Jeremy winces. “Yeah, that won’t be an awesome conversation, but Gabe also knows what it’s like to find the love of your life. The person you can’t breathe without. Everyone in this room does.”
I consider Jeremy’s words. I know that all four guys in this room have amazing love stories. The ones that seem fictional and unattainable, except I know they’re not because I see them in these couples every day. Jeremy and Emma, Ben and Hallie, Asher and Julie, Gabe and Molly—their loves are huge and beautiful and so completely right that it’s hard to be around and not want that for myself.
Not to wonder if maybe I already found it.
“Don’t say anything, okay? This just happened, and I don’t know what it is yet.”
Jeremy nods. “I would never. Now get the fuck out of here. I’ll cover for you.”
“Thanks, Jer,” I say, my mind already in the bathroom with Olivia.
He points at me. “Babysitting. Next week. All three kids, and overnight. I think I’ll take Ems away for the night too.”
“Done,” I say, and then I stand and head straight out of the room. When I push open the bathroom door, Olivia is leaning against the sink, legs crossed, pretty pink lips curved in a smirk. My head spins, and my cock jerks in my pants
“What took you so long?”
“Just covering my tracks,” I say, taking a step forward and sliding an arm around Olivia’s waist and my free hand around her neck, tangling my fingers in her soft, chestnut strands.
“So sneaky,” she murmurs, pushing away from the sink and plastering her body against mine, winding her arms around my waist. “I like it.”
I spin us and walk her backwards until her back is pressed to the door, my lips hovering over hers. “I like you.”
“Do you?” she asks with a smile.
“I really.” I lean in and kiss her neck. “Really.” Her collarbone. “Do.” The spot behind her ear that makes her gasp.
Olivia pulls back, her eyes dark and a little hazy. “Show me.”
Motherfucker.
The air in the bathroom is electric, and everything I have ever wanted is standing right in front of me. The most beautiful girl in the world, the star of all my dreams, chest heaving, looking at me the way I always hoped she would.
Crashing my mouth to hers, I throw caution to the wind, and without words, I show her exactly how I feel. She meets me right where I am, and I am one hundred percent sure that nothing in the world has ever felt as perfect as this.
CHAPTER FIVE
OLIVIA
“Come on,” I mutter, reaching up to the top of the Christmas tree in the corner of the West Club at the Renegades’ stadium, otherwise known as the setting for the upcoming Kids Play gala. I hold the gold star tree topper between my thumb and forefinger and curse my extreme lack of height as I almost—but not quite—make it. “Just a little farther.”
Standing up on my tiptoes on the top step of the ladder, the bottom of the star brushes the top of the tree. I’m about to slip the star on and declare victory when the ladder wobbles just enough to throw me off balance, my heart leaping into my throat as I tumble backwards. I’m resigning myself to the inevitable bone-jarring crash when a pair of strong arms wraps around my waist, my body slamming into a solid chest.
A very familiar solid chest.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Spinning around, I look right into Brian’s whiskey eyes that are currently filled with a combination of anger and concern. He’s wearing joggers and a Renegades long sleeved T-shirt, hispine and spice scent surrounding me, and all thoughts of my near-death experience disappear at my proximity to this man I can’t get out of my head. Shrugging, I give him a casual smile. “Decorating one of the trees for the gala.”
Brian tightens his arms around me. “We have people for that, Liv. Have one of them do it.”
“They did do it. Badly. It was all organized and shit, the ornaments lined up like soldiers marching into battle and an angel on top. An angel, Brian, for the love of god. It was cold, sterile, and no fun at all. It was worth a broken head to fix that travesty of a tree. I’m catering this event, so the vibes are going to be immaculate. That tree was not it.”
Brian skims his lips over my temple, and I shiver. “So, tell them what to do,” he murmurs. “Don’t get up on any ladders. I’m pretty attached to this head.”
“Are you?” I ask, slipping my arms around his waist and tipping my face back to look at him. “What other parts of me are you attached to?”
Dipping his head, Brian takes my mouth in a slow, dizzying kiss. “All the parts,” he mutters, sliding his hands down my sides and back up again, cupping my cheeks in his hands. “I’m attached to every single part of you.”
