I knew I was tense, but I hadn’t noticed she was. I looked her up and down, and she seemed fine. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nice try at deflecting, but this is your therapy session, so spill.”
“I just have a lot going on.”
That was the understatement of the century. It’d been three days since Levi told me he had feelings for me and we almost kissed, and I was surprised I hadn’t spontaneously combusted yet. I couldn’t get it out of my head: the things he said, the sweetnames he called me, the way he looked at me like he wanted to devour me.
The way I would’ve let him right there on the kitchen counter, and how I imagined him doing just that later while I was in the shower.
“Yeah, so this istherapy,” Delilah said with a teasing look. “Not sure if you’re familiar, but you tell me what you have going on and I help you deal with it.”
“Levi and I almost kissed,” I blurted, my eyes squeezed shut.
Delilah’s hand stilled on Willow’s side. “Okay?”
My head whipped towards her. “What do you mean,okay?We almost kissed, Delilah!”
She looked way too confused. “He’s your husband? Married couples kiss all the time.”
“Not couples in a fake marriage!” Willow whinnied, and I let her lead go, backing away from her.
Delilah leaned back against the paddock railing, looking skyward. “I guess that’s fair. But who has the rulebook on fake marriages that says you can’t?” Her head rolled over towards me, her copper hair falling down her back. “Was it hot at least?”
I sagged against the railing next to her, running a hand through my hair. “I think it might’ve been the hottest thing I’d ever experienced in my life.” Three days later, and I was still feeling the effects of it.
She snorted. “That’s not saying much.” I smacked her side and she laughed. “Why was it an almost kiss and not an actual kiss?”
“Luke,” I grumbled. She laughed even harder. “It’s not funny!”
“Oh God,” she sighed, wiping her eyes. “It’s pretty damn funny, bug.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, looking away from her. “Whatever.”
“Don’t get all pouty with me. If you want to make out with him, then do it. He’s your husband, Tess. You can kiss him whenever you want. I bet he’d let you do a hell of a lot more than that, too, based on the way he looked at you at the wedding. I thought he went brain dead for a moment there.”
I looked at the ground, running my shoe along the dirt. “He told me he has feelings for me,” I said quietly.
“Even more reason for you to go home and jump him.”
“How do I do that?” I whispered, heat creeping up my neck. “I’ve never…initiated.” It felt humiliating to admit that out loud, especially to someone as free in their sexuality as Delilah. But sex had always been on Jeremy’s terms, and he was the only person I’d been with. I worried I wouldn’t be good enough for Levi. It was the only thing that stopped me from doing anything these last three days.
She gave me an endearing smile, and some of my embarrassment faded; I knew she wouldn’t tease me about it. “You just follow your instincts and what feels right. You want to touch him? Touch him. Want to kiss him? Then do it. Men are pathetically simple, and Levi is so obsessed with you that he’d probably come in his pants with just a look from you.”
A laugh shot out of me. “You’re insane!”
“I’m serious,” she chuckled. “You’re thinking about it too hard. He’ll love whatever you do, I promise.” She took my hands in hers. “Now go find him and suck his soul out through his dick.”
I bit back another laugh, arching a brow. “Is that your advice as my therapist?”
She straightened, proud. “Yes, absolutely. Follow it, and good fortune will find you in the form of getting dicked down.”
I shook my head, laughing. “I’ll make sure to blame you if it goes south.”
She scoffed. “Trust me. It won’t.” I wish I had her certainty and confidence. Maybe one day I would.
“Now tell me what’s bothering you.”
Delilah shook her head. “Nope. This is your therapy session.”
