“I almost didn’t call, but I promised I would be the first one to congratulate you when you became Governor, and I’m a man of my word. I thought that would be it.” I grab another chip, and tease, “But then you accidentally drew international attention to yourself.”
“It really was an accident,” she insists, moving to the seat to my left. Too damn close. Her perfume still lingers, even when muted by the hotel body wash. Fucking catnip. “I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“I know. But I saw it as a sign that this could be it; we could have a second chance. Hell, I even called my sister for help.”
“Nikki?” Her smile lights up her eyes. They only met once when she came home with me Thanksgiving break, and it means a lot to me that she remembers her. I reply with a nod. “How is she, by the way?”
“She’s good, but saw right through me when I told her we were just friends.”
“Aubrey saw through me too.”
“It’s a good thing those two have never met; they’d be trouble.”
“Could you imagine?” she chuckles, glancing away for a moment in thought.
“Honestly, I thought if I could spend a little time with you, then I’d have a chance to win you back. I just have to figure out a way to?—”
“It’s not our time,” Livy steamrolls over me, eyes snapping back to mine. “No matter how much I want to, we really shouldn’t entertain this. I mean, really, how would it even work?”
“It wouldn’t,” I sigh. “You’re right; it’s not our time. There’s too much at stake for you. If anyone found out, it could ruin your career. I’ve spent months trying to come up with any possible way that we could be together. I’ve come up empty.”
She chews on her lip and glances away in thought for a moment. “What if no one finds out?”
“Is that what you want? For us to be a dirty little secret?”
“No, but what’s the alternative?” She shuts her eyes tight, her voice coming out strained as she admits, “I loved you. So fucking much.” Her glassy eyes finally meet mine again and it takes everything in me to not reach for her. “All we have is tonight, and maybe stolen time in March.”
I stifle a groan. “I want more than a night with you.”
Livy surprises me, cupping my cheek as she softly admits, “I do too. I’d give anything to have you back, but in the morning, we have to return to reality.”
“You won the room fair and square.” I pull her hand down and kiss her palm. “So you make the rules tonight.”
A sweet smile tilts her lips as eyes search mine in question. I’d give anything to kiss her for the first time in entirely too fucking long, even if I know damn well I wouldn’t stop there.
Fuck it.
After all this time, I’m going to be selfish.
I take the risk and close the distance. The moment our lips touch, she whimpers, and fuck, if it isn’t the sweetest sound I’ve heard in my life. In an instant, I pull her onto my lap to straddle me. A soft moan escapes her, and my pants are now entirely too tight. Her kisses are full of fire I never felt when we were together, as if neither of us can get close enough. It’s raw, desperate. Either I’ve died and gone to heaven, or I’m dreaming. To think I could’ve had her, just like this, for years. If tonight is all we have, I’m not wasting it. There’s no coming back from this for either of us, but I don’t fucking care.
Olivia will be mine. Period.
Gripping her ass, I wrap my arms tightly around her, needing her closer. A large part of me is still worried if I open my eyes, she’ll disappear. As she grinds against my length, I swear I see fucking stars. But after all this time, there’s no way in hell I’m going to come in my pants the first time I’ve touched her in over a decade. As I slide my hands to her hips to hold her in place, I break our kiss only long enough to tell her, “I need your safe word.”
Livy pulls back, lips swollen and irises blown wide. “Safe word?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know what a safe word is,” I deadpan, firmly gripping on her hips as I swipe my thumbs on the soft skin just above the waistband.
“I know what safe words are, but why would I need one?”
“I owe you no less than thirty-thousand orgasms. Everyone has limits of what they can handle in one night.”
“Thirty-thousand?” she squeaks, sucking in a breath. I do my best to not react. “Can you start with one maybe?”
“One?” I stand, wrapping her legs around my waist to bring her with me. “One? You think I’d ever stop at one?”
I walk us into the bedroom and she giggles as I toss her onto the bed. Sliding my hands up her body, I enjoy every curve, and commit each one to memory. Her smile is all the confirmation I need that she’s wanted this as much as I have, but I need to bide my time. I pin her hands with one of mine above her head. Desperate to keep her eyes on me, I gently tilt her chin, loving the feel of her soft skin under my fingertips. Tonight is all I get for now, and I want to bring her more pleasure than she’s ever known, to brand myself on every inch of her.
