“You said—” Ollas had to clear his throat. “You said something about making things, er, grow.”
Eunny laughed. “Before that, Nev.”
“That you didn’t want to like me? Before.”
“That part. I did say that,” she agreed, nodding. Her fingers slid up to touch his neck. “What else?”
Ollas held himself still. Taut. “And I asked if that meant you do now.”
“Yes, and then we were so rudely interrupted.” She let her fingertips skim the stubble along his jaw. “But I think I’ve got my answer. Because you know the nice thing about me having my own place?”
Ollas held his breath. Eunny lifted her chin until she was inches from his mouth. “I do like you, Nev, and in Belle, we’ll never get interrupted.”
She meant to kiss him. Lightly. A flirty peck to test the waters, let him know she was game if he was. She loved this moment, the tension as those last pieces of the unknown between them fell away. The potential of everything they could be, before reality set a frame of reference. Of comparison. Drawing out the mystery, the possibility, she savored it.
She wasn’t expecting shy, respectful, gentlemanly Ollas to grab her face and crash his mouth into hers. Wasn’t expecting him to be so hungry, wasn’t expecting the way his tongue invaded. There was nothing timid about the way Ollas cupped her chin and angled her mouth to his liking. The growl that came from him when she stroked his tongue with her own could be described with a variety of words, but none of them would be shy. He crushed Eunny to him, his hand spanning the small of her back.
She let her hands rove over his shoulders, his torso, reveling in the strength she found. Big hands. Thick fingers. A firm grip. Her nipples tightened at the thought of what this aggressive side of Ollas might do to her if given any encouragement.
She wasn’t the only one having parts go firm. When he shifted and drew her against him, she pressed into his thigh and felt the bulge there. The prodding through the constraint of his trousers, in much more detail than the brief touch she’d had before.
Eunny choked. “Oh, shit, Nev.” She looked down, saw the outline along the inside of his leg. “You’re an animal.”
Ollas froze. Being so close, she felt the moment realization caught up with him.
He sprang back. “Oh, oh, gods all… Fuck, Eunny, I’m so sorry.”
She stared at him, then couldn’t stop the cackle that broke free. She could’ve fried an egg on his face, it was so red.
“No, Nev, this is—” She could barely keep from devolving into snort-laughs. “Better I know now. Forewarned and forearmed and all of that, right? Oh, Goddess, I am going to need to be prepared!”
Ollas hid his face in his hands. “Earthen, please kill me.”
“No, not before I get a chance to sample the?—”
“What is all this ruckus? You know, you can hear it all the—” Gransen stopped in the doorway. He looked at Eunny, then looked at Ollas, who was still covering his face. Then, failing at any sense of self-control, Gransen looked down. “Should I go?”
Eunny smothered another laugh. “No, no, I’m on my way out.” She went to the handcart and rummaged through her bag on top for the envelope from Yerina. She slapped it against Gransen’s chest as she hauled the cart toward the door. “Look through these and help me with a shortlist for the café. We need a budget.”
Gransen gasped, eyes going wide.
Eunny paused in the doorway, glancing back at Ollas, who was fiddling with his pockets. “I’ll see you later?” She tilted her head toward him, feeling her smile all the way to the corners of her eyes.
As she trundled down the hall, she heard a light clap of hands on cheeks, followed by Gransen’s solemn voice. “Boy, you are going to get fornicated.”
Chapter Fifteen
It wasn’t all in his head. Eunny was interested, too. Ollas hadn’t imagined it. The way she’d touched him. Caressed his face. Ollas was mostly sure she’d been flirting, not that he was ever a good judge of such things. But he’d swear by every god in the Empyrean Court that she’d been about to kiss him before he’d attacked her with his face. Not that he was good at judging those likelihoods, either. And then he’d almost fucked it all up, giving in to his baser desires like the godsdamned animal she’d proclaimed him to be.
Though, Eunny hadn’t exactly seemed to mind. Ollas felt a certain kind of satisfaction knowing that he’d surprised her. Pleasantly so.
I am going to need to be prepared.
It had taken every scrap of strength he possessed not to blow his load right then and there.
The interest was mutual, no doubt there. But since she’d left and Ollas had had a moment for his blood to flow somewhere besides straight to his dick, doubt had set in. Eunny said later, but how long was that? Was it too presumptuous to go by that same night? Gransen said no, but Gransen also possessed no shame. Plus, Eunny was moving. Unpacking. Maybe she’d want some time to get settled.
Ollas had been fantasizing about this day for years, but he had the sneaking suspicion that Eunny’s interest was much more recent. Hard to tell. Her outgoingness, the jokes, her wickedly arousing teasing, they’d had that kind of lighthearted friendship for years. But that was just who Eunny was—it had never become anything more, and Ollas had been such a chickenshit he’d never had the nerve to make a move. He’d been content with being friends, his pining kept quietly under wraps. Until now. If he ruined everything, if she left Sylveren because of him, what then?
