Page 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

ROZ

I woke to the sound of pattering rain interspersed with the occasional gentle snore.

Smiling, I opened my eyes to look at the source of the snores. Olivia lay next to me in pink daisy pajama shorts and matching t-shirt, the duvet thrown half off her body, her relaxed face framed by silky brown hair falling across the pillow. My heart skipped a beat. Damn, she was gorgeous. My gaze dropped to her chest, the soft curves of her breasts just visible, and my core began to thrum.

I closed my eyes. What the hell am I doing?

Last night certainly hadn’t gotten my attraction to Olivia out of my system. Quite the opposite, as the throbbing sensation between my thighs reminded me. The image of Olivia, leaning against the front door of Sapphire Blooms, trembling legs parted as she came over my fingers, did not help matters. Shit.

I stared at Olivia’s ridiculous floral wallpaper, hoping it would act like a cold shower on my libido, but it did nothing. I should leave, before this got even more out of hand. I sat up, looking around for my phone. Before I located it, my gaze fell back to Olivia’s face. She was distractingly beautiful. My gaze lingered on her soft, pink lips and long lashes. Her eyes suddenly snapped open wide. I flinched.

“Good morning,” Olivia said, giving me a sleepy smile.

My heart ballooned with warmth. Goddamn my body and its involuntary reactions. I couldn’t help smiling back at her. Olivia wriggled closer to me, and I sank back down into the bed. Suddenly, we were kissing again, hands roaming over each other’s bodies, and Olivia was tugging off the t-shirt she’d lent me to sleep in. Maybe just one more time…

When we finally came up for air, we lay facing each other, our heads on the same pillow. Olivia gazed at me, her eyes soft, her lips curved slightly upward. She reached out and gently traced her fingers across my jaw bone.

She was looking at me with such tenderness, my bones felt loose, like I might melt into the bedspread.

I used to look at Sadie like that. My heart squeezed. I should go.

“How do you feel about coffee? And possibly pancakes?” Olivia ran her hand down my stomach.

No. No. You need to leave. But you also need to eat… I glanced out the window. It was pouring rain outside. Fuck it. I’ll head home once I’d eaten. I smiled at Olivia. “I feel very good about both those things.”

“Excellent.” She swung her legs out of the bed.

As Olivia mixed the pancake batter with a large wooden spoon, I sat on the counter stool, sipping my coffee in my boy shorts and borrowed t-shirt that said, “Flower Dealer”.

“Do you have any plans today?” Olivia asked.

I should go to the farm, throw myself into work now that Fred had given the investment a greenlight and pretend last night—and this morning—never happened. But that seemed very unappealing. I shook my head. “No.”

“Me either. Maddie is working today, and since it’s raining the shop will be quiet.” Olivia poured the batter into a hot frying pan. It let out a satisfying sizzle. “If you feel like it, we could continue your movie education. Since we don’t need to worry about fake dating anymore, we could move onto some other tropes that tickle your fancy. Enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, forbidden love?” She wiggled her eyebrows, her eyes twinkling.

I glanced out the window. The rain was even heavier than before. I took a deep breath, savoring the scent of the pancakes. I’d just eat a couple pancakes, watch one movie, and then excuse myself.

* * *

“I think enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope,” Olivia announced, as the credits rolled on yet another rom-com.

I smiled down at her, snuggled in my arms. “I’m still partial to fake-dating.”

I glanced up at the yellow-and-white flower clock on Olivia’s living room wall and my chest constricted so hard it squeezed the air out of my lungs. How the hell was it Sunday afternoon?

Despite my best intentions, we’d ended up having a movie marathon yesterday, followed by what could only be described as a sex marathon, and then today we’d managed to fill the morning with lazing in bed before finally getting up and watching another movie. Every time I vowed I was about to leave, I’d end up staying, tumbling back into bed with Olivia or lazing on her couch, chatting or watching movies.

Magnetic attraction. That was what it felt like. An irresistible pull toward Olivia that I couldn’t shake. She was so warm, funny and gorgeous. And I couldn’t get enough of her body. Alarm bells rang in my ears. I’d only felt like this once before in my life, and it had ended with me devastated and alone.

“One more?” Olivia asked, grabbing the remote. “I know it’s not the right time of year, but have you seen Happiest Season ?” She looked at my blank face and rolled her eyes. “Of course you haven’t. What was I thinking? Well, it’s a lesbian holiday rom-com. Kristen Stewart is in it. Her character actually reminds me of a younger, shorter version of you. Blond, a penchant for suits, a dry sense of humor.” Her eyes twinkled.

“She sounds like the perfect woman.” While my lips twitched, a string tugged at my chest. This felt so domestic, so intimate and cozy. I didn’t know what Olivia was looking for, but I was starting to suspect it was more than just a one-off weekend of sex and movie watching. And anything more than that was more than I could give her. I swallowed. “But I should head off.”

“You’re welcome to stay for dinner, if you want,” Olivia said, pulling her head off my shoulder and looking up at me. “No pressure, though.”

I steeled myself. I couldn’t let myself get carried away again. An image of Sadie flashed into my mind: her sitting on the other end of our couch in Manhattan, refusing to engage with me after some minor failing on my part.

I had to leave now, before I got even more entangled. It wasn’t just my heart and my mental health on the line this time. The farm was at a critical point. I needed to have all my time and energy focused on ensuring its success, not getting swept up in another intense relationship that would crash and burn.

I leaped to my feet. This time, I was really leaving. “Thank you. It’s very tempting, but I’d better go.”

“Okay.” Olivia stood, running a slender hand through her hair.

Not trusting myself to stick to my resolve if I lingered for too long, I strode into Olivia’s room and changed back into the clothes I’d been wearing Friday night, shoving my phone in my pants pocket and returning to the hallway.

Olivia walked me to the door. My gaze dropped to her lips. Warning sirens blared in my ear. Get out now. I grabbed the door handle.

I smiled, my face tight, barely able to meet her gaze in case I got pulled back in. “Thank you for the wonderful weekend.”

And with that, I bolted.