Page 36 of Flynn

I was waiting in the lobby a few hours later, my knee bouncing impatiently as I waited for Ara.

I hadn’t been all that surprised when we’d won the competition at lunch. Thanks to our fake relationship, Chiara and I had been forced to go over trivial information about one another to sell our ruse. But I also knew a lot about her already, so we’d hit it out of the park.

I’d felt a little bad that we won and not the bride and groom, but Sofia waved off my offer to hand over the free dinner. She and Ellis had plans with her parents for dinner, and she was happy we’d won. I’d gotten dressed in a suit and tie as heavily suggested by everyone and was now waiting for Ara to join me. Sharing a room gave us so little privacy, so I got ready early to give her time.

Keeping my hands to myself the second we’d entered the room had been a feat, but I didn’t want to rush this, and I didn’t want her to feel used. She deserved a nice night out, and if I could give her that, then I would.

Closing my eyes, I thought about our day. Considering I’d onlygotten here yesterday, a lot had happened since then. Our first real kiss this morning was insanely hot. Feeling her beneath me left me hard as a rock, and I wanted more. Kissing her in the lobby had been necessary to seal our relationship in the eyes of everyone else, but it had also been an opportunity I’d jumped at. I’d needed to taste her again, and it left me wanting more.

The pottery class had been a turning point. I loved playful Chiara; I’d needed to kiss her. I hadn’t meant to grab her like I had, with my fingers around her throat, but the way she’d looked at me screamed that she’d wanted more. Kissing her had been a necessity after that. Feeling the flutter of her pulse beneath my fingers as I kissed her left me desperate to see what else she’d respond to. I hadn’t thought she’d like being touched like that, but if the way she’d kissed me was any indication, she’d more than liked it. Seeing the handprint gone from her throat after she left the bathroom had been a disappointment, but I knew she needed to wipe it off. It had felt good seeing it there, though. As if I’d made some sort of claim on her for everyone to see.

Feeling her reach for me at the tavern had been another step forward. She’d made that move, not me. And the moment I caught the look of uncertainty on her face, I knew it wasn’t because she was trying to sell our relationship.Shewas reaching out.

Kissing her on the dance floor after that had definitely been a claiming, but I hadn’t gotten to do it as thoroughly as I’d wanted to. But that would all change tonight—hopefully. We had a good night ahead of us, and if she was up for it, I was through wasting time. I wanted her, and I hoped she wanted me just as much.

A throat cleared beside me. I jerked my head up and stilled, my breath catching in my throat at the sight of Chiara standing before me. She was wearing a flowy sundress the color of moss. Her golden skin glowed from time in the sun, and her dark locks were loose down her back. She’d done her makeup, but nothingtoo much, just enough to enhance her already beautiful features. Her legs were bare beneath the dress, and she wore a pair of short heels.

“Fuck me,” I breathed, awed.

Her giggle dragged a smile from my lips, and her cheeks were bright with heat. “Let’s have dinner first, then we’ll see where the night takes us,” she said with a wink.

I grinned then and stood up, sliding a hand around her back to pull her gently to me. She didn’t stiffen or resist, and I slowly lowered my mouth to hers.

She kissed me readily, and I deepened the kiss but forced myself not to sink into it. We had plans, and I intended to take her out tonight and show her off. Cause fucking hell, this woman deserved to be shown off.

She dragged in a large breath when we pulled apart and smiled dopily up at me. “Hey.”

I grinned and kissed her again quickly. “Hey, yourself. You ready?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

Stepping back, I took her hand in mine and started for the front door, eager to get this night started.

~

I hadn’t laughed so much in a long time.

Ara and I had always gotten along. We’d always had a strange connection despite the differences in our upbringing, and I liked that even though we’d spent more than ten years apart, our connection was still there.

Dinner was great, but I barely remembered what we’d eaten. Conversation between us barely stopped as we caught up on our lives over the last decade. Since I knew who her first kiss was—yours truly—she demanded to know mine. That was followed byfirst times, and I was surprised to learn she’d never slept with Ellis. I knew he had been pushing her for sex, and I’d thought for sure she’d given in. It was a surprise to learn she’d slept with some random college boyfriend just to get it over with, and a part of me hated that for her.

Chiara took another mouthful of her wine and leaned back in her seat, eyes searching my face. Her smile dimmed a little and she ducked her head.

“What’s that look?” I asked.

She jerked her head back up, eyes wide. “What look?”

I chuckled. “You had a look on your face just then, like you wanted to ask something but thought better of it.”

She gnawed on her lower lip in indecision, and I waited.

“I… never mind. We’re having a good time, and it’s kind of a heavy topic,” she explained.

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to ask me about mine and Ellis’s fight again, are you?”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “No. I’m beginning to see that you’ll never explain that one.”

“What is it, then? Ask. If I don’t want to answer, I won’t. But it won’t ruin our night,” I promised.

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