“Hmm, I’d like to be the judge of that.”
Olivia looks at me out of the corner of her eye and sighs.“Would you like to come up?”
“Sure, I’d love to,” I chirp.
She laughs, rolling her eyes as she gets out of the car and rushes through the rain to the front door.She unlocks it, and we both hurry inside.
My pulse kicks as we climb the stairs.She unlocks the door, and I step inside, taking in the small space that feels so her.Stacks of grant proposals on the table.A candle that smells like vanilla and determination.A bookshelf that’s seen better days but crammed with dog-eared novels and binders labeled with things likeFundraising IdeasandTutoring Schedules.
“Nice,” I say honestly.“Cozy.Feels like… home.”
“It is.For now.”She looks around her place with a critical eye.
I can’t resist her any longer.I take a step towards her and then another, closing the distance quickly.
She stares up at me, and I wait for some sign that she wants this.When she licks her lips, letting out a shaky exhale, I pounce and kiss her.Slow at first, testing.She sighs against my mouth and kisses me back, and I think, yeah, this, this is all I want.
Then she pulls back, her hands flattening against my chest.“CJ, wait, we need to talk.”
Those five words are the hockey equivalent of hearing the buzzer go off right before a penalty shot.My stomach drops.
“Uh oh,” I say lightly, trying to joke, but the way her eyes dart away tells me this isn’t a joke kind of conversation.
I sit down on the edge of her couch, heart pounding in my ears.“Okay.Hit me.”
She stays standing, arms wrapped around herself.“I don’t know what this is,” she admits softly.“Us.This… thing between us.It started as fake dating for PR, and now—” She shakes her head.“Now it doesn’t feel fake, and that scares me.”
For once, I don’t try to charm her out of it.Instead, I stand, close the space between us, and pull her into my arms.She stiffens for a beat, then melts into me like she was always meant to be here.
“It’s not fake,” I murmur against her hair.“Not for me.Not one second of it.I’m falling for you, Liv.Hell, I’ve fallen already.That’s the truth.”
Her breath hitches.She tips her head back, eyes shining like she’s fighting herself.Then, in the smallest voice, she says, “It’s not fake for me either.”
Relief crashes through me like a clean save.I cup her jaw, tilt her face up to mine, and kiss her again, deeper this time, with everything I’ve been holding back.She kisses me back with the same desperate honesty, and I know, without a doubt, that the lines are gone.
This is real.
We’rereal.
Thank fuck.
TEN
Olivia
CJ’s lips crash into mine, and I’m instantly swept away in his current.His strong arms wrap around my waist, and he tugs me flush against his hard body.
As soon as we’re pressed up against each other, we’re instantly in a frenzy.Hands tug at clothes as we stumble toward my bedroom.My apartment isn’t nearly as big as CJ’s, and it takes us no time to fall into bed.
“Naked.Now,” I pant.
He rolls away from me as he tugs off his shirt.I pull off my shirt and look over at him as he shimmies out of his pants.
“Careful!”I warn him, but it’s too late.
He rolls right off the side of the bed, and I gasp as I rush to check on him.
“I’m good.Get naked,” he says, bouncing up to his feet.
