Chapter 17
Olivia
We walk back to the car in amicable silence, which extends to the car ride—we have to give the photographer and his equipment a lift back to the studio, and while he’s in the front seat, we’re wordless in the back.
It would be awkward, but all I can think about is the tension between myself and Reed. The emotions pulling us together. The feeling of his thumb caressing my cheek.
After we drop the photographer off, Reed casually rolls up the plastic partition, blocking off the front seat of the car—giving us some much-needed privacy. Still, though, we’re quiet. Nothing happens. Nothing but loaded glances.
I spend the drive mentally measuring the distance between our hands, inches apart on the leather seat.
When we get back to The Luxe, we stand beside each other in the elevator, not making eye contact. The air feels hot between us. It’s almost suffocating.
Just when I think I can’t take it anymore, he leans over to me, his breath tingling on my neck. “That was… something.”
I make a strangled sound of agreement.
“There are so many things I wanted to do to you,” he whispers to me. A shiver goes down my spine. “I wish I could act on all of those wishes.”
My thighs clench together—I wonder if he notices. Fuck, I want that. I’m so turned on by him right now, so attracted to him.
I want him, and I’m tired of pretending I don’t.
I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to pretend I don’t.
I swallow the caution that rises in me, and blurt out, “Maybe this isn’t the best way to do things.”
He blinks at me, surprised. “What do you mean?”
“The contract,” I explain, before my rational mind can stop me. “Maybe the contract isn’t the best idea. Maybe we’re just heading for disaster.”
It’s quiet as he considers that. Then he raises an eyebrow. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
“I was thinking we might want to revise our approach,” I say. “Clearly, ‘no sex’ isn’t going to work long term.”
He hums softly, which I take as a sign of agreement.
“So maybe it shouldn’t be ‘no sex.’” I pause, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye to see how this is landing on him. His face is like a mask, revealing nothing. “Maybe it should just be ‘no feelings.’”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “You mean like friends with benefits?”
“Yes. That.”
The elevator door opens, and I step out into the cool air of the penthouse’s foyer. Reed brushes past me, toward the living room. He glances over his shoulder.
“We’d have to figure out the terms,” he says thoughtfully. “That has the potential to… complicate things.”
“Significantly,” I agree. “But we can figure out the terms, right? I mean… we’re already engaged.” I arch a brow at him, teasing, and am rewarded with a crooked smile.
“That’s true.”
I follow him toward the living room hastily—now that the ball is rolling, I don’t want this conversation to stall. “So what do you think?”
“I think we need to figure out where the line is,” he says.
“That seems like the most important thing.” He steps toward me suddenly, one hand brushing my neck.
“Like… under this arrangement, would I be able to touch you here?” His free hand curls under my thigh, exploring.
I step back, nearly tripping over the back of the couch. “Or here?”
I catch my breath and nod. My voice hitches as I say, “Yeah. Yes. I think that’s fine.”
“How about here?” He moves up his hand to cup my ass.
I bite my lip, hard. “I think… I think just about anywhere is fine.”
There’s a dangerous gleam in his eye. “Is that so?” He leans toward me. I’m fully in his arms now. If he let go of me, I’m sure I would fall. “Then how about this?” He presses a kiss to my neck. “Does this violate our agreement?”
“N-no,” I whimper. There’s a plaintive note in my voice that I can’t get rid of, even though technically, we’re talking terms and conditions. “It doesn’t.”
“Good,” he murmurs in my ear. “Glad to hear it.” Then he trails kisses back up my neck, working his way to my jawline. I feel his teeth brush against my skin, and inhale sharply.
“So… so…” I’m getting so overwhelmed by him that I can’t even finish my thought. Luckily for me—and to my disappointment—he pulls back with a soft laugh.
“So it sounds like we need to update the contract,” he says. “Sex whenever we both feel like it, but with no pressure. And no feelings. Just… stress relief.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “It’ll make this a lot easier. The engagement, I mean. I know I’ll have a better time with this if I don’t have to constantly switch between pretending to be in love with you and pretending that I’m not attracted to you at all.”
“A middle ground,” he says, his voice still heavy with desire.
“Exactly.” I adjust the shoulder strap on my dress, which slid down during all of the… negotiations. “We’re living together, and…”
“We want to fuck each other.”
I nod, a flush creeping into my cheeks at how casually he says it. “If we want to keep this tension-free, this seems like the best way to do it.”
He smiles, but there’s something fierce in his eyes as he looks me up and down. “That sounds about right.” He pauses, then adds, “We can amend the paperwork later. For now…”
He reaches for me and tugs me sharply into his arms, and the second his mouth lands on mine, the heat we’ve been holding back for weeks finally has somewhere to go. The relief of it is so sharp it almost hurts.
I kiss him back hard, my hands gripping the front of his shirt to drag him closer, and he makes a sound against my mouth.
His tongue slants against mine, his hands moving fast over my back and ribs and waist as if he can’t decide where he wants to touch me first, and I’m already so turned on that the simple slide of his palms against my skin makes me dizzy.
I shove his jacket down his arms and then fumble at the buttons of his shirt impatiently, my fingers shaking.
After the first three, I give up with trying to do it right and just yank the whole thing up over his head, making a few buttons pop off and hit the floor.
He huffs out a breath that might be a laugh and pulls back just long enough to unzip my dress and let it slither down to pool on the floor at my feet.
Reed’s hands cover my breasts through my bra immediately, his thumbs gliding over the lace, and I arch into his touch. Then he undoes the hooks at the back with one practiced flick of his fingers, baring my upper body completely as he stares at me with an expression of worship.
“God, I missed these. You have no idea how many times I’ve thought about getting my mouth on them again.”
He bends and takes one of my nipples in his mouth, and the warm wet glide of his tongue makes my head fall back.
He sucks hard, and I gasp, my fingers sinking into his hair to hold him there.
He switches to the other one, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin in a way that makes my pussy clench, and I’m wet enough that I can feel it through my panties already.
It feels incredible… but it isn’t nearly enough.
Reed is breathing harder when he finally lifts his head again, his lips meeting mine. I whimper his name into the kiss, and he makes a rough, low sound.
“Tell me what you want,” he demands.
My brain short circuits momentarily as dozens of filthy images cycle through my mind all at once. But a single thought manages to surface above all the rest.
“Make me come,” I gasp. “Please.”
He draws back to look at me, something shifting in his expression. The smooth charm has faded away, and what’s left underneath is something hungrier and much more intense, his jaw tight, his eyes burning.
“Thought you’d never fucking ask, baby. I’ve been wanting to do that since the day I gave you that fucking vibrator. Should’ve been me the whole time.”
He scoops me up as he speaks, carrying me the short distance to the couch and setting me down on the cushions.
He drops to his knees in front of me, large hands sliding down my thighs before pressing them apart.
The only stitch of clothing I’m still wearing is my panties, and he groans at how soaked the fabric at the crotch is.
“Jesus, Olivia. Look at you.”
His thumb drags slowly along the seam of my pussy through the cotton, and the muted pressure of it makes my hips twitch upward against his hand.
Then he hooks his fingers into my panties and slides them down my legs, peeling them off slowly, his eyes drinking me in the whole time.
When they’re gone, he spreads my thighs farther apart, and the ravenous expression on his face only makes me wetter.
“Beautiful,” he murmurs. “Look at this pretty pink pussy. So fucking wet for me.” His gaze moves up to meet mine, and there’s a raw honesty in his voice as he admits, “It’s been killing me trying to stay away from you, Liv. I’m not sure how much longer I could’ve survived it.”
I can’t form a response to that, and I have no idea what the right response would even be.
My heart stutters in my chest, but before I have to come up with any words, Reed lifts my legs and hooks them over his shoulders, dragging me forward over the soft couch until I’m right at the edge of the cushion.
The first long lap of his tongue against my clit makes me cry out, my hand flying to the back of his head.
He doesn’t tease me, thank god. Instead, he dives in like he’s been thinking about this for weeks—which, if he’s really been going crazy the same way I have, maybe he has.
His tongue is devours me with hungry licks and tighter focused circles around my clit, and the wet heat of his mouth sends pleasure shooting through my veins faster than I can keep up with.
When he slides two fingers inside me and curls them the way he did that first night we were together, my back arches off the cushion and I make a sound somewhere between a yelp and a moan.
“Louder,” he encourages, his voice muffled. “Scream for me, baby. I want to hear it.”