Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
OLIVIA
H is tongue swipes my tattoo, and it’s all I can do not to turn my head and bring those lips to mine. I’ve thought of a million reasons why I should have canceled tonight, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I even turned it into a business meeting, hoping it would justify why I was going, but as soon as I saw him, I knew it was a lie.
I should have turned and run in the opposite direction when I had the chance, but I’m addicted to how he makes me feel.
I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be free for the night.
To do things for no other reason than just purely satisfying my needs.
I’ve gladly taken a back seat and given my all to my daughter, but maybe this one night, I can be selfish and take something I want.
His lips leave my neck, and I immediately miss their presence. Sitting across from me, his eyes study me. He has a habit of playing with his lip ring when he’s deep in thought, as I watch it disappear in his mouth before bringing it back out.
“Why a bee?” I blink when he breaks the silence as I focus on what he’s asking.
“My best friend is named Bee.” It’s not a lie. He doesn’t need to know that my best friend is also my four-year-old daughter. If I go through with tonight and he agrees, it needs to be with no attachments.
He nods his head as he accepts my answer. The waitress appears with our menus, and she does her best to flirt and get his attention, but it’s all on me. I order a white wine, and he does a bourbon along with a couple of appetizers we pick out for us to share.
When we’re left alone, I laugh at what I just witnessed.
“Do you get hit on so much that you don’t even notice it anymore? Our waitress was eye-fucking you the whole time, and you didn’t even bat an eye.”
“Did it make you jealous?” He grins.
“She doesn’t look a day over eighteen, so no.”
“It’s okay to admit that you like me and you got jealous.” His lips twitch to hide a smile, and I roll my eyes as he chuckles. The waitress brings our drinks over, and he leans forward and takes my hand, kissing the underside of my wrist, clearly giving her a message that says we are together.
His warm breath fans my skin, sending goosebumps across my flesh before releasing me. I take a sip of my wine and welcome the coolness against the heat that’s flowing through my body.
“I haven’t noticed or seen another woman since you walked into this restaurant, nor do I want to. I’ve got all I want sitting right across from me.”
I ignore the ping to my heart with those words because that’s all they are…words. Words that mean nothing except to be used to get what you want. I decide to change the subject and get on a safer topic.
“I brought the finalized wine list with me if you want to go over the order and see if you want to make any changes.”
“Back to business,” he smiles. “Do you ever just have fun? ”
“My business is fun. I love what I do,” I frown. I can have fun. That’s why I’m here because I want to have fun.
“And I love that you love what you do, but sometimes you just got to let your hair down and throw all responsibilities out the window for the night.”
Which is something I can never do because I have a huge responsibility every single day of my life…
except for tonight. When Miss Beth heard I was having dinner with a friend who isn’t a female, she immediately started making plans for Bee to sleep over at her house.
I kept insisting that it wasn’t necessary, but I finally agreed just to appease her.
“Fine. No work tonight.”
“That’s my girl,” he grins. I ignore the second ping to my heart, those words just caused, and clink my glass to his raised one.
“So, how long have you lived in Blue Haven?” The appetizers arrive, and we place our dinner order before starting in on the food before us.
“God, it’s beautiful here. You can see for miles.” I watch the warm colors of the sunset play on the water.
“It is beautiful,” he agrees, keeping his gaze on me. “But you’re not changing the subject,” he smiles and takes a bite of a lobster roll.
“I’ve been here for almost two months.” I moan when the lobster roll melts in my mouth. His eyes darken as he watches me savor the taste. “This is amazing.” I take another bite and lick the buttery sauce from my lips. “You’re not eating,” I say when I notice he hasn’t touched his food.
“I find you much more appetizing. Did you know you make orgasmic sounds when you eat?”
“I do not make orgasmic sounds,” I giggle.
“Yes, you do. Well, not truly orgasmic sounds because you’re not screaming my name, but it’s definitely foreplay sounds.”
“I guess when I have something in my mouth that I love, I can’t help myself,” I bite back my grin as his lips twitch. He’s not the only one who can have witty comebacks.
“I’m going to see to it that it’s put to the test.” He takes a sip of his bourbon, and I see the challenge in his eyes.
Our food arrives, and he’s right. I do make sounds when I eat. The steak and shrimp that I ordered are to die for. He watches me with wonderment as we enjoy our dinner. Taking another sip of wine, I get the courage to ask him what I’ve been thinking about.
“So, I have a proposition of sorts to ask you.” I fidget with the stem of my wine glass before meeting the curiosity in his eyes.
“A proposition of sorts?” He arches his pierced brow. “Okay. Lay it on me.” He leans back and takes a sip of the amber liquid.
“There’s obviously this sexual attraction between us, and no matter how hard I try, it’s not going away.”
“There is,” he says, amusement and surprise flashing in those greys. “And no, it’s not going away, so what do you propose we should do about it?”
“I think we need one night to get it out of our systems. No commitment, no strings attached…just letting us have what we both want for the night, and then we can go back to being normal, business friends.”
“You want me to be your one-night stand?” He looks surprised and a bit…offended.
“I mean, yeah, I guess that’s what it would be. I’m sure you’ve done them before and know how it works.”
“I know how a one-night stand works,” he mutters. “Have you done them before? ”
“No. This would be my first,” I say quietly. Besides my high school boyfriend, I’ve only been with Mark. After he walked away, I was busy being a single mom. The only excitement I get now is from the romance books I read and a pink vibrator I keep by my bed.
“Why just one night?”
His question surprises me. I didn’t think it would be this hard to talk him into it. In my head, we would already be walking out the door, eager to please each other. This is every man’s dream to have a girl willing to walk away the next morning with no questions asked.
“Because that’s all I want. You said so yourself that I need to have more fun. Well, this is me letting my hair down and having fun. You seem like the type of guy who would jump at this opportunity.”
“And what type of guy is that?” He folds his arms across his chest and waits for me to answer.
“Are you married?” I ask suddenly.
“No. What the hell kind of question is that? I’m here with you.”
That doesn’t matter… I want to say, but stay silent.
“No girlfriend?”
“Again, no. I’m here with you. Do you have a husband or boyfriend?”
“No. I’m not a cheater.”
“Well, neither am I,” he says, getting annoyed.
“All I’m saying is I’ve dated guys like you. Good-looking, charismatic…girls line up for guys like you. I bet you had one-night stands in every city you toured, so having one with me shouldn’t be a big deal.”
He goes silent, and I know I’ve hit the nail on the head. He’s the noncommittal type, just like I thought. Girls are a dime a dozen to him .
“Listen, if you don’t want to, I respect that. I just thought you wanted this as much as I did. If I got it wrong…”
“You’re not wrong,” he says, cutting me off. “I want it.” He studies me, and for the life of me, I have no clue what he’s thinking. “One night. That’s all you want?”
“One night. We get this sexual tension out of the way, and we both walk away, no questions asked.”
“Friends with benefits,” he smirks.
“Friends with a benefit,” I correct. “One night is all I can give you.”
“So you keep saying.” He rubs his light scruff, and a slow smile appears.
“Is that a yes?”
His grin gets wider, and he signals the waitress for the check.
“It was always a yes. I just hope you’re ready for what I have in store for you. If I only get one night, I’m not about to waste it.”
He signs the check quickly and stands up, holding out his hand to me. I take it, and his fingers intertwine with mine. My heart beats fast in my chest as we take the elevator down.
One night.
I can do this.
No attachments, just sex.
Guys do it all the time. It’s not a big deal. I keep repeating these thoughts as we walk across the parking lot.
“My jeep is this way,” I say, stopping and pointing in the other direction.
“We can get it later. I’ve got something else planned.”
He leads me to a sleek black bike, and I stop in my tracks. The mother in me is screaming that it's dangerous and I could get hurt. The woman in me is curious about what it would feel like to be pressed up against him with this powerful machine beneath me.
“Have you ever ridden on the back of a bike before?” He asks, turning to me.
“No.” I shake my head and battle between the devil and angel on my shoulders.
“I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. We are just going along the coast, and I’ll drive under the speed limit. Do you trust me?”
I search his eyes and feel a sense of calm wash over me.
“I trust you,” I whisper. “I don’t know why, but I trust you with this.” His eyes lock with mine, and he takes a step closer.
“There’s something I’ve been dying to do. We were rudely interrupted when I tried the first time, so I’m hoping I have better luck than I did before.” His hands come up and cup my face, and I sink into his touch.
Not wanting to waste a moment longer of this night I’ve given to myself, I stand up on tiptoes and meet him halfway.
As soon as we make contact, it’s like a firework has been lit.
Our mouths collide in a frenzy. His lips are soft and full as they move over mine.
I feel the metal of his small ring, and my tongue comes out to swipe it before giving it a tug.
Moaning, he dives deeper, bringing our bodies flush together. I feel him hard against my stomach, and a deep throb between my legs has me whimpering his name.
“Fuck, that sounds good on you,” he rasps out against my lips before sucking my bottom one and releasing it with his teeth. It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything remotely close to this, and I want more.
My hands find the hem of his t-shirt, and I skim my palms up his back, loving the feel of him beneath my hands. His kisses are demanding and possessive, making every inch of me want to be owned by him .
We finally break away, panting hard. He keeps a firm grip on the back of my neck as he presses his forehead to mine.
“That was worth the wait,” he says in a low voice. “You ready to get out of here?”
I nod my head against his. “I’m ready.”
He turns and grabs a black helmet from the back of the bike and straps me in before putting his on. He swings his leg over and holds out his hand, helping me onto the back.
“Just wrap your arms around me and hang on tight. Feel the bike underneath and move with it like it’s part of you.”
I scoot close so I’m up against him and hug him from behind like he said. His hand comes up and squeezes mine.
“Your place or mine?” He asks.
“Yours,” I say quickly, not wanting him to see evidence of toys in mine.
“My place it is.” He kicks the kickstand, and the engine roars to life. A thrill rushes through my body as I press closer to him. I can feel his body heat through the fabric and the touch of him still on my lips.
We take off down the road, and I’m grinning like an idiot. It’s so freeing to feel the wind against my body. It’s like I’m flying. His hand comes back and grips my thigh. He gives it a small squeeze before releasing me, and I know it’s his way of letting me know he’s got me.
Just one night, I remind my heart.
Just one night.