Chapter 3
Tessa
Can I have this dance?
I practically swooned from the words. There was no way he could have known how much I loved the song currently playing.
Maybe it was just fate. Like something that had been building for the last two years. The attraction between us was undeniable. I’d caught him sneaking glances at me during the wedding, his focus making a shiver run down my spine. It was hot.
“Yes,” I murmured, letting him sweep me up into his arms. We were surrounded by other couples—Charlotte and Daniel were nearby, slowly swaying to the song, her husband’s hand never once leaving her bump.
My brother and my new sister-in-law—just the thought made a smile touch my lips—were all wrapped up in each other, like the world would end if they were pulled apart.
Looking up at Oliver, at those green eyes that were locked on me, I wondered if maybe I could feel that too.
If I opened my heart back up. It had been so long since I’d let anyone in. Maybe longer than I even wanted to admit. Had I ever?
“Tessa,” Oliver said against my ear, his lips brushing the skin there. I shivered.
I knew there was no going back once I gave in to him. I’d never felt this desire down to my bones for anyone. An ache deep in my core. His lips looked soft. Kissable. His hair was the perfect length to have something to hold onto.
“Uh-huh?” I asked, unable to look away.
Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was his tuxedo.
Maybe it was the fact that we were pressed together in an intimate dance, moving in a slow circle around the floor.
Maybe it was that I hadn’t had sex lately.
Maybe it was that I was lonely. Maybe it was the fact that I hadn’t been kissed—really kissed—in so long.
Maybe it was all inevitable, from the first moment we’d met.
Even if I knew he could ruin me. I was only here for two weeks before I’d be going back to my life in LA. This could never be a long term thing, and he knew that. I just had to hope he’d be down for some fun in the meantime.
“You’re just—” His eyes dipped down to my lips, and I swiped my tongue out, moistening them. Under the twinkle lights of the barn, in Oliver’s arms, I wanted him to kiss me. No—needed it. Everything else be damned.
Sliding my hands up his chest, I gripped his lapel. The song ended, and it felt like the world narrowed down, the two of us the only people in it. I couldn’t see anyone else—not with the way he was looking at me.
“Oliver,” I whispered.
“Yes, Tess?” He murmured, his lips brushing over my ear. Tess. I liked the nickname coming from his lips. It was different than when my brother said it, all raspy and deep. I wondered what it would be like to hear it when he was buried deep inside of me.
I almost moaned at the thought when the music stopped, and the wedding planner came over the speakers.
“Alright, everyone! It’s time to cut the cake!”
I groaned. Now?
Oliver chuckled, kissing the top of my head. “We’ll finish this later, Hollywood.”
That was a promise I hoped he would keep.
Oliver was right behind me as we watched Matthew & Noelle cut the cake, and I swore every breath against my neck was making me hotter. If he was an inch closer, we’d be completely pressed against each other, and yet he seemed to not notice how much he was affecting me.
After they cut a small piece, the couple each fed each other a bite, before my brother pulled his bride into him and pressed a deep kiss to her mouth. It was like the two of them barely even noticed anyone else was around.
Finally, they handed out cake—red velvet flavored, because that was Noelle’s favorite—and I took a piece back to our table, sitting down in my spot.
Oliver sat down next to me, and then pulled my chair towards him, angling mine so that my legs were between his.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, looking around us like we were going to get caught.
“Relax,” he breathed, reaching over and tucking my hair behind my ear.
He picked up the fork, picking up a small bite of cake, but instead of eating it, he held it up to my lips.
I blushed as I licked the cake—and the cream cheese frosting—off the fork. “Oliver,” I whispered, licking my lips.
He repeated the process, taking a bite of his own this time, from the very same fork. “Mmm.” He wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb and then licked it. “Yeah, that’s good.”
No one was around us, and none of our friends were paying attention, but still, why was I so embarrassed about the fact that we were sharing a fork—and a piece of cake?
But I wasn’t about to stop it, either. Not when we were sitting so close together, when Oliver’s hand was resting on my knee as he fed me bite after bite of the delicious cake.
I whimpered as he swept his thumb over my mouth as I finished the last bite. “Oliver,” I practically begged when he licked it off, dragging his thumb across his lower lip.
This was so unfair. Did he have any idea how turned on I was? How damp my panties were? It should have been illegal how hot that was—how hot he was.
“Yes, Tessa?”
I fluttered my eyelashes seductively, leaning towards him until my lips were almost pressed against his ear. “What’s a girl gotta do to get a kiss around here?” My voice was all breathy.
Was that really me?
He smirked, twirling his finger around my hair. Had I read the signs wrong? No. I could tell he wanted this as badly as I did.
I furrowed my brow, and he leaned in, kissing my cheek before his lips brushed against my ear. “Meet me outside behind the barn. Five minutes.”
My body heated even further at the words. Fuck, that was impossibly hot. I was almost desperate, practically panting, ready to crawl into his lap from just a few touches.
“Okay,” I nodded, feeling dazed.
He shot me a wink, standing up from the chair and turning on his heel. I wasn’t too much of a coward to admit that I watched him as he walked away from me, my eyes glued on his ass.
It was a fantastic butt, firm and round, attached to muscular thighs that hinted at a lot of time spent in the gym. Fanning myself and hoping no one noticed, I made my way back to the bar, ordering another drink and sucking it down. Liquid courage. Were we really doing this? I hoped so.
Heading outside, I was thankful for the way the chill in the air did wonders to cool my heated skin.
This place was magical at night—there were string lights everywhere, plus the pumpkins and the hay bales, since the wedding venue also doubled as a pumpkin patch during the day. I looked around, searching for Oliver.
A hand closed around my wrist, and then I was spinning—twirled into someone’s arms.
No, not someone’s—His.
He pressed me up against the wall of the barn, and I looped my arms around his neck. And then his lips were on mine.
It was impossible to say who made the first move—whether it was me who lunged up, taking that last few inches of space away, or it was him who pressed his lips to mine, but it didn’t matter.
Because it was a first kiss I would have waited a lifetime for. One that sparked electricity in my veins, fireworks exploding before my eyes as his soft yet firm lips caressed mine.
He coaxed me open with his tongue, slipping into my mouth effortlessly.
Pulling on my lower lip with his teeth, I let out a slow moan, digging my fingers into his hair and pulling at the strands, but still, there was no separating us.
Our mouths were in a desperate dance, needing to get intimately acquainted with each other.
His knee pressed against my legs, and I ground down on it, needing the friction.
“Hi,” I breathed, unable to look away from his green eyes as we pulled apart.
“Hi.” He traced my cheek with his free hand—the one that wasn’t currently sitting on my hip—before tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re so gorgeous, Tessa Harper. I could barely keep my hands off you all night.”
Humming in response, I kept running my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Oh, flattery will get you everywhere, Oliver Graham.”
He pressed a kiss to the side of my mouth.
I liked that he was taller than me, but that he didn’t have to bend down far to reach my lips.
That I could still wear heels but not have to worry that I was going to threaten his manhood with my height.
Besides, Oliver wasn’t like that. Unlike most of the men I worked with, there was no toxic masculinity here.
Over the last few years, I'd seen him at the parties my brother and Noelle have thrown. I’ve witnessed how he interacted with everyone, how caring he was, and how genuine and thoughtful he was.
He’d be the kind of man who would open your door before you could. Who would make sure he held your hand as you walked down the sidewalk, keeping you on the inside. The kind of man who any woman would be lucky to be with.
The kind of man I desperately wanted but couldn’t have. Was this a mistake? I couldn’t have him. Not really. I was only here for two more weeks. What were the chances he just wanted fun?
“So we’re doing this?” I asked as he kissed my neck.
“I sure as fuck hope so,” he said, leaving more kisses on my skin. I still had a bit of a tan from LA this summer—I spent a lot of time at the beach or running outside to stay active—and it gave my skin a beautiful golden glow.
I sucked down a bit of air. “Is this crazy?”
Oliver hummed, standing up straight to play with my hair so he could look me in the eyes. “Considering I’ve wanted to kiss you ever since I first saw you, I think no.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure I was breathing. “You have?”
He leaned in, dipping his head low. “Yes. Every party, every time I saw you, it was all I could think about. What those lips would feel like. What you’d taste like.” His forehead pressed against mine.
“Then why didn’t you make a move before?” I asked. We could have been doing this all along. “I’ve thought about you too, you know.” I blushed.
He shook his head. “No way. You’re so far out of my league, it’s not even funny. Besides, Matthew would have killed me.”
“He’s my brother, not my dad,” I said, rolling my eyes. “And are you kidding me? Have you seen yourself?” I pinched his upper biceps through his tux jacket.
“Oh, so you only want me for my body, huh?” He smirked, flexing under his clothes.
I laughed, pressing my lips to his again. “Do you want to get out of here?”
The reception was winding down as everyone started heading out. Plus, the cake was cut, and Matthew and Noelle wouldn’t even notice we were missing. Right?
Oliver’s answering grin was all I needed.