Page 99 of Can't Always Get What You Want

She kisses the side of my jaw, inhaling deeply. “You smell so good.”

“Thanks. I showered.”

21

nova

One minute I'm curled in the chair, warm and floaty from wine and sugar, and the next I'm perched on Luca's thighs like I belong there. Like I'vealwaysbelonged there, I was just too stubborn to admit it.

His arms wrap around me instinctively, anchoring me in place. One of his hands rests low on my back, fingers splayed like he's trying to memorize the shape of me. The other is still curled around a wine glass, held slightly off to the side so we don't spill it on the rug.

God, this rug. Plush and overpriced.

Jeez.

I’m getting drunk.

I lean into his chest, letting my head rest against his shoulder. His heart beats steady and slow beneath my ear, and I think,this is the safest place in the world.

The grazing board sits within reach, and Luca bends forward to place a small cracker on my tongue, or more sugared pecans, hand-feeding me like I’m a pampered royal—which I’m not mad about…

I am a queen.

“You look so hot in my number,” he murmurs close to my ear, causing a shiver to reverberate down my spine.

His voice isso sogood. Deep and good.

Yum.

“I almost had a stroke when Gio skated over and pointed to it—I didn’t want him to turn around and see that it was your number.”

Luca’s mouth moves into a thin line but then he quickly recovers. “Ha ha. I would have loved to see that.”

"And now that I’m here, it’s going to smell like you.”

“I could eat you up…”

I grin. Buzzed and happy and blissfully full of cheese. "You’re so horny."

"Very."

He sets his wine glass aside, freeing up his hand to rest on my thigh, just above the bend of my knee. His thumb starts to move in small circles, casual and possessive and completely unfair.

I feel like I'm floating. Not just from the wine, but from the quiet. The weight of his touch.

And somewhere in the middle of that floaty feeling, it hits me.

This is where I want to be.

Not just tonight. Not just on this rug or in his lap. But in general.

Withhim.

That realization doesn’t come with a crash or a panic. It’s not fireworks or a dramatic score. It’s just a slow, warm settling deep in my bones.

I want to be here.

I want to wake up tangled in his sheets and feed him sugared nuts and kiss his stupid perfect face whenever I want.

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