Page 49 of The Payback Plan
‘Don’t do that again.’
He faltered at the edict but didn’t hesitate in his response. ‘Okay.’
‘I mean it, Olly. Itcan’thappen again.’
It was the first time she’d ever called him Olly and somehow amongst all the fucked-up confusion of the moment, it felt…significant. ‘I understand.’ If that’s what she wanted, he’d of course respect it.
Even though he seriously fucking wanted to kiss her again.
One more long look was followed by a stiff little nod before she turned away and bolted up the stairs, two at a time.
Oliver stood on the spot long after Paige had disappeared from sight, his brain turning around and around like a washing machine on a spin cycle. Easing himself down on the step, he was conscious of not only the ache in his balls but the tightness in his chest. He’d just had the best damnchastekiss of his life with hisex’sfriend.
Jesus.
Casper found him at that moment and sat his ass on the step beside Oliver, snuggling in for a pat which Oliver absently doled out. ‘I think I fucked up, buddy.’
The dog thumped its tail as if in agreement and Oliver gave a mirthless half laugh. Yeah… that was pretty much par for the course for him.
9
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Paige’s internal condemnation prattled along in time to the erratic thump of her pulse and the vicious swipe of the toothbrush as shere-brushedher teeth. She was no doubt taking off years of enamel right now but all she could taste was cognac and runaway groom and shecouldn’tgo to bed with the taste of Oliver bloody Prendergast taunting her all night long.
God…What had she done?Why had she let him kiss her?
She knew why Oliver had done it – he’d been several cognacs the worse for wear. But what in hell was her excuse? Because she’d known he was going to kiss her in those weird, still moments just prior. Hell, her breath had evaporated as she’d waited for his move, her lips had tingled in anticipation.
Which was ridiculous. She should have been screaming at him to back off. She should have kneed him in the testicles. She should have turned her ass around and walked away. But it’d been the strangest thing – she hadn’t been able to move. No,worsethan that, she hadn’twantedto.
Oh, God…
Spitting and rinsing, she eyed herself in the mirror as she wiped her mouth. Her face was paler than usual, her freckles standing out like the Hobnob crumbs she took great delight in leaving everywhere in the house.
‘Paige Barker, how could you?’ she hiss-whispered. ‘You are a… traitor to your sex. To the sisterhood.’
Her gaze zeroed in on her mouth. The mouth which Oliver had kissed so damn perfectly – soft, gentle, coaxing – her entire insides had dissolved. The mouth that had betrayed her newest friend, who thought she was in Oliver’s house getting payback, not kissing up to the guy who’d left her standing in her twenty-thousand-dollar Vera Wang dress on their wedding day.
She was a horrible,horribleperson.
Unable to look at herself, Paige curled her hands into fists and spread them wide on top of the vanity, dropping her head, until it was hanging between her shoulder blades. Staring at, but not seeing the dark marble grain, she scrambled for what to do next. Sheshouldleave. Go home. Get out now.
And not just because of how badly she’d betrayed Bella but because, how could she even face Oliver again?
It was tempting to hope that Oliver’s alcohol consumption might result in a case of amnesia. But, there was a big difference in imbibing enough to loosen inhibitions and imbibing enough to be black-hole hungover the next day and he’d definitely not beenthatdrunk. He’d certainly seemedverysober at the end.
So she was going to have to face him tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. The memory of the kiss making things awkward AF between them.
Ugh.Pass.
But… up and leaving with another month of her payback plan left unfulfilled would lead to a lot of questions from her Just Desserts gang.A lot.And there was no way she could tell any of them what had just happened. Bella would be furious – rightly so. Sienna and Astrid wouldn’t be far behind.
They’d probably cut her from the group and never talk to her again and Paige couldn’t bear the thought of these women she’d formed such a fast friendship with,spurningher – cutting her off. She hadn’t really realised how lonely the past four years had been isolating herself from any kind of close relationship, until she’d sat down at that table in O’Hare and magically found herself three kindred spirits.
She didn’t want to lose their friendship.
Not to mention how worried her parents would be if she upped and left early. She’d brought enough angst into their lives, thanks to Harvey and the last thing she wanted to do was exacerbate her father’s chronic health issues. She’d worked hard to get her life back on track so they didn’t have to worry about her, she wouldn’t ruin that now.
