Page 20 of The Gift Rarely Given

He groans against me, pumping his fingers slower now, allowing me time to come down from this perfect high. Once I’m in pure fucking bliss, Alex lowers my legs as he stands up and cradles my face, kissing me tenderly.

“You smell perfect and you taste perfect, too, Liv. Which heaven did you come from?” he asks against my lips, making me laugh loudly.

“What a dork,” I add.

“Closeted hippie, grump, Thor of a man, and a dork. Anything else you would like to add to that list?” he asks, softly caressing my cheek. His eyes are glossy, full of desire.

“Nope, that about sums it up,” I add, kissing him softly on his lips. “Sorry… I freaked out.”

“About what?” he asks. And here’s when I need to decide if I’m going to speak the truth or pretend like I’m not a crazy jealous person. I choose the first, because why the hell not? We’re out here pretending to be together butthat—what he just did—did not feel like we’re pretendinganything.

I let out a heavy breath and reply, “I didn’t like sharing you with other women.”

Alex raises an eyebrow. “Who did you share me with, Liv?”

“All those girls drooling over you at the yoga studio. I know I’m not really your girlfriend, but I still didn’t like it.”

“Were you jealous, Shortie?” I bite my lip and nod—I need to be honest with him.

Alex smiles warmly at me before kissing my forehead. “Come on; let me show you where the shower is and I’ll throw your clothes in the washer. Take your time—I have to go feed the animals but I’ll be back.”

“Are you not going to take care of that?” I ask. His dick looks like it’s ready to break his pants and spring free.

He chuckles, shaking his head. “Nah, we can deal with this later. You can relax for a bit.” He pulls me down from the counter and without dropping my hand, brings me to his bathroom, leaving me in there to shower.

12

FILTHY, FILTHY GIRL

DIVE DEEP (HUSHED), ANDREW BELL

Alex

I walk insideafter feeding the animals and telling my mom I have someone over. We usually have coffee together mid-morning, and I didn’t want her to think I abandoned her today. She didn’t ask lots of questions and just said to have fun.

I’m hoping Livie is done so I can hop in the shower real quick and see if she’d like to spend the day together. I’d be happy to spend the day doing whatever she wants as long as I can spend it with her.

“Liv,” I call, knocking on the door to my bedroom. There’s no answer from the other side. I push the door open and after I step into the sunlit room, I see there’s a beautiful girl, wrapped in a towel on top of my bed and sleeping. I smile to myself at the sight. I grab my phone from my pocket, get closer to her, and snap a picture. You can’t see anything other than her shoulders and her half-dried hair splayed across my navy comforter. The angle highlights her profile and her closed eyes. Her eyelashes kiss the top of her cheeks and she looks so at peace.

I upload the picture to my stories with the caption “my own little holiday gift,” and put the phone down. I cover her soft curves with the blanket and back away to go shower. I hope the mix of quiet and steam help me figure out how I’m going to let Livie know I might be falling in love with her, no matter how soon it may seem.

“Good morning, Shortie,”I say to Livie, who finally rolled to her back. She’s been sleeping for three hours and I don’t really blame her. She woke up so early today and had a workout. Well, two workouts. I’m sure she’s tired so I just let her rest. I answered some emails and RSVPed yes to an event on Sunday with the hope she’ll come with me. It’s a benefit gala for the women’s shelter in Jacksonville. I’ve been wanting to organize some drives and activities with them, but it’s hard for them to trust a man who the media portrayed as a player.

“Three times, Alex. I’ve fallen asleep near you three times in the week we’ve been hanging out together. How is that even possible?” she groans, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“It’s my comforting presence,” I joke and she lifts her hand to her forehead, making her towel come undone. Her breasts peek out from where they were hiding, but she’s still mostly covered. All I want to do is pull the covers down, to reveal all the curves hiding underneath.

“No, I think it’s your cookie scent. Makes me feel likeChristmas morning wrapped in a blanket.” She pulls herself up to her elbows, the towel shifting more and making all my Christmas wishes come true with that sudden movement.

“What cookie scent?” I ask, getting up from the low chair I was sitting on. Her body is in full display and she hasn’t attempted to cover herself, so I use that to my advantage and look shamelessly.

“You, your house, your sheets—all of it smells like a Christmas morning baking session. You say I smell like strawberries? Well, you smell like a blanket and warm cookies. Like the best hug on a busy day. Agh, it’s not fair.”

I chuckle at that and climb onto the bed. Livie scoots back, raising up to her elbows and looking at me sheepishly. “This—” she adds, waving her hand and pointing to me “—is not fair either.”

“What’s not fair, Shortie? That I want to devour you whole the minute I look at you, or that you’re not only the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen but somehow also the cutest?”

Livie giggles. “It’s not fair that you smell like that while looking like this, and on top of that, you’re kind and funny. And a damn good listener, too.”

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