Chapter 24 #2
"First date," Leo explained, crossing his ankles.
"She realized right away over drinks that I was there for the wrong reasons.
I was trying to prove to myself I could move on, but I was still hung up on someone else.
" He met Olivia's eyes, holding her gaze to ensure she understood exactly who he meant.
"Brooklyn is incredibly perceptive. She called me out on it before the appetizers even arrived.
What was supposed to be a standard first-date dinner turned into me talking for hours about my impossible love for my best friend, while she told me about a terrible personal disaster she was going through.
She needed a secure place to stay. We became fast friends, and I offered her the empty guest house. "
Olivia nodded thoughtfully, processing the information. She didn't press for Brooklyn's secrets, and Leo appreciated that she respected the privacy boundary.
"I still can't really believe she's moving out," Olivia said, a hint of sadness in her tone.
A week ago, over a shared dinner, Brooklyn had enthusiastically announced she found a permanent place of her own.
She promised she wouldn't disappear from their lives, but the news had hit them both surprisingly hard.
"It's going to be strange coming over here and not seeing her around the house. "
"I sincerely hope you keep coming over even without her here," Leo said, his voice dropping slightly.
Olivia smirked, a playful glint returning to her eyes. "Of course I will. I need to use your kitchen."
Leo feigned a dark scowl, crossing his arms over his chest to look intimidating. "Take that back."
Olivia laughed. "I take nothing back."
Leo pushed off the counter and stepped directly into her personal space, playfully trapping her against the solid edge of the island.
The mood shifted rapidly, undeniably, electrically charged.
He reached out, dipped a single finger deep into the rejected bowl of vanilla frosting, and swiped it right down the delicate bridge of her nose.
"Take it back," he warned, leaning down closer to her face, "or I will gladly paint you with this."
Olivia burst out laughing, her eyes sparkling with competitive fire. "You want a war? You've got a war."
She fearlessly scooped up a generous glob of frosting with her own fingers and smeared it directly onto his cheek, smudging it into his jawline.
Leo lunged to grab her wrist, but she swiftly ducked under his outstretched arm, giggling like a teenager.
They chased each other in tight circles around the large kitchen island, dodging, weaving, and retaliating with sweet ammunition.
Olivia successfully smeared a streak of frosting across his forehead, and he finally caught her by the waist, dabbing a precise spot of white on her chin.
The entire kitchen rang with the sound of her laughter—bright, breathless, and vibrantly alive.
Leo caught her firmly around the waist, pulling her flush against the hard lines of his chest. He reached up with his free hand and playfully smeared one last, messy streak of white frosting across her forehead.
Olivia was laughing wildly, her eyes shining with unshed tears of mirth, her chest heaving against his as she desperately tried to catch her breath.
Leo stopped moving entirely. He stared down at her flushed face, his breathing shallow, thoroughly captivated by the radiant, beautiful light dancing in her eyes.
"You're so beautiful," he said, his voice dropping to a rough, honest whisper.
The breathless laughter gradually faded from Olivia's expressive face, shifting into something incredibly different, something hungry.
The youthful, playful energy morphed into an intense, undeniably magnetic pull between their bodies.
The entire room felt electrically charged, buzzing with unresolved tension.
She rose onto her toes, sliding her hands up his chest, and pressed her mouth firmly against his.
Leo froze for a tiny fraction of a second, his rational brain short-circuiting. Then, instinct took over; his large hands tightened possessively on the curve of her waist, and he kissed her back.
The connection was fiercely intense, driven by long, agonizing years of forced physical restraint.
He lifted her effortlessly off the floor, setting her down gently onto the cool, smooth granite surface of the counter.
Olivia eagerly wrapped her legs tightly around his hips, pulling him flush against her, her hands sliding up his neck to thread deeply into his dark hair.
She tasted incredibly sweet, an intoxicating mixture of vanilla frosting and pure, uninhibited joy.
He kept his holding grip firm but gentle, terrified of pushing her boundaries too far, but Olivia was the one pulling his body closer, tangling her fingers desperately in the fabric of his shirt.
He pulled back to look at her flushed face, his chest heaving as he fought for oxygen.
"Liv..." he breathed out, his voice hoarse. It was a vital question. A desperate plea. A clear chance for her to call a stop if this was becoming too much for her to handle.
Olivia fiercely tightened her determined grip on his cotton collar and pulled his mouth right back down to hers.
"Kiss me again."
So Leo did, pouring every ounce of his love into the embrace, losing himself in the sweetness of her mouth and the perfection of having her right where she belonged.