She glances up, one brow raised. “What? You asked.”
“So explain it to me.”
“What?”
“The books. The, uh—soulmate sex and heaving chest stuff. What do you like about them?”
She hesitates. Not defensive—just thoughtful. Like no one’s ever really asked before.
“It’s not just the sex,” she says finally.
“Oh?”
She gives me a look. “I mean, yes. The sex is great. But it’s more than that. It’s the way the characters fall for each other. How the intimacy builds. The tension. The stakes. The payoff.”
I tilt my head. “So… foreplay, but with feelings?”
She smirks. “Exactly.”
Then her expression softens a little. “But also… in a good romance, it’s not just about the guy being hot. It’s about how heseesher. Completely. Wants her. Wants to make her feel safe. Loved. Desired. And not in a ‘look at my six-pack’ kind of way. In a ‘you’re the only person in the world who matters to me’kind of way.”
My throat goes tight. “Have you ever had that?”
She thinks for a moment. “No. Not really. My dating history is… short. Two relationships. Both a few months. Sophomore year and last spring.”
“What happened?”
“The usual,” she says. “He was sweet until he wasn’t. He made time for me until he was always busy. So I am allergic to men who cancel with ‘crazy week!!!’ every week.”
I grin. “A common strain.”
“And you?” she asks, casual. “What’s your relationship history? With wom— I mean, humans. I mean, whoever.”
“Relationship history? There isn’t one. I don’t do serious, and I don’t plan on changing that,” I say. Then, because I enjoy shocking her, I add, “Sexual partners? That would be a looong list.”
She chokes on air, then bursts out laughing. “Geez, Ash! I don’t need to know that. That’s none of my business. Anyway, I hope I won’t have to fight off any disgruntled exes?”
“Disgruntled? No. I always leave my partners very satisfied, I promise.”
She laughs again, then sighs. “I’d love to find the person I’ll spend the rest of my life with.” She looks away quickly, like she’s said too much.
I clear my throat.
I want to reach out. I want to kiss her again. I want to bend her over the kitchen counter and make her forget her own name. I wantto give her the slow-burn romance she dreams about—and the grand finale she deserves. I want her to feelincredible. I want to make her the heroine of her own damn story.
But then—the thought crashes in, unwelcome and sharp:
She’s off-limits. Liam would kill me. This is just a business arrangement.
A business arrangement that’s already driving me insane.
7
OLIVE
Hard-On
Living with Ash Ryder is shockingly… easy.
