by Marie Harte
Wicked Warrens
Enjoying the Show
Closing the Deal
Raising the Bar
Making the Grade
Bending the Rules
Visit marieharte.com and fall in love
And don’t miss the first in the Good to Go series, A Major Attraction
***
Silence held as they ate, and Kyle wondered what she thought about the previous night, after some time and space away from him.
To break the silence and persuade Olivia to relax the tension visible in her taut frame, he asked her about work. “So how is it you’re home so late? I know it’s your shop, but do you really work from opening to closing?”
“No. We don’t close until nine. I open the shop around five thirty for morning preparations. My friend Maria helps, then Emma shows around three. She’s my afternoon employee. Sometimes she and John work together until closing unless she’s got band rehearsal, like she did today. That’s when Tina comes in, as extra help.”
“So you normally leave at six?” He wanted to ask if she’d been avoiding him but didn’t think he’d like her answer.
“Yeah. I would have been here earlier, but I had a bunch of paperwork waiting for me.”
He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Good. She hadn’t deliberately avoided him. His questioning seemed to have worked. She looked more at ease, her face brightening as she talked about her job.
He studied her hair bound in a thick ponytail. The style exposed her delicate ears and slender neck. She had soft, creamy skin that tasted as good as it looked. All too easily he remembered last night, and he had to focus to stifle the heat that burned through him.
“So, Olivia, about the lease arrangements,” he began.
“It’s okay, Kyle. I’ll have my things out of here by the end of the week.”
He studied her, pleased to see she looked no happier than him at news of leaving. “That may be a bit premature.”
She glanced up, her whiskey-brown eyes questioning.
“I think we can work things out if you’re agreeable to the solution I came up with.”
She set down her fork and waited, and he mentally crossed his fingers.
“What I propose is that you continue to live here until your lease is up. You intended to stay until at least February, right?”
She nodded, her gaze wary.
“It’s not your fault Becca was such a…” He paused and ended with, “misleading person.”
Her lips quirked. “That’s a nice way of putting it.”
He grinned. “Tact is something I’ve been practicing. But my point is you shouldn’t suffer for Becca’s lies. There are two rooms in this house. Most of my stuff is in the other bedroom, and they’re mostly things I don’t use. I’ve been meaning to put them in a storage facility, to clean out that room for either a study or spare bedroom anyway. You’re giving me the perfect opportunity to stop procrastinating.”
She looked undecided. “Well—”
“Look. I feel really bad about last night. Not bad about all of it, only the part where I scared you.” He grinned wolfishly, turning on the charm.
She blushed, a becoming shade of rose that made her look extremely kissable.
“I promise not to put my hands on you unless you want them there.”
“An arrogant thing to say, don’t you think?”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Her lips fascinated him. He wanted to feel them all over him, on his mouth, his belly, his cock... Then she licked her lips, and he was so aroused he could have poked through the damn table with his hard-on. “You are so pretty,” he admitted, hoping he didn’t sound like a sap.
He thought he saw a mirrored hunger in her expression before she blinked it away and took a deep, even breath. She murmured her thanks for the compliment and took a long drink of water. To his satisfaction, her hand trembled around the glass when she set it back down.
“Come on, Olivia. I think you and I could be great roommates.” He couldn’t help the innuendo that laced his tone, too much in lust to control his tongue.
To his surprise and pleasure, she laughed at him. “Convince me, Romeo. What’s so great about a man, and a Marine at that, as a roommate?”
“I’m neat, I cook, and I don’t snore.”
She chuckled, and he continued on a more serious note.
“I’ll respect your privacy, and you’ll be safe here. Trust me, no one will mess with you while I’m around.” The thought of anyone harming Olivia made him see red.
“I really wasn’t looking forward to moving,” she said slowly. “It’s very nice of you to offer to let me ride out the lease. I’d like to stay.” She paused and blushed a deeper pink. “But about last night. That kind of thing can’t happen again.”
It can, and it will. “I understand.” He changed the subject, not wanting to scare her into changing her mind.
For the remainder of the meal, they made small talk that put them both at ease. To Kyle’s surprise, he felt as though he could tell Olivia anything. She listened to him, and for the first time in a long time, Kyle found himself having fun with a woman. He truly enjoyed her company. Her mind intrigued him as much as her body did, increasing his desire to know all of her. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer without tasting her again.
Once they finished dinner, he stood and cleared their plates. He returned to the table and pulled her chair out to help her stand. Instead of backing off to give her space, Kyle moved closer, so that her breasts brushed his chest. She froze, her lips parting on a breath.
“The kind of thing that can’t happen again. You mean something like this. I shouldn’t do this again.” He leaned down to skim his lips over her mouth. He moved slowly, giving her the chance to say no. She didn’t. “I definitely shouldn’t touch you like this.” He brought his arms around her waist, drawing her deeper into his embrace.
“No, you shouldn’t,” she said on a breath, her eyes wide as they stared up into his. She licked her lips in invitation, and he lowered his head once more.
No holds barred, this woman belonged to him.