9. Olive
9
OLIVE
L eo towers over me, and I melt into the side of his warm body. My eyes flutter shut when a hint of his cologne teases my nose, stirring something deep inside. Dangerous . The tip of his nose traces up my neck, and I can’t control the desperate need for more of his touch.
“Please, please follow my lead,” he whispers softly in my ear. It’s hard to focus when his voice is smooth like velvet. I think I know what he’s going to do. I’ve read it a thousand times in romance books. Time to turn on my acting skills. If I have any.
I simper, then say, “That tickles, babe. You’re feisty tonight.” I brush my lips across his soft cheek. Only for acting purposes! Yeah, right .
Leo’s big hand squeezes my waist again, pulling me closer. “I can’t help it. You’re so damn beautiful and you smell amazing,” he murmurs against my neck, his lips and mustache tickling my skin. Flames ignite inside me. Damn, he’s good at this. Too bad it’s fake. Is it, though?
Bethany’s scowl is hard to miss. My lips quirk. What do we do now? It doesn’t matter because the surrounding crowd starts to count down. “Three, two, one…Happy New Year!” Total chaos follows. People are hugging, kissing, dancing, and, of course, drinking. I’m in awe of my surroundings, and with the fireworks above us, it’s magical.
“Happy New Year, Olive,” Leo says, pulling my attention to him.
I gaze into his golden eyes and find it hard to breathe. He rests his hand on the back of my neck, leans down, and I close my eyes to let the moment sink in. His lips tease mine with the lightest touch. So warm. So soft. So gentle. So perfect.
“Leo!”
That isn’t Bethany’s voice. We break apart abruptly, putting some distance between us. I touch my mouth, shocked that we did that. Lost in a fake moment. I search for Bethany, and she’s out of sight. Good.
“Leo! Woo-hoo!” A short woman runs up and jumps into his arms. I take a few steps back. “Happy New Year, brother.” Ah ha, his sister.
Leo whispers something in her ear, and she punches him in the arm. He inches closer to me and places his hand on my lower back. “Tonya, this is Olive. She’s staying at the hotel.”
She grabs my hand and shakes it vigorously. It’s comical. “Hi, Olive. Are you the one Leo took to the café?”
I regain my hand, then look at Leo. He clenches his jaw.
“Um, yes?” Why is it such a big deal?
“It’s nice to meet you. Are you coming back to the party? I planned everything, and the room looks fab-u-lous !” She singsongs the word.
“Leo invited me, but I’d feel like a party crasher. Are you sure it’s okay for me to be there?”
“No worries. You know Leo and me. Ellie and Sam are the sweetest. Any friend of Leo’s is a friend of theirs.” Tonya turns to her brother, hands on her hips. “And you—Bethany was looking for you again. She’s a little out of control tonight.”
“A little?” Sarcasm oozes from his voice. “She was just here in her drunken glory. You should’ve seen the shit she pulled. She was all over me, even tried to kiss me.”
Leo takes the elastic band off his wrist and puts half his hair up in a fashionable, messy bun. I watch every movement. It was up earlier, but—call me weird—witnessing him do that one simple thing unleashes something wild in me, catching me by surprise. He has great style, and he moves with confidence. I could go on and on.
“I cuddled up to poor Olive, hoping Bethany would get the point I’m not interested. It seems to have worked because she disappeared. If you see her, pretend Olive’s my girlfriend.”
No “poor Olive” over here. I’m enjoying every minute of this.
“You need to be firm with her,” Tonya says, arms crossed over her chest.
“Tried that already. I even told Ellie I’m not interested in her. And now I’ve taken the situation into my own hands.” He erases the space between us. “Olive has become my fake girlfriend tonight.”
I elbow him. “Maybe you should ask me first. What if I don’t want to be your…fake anything?” I sass.
“Then that gives me no choice.” He gets down on one knee and kisses my hand. Tonya’s mouth drops open. I hold my breath. His poor pants. Thankfully, they’re black.
“Olive,” Leo says. “Would you be my fake girlfriend for the rest of the evening?”
I rock my head from side to side. “Hmm. This is a tough decision. You don’t get asked this every day. What do I get out of it?” More kissing, perhaps.
“Something very special for you. You won’t be able to resist.” His eyes sparkle with mischief. “Are you ready?” Tonya and I both lean in with anticipation. “You can watch me shave off my mustache.” I cackle, and she follows.
Once I catch my breath, I place my hand over my heart. “How can I resist that? It’d be an honor.” I lay it on thick. “I’ll be honest—even though that lip sweater was growing on me, I can’t wait to see your adorable face without it. And I want to know what bet you lost.”
“He bet?—”
“Tonya!” Leo stands abruptly, cutting off her response.
She sticks her tongue out at him. “What? It was a dumb challenge you found on TikTok.”
“Then it can’t be all that bad,” I say, my eyes ping-ponging between them.
“I’ll tell you another time,” Tonya says with an evil smirk. I like her.
“Not gonna happen,” he says.
“Sore loser,” she coughs out behind her hand.
When Leo looks at me, all joking disappears from his expression. “As for the fake thing, Olive, I know it’s a lot to ask. If I were in your shoes, I’d think it’s weird since we met only hours ago.”
“ Pfft . You’re easy to say yes to. Obviously, since I’m not running for my life.”
He lets out a light sigh of relief. Next thing I know, we’re surrounded by some of Leo’s friends. Hugging and cheerful chatter spread through the group. No hugging from my side. Again, my insecurities make an appearance because I’m an outsider. Leo stays close by and introduces me to some people. Half of them are drunk and won’t remember me tomorrow. I’ve already forgotten a lot of their names too.
Regardless of my nerves, this is exactly what I needed. To be thrown headfirst into another world, where I have no option but to let loose.