Page 59 of Dirty Player
My lips parted. “What?”
“What would you say to that?”
I’d come to Raleigh to start over. Being close to Beaux had been my only option after leaving Melissa and Des Moines behind. The last thing I’d expected, two weeks after arriving, was this.
To meet Oliver Powell. To end up in his bed. Or to have him kiss me the way he did this morning, angry and adamant that I’d never say goodbye to him again. When he’d gone silent in my workroom, I was certain that was what he was doing when he walked away from me. When he’d come back and kissed me hard and long, he’d thrown me for my first rollercoaster loop of the day.
“I…I don’t know.”
I wanted to be honest. I also wanted to think of what I needed. I didn’t want to get lost in his shadow, forgetting my passion and my desire.
“What if we drop the timeline we set forth and see what happens?”
I was still stuck on my last thought. “I won’t stop Stamped for you.”
He frowned. “I would never ask you to.”
“That means I can’t come to away games, or be there every time you need me to come running.”
His frown changed direction and his hands left my hips to press against my cheeks. “Fucking hell, Shannon. I wouldn’t demand that shit of you. You have your own business. You don’t think after seeing it today that I wouldn’t respect that?”
I didn’t know what to think. If I was honest, I wanted a redo on the entire day. I wanted to not freak out in the shower that morning. I wanted to do everything different once we got to Stamped. I wanted to be able to sit on his lap, at that very moment and not be afraid I would lose myself in him.
“You scare me,” I admitted, my voice breathless.
“Then we’re even.” He leaned forward and brought his lips to mine, nipping at my bottom lip and then soothing it with his tongue. “Because you terrify the shit out of me.”
I laughed. He pulled me forward until our foreheads touched. Through his thick, dirty blond lashes, he looked at me, his hazel eyes swirling with amusement. “I still want to try this. Something with you. Something without timelines and restrictions. You in?”
I threw caution to the wind. I considered Melissa’s advice from earlier…if it makes you feel good, makes you laugh and makes you happy, jump in and enjoy the ride. I considered my own feelings, along with the fact that he was as scared, too.
I considered the fact that sitting in his lap, I was already beginning to grow heated and wet in my center, longing for him. This morning, I’d gotten him off. I was still sore from last night, but disappointed I’d freaked out before he could return the favor.
I considered all of it, staring into his eyes, debating and making him nervous by the wait, based on the way his nostrils flared and his eyes darkened.
The doorbell rang, breaking the moment.
“Yes,” I whispered and tilted my head to brush my lips against his. “Yes. Okay. No deadlines.”
Chapter FOURTEEN
OLIVER
It was all I needed to hear. She swung a leg over mine and stood up.
I rolled to one hip and grabbed my wallet out of my back pocket, handing her cash. “Here.”
“I already ordered it before you got here.”
I gave her a look. “Take the money, Shannon. You knew I’d be here eating it and I’m guessing you bought twice as much knowing I was coming.”
“Three times, actually.” She grinned and swiped the money out of my fingers. “Thank you.”
She wiggled her ass as she headed toward the front door for the pizza.
When the man was paid and tipped well, she disappeared into the kitchen.
She returned with three large pizzas, and stacked on top of the boxes were paper plates and bottles of water.
