I just wanted to get the real Oliver back. The one I’d met that night at Repeat, and the one that reappeared, for the most part, after we’d declared our truce. That was the Oliver I wanted to meet again.
Even if it was just for one more night.
“It was a great party,” I said.
Oliver laughed. “You hated it.”
“No I didn’t!” I argued. “I nearly ate you out of sliders.”
Oliver caught my gaze. “You didn’t want to be here tonight. You don’t have to pretend.”
My shoulders sagged. “No. I didn’t want to be here.”
“But I’m glad you are,” he said, giving my shoulder a little bump with his.
“Me too.”
I was still a bit angry with him, but I meant it.
“If nothing else, look at these two,” Oliver said.
I watched the giggling swimmers. They looked like teenagers in love, splashing and diving and pulling each other through the water.
“She regretted that things went the way they did with him that night at Repeat,” I explained. “Wanted to make things right before it was too late.”
“Regret’s a funny thing,” Oliver mused into his glass. “You don’t sense it creep in. It just aches and feels like it’s always been there, always been a part of you.” He flicked out with his foot, sending drops of water off the end of it. “And then because it’s so deeply embedded in who you are, you start to wonder if you’ll ever rid yourself of it.”
I glanced over at him, studying the hard line of his jaw and the way his lips pressed together just a little too tightly.
“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” I ventured.
He sighed and shot me a wry grin. “A man who has as much as me always has even more to lose. And when you have so much to lose, regret is always waiting in the wings.”
“That’s no way to live.”
“Or maybe it’s the only way to live.”
“Elizabeth!”
My attention was pulled back to my best friend as she made a half-hearted doggy paddle over to me.
“Damien says he usually stays in the pool house when he’s here, and that I can stay with him tonight. Can I please?”
She grasped the side of the pool and looked up at me hopefully. I patted her sopping head and nodded. “I mean, it’s not my house. But sure, go crazy.”
“Yes!” Damien exclaimed with a boyish fist pump.
I shot him a deadly look. “You so much as think about hurting her and I’ll end your very existence,” I warned. “You treat this one right. She’s a good egg.”
“I wouldn’t cross her,” Oliver piped in. “She’s faced off against me more times than you’ve ever had the balls to.”
Damien had a dopy grin on his handsome face though, one that told me he was every bit as giddy about the situation as Cressida. She was already backstroking over to him, and he received her with open arms.
“I guess I should call a cab then,” I announced, pulling my feet out of the water. Oliver hurriedly rose and reached for me with his hand, helping me to my feet.
“You could stay too,” he suggested slowly. “All the bedrooms were recently renovated, so they’re not nearly as dreadful as they used to be.”
“Not nearly?” I inquired.
He winked. “Well, some of them require a bit of getting used to, but I won’t hold it against the designer.”
I shoved at him. “Asshole.”
His grin never wavered.
“I really shouldn’t stay though,” I said, looking down. “I’ve got… stuff at home that I need to do.”
“Unspecified stuff…” Oliver whistled through his teeth. “You’re right. You really should be going. That does sound important.”
I didn’t want to leave. I loved the thought of getting to wake up in this house, which I’d grown to love over the past couple months. I loved the idea that Oliver would be close by, and that I could see him in the morning before I left his life for the last time.
But it would be a mistake. And I’d only end up back in my bed, acting like a burrito as I devoured Fruit by the Foot one pathetic inch at a time. As it stood right now, going home now was the only sure way to remain on the saner side of the Elizabeth Emotional Spectrum.
“I’ll walk you out,” Oliver said, when he saw I truly meant to leave. “Who knows what kind of dangers could be lurking between here and the driveway. It is a creepy old house, as you know.”
I laughed, but allowed him to guide me back toward the main house with a light hand on my waist. Once inside, I fished my phone out of my clutch and began to dial the number for a cab. Before I could press enter, though, Oliver plucked the phone from my hand.
“Just before you go,” he said. “I have one more thing I want to say.”
I turned to him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I opened my mouth to ask him what it was, but the words never got the chance to leave my lips. Oliver kissed me, and the rest of the world ceased to exist.
30
Oliver
Her mouth was soft and yielding against mine. It was just as I remembered it, but somehow better. Better because I’d tasted the insults from it. The jokes. The compliments. She wasn’t the idea of a person anymore, but a whole human being. She was Elizabeth. Familiar, beautiful Elizabeth. And despite my better judgement, tonight I was making her mine.
I could resist her no longer.
The kiss started slow, both of us remembering what it felt like to touch like this. I wound my arms around her and pulled her tight to me, splaying my hands across her delicious ass and groaning with pleasure.
The little sighs she released made my cock stiffen in anticipation. We wouldn’t have to hurry like we’d done that night at the club. We had all night, and a whole mansion to play in. And she wasn’t going anywhere. Not now.
Our tongues danced together, lips crashing more and more forcefully. I ran my hands through her hair and gripped at her skull, angling her head back so I could go deeper. She was so small in my arms. How could a person with such a big personality be so tiny?
We parted, breathless. Her eyelids were half closed with lust, lips swollen from my assault.
“Let’s go upstairs,” I murmured.
She nodded enthusiastically. “Let’s.”
I reached down and hooked her under the knees, swinging her up into my arms. She squawked in surprise and I chuckled.
“You should warn a girl before you do that,” she chastised, smacking me lightly on the chest.
I looked down at her dubiously, already moving toward the stairs. “Next time I’ll be sure to give you fair notice. You’ll receive a letter of intent in the mail at least three days prior.”
“Nope, put me down.” She crossed her arms and turned her nose up. “I shan’t be going anywhere with you.”
“Oh, you shall,” I grinned. “I’d like to see you stop me.”
Her mouth twitched from the effort not to laugh. “I’ll call Todd and tell him you’re being rude.”
“And I’m sure he’ll give me a very stern look for it later, but for now you’re coming with me.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead, feeling her melt into it as I did. “I’ve waited long enough for you.”
Elizabeth offered no further protests as I carried her up the stairs and headed into my bedroom. I let her down once I’d closed the door behind us. She swayed on her feet, hanging onto me for support.
“You alright?”
She smiled up at me. “Never better.”
I pulled her firmly and claimed her mouth again, anchoring her body against mine as tight as both of us could stand. I wanted her with every breath in my body and every beat of my heart. My blood sang in my ears.
I reached back and pulled the tie on her halter, yanking the top down to free her breasts. She wasn’t wearing a bra and my mouth went dry.
“I’ve been thinking about these tits for a long time,” I hissed into her ear. She moaned and arched back as I traile
d my lips down her neck to the sweet curve of her breasts, then lower to her pink tipped nipples. I took them in my mouth one at a time, suckling and nipping at the tender flesh. They hardened in my mouth, sending a jolt of electricity down to my balls. Fuck, she was so hot.
I continued lower, pulling at the tight material until it shimmied down her thighs to rest at her feet. I followed, falling to my knees and pulling her toward me with my hands on her ass. She looked down at me through half lidded eyes, her lips parted with want.
“I’ve been dying to know how your pussy tastes,” I growled, yanking down the black lace of her panties.
Elizabeth quivered against me as I bent forward, running my tongue along her wet seam.
“Fucking delicious.”
I dove in, holding her up with my hands on her ass as I licked and sucked her clit. She moaned and arched back, her swaying breasts the only thing I could see from below. And what a visual. I pressed further, my tongue spearing into her.
I was rock hard, my cock begging to be released. But first I needed to see her come, to taste it. To feel her quiver and then melt against me. I wanted to give her so much pleasure that it would completely erase all the pain I’d caused in the past.
With the swirling of my tongue and the suction of my lips, it didn’t take long. I could tell she was close because her breath came in heavy pants, and her chest and face flushed with blood. She angled her head down to look at me, dark hair spilling over the tops of her breasts. She was a fucking goddess.
And she was all mine. At least for tonight.
But will I ever be able to let her go again?
My arms ached from holding her up, but I knew if I didn’t she would fall—and I wasn’t about to chance moving her to the bed. She was about to come and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Elizabeth cried out, eyes squeezed shut with the rising ecstasy. I kept sucking, pulling the rest of her orgasm out to me. She shuddered and swayed.
In one smooth motion I hoisted her back into my arms and lifted, tossing her onto the bed. She landed with a dull thump and bounced. I heard her giggle as I unbuttoned my shirt.
“God,” she murmured. “That was amazing.”
Fuck yeah it was.
“You’re amazing,” I countered, practically ripping my pants off. My cock bobbed up, fully swollen with need. I grabbed a condom from the drawer next to the bed and sheathed myself while Elizabeth watched with hungry eyes.
“I never slept with Harry,” Elizabeth said quietly.
I crawled toward her on the bed. “That’s a name I never expected to hear in my bed.” I joked, but the animal inside me purred with delight.
Elizabeth giggled and smacked me on the arm. I responded by rolling on top of her, pinning her to the bed with my weight.
“I know you didn’t sleep with Harry,” I said.
She gazed up at me, doe eyed. “How could you possibly know that?”
I caught her by surprise, pressing my cock into her in one swift plunge. Her eyes widened and a low gasp slipped between her teeth.
When I was in as far as I could go, I purred, “Because if you were fucking him, you wouldn’t have been so turned on when I accosted you in my study.”
She moaned. Her hips rolled up to meet mine and I closed my eyes with the pleasure of it.
“I was so mad at you,” she breathed.
“Me too. But all I could think about was pounding you against the wall until you screamed.”
Her hands found my back, nails digging in. “Bastard.”
I gritted my teeth and slammed in again. “Are your claws coming out, kitten?”
She wrapped her legs around my hips and pressed up against me. “Maybe. Now seems as good a time as any to scratch your eyes out.”
I chuckled against the skin of her neck before sinking my teeth into the crook of her shoulder.
Something exploded out of Elizabeth. There was nothing mild mannered or awkward about her now. She was a full-blown hell cat intent on destructive pleasure. She bit me, scratched me, and fucked me back with equal ferocity. I slammed into her ruthlessly, pulling forward an equal string of expletives and moans from her throat.
I was getting close, but I wanted to see her come again. I flipped Liz onto her stomach and entered her from behind, angling her hips up just enough for my cock to stroke against her in a new and delicious way.
Elizabeth screamed into the bedspread. Her second climax was near. I slid into her again and again, our bodies joining in a glorious symphony of groans and smacking skin. And then she wailed in delight, and I felt her muscles grip me and pull me in tighter. I released with a mighty growl, collapsing over her and still buried deep within the warmth of her core. I could feel the aftershocks of her orgasm undulate around my cock, as if she were milking me of every ounce of my essence before letting me go.
Panting, I kissed her shoulder.
She laughed. “I feel like it was a good thing we didn’t have sex in the study that night.”
“Why’s that?”
She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye and grinned. “Because if it had been anything like this, I doubt we’d have ever been able to focus on anything else afterwards.”
31
Elizabeth
The light slanted through the window, illuminating the tangle of silken sheets and limbs. I blinked blearily, trying to look for a clock without disturbing Oliver. He slept soundly next to me, his head resting on top of one of his arms. The other was slung over my back, holding me close to him.
My stomach filled with butterflies. Had I actually had sex with Oliver last night? I thought back.
Oh yeah I did. Lots.
The second time we had sex was slower, less frenzied. Then we took a break and got some food from downstairs and went at it again on the kitchen island. Finally, we’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms.
My head pounded. I hadn’t drunk much, but I hadn’t had nearly enough water before bed and then burned off whatever moisture was left in my body via our sex marathon.
Oliver looked so peaceful when he slept. His hair was rumpled, mouth slightly agape. I was tempted to draw a moustache on him, but thought better of it. Especially since I didn’t have any pens.
Thankfully, he was also a heavy sleeper. I disentangled myself from him and crept over to the bag I’d discarded on the floor. I had a bunch of missed texts from Cressida, asking if I’d made it home okay.
Shit. I should have told her I was staying.
I wondered how she was feeling this morning. I hadn’t seen her drink very much before she disappeared with Damien, but by the looks of it when we met up with them at the pool, she’d had plenty after that.
Stepping into the hall, I padded down to one of the spare rooms and slipped in to give her a call.
“Oh my god!” she exclaimed. “You’re alive!”
I held the phone away from my ear, head aching. “No need to yell, Cress.”
“I was so worried!”
“I’m sorry,” I replied. “I ended up… uh… staying the night.”
“WHAT?”
I was only able to resist the temptation to throw the phone across the room by the thought of then having to replace it.
“Shhh,” I pleaded. “I have a headache.”
“Is it from knocking your head against Oliver’s headboard all night long?”
In the background, I heard Damien say, “Oliver and Elizabeth hooked up?”
“Can everybody please just quiet down,” I said. “I just called to let you know I’m okay.”
“Just okay? He must not be very good,” she commented.
“Cressida!”
“I’m just saying.”
“I know for a fact Oliver’s very good in bed,” Damien interjected. Cressida must have given him a strange look, because he added, “What? That’s not gay. I’ve just heard it from a lot of women.”
They started to bicker about whether that was a weird thing to say, but that phrase repeated i
tself in my head over and over again.
A lot of women…
Of course Oliver slept with a lot of woman. He was a player. How could I forget such an intrinsic part of his personality? He was the billionaire playboy. I was a starry-eyed interior designer. He’d thrown me away before, why wouldn’t he do it again? What could I possibly have to offer him?
A lot of women…
“Cress,” I interrupted.
The bickering stopped.
“I’m going to call a cab. Can you meet me out front in five minutes?”
“Sure,” she replied. “Just… uh… let me get some clothes on.”
I hung up the phone and sighed. A breeze sent a chill snaking through me, and I realized that I was completely naked as well. Apparently, I felt way too comfortable in Oliver’s house. What if Todd had come around and seen me? Did he even work weekends?
I snuck back down the hall to Oliver’s room. He blinked lazily and sat up in bed when I entered, opening his arms to me. “Come back to bed.”
“I can’t,” I replied, slipping my dress back over my hips. “Cress and I had plans this morning and she’s just dying to dish to me about her night with Damien.”
Oliver sighed and leaned into the pillows, watching me dress. “I suppose Damien will be dying to dish to me about his night with Cressida.” He chuckled thoughtfully. “I’m glad that it finally happened.”
“Me too,” I said.
I wasn’t sure if we were still talking about Cressida and Damien.
Oliver climbed out of bed and sauntered toward me. His body only looked more glorious in the light of day—a lean, chiselled chest, powerful thighs, and just enough chest hair to make me want to rub my face on him.
Since dressing wasn’t exactly complicated, I was finished long before Oliver had even begun to put his pants on. I rested my hand on the doorframe and looked back at him.
“Thanks for a fun night,” I said.
He frowned. “Just hang on a sec. I’ll walk you out.”
I smiled and shook my head. “Not necessary.” I slid my hand along the door frame. “I know this place like the back of my hand. And the place isn’t nearly as creepy in the daylight.”
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