“Actually,” I murmur, “I think maybe you’re doing this on purpose.”
“Why would I purposefully spill hot coffee on myself twice in a row?”
I look at her pointedly. “So I’ll clean it up for you.”
She freezes, but her eyes flash from our hands to my face and back again. It’s undeniable. Even if her brain isn’t choosing these actions consciously, her body is the one at the controls now.
I tighten my grip on her sticky hand and pull her against me. She hits my chest with a little gasp, but doesn’t pull away.
I press my lips to hers. Gently, at first. But as we kiss, Liv recedes into the background and Olivia takes over. Her plump lips soften and fall open. Her tongue darts out, exploring my mouth, confident and eager.
This wasn’t part of the plan.
But plans change.
3
OLIVIA
God-fucking-shit-dammit. This cannot be happening.
I may be awkward, but I’ve kissed. I’ve kissed plenty!
Or at least, I thought I had. I thought I knew what a kiss felt like. What it tasted like. I assumed I knew what passion was.
But Aleks kisses like he means it. And with every passing second, I understand more and more just how short-changed I’ve been my whole life.
I lean into him, greedily demanding more. Something is happening between my legs and my heart is thundering and my hands are needy. I’m not in control of myself anymore.
Which is why, when his lips leave mine in favor of tracing my neck, I’m shocked to realize I’ve somehow climbed into his lap. I’m straddling him.
My hands are roaming on his bare chest. Somehow, his shirt came unbuttoned. Not completely, but open to his stomach so that I have a partial view of abs that look like the goddamn Himalayas. I count two, four, six, eight.
He nips at my neck, which is apparently a direct connection to the heat between my legs, judging by how viscerally I react. I moan and reach for the waistband of his pants. My fingertips rub against the massive bulge in his crotch.
I’m not even remotely surprised to see that he’s packing. A man with that amount of self-assurance has to have a big dick, right? Or so Mia tells me. She’d know way better than I would.
If I stopped to analyze what I’m doing, maybe I’d be disappointed in myself. But right now, I can’t imagine regretting this. Not when he feels this good.
I jump as his hand slides underneath my shirt. His fingers are cool against my bare skin, but then again, at the rate my body is heating up, I suppose everything’s going to feel cool relative to me.
My lips are a millisecond away from his when, of all the godforsaken things that have happened to me already since Aleks swept into my life, the motherfucking Macarena starts blaring from my phone.
“Shit!” I blanche, swinging off his lap and landing quite ungracefully on the cushion next to him. “Sorry…”
I snatch up my phone, meaning to put it on mute, but then I see Mom’s number on the screen.
“Fuck,” I mumble, resolutely avoiding Aleks’s face before getting to my feet and accepting the call. I tug my sweater down to cover myself, as if she can see me. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, honey! Mia told me your flight was delayed. That’s terrible!”
“Hi, uh, yeah,” I stutter. I can feel Aleks’s gaze smoldering on the back of my head but I steadfastly ignore it. “Terrible.”
She tuts. “Are you going back home?”
“No, it takes too long to get there and back. I’m just going to hang out here.”
And do dirty things with a handsome stranger in a private lounge.
“Oh, no. Sounds boring,” she sighs.
I glance over at Aleks. He’s sitting on the sofa with his arms extended across the back of it, utterly and completely at ease. He hasn’t even bothered to button up his shirt. His erection is glaringly noticeable, but by the way he’s sitting there, calm and collected, you wouldn’t know it.
“… Honey?”
“Sorry, Mom,” I say quickly. “I’ll keep myself… occupied. See you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?!” she says in alarm.
“Ah, no, uh, today. I meant today,” I say, feeling all kinds of flustered. “I meant today.”
“You sure everything’s alright, darling? You sound awfully frazzled.”
“Of course, Mom. Just—it’s just, um… crowded. I’m waiting in line for cake,” I say, catching sight of the tray of cake and macarons on the table that we’ve completely ignored.
“Oh, how nice. A little sweet treat. Glad you’re enjoying yourself, honey.”
“Doing my best. See you soon, okay?”
“Okay. Safe flight. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” I hang up.
My heated skin feels suddenly cold, and I shiver. Just when I thought I could be someone else for an hour, the real world had to barge in and remind me who I really am. Shy cartoonists who hide out in their bedrooms don’t get to join the Mile High Club. Except we aren’t in a plane, but whatever, close enough.
Aleks’s stare is still hot and insistent. Knowing I can’t delay the moment any longer, I slip my phone into my pocket and turn to him.
“Am I the treat?” he muses innocently.
“I… sorry, what?”
He smiles. It’s effortless—smooth and cocky and so fucking perfect that I want to scream about how unfair it is for someone to have it all. “Am I the ‘sweet treat’ you’re waiting in line for?”
I’ve never wanted the ground to open up so badly before. Or spontaneous combustion. That would be fine, too.
Seeing as how both of those are off the table, I give him a frantic, cringey laugh. “Um, I think I should wash my hands. You’re right: they are sticky.”
“Bathroom’s right behind you.”
“Thanks.”
I turn and walk at a very calm, very measured, not-at-all-hysterical pace straight for the tall beige door behind me.
As soon as I’m inside, I move right for the sink and grip the cool porcelain sides. “Jesus Christ, Liv!” I hiss to myself. “Get a fucking grip!”
I look up at my reflection in the mirror. There’s so much color on my cheeks that it actually looks like I’m wearing blush.
“It’s not like you’re going to see him again,” I whisper to my mirror self. “He’s just a handsome stranger looking to kill some time and you… well, you’re the girl who plays it safe.”
Living is for the brave. I hear the words as though Dad is right here with me, saying them to my face.
I turn on the water and wash my hands properly. Then I splash some of the cold water onto my face. Once I’ve dried myself off, I feel a little calmer.
“Come on, Liv. You can do this.”
I take one more breath and slip back out into the lounge. Aleks is still sitting on the same position on the sofa, erection still going strong.
I keep my gaze above the belt, as hard as that is—no pun intended—while I round the table and sit down next to him on the sofa. My choice of seat is a little awkward, though. Too far, as if I’m scared to get close.
Who knows? Maybe I am.
“Sorry about that,” I mumble when he doesn’t break the silence. “It was my mom. My sister told her about the flight being delayed and she just wanted to check on me.”