Page 12 of Olivia's Only Pretending
Victor’s eyebrow shot up so far it almost blew through the roof. I gave him a big smile and silently begged him to go with it.
Whateveritwas, I wasn’t sure. I just wanted Ryan to realize how wrong he was to dismiss Victor, to feel uncomfortable with how he spoke about him, to feel uncomfortable sitting in my office.
Victor slid behind my desk, beside me, reaching for his coffee, which I’d moved there after he left, planning to steal it. I slipped my arms around his waist, clumsily, unsure of my movements. Victor grinned down at me with his head cocked in question. I gave him a small, sheepish shrug.
A slight chuckle escaped his lips. He had to realize what I was doing.
“I was just on my way out.” Ryan thumbed back toward the door, tripping over one of the chairs.
“Oh yeah, I’m running out, too. I’d forgotten—” Victor started.
I grabbed his sweatshirt in my fists and pulled him closer to me. His eyes went wide as his chest pressed against mine with each rapid intake of breath.
Our lips were millimeters apart. I felt myself leaning in for a kiss, his eyes tracking my lips.
“Not without a goodbye …” I couldn’t bring myself to saykiss.
I’d always teased my sisters for their chaotic impulsivity.Why not think before acting?Yet here I was, shocked by the words coming out of my own mouth.
Ryan cleared his throat awkwardly, standing in the doorway.
Victor looked at me with a mix of wonderment and amusement as he replied, breathlessly, “Of course; I wouldn’t dare.”
The way his hands slid around my waist made my body flood with heat, waking me from this dangerous game I was playing.
Olivia Rhodes, you don’t have anything to prove to your crummy ex.
And Victor is your best friend. Kissing him would be trouble.
I blinked, pulling my face a few millimeters away. “You don’t have to,” I whispered, barely audible. I’d almost made a very stupid mistake. I was starting to pump the brakes.
Victor pulled me closer, whispering warmly in my ear, “Happy to help.”
Goose bumps erupted down my shoulder.
“I’m—” Ryan was saying something from the doorway. Maybe goodbye? I couldn’t hear a thing.
Victor had crossed the millimeters between us with his eyes dropping to my lips, then back to my eyes. Now I felt mine go wide as he slowly, tentatively brought his lips to mine.
I could’ve pulled away. Stopped him.
Instead, I lifted onto my toes to bring us closer. His lips were warm and tasted like maple latte and mints. He dropped his coffee cup back onto my desk so he could drag his hands against my waist, pulling me closer, eager and hungry.
There was a jolt of electricity between us, sending my hands around his neck, into his hair.
What I thought would be a small goodbye peck felt like opening a floodgate I couldn’t contain. Our kiss was frenzied and feverish. As he deepened the kiss, pushing me against the desk, a moan escaped me.
I’d lost all control the minute we’d made contact.
Victor rasped my name into my mouth in a way that made the hairs on my skin raise.
What are we doing?It felt like stepping out of a strong current, but I pulled away from him. Dizzy and dazed, I touched my fingers to my lips and looked up at him.
He looked temptingly undone: hair a mess, lips red, swollen. The urge to pull him close again hit me hard.
He swallowed. His gaze narrowed, examining me like he was watching for a tornado on the horizon during a storm.
My feelings were the tornado, wreaking havoc.
