you felt it. My tongue was in your mouth. I almost got on my knees to taste you. You were desperate? No, sweetheart, I was fucking frantic. But now that I know that you haven’t had a man in five years, I’m glad we didn’t go any further.”
“You were? You are?”
“Yes, you deserve better than a quickie in an elevator. And don’t doubt, not ever, that I want you as much as you want me. Hell, I’m sure I want you more. Any man would be lucky to have you. Don’t second-guess that. Not ever.” Then his lips came to hers, but this time it wasn’t the crazed open-mouthed kiss from the elevator. This was soft and reverent but just as erotic because now she knew it wasn’t just the heat of the moment drawing them together. There was something else . . . some mutual attraction that maybe needed to be explored.
He kissed her one last time before lacing his hands around hers and pulling her to her couch as if he’d been in her house a dozen times.