Page 67 of Heart of The Night

Jason snorted. ‘Bare minimum,’ he murmured. ‘But yeah, a nap sounds like a good idea. How was the gym?’

I shrugged. ‘The usual – William getting eyed up by loads of gorgeous women.’

A laugh slipped from Jason. ‘Jealous, Cara?’

‘Maybe I would have been if it weren’t so obvious that he doesn’t notice them at all.’

Olivia grinned. ‘Why would he, when he’s already dating the most gorgeous woman of all?’

I chuckled. ‘Well, that’s an outright lie, but I’ll take it anyway.’

‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ Jason argued. ‘I know for a fact that Will would agree with Livy.’

‘Then that’s all that matters,’ I said amusedly. ‘Anyway, I’m going to hop in the shower.’

‘Enjoy,’ Olivia said, snuggling closer to Jason.

I made my way to the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the warm water cascade over me, soothing my muscles and washing away the remnants of my workout. Within minutes, I was refreshed and changed into a pair of cosy joggers and a soft, oversized jumper.

Heading to the kitchen, I opened the fridge and found a neatly wrapped turkey sandwich waiting for me. I unwrapped it and sat down at the kitchen table, savouring the first bite. The blend of turkey, crisp lettuce and red pesto was just what I needed.

Moments later, Olivia sauntered in, her footsteps light and unhurried. She plopped down in the chair opposite me, a contented smile on her face.

‘Jason’s gone to take a nap,’ she said, stretching her arms above her head. ‘Thought I’d keep you company.’

‘Tell me everything,’ I replied, my gaze fixed on her as I took another bite of my sandwich. ‘Who made the first move?’

Chuckling, she leaned forward, propping her elbows on the table. ‘He did. I was just as surprised as you probably are.’

I swallowed my mouthful, completely unable to mask my curiosity. ‘How did he do it?’

She averted her gaze, a dreamy look on her face. ‘Well, we were flirting a bit earlier in the evening, but I didn’t think much of it – you know how Jason is. He’s always so kind and affectionate with everyone, and he’s naturally touchy-feely, so I didn’t see it as anything special. I thought he was just being his usual self.’

‘But?’

She stood up, went to the counter, and grabbed a glass from the cupboard above the sink. As she filled it with water, she continued, ‘But after everyone had left, I realised I was wrong. I stayed behind to help him clean up the worst of the mess and planned to crash in your bed. As we tidied up together, he started getting a bit playful, in a different way.’

My eyes were riveted on her figure as I absorbed her words, picturing everything. ‘Different how?’

She paused, a small smile playing on her lips as she recalled the moment. ‘At first, it was just little things, like brushing his hand against mine when he passed me the bin bags. But then he started teasing me, flicking water at me while we did the dishes and bumping his hip against mine as we moved around the kitchen. It was all in good fun, but there was something different in his eyes, a spark that wasn’t there before.’

She took a sip of water and looked thoughtful. ‘As we were picking up bottles and glasses, he began making jokes about how messy everyone was, and he kept reaching intimately around me to grab something when he could have easily avoided it.’

Suddenly a giggle leaped from her lips. ‘He even started a little game, pretending to be an overly dramatic French maid, making me laugh with his exaggerated accent and sighs. And then, as we moved back to the living room to straighten things up, he kept finding excuses to be close, leaning in to say something funny. When he finally suggested we take a break, he sat down next to me on the sofa, his arm resting casually behind me.’

My cheeks were starting to hurt from the size of my grin. ‘This is so cute.’

She nodded profusely. ‘It was then I really started to notice the way he looked at me – a bit more intensely than usual. He even tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear.’

I burst out laughing. ‘No way! How textbook, Jason!’

She laughed too, a gleeful sound that came from the depths of her belly. ‘Right? And then he leaned in, his face just inches from mine, and said something about how much he enjoyed spending time with me. That’s when I realised he might actually be flirting with me, not just being his normal, affectionate self.’

‘So what did you do? How did you respond?’ I asked, having forgotten all about my sandwich. My stomach was already full of butterflies.

Her face turned scarlet as she held my gaze. ‘I stared at his lips like a bloody idiot. I’m convinced my expression screamed “kiss me!”’

I cackled. ‘And did he?’

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