Page 49

We’re interrupted by the doorbell and we both jump up to grab the groceries.

No sooner are we unpacking them than the doorbell rings again with our dinner.

That one I can handle. I have no idea where Olivia puts all of her groceries, so I stay out of her way and set the kitchen table up with our food.

“I have some white wine,” she says when she joins me with plates and silverware. “I hope that’s okay.”

“It’s fine. Trust me.” So we get settled and serve ourselves. I figure we’re going to take a break from talking about the move and all the traveling, but she surprises me and brings it up first.

“Is your boss okay with me traveling with you?”

“I mean, he’s not going to pay for your airfare, but he’s fine with you staying at the hotels with me.”

After taking a forkful of sesame chicken, she nods. “What is your typical day like when you travel? Like, is it a nine-to-five situation or are you putting in twelve-hour days?”

“For maintenance and updates, it’s a typical workday. I’ll be back at the hotel by 5:30 the latest and we’ll have the nights to do whatever we want. And depending on the system, I could even be back earlier. I just like to plan for a normal day.”

“That makes sense.”

I love that she’s seriously considering this.

“I’ve never been to California,” she says shyly. “Is it wrong that I’m almost stupidly excited about actually going there?”

Laughing, I reach for her hand and kiss it. “Not at all. I think that’s kind of cute. I know we won’t get a ton of time to sightsee, but Carlsbad is actually a really quaint little beach town. You can walk around there all day and see most of it. The town’s literally right on the ocean.”

Her eyes go wide.

“And then there’s San Francisco. You can do a lot of walking there, but you’re probably not going to see it all.”

“Are you kidding? That’s been a bucket list place for me, so I already know all the places I want to see there!”

“Seriously?”

An enthusiastic nod is her first response. “Oh, definitely. I think it could be an exciting setting for a story! And now I’ll get to find out for sure!”

“Okay, then! Great!” I pause. “Wait, does that mean you don’t want to go on the rest of the trip? Like…if San Francisco really spurs on your creativity, will you be able to leave or will you want to stay?”

“I’m going with you, Ash. You don’t have to worry about that. I’m kind of realizing how I don’t have to live someplace to write about it. And if there’s more research to be done, I can always go back for another week.”

“Oh. That’s good. Okay.” I’m oddly relieved by her logic. “I was hoping you were going to like this plan, but I didn’t want to do a hard sell on it. This has to work for you.”

She takes a sip of her wine before stopping and smiling. “You know, I was mildly overwhelmed just thinking about how I was going to get everything done and then move back to Raleigh. Sort of like the car. I still don’t know how I’m going to get it there.”

“There are shipping companies that handle that sort of thing. It’s not quite like the pods for your furniture, but there are car transports.”

“How do you know all of this?”

I feel a little silly admitting it, but…

“Like I said, I didn’t want to do a hard sell on this plan, but I needed to cover all my bases too. So, I researched everything I could about moving across the country.”

The look she gives me says she’s seriously considering her next words.

“And what if I didn’t like the plan? Then what would you have done?”

“Um…well…I would have asked you what your timeline for moving looked like and if you needed my help, and I would have adjusted my work schedule around it.”

“Ash, no! That’s too much!”

“Don’t you get it? I want to be there for you! And even though I used up some of my vacation time to go to the beach, I’ve hardly taken any time off in a long time. If I call my boss and tell him I need more time off, he’d give it to me.”

“Wow. That’s nice.”

“Not as nice as being my own boss like you are,” I tease.

“Yeah, well…I don’t have as much freedom as you think. I still have deadlines.”

We talk about the publishing business as we finish our meals and clean up. Afterwards, Olivia lights the small electric fireplace as we take our wine back over to the sofa, where we get comfortable.

The soft glow of the fireplace flickers against the walls, casting shadows that dance in rhythm with the slow hum of rain tapping against the windows. When she sees me glance over that way, she laughs softly.

“You know the Pacific Northwest is famous for our rainy weather, right?”

“I did know that. I’m not usually a fan of the rain, but right now, this is kind of nice.”

I watch as Olivia sinks into the plush cushions, her legs curled beneath her. We’re both quietly watching the fire and there’s a kind of comfort in the silence. I turn to look at her because now that we’re in the same room together, I love that I can. My heart still races at just the sight of her.

“You’re staring, Sebastian,” she says silkily. I love it when she uses my full name; the sultry sound of her voice makes my pulse quicken.

“I can’t help it,” I tell her as I settle close beside her, our thighs brushing, the warmth of her seeping into my skin. She takes a sip of her wine, her eyes never leaving mine. The tension between us is like a quiet, electric current.

Just like it’s always been.

I reach out, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, my fingers lingering because I love the softness of her skin.

“Why can’t you help it?” she asks, her voice soft, teasing.

A slow smile tugs at my lips. “I missed looking at you.”

Her breath catches as I lean in, my free hand sliding to the back of her neck, even as my thumb traces slow, lazy circles against her skin.

I stretch to put my wineglass down on the coffee table and wait as Olivia does the same.

Once we’re both settled again, I can’t hold back another minute.

I close the distance, pressing my lips to hers in a kiss that starts gentle—tentative, savoring—before deepening.

My other hand glides down her arm before gently moving to rest around her waist. She melts into me briefly before shifting to straddle my lap, our bodies pressing together in a way that instantly turns me on.

I can feel the heat of her pressed up against my growing erection, as my hands explore the familiar terrain of her back, her hips, anchoring her to me.

Our kisses grow hungrier, our hands wandering, breaths mingling. It’s the best kind of sensuous madness that’s filled with murmured names and soft sighs. The world outside fades, the rain, the fire, the ticking clock—none of it exists.

Only us.

Only this moment.

Her fingers rake through my hair as she breaks the kiss. “We should take this inside.”

“We should,” I breathlessly agree, hating that we have to stop for even a minute. I’m not the most athletic guy, but I somehow stand with her wrapped around me. “Which way?” Because I’ve clearly already forgotten the layout.

Olivia points and I slowly walk us in that direction.

It’s not far, but it feels that way. At the doorway to her bedroom, I press her against the wall, our bodies molding together, as if desperate to erase the weeks of distance between them.

Her nails score down my back, pulling her closer, closer, until there’s not a breath of space between us.

I need to speak; I need to tell her how I feel even as I regret putting even the slightest of space between us.

“I missed you,” I murmur against her lips, my voice rough with emotion.

She nods, unable to speak, her hands memorizing the planes of my face, the heat of my skin. “The bed, Ash. Please.”

She doesn’t need to tell me twice. We shift slightly, effortlessly, as I carry her across the dimly lit room, my mouth barely leaving hers, our kisses deepening with each step.

When we reach the bed, I lay her down slowly, reverently, my eyes drinking her in as if I’m afraid she might disappear. She reaches for me, guiding me down on top of her, and in that moment, words are unnecessary.

We speak through touch—fingertips tracing old paths, lips mapping forgotten territories. Every sigh, every whisper, every shuddered breath is a confession: I missed you. I need you. I love you.

And as our bodies move in rhythm, there is no more time, no more distance—only this moment, until…

“Crap,” Olivia hisses, leaving me wildly confused.

Slowly, I lift my head. “What? What’s the matter?”

“The bed’s not made. Not even sheets, Ash.”

“Is that all?” I say with a bark of laughter. “We’ll make it later. I promise. We don’t need sheets or blankets for what we’re about to do, beautiful girl.”

The sexy grin she gives me is full of agreement.

Then she’s pulling me back down and kissing me until we’re both breathless and panting. And neither of us thinks about anything other than getting naked and feeling good for a very long time.

“See? Isn’t this better?”

“There wasn’t anything wrong with the way it was before.”

“Oh, please. You were shivering, Ash,” she chastises. “And there’s nothing wrong with admitting it.”

“The air-conditioning vent was blowing right on my bare ass!” I argue, but just lightly. Cold air on sweaty skin is always a bit jarring.

“Still, now we have nice clean sheets, fluffy pillows, and a light blanket. We can sleep comfortably.”

As if on cue, I yawn, the day finally catching up with me.

Olivia snuggles close, our legs tangling together under the sheets. “I’ve missed this. I used to think I preferred sleeping alone, but I guess I just never found the perfect person to sleep with.”

I hug her. “Good. That just means you were waiting for me.”

“Mmm…”

The lights are off, and I know we’re both ready to go to sleep; I’m halfway there already.

“Did I mention that we saw Mrs. Serrano last night at the Cheesecake Factory?” she asks sleepily.

“You did not. How is she?”

“She seemed okay. Or as okay as anyone can be after losing their child.”

I nod.

“But here’s the craziest thing,” she says before yawning loudly. “And I considered keeping it to myself and not telling you, but…I think you need to hear it too.”

That sounds…ominous.

“She came over to the table and we were telling her all about our trip to the beach. We mentioned how you and the guys joined us for part of the trip and…” Another yawn.

“Anyway, she was super excited about you and I finally meeting. And then—get this—she says that Matt had been trying to introduce the two of us for years!”

“Oh my God! Seriously?” I’m not sure how to feel about this.

“Yup. And according to her, he knew almost immediately after meeting you that the two of us would be perfect for each other.” She starts out giggling, but that turns into a yawn too. “Talk about a bombshell, right? Can you believe it?”

“Honestly? I can’t.”

“Then she said that like…Matt used to try to concoct these situations where the two of us would be at the same place at the same time! Did he ever mention to you that he was trying to do that?”

“No! I mean, he used to say that he was going to find me the perfect girl, but he never once said that he had found her! I don’t know how this would have worked if he ever made it happen.”

“I know. I told the girls after she walked away that I was a little icked out again, but they talked me out of it.” I feel her shift right before she gives me a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek. “Personally, I think things worked out exactly as they were supposed to. And I’m really glad they did.”

I feel myself relax. “Me too.” I kiss the top of her head. “And you’re not all…you know…icked out anymore?”

I seriously can’t believe I just used that word in a sentence.

“I’m not because it’s you, Ash. We may have met because we were both heading to Raleigh for his funeral, but…

Matt didn’t have a direct hand in this. We can maybe look at the whole thing with some amusement at what might have been, but the connection we have is all us and not because of anyone or anything else.

” She giggles again. “But if you need more time to come to that conclusion, I totally get it. I had the last twenty-four hours. You’re just hearing it. ”

“I’m good,” I assure her.

“The girls were great about talking me through it. I swear I kept going back to the whole concept of all the bad stuff happening was karma, because it was like we were celebrating after Matt died. Then they reminded me how it wasn’t like that and how karma isn’t always bad.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever given karma much thought. Obviously I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never given it a place in my life. I certainly didn’t look at anything that happened to us on the trip as being so bad that karma had to get involved.”

“Like I said, it’s not always bad, but there were definitely some bad things that went down in those first two weeks.”

Honestly, I’m too tired to rehash them all, so I carefully maneuver us until we’re more firmly settled under the blankets.

“There were way more good things,” I remind her before kissing her cheek and then yawning loudly. “Whether it was karma or the universe, it all led me to you. And for that, I’m always going to be thankful.”

That seems to please her because she hums softly and snuggles even closer. It’s hard to tell where I end and she begins.

And that’s more than fine by me because there’s no place else I’d rather be than with this girl tonight and all my nights moving forward.