Chapter Fifteen
Theo couldn’t get the kiss out of his head.
The soft plump feel of Olivia’s lips on his was enough to make his blood run hot, all reasonable thought venturing embarrassingly south in the most inconvenient moments.
The way her lips had slanted over his, even briefly had him imagining how it would feel to have her tongue poking out and running along the length of his, teasing. Tasting.
He still remembered the hint of summer berries and cream lip balm she had been wearing.
Now that he had felt her in his arms, what it was like to kiss her, Theo knew he was going to struggle to find her more dates to go on. Dates that weren’t with him.
It had only been for a moment, and the moment was for show, sure. But he could still feel her, the gentle press of her body against his, the way she smelt of floral perfume, the way she leaned in and whispered those teasing words before pressing her lips to his in the gentlest of brushes.
He was almost grateful Georgia had interrupted the moment, otherwise he might have up and left the games night embarrassed and needy.
The only thing that had kept him sane was that he was finding her dates, so maybe now he had a new mission.
Maybe now he had to make her see the best man for the job was him.
“So, you’re stripes, I’m spots, and basically—” Theo began. The were huddled at the side of one of Robbie’s velvet pool tables, the green velvet stark against the dull brown hues of the pub. Dim lamps lined the wallpapered walls, their soft golden glow making the bustling pub feel warm and cosy.
“Yeah, yeah, I know how to play,” Olivia cut him off, shoving him out of the way before leaning over the table and lining her aim up.
After three Apple Martinis and some shared hot chips, the two had decided to play a game of pool.
When he had told her where they were going, and she’d asked why, Theo had simply said that for each bad date she’d had he was going to give her a good one.
Plus, he didn’t want one bad date to ruin her beloved Apple Martinis for her.
Both were slightly tipsy, but that made for more fun, or at least that’s what she’d thought before Theo started ranting at her, telling her all the rules and regulations of the game. “Okay, buttercup, show me what you got,” he said, finishing off his beer.
Olivia was about to learn though that understanding the rules and being able to actually play were two different things. Leaning down, she placed one hand on the table, pulled her arm back and pushed forward. The pool stick missed, bouncing up and down on the table.
A choked laugh sputtered out of Theo. With a frown, Olivia turned to see him slapping a hand over his firm chest, his head tipping back in laughter.
She couldn’t help but glance at the thick corded veins which lined his arms, trailing up past his elbows and underneath the double rolled sleeves of his shirt.
He wiped the beer from the corner of his lips as he struggled to compose himself. “I thought you said you knew how to play?”
Poking him with the chalked end of the pool cue, Olivia stuck out her bottom lip with full effect and sulked. “I said I knew how to play, not that I was any good.”
His eyes shone in amusement, fingers curling over hers as he pried the stick from her delicate grasp. “Okay. Watch and learn.”
Three more drinks later, Olivia was positive that whoever had created the game was stupid. Theo had sunk all of his balls bar two, meanwhile she’d sunk a measly one. By accident.
“Okay, I can’t stand to see you suffer any longer. Come here.” Theo shook his head as he watched her miss yet another shot.
“I can get it, I swear,” Olivia responded stubbornly. She was determined to get this one. She could feel it in her fingertips. This time she would sink it, and it would even swish the net. She would bet money on it.
Ignoring her stubbornness, Theo grabbed her hips, fingers curling around her hipbones and turned them, sandwiching her between the solid table and his body.
Olivia felt heat creep up her neck, her body not letting her ignore the press of his fingertips against her lower stomach.
The fluttering in her chest increased tenfold, her rationality melting further when the steel hard muscles of his abdomen contracted against her back.
Her cheeks were red-hot, and not from the copious amount of alcohol she had consumed that evening.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes before snapping them open once again. This time, they were trained on the striped ball.
Theo leaned down, his breath brushing over the lobe of her ear and filtering down the side of her neck.
Cocooned in his arms, she couldn’t stop her mind immediately diving head first into the gutter.
It practically threw itself in and rolled around in the dirty thoughts the position promised.
Her blush grew stronger, her lower stomach contracting in excitement underneath the steady grasp of his wide palms.
Pushing her front closer to the table, Theo leaned them over the table, covering her upper body with his.
She breathed in the alluring scent of his aftershave.
Musk and pine, with the undercurrent of something fresh.
Like the scent of the pavement after it had rained, or the fresh country air.
She couldn’t describe it other than it was purely him.
The broad planes and lean muscles of his chest made her feel as though they were in their own little world within the pub.
He had sheltered them, covered her petite frame with his, the murky bartender and the rowdy stag group at the bar disappearing with the firm reassurance of his chest and the feeling of his breath against the curve of her neck. “Angle your body like this…”
Olivia’s breath hitched, forcing herself to focus on anything other than the warmth his chest was emitting.
This was embarrassing. She had been single for well over a year now, and it was as if her body was yelling out for Theo to touch her, satisfy the needs her toys at home did nothing but to amplify.
His hand then brushed down her side and grasped her hand clutching the pool stick, manoeuvring her fingers. His next words sent shivers down her spine, and planted a seed of need deeper into her abdomen. “Make a triangle here…”
She liked this position a little too much, and in that moment was thankful he couldn’t see the fire that consumed her face.
She was mortified. And horny. Forgive me, she thought to herself.
To him. She had sinned. Correction, she was sinning.
Every time his hips brushed her backside an accidental gasp would escape her lips, the hand on her hip flexing each time at the sound.
It felt sinful. Not wrong, just completely against the religion of celibacy and singleness she had adhered to over the past year.
Theo flexed his forearms, the muscles and veins doing nothing to extinguish the throb between her legs.
In that moment, she needed holy water.
“Ready?” he asked, his head almost resting on her shoulder.
“Yes,” Olivia breathed softly. She felt him freeze for a moment at her confirmation, a small moan escaping, before he brought their arms forward. Holding her breath, she watched the striped ball roll along the table and fall gracefully into the hole.
Olivia let out an excited yelp and turned, grinning ear to ear. “I DID IT!”
Theo chuckled.
Clocking how close their faces were, the way his hands were now splayed across her belly and back, she looked up into the striking caramel brown of Theo’s eyes.
Olivia could count the various shades of gold and brown that made up his irises and found herself slowly and meticulously examining his facial features. The small dimples on either side of his cheeks. His straight nose, stubbled jaw and soft, full lips.
Noticing how the quiet and comfortable pub ambience had invaded their bubble, Olivia went to take a step back, bumping into the table and pressing the pool cue into his chest.
“It’s, uh… it’s your turn,” she said before sliding sideways and grabbing his near-empty drink.
Tilting it back, she sculled the rest of his drink as Theo watched.
She knew the action meant her throat was exposed, and the long curve where her shoulder met the delicate flesh of her neck was visible, and as she swallowed the liquid she noted how he gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat before he turned away.
Olivia pictured taking one step forward, leaning up and licking up the vein that strained along the side of his neck next to that Adam’s apple.
She imagined him returning the fervour, a bruising reminder of his lips on her neck sounding like a very good idea as she wiped the corner of her mouth with her wrist and slammed the glass back down on the edge of the pool table.
Theo averted his eyes before clearing his throat. Muttering a quick, “Right,” he lined up his shot.