Page 50 of Count Your Lucky Stars

“I’m going to go scrub my hands,” she mumbled, slipping out into the hall and into the bathroom.

Olivia followed a few seconds later, Cat cradled in her arms like an overgrown furry baby. She leaned against the doorjamb, watching as Margot pumped hand soap into her palms, coating them in a liberal lather.

“I really do appreciate it,” Olivia said, hiking Cat a little higher. “You could’ve waited until I came back.”

Not really, with Cat practically howling her displeasure.

Margot shrugged and turned off the tap, flicking excess water from her fingers before reaching for the hand towel. “It’s fine. I hope you don’t mind I went into your room.”

“Why would I mind?” Olivia bent down and set Cat on the floor when she started to wiggle.

Margot turned and leaned her hip against the sink. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want you to think I was invading your... I don’t know, privacy or something. I wasn’t in there snooping. Strictly shoveling poo.”

Olivia stepped closer, stopping when their toes bumped, both wearing socks. Olivia’s were white with a pink stripe across the toes, Margot’s basic black. Olivia smiled. “It’s not like I have anything to hide. And besides”—she rested a hand on either side of the sink by Margot’s hips, boxing her in—“I trust you.”

Margot’s heart bungeed into her throat. “Cool. That’s...”

Olivia’s lips twitched, eyes roving over Margot’s face.

She swallowed hard. “I trust you, too.”

A broad smile lit up Olivia’s face. The hands on either side of Margot closed in, sliding over the sink, settling against Margot’s hips and squeezing softly. Olivia’s fingers skimmed the highest point of Margot’s ass, and then she leaned in, head tilting to the side, the tip of her nose brushing Margot’s, breath wafting warm and sweet against Margot’s mouth.

It was almost embarrassing how weak her knees went from such a chaste kiss. A sigh escaped her as she gripped Olivia’s arms, losing herself in the softness of Olivia’s mouth and the sweet, subtle perfume of her skin.

Olivia drew back, ending the kiss before Margot was ready, a tiny wrinkle between her eyes. “Was that okay?”

“Yes? I mean, a little brief for my taste, but—”

Olivia ducked her head and laughed. “No, I meant kissing you. Is it okay if I do?”

Color her confused. “Whywouldn’tit be okay?”

“We didn’t really talk about it.”

No, no, they hadn’t.

As soon as the sweat had started to cool against her skin and her heart rate was no longer racing, Margot had—in what wasn’t one of her finest moments—panicked.

Theonething she wasn’t supposed to do, a line she wasn’t supposed to cross, and what had she done? She’d taken a running leap and hurled herself over it, headfirst.

But then again, it wasn’t sex that had complicated everything between them the first time. It was that Margot had hadfeelings.

The only reasonable solution was to takefeelingscompletely off the table. Prevent them from forming in the first place. To keep things between them casual.

“I don’t want to overstep or do anything that makes you uncomfortable,” Olivia added.

Short of pushing Margot away or leaving, there was nothing Margot could imagine Olivia doing that would make her uncomfortable.

“You won’t,” Margot said.

“So, I can kiss you?”

Margot nodded. “You can kiss me whenever you want.”

Olivia’s lips curved. “Careful. I might get greedy.”

Please do.