Chapter 14 #2
“Yep.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, one of his feet going against the door.
“Why?”
“Because if I come over there, we won’t get any talking done.”
“I can behave myself.”
His eyes were hooded as they swept hungrily over me. “But I can’t.”
My blood rushed south, and I had to adjust how I sat to account for my rapidly swelling dick. “That’s not necessarily an issue. There are many ways to join the mile-high club. I’m more than happy to help you meet all the criteria.”
“How selfless of you,” Ollie quipped.
I smirked. “Always.”
Ollie’s smile faded into a grim line, his voice dropping to a whisper. “What are we doing here, Luca? Is this just a fling while we’re on tour?”
“Is that what you want it to be?”
“Yes…no. I don’t know.” Ollie slumped back against the door, his hand covering his eyes. “I can’t think straight when I’m around you. I was so determined to keep you at arm’s length, and then I saw you on that stage, and—”
“Wait.” A stone of dread settled in my stomach. “Is that why you came to me last night?”
Ollie pulled his hand away, his brows drawn in confusion. “I mean, yeah. You were flirting with me on stage…right? And seeing you perform…I knew it was pointless trying to resist you.”
“Right,” I echoed hollowly. I got to my feet, straightening my shirt so I had something to do with my hands. “You saw the rock star everyone else sees and decided to have a taste. Got it.”
There was a faint ringing in my ears as I walked up to Ollie and attempted to shove him aside so I could leave. I’d been so foolish thinking Ollie might be different. All it had taken was one performance for the real Luca to be erased from his mind.
Ollie refused to move, understanding dawning on his face. “Luca, that’s not what I meant.”
“Don’t stress about it, Ollie. I’m used to it.”
I tried to push him aside again, but he didn’t budge. “Can you move?”
Ollie moved, but not how I was expecting. Grabbing my arm, he twisted me until my back hit the wall. His arm came up across my chest, pinning me in place. “No. You’re not leaving until you’ve listened to me.”
I sighed. “Save it. I’ve heard every variation of this story. They all boil down to the same thing—you didn’t want me until you saw me on stage. You didn’t want me at all. You wanted Luca, frontman of Caffeine Daydreams.”
“Are you going to let me finish?” Ollie demanded. “Because I’ve got a few things I want to say.”
Reluctantly, I raised my gaze to meet his. I was expecting to see maybe shame or regret at being found out…but instead, there was anger.
It was the most emotion I’d seen from him since that day in the lift. It shouldn’t have turned me on, but it really did.
Maybe I was broken.
“What I meant was seeing you in your element made me want you. When you perform, you’re happy…
free. This weight you carry around with you otherwise is lifted.
It was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.
But it would’ve been the same if you were a teacher revelling in delivering a lesson.
Or a writer who’d finally found the right words.
If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you…
glow. That’s what I meant. It has nothing to do with your fame.
If anything, your fame massively puts me off pursuing anything with you. ”
I swallowed, scarcely daring to hope.
“I won’t lie and say it’s not also because of the way you move your body,” Ollie continued, the fury in his eyes replaced by humour now that I was listening to him. “Especially with the way you were eye-fucking me from the stage. What were you hoping for when you did that?”
My cheeks burned. Turned out I was the one who needed to feel shame and regret. “That I’d persuade you to join me in my bedroom after the show. I’m sorry, Ollie. I shouldn’t have assumed you wanted me for my fame…especially when you’ve given so much evidence to the contrary.”
“It’s okay,” Ollie said, lifting his arm and winding it around me. “I get it. You’ve been burned before.”
“I have. But still, I should be better.”
He kissed me soundly, his tongue leisurely exploring my mouth. When he pulled away, he pecked my lips once more like he needed another brief taste. “Maybe. But I’ve been burned too, Luca. I know how hard it is to open up after something like that.”
“I know.” What Ollie had been through was worse. He’d been betrayed by not only his girlfriend but his best friend. “I’m sorry I reacted like that.”
“It’s okay.” He cupped my face with his hand. “Maybe we could…take this slow? We’ve got six weeks to explore together.”
I swallowed the urge to make it more official. Now that Ollie had confirmed he wasn’t after my fame, nothing was holding me back. But he was right. We’d both been burned and needed time to open up to each other.
Which was fine. It wasn’t like we were putting a deadline on this. We were just…taking it slow.
“Sounds good,” I said finally, running my hand down to palm Ollie’s shaft. “Now, fancy a repeat of last time?”
He nudged me back until I was against the wall again. “Actually, I was thinking this time it could be the other way around.”