Page 33 of The Cask

“What’s going on? Is it work?” I pried, trying to get something out of him.

He shook his head. “No, it’s not work. I just have to take care of something. But I’ll make this up to you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I told him.

“It’s not…” He let out a rough breath. “I will make this up to you.”

Neither of us said anything until he screeched to a stop in front of my building.

“Thank you for dinner,” I murmured as I started to open the car door.

He touched my arm, pulling my attention to him. I braced myself for a kiss. Excitement ripped through me until his hand dropped from my skin and his cloudy eyes met mine. “I want to walk you up, but—”

“But you have something to take care of,” I finished, climbing out of the SUV. “Have a good night.”

He stared at me. The weight of whatever was on his mind gave me pause. “I’m sorry. I’ll make it right,” he said finally.

Disappointed didn’t even begin to describe what I felt. “Goodnight, Omari.” I closed the door and headed into my building.

After I made it safely inside, I looked behind me and he was still there. His windows were tinted so I couldn’t see him, but I could feel him watching me.

The moment I got to my condo and shut the door behind me, I let out a frustrated growl. “Not even a damn kiss!”

I immediately went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of Moscato. After filling a glass, I kicked off my shoes and carried them to my bedroom. I paced my room as I drank. Thoughts flew around my mind and with each one, I got more frustrated, more curious, and more unsettled.

The alcohol only exacerbated what I was feeling. When I walked past the mirror, I stopped in my tracks. Even though it wasn’t a real date, I’d worn one of my favorite dresses because I had plans to get close to him at the end of the night. It wasn’t part of the original plan, but after the way he’d kissed me in my office, I was hoping to get more of that.

Who am I kidding?I thought, finishing the wine and setting the empty glass to the side.If he would’ve kissed me like that again, I would’ve slept with him.

Just the thought created tension in my core.

“No!” I exclaimed, hating how attracted I was to him. “I need a cold shower and then my—shit!”

In my rush to get out of Omari’s sight, I’d left the tiramisu in the backseat. “No kiss, no dick, and no cake—great,” I grumbled, stomping to the bathroom to take a cold shower. I needed to calm myself down.

By the time I climbed in bed an hour later, I was in a better frame of mind. Being wine drunk gave me a bit of clarity.

The date wasn’t real, but the kiss was. I decided not to beat myself up for being attracted to the man. It was a physical reaction. It was natural. So, I just needed to go with the flow and make sure we’re so close that when things go down at the festival, he doesn’t in any way suspect me.

He won’t see it coming.I pulled the covers up and stared at the ceiling in my darkened room.Who is Olivia? And—

My phone vibrated against the nightstand. I rolled over and when I saw the name flashing across the screen, I paused.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hey,” Omari greeted me with that deep, sexy tone of his. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

Closing my eyes, I tried to shield myself from the allure of his voice.

I cleared my throat. “No. I’m in bed, but I’m not asleep yet.”

“Okay good. I wanted to call…” There was a bit of hesitation before the rest of his sentence rushed out. “…to let you know you left your cake in the backseat.”

“Yeah, I realized that before I got in the shower.”

“Damn. I couldn’t even get you your dessert.”

“It’s fine. Fortunately, I had some cookie dough in the refrigerator, so I baked some cookies and made do.”

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