Chapter 13
Olivia
“I think it went well,” says Reed.
He’s been quieter than usual on the drive back to his place, his hands gripping the wheel tightly. I can tell that he was nervous at my parents’ place, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary; he seemed like an anxious suitor meeting his fiancé’s parents for the first time.
“Yeah,” I murmur. I pause for a few moments, then add, “I still feel a little shitty about lying to my parents.”
He nods in understanding, but says nothing.
“It’s good that they took the lie well, at least.” I lean against the window, watching the buildings slide past. “That makes me feel a little better.”
“We’ll work something out,” Reed assures me. “They’ll never have to know you lied to them. I swear.”
He sounds confident. His earlier nerves at my parents’ house must have worn off now that we’re en route back to his own home.
Either that, or he’s just really good at hiding them.
“You think this’ll all be okay?” I ask him, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.
He smiles easily, meeting my gaze for a fleeting instant before returning his attention to the road. “Oh, yeah. Of course. If I didn’t think it would turn out okay, I wouldn’t have pushed for it. You know that, right?”
Reed’s conviction is as infectious as ever, and I find that I’m smiling as I turn back to the window. I’m glad I’m doing this with him. I don’t think it could have been anyone else.
We pull up outside of The Luxe, and a valet appears to take Reed’s car to the garage. As we enter the building, he nods at Henry, who stares at us in open delight as we head for Reed’s private elevator.
In the elevator, Reed turns to me. “You seem anxious,” he observes.
“Well, I am anxious,” I say, with a small, humorless laugh. “We did just spend the evening lying to my parents.”
“I meant what I said in the car. It’s going to be okay.”
I nod, wishing that I could shake the little seed of doubt inside me.
Reed’s hand brushes my arm. The gesture is clearly meant to be comforting, but the second his fingers touch my skin, I feel as though a thousand volts of electricity have gone through me.
For an instant, I lose my balance on my heels. I’ve gotten pretty good at staying stable on my toes, but once the heels are high enough, there’s only so much I can do. I sway sideways, directly into Reed.
He reaches out to catch me, steadying me. I’m practically in his arms, and as I look up to meet his gaze, heat rises to my face.
“Sorry,” he murmurs, but I can tell from the look in his eyes that he’s not sorry. Not at all.
I swallow, recovering quickly and taking a careful step away from him. My gaze is on the floor as I say, “It’s fine. I’m just a klutz.”
“You can take your shoes off,” he points out. “We’re basically home, anyway.”
As if to underscore his words, the elevator bell dings and the doors slide open, giving way to Reed’s penthouse. At this point, it is starting to feel like home. I adjusted much more quickly than I thought I would—or maybe I never really felt at home in my old apartment.
I pull off the heels, stepping onto the cool tile of Reed’s foyer. My body is still buzzing just from our accidental closeness in the elevator, and he seems to know it, too. I can practically feel his smirk from behind me.
But when I turn to face him, his expression is unreadable. Buttoned-up, careful. He’s doing everything he can to make me feel comfortable. And yet…
“This is so hard,” I mutter.
He clicks his tongue, raising a wry eyebrow. “I know what you mean.”
With just a quick glance, I can see that Reed does, in fact, know exactly what I mean.
“We just need to… dispel the tension,” I offer.
His forehead creases in confusion, and he says carefully, “Okay. Now I’m not so sure what you mean.”
I gesture to my room at one end of the long hallway, then back to his at the other. “You know. Maybe we both go back to our rooms and… take the edge off. On our own.”
Understanding dawns on his face, and he chuckles. “If that’s how you want to deal with it,” he says, shooting me a wink. “Whatever makes you the most comfortable.”
Would this be happening if we hadn’t hooked up? I wonder to myself, my face burning in self-consciousness. If Reed had decided to approach me about this before we had sex?
I have to admit that I’d probably have this problem regardless. Sophie and Riley were worried for a reason, and they didn’t even know that Reed and I slept together after the engagement party. After all, my feelings for him have existed longer than that, all the way back to childhood.
“Good night,” I say, turning toward my room.
His voice is husky as he replies, “Good night, Olivia.”
I don’t hear his footsteps on the white tiles, but when I glance back over my shoulder, the hallway is empty. We’ve separated for the night, as we always do.
I retreat to my room, pulling the door closed behind me. One final barrier, and then I’m on my own. I flop down onto the bed, a wave of exhaustion crashing over me.
But despite my tiredness, I’m still buzzing from everything that happened today. There’s a tingling in my extremities that doesn’t fade until I drift off to sleep.
When I step outside my room the next morning, bright and early at eight, my foot nudges a little box on the floor.
It’s fancy, tied with a gilded silk ribbon, and about the size of my hand. I pick it up, toying with the ribbon. I can hear Reed opening and closing drawers in the kitchen; he must have woken up early to leave me this gift.
When I open the box, I have to stifle my squeak of surprise and laughter. Nestled into the box is a bright pink, silicone vibrator. My jaw drops, and I quickly retreat into my bedroom, shutting the door. There’s a note in the box, lying on top of the gift. I snatch it up and begin to read.
Olivia,
Have this housewarming gift, on me. I figure there’s no need for either of us to be celibate and miserable, so here’s something to make the next six months fly by. Enjoy, roomie.
Reed
It shouldn’t be a nice gift. In fact, it should probably register as inappropriate. Or dangerously close to a breach of our contract.
But it is a nice gift. The best gift he could’ve given me.
Every morning, he comes back from his private gym shirtless, in low-slung sweats, the elastic band of his boxer-briefs visible at his waist. I’ve been dying. He’s been killing me.
I really needed this.
I spend a couple of minutes inspecting the new vibe. It’s high end, with a dozen different settings, the perfect thing to take the edge off, just like I suggested to Reed last night.
The gift-giver himself is currently moving around in the kitchen by the sound of it, bacon sizzling as some other savory scent wafts down the hallway. A cabinet door opens and closes, and I hear the faint clink of a coffee mug against the counter.
Whatever he’s cooking for breakfast smells amazing, but it can wait. I need a shower first, and honestly, I’m not ready to face him yet after receiving this gift.
But I am ready to use it… and luckily, this new vibe is definitely waterproof.
I head for the shower in my attached bathroom, strip down and get in, then turn the water on as hot as I can stand it.
I set the vibrator down on the little built-in shelf while I wash my hair, and the bathroom fills with the warm, herbal smell of my bodywash as steam fogs the glass.
Once I’ve rinsed out the shampoo and cleaned myself off, I grab the vibrator.
It’s sleek in my hand, slippery against my wet fingers, and when my thumb finds the power button, it hums to life in my palm.
I cycle through the settings until I find the heated option, because there’s really nothing like warm silicone against sensitive skin. The toy heats up quickly, going from cool to body warm in under a minute. Worth every penny.
There are too many vibration patterns to pick from, but I settle on one that pulses in slow, deep beats, which seems perfect for what I have in mind. I’m already wet before the toy even touches me. The sound of it alone, that low buzz blending with the rush of the water, has me aching.
I plant one hand flat against the cool tile and brace my feet apart on the wet floor, then guide the vibrator down between my legs. The moment it touches my clit, I know I’m not going to last long, but that’s okay. This first round is just to take the edge off.
It doesn’t take long at all. The pulsing rhythm builds fast, the heat of the silicone making everything feel more intense, and I’m gasping within a minute. The orgasm crashes over me harder than I expected, and my hand presses flat against the tile for balance.
My clit is still throbbing when I switch to a gentler setting, because I want the next one to last. I drag the toy slowly over my folds, collecting wetness that has nothing to do with the shower, and when I start to get close again, I ease off. Not yet. I want to draw this one out.
Eyes closed, with hot water running down my back and shoulders, I let myself think about Reed.
I remember the weight of his body over mine last night, the way his mouth felt against my throat, the scrape of his stubble across my skin.
I remember the look on his face when he was on his knees between my legs, like he couldn’t decide whether to take his time or devour me whole.
He made me feel like the only person in the room every time he looked at me.
I press the toy back against my clit, picturing his tongue instead.
You taste so fucking sweet. Reed’ voice surfaces in my head, clear as anything. I could do this all night.
My breath stutters, and I slide the toy inside, my thumb still working my clit while I pretend it’s him filling me up.
With my hand braced against the wall again, I arch my back and spread my legs wider, letting the water hit the back of my neck and run down between my shoulder blades.
In my head, he’s behind me now, and I can almost feel his hand fisted in my hair, his chest hot against my back.