I tilt my chin up, even though my heart is hammering.“Wherever I want.”
He leans closer, close enough that I can count the individual shades of gray in his eyes.“There’s one place I’d be very happy if you put your mouth.”
My face goes nuclear.“Alexander Castellano?—”
“What?”His voice is deceptively mild.“I was talking about my neck.What were you thinking about, Olivia?”
“You’re—” I can’t even finish the sentence.My face is on fire.
“You’re blushing.”He looks delighted.“Do you want to bite me there?”
“I—You—” Words.Where are the words?
“Should I be worried you’ll bite?”His thumb brushes along my jaw, tipping my face up.“Or do you only bite when you’re trying to be bad?”
“I’m never bad,” I manage.
His laugh is low and knowing.“Really?”
“You’re a terrible influence.”
“And you love it.”He leans in, his lips brushing mine.“Answer the question, Olivia.If I let you put your pretty little mouththere, will you bite?”
My brain is completely offline.“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”His mouth curves against mine.“I think if you tried that, you’d get spanked again.And judging by how much you liked it last time...”
I recall exactly how sore my ass feels right now, and I grin.“I’ll risk it.”
Then I kiss him on the nose and duck under his arms before he can catch me, snatching my shirt off the desk.“Come on, Mr.Castellano.We have a Christmas Eve lunch to get to.”
Behind me, I hear him laugh, low and rich.“You’re going to pay for that later.”
“Promises, promises.”
* * *
The sleek blackSUV Alexander rented in Asheville yesterday after we left the motel pulls into Mom and Dad's driveway, and I'm already unbuckling my seatbelt when I see him.
Chase.
Standing on the sidewalk in front of the house, hands shoved deep in his coat pockets, shoulders hunched against the cold.The Christmas lights strung along the porch eaves cast colored shadows across his face, making him look like a sad ghost haunting the scene of his own bad decisions.
My stomach doesn’t drop.My heart doesn’t race.I just feel...tired.
“Is that...”Alexander’s voice goes flat, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.
“Yeah.”
He cuts the engine, and the sudden silence feels heavy.Through the front windows, I can see movement.Mom bustling around the kitchen, probably putting finishing touches on lunch.Dad’s laugh carries faintly through the glass.The house looks warm and inviting, all golden light and holiday cheer, and I want to be in there, not out here dealing with this.
Alexander’s jaw tightens as he watches Chase shift his weight from foot to foot.“Want me to handle it?”
The protective edge in his voice sends warmth through my chest.“No.I’ve got this.”
“Are you sure?”His gray eyes find mine, searching.“Because I’m more than happy to...”
I lean over and kiss him.It’s meant to be quick, reassuring, but his hand comes up to cup my jaw and deepens it slightly, his thumb brushing my cheek.When we pull apart, my lips are tingling, and Chase is staring at us with an expression I can’t quite read.
