Page 144 of Love on the Byline

“You’re smiling,” he said before taking a sip from hisglass.

“I feel good.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

He was still grinning when he took her glass and set themboth down before turning to her.

She drew in a breath as he settled his mouth over hers.There was something incredibly tender in the way he seemed to hold himselfback. He wasn’t taunting or teasing, just following her lead.

The feeling he stirred in her was more than just desire—itwas connection. Recognition. Something deeper and more primal than lust.

Not love, but a pathway to it. A freeway at that, if herracing heart was any indication.

“You’re frowning,” Ollie said against her mouth. Pullingaway, he searched her eyes. “Is it too much?”

“Too much?”

His gaze swept the space around them, the lavish pool area,the food and wine, the...everything. Then his eyes met hers. “We can go slow,”he said. “I know we kind of...back in La Jolla, we...but we don’t have tonow...” Laughing, he swore under his breath. “I guess what I’m trying to say isI want this with you. You’re honestly the only person I’ve ever wanted somethingwith beyond... This isn’t coming out right.”

“Oliver,” she said hoping to head off his panic. “I wantthis, too. I want to see where it goes. What I don’t want is to rushit. We have time, don’t we?”

“We do.”

“And I’m not going anywhere.”

“Neither am I,” he said, smiling.

Blake smiled back at him and then put her hands on the sidesof his face. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

The dark shadows that had settled across his features liftedas he pulled her into a fevered, possessive kiss. He always kissed her like hehad been born to do only that, and she gave herself over to his desire. Felt itin his touch, in every move he made, and she met each kiss with just as muchhunger.

When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily.

“I wonder,” he said, gliding his thumb across her lower lip,“what you would say to going skinny-dipping again?”

“I think I might be persuaded to try that,” she said with agrin. “What time will Bran be home?”

“Not until I text him,” he said. “He’s staying in La Jolla,at least for tonight. It was all a ruse.” He pointed a thumb over his shoulder,gesturing to the spread Hans had set out. “Hungry?”

It was his way of slowing things down, she knew that.Ollie’s way of showing her he wanted the same things she did—an adventure withno expectations and a future they both could figure out together.

This might be the first of many ways he would woo her, winher over, the way he might have when they were both back at school. If they’dhad the courage to voice their desires.

“Not for food.”

They stripped down to their underwear and waded into thewater, settling by the edge where they’d set their glasses.

Overwhelmed by the wave of emotions that crashed over her,Blake found it hard to think about anything but his arms around her, his bodyagainst hers.

“How about we work up an appetite first?” she asked quietlybefore pulling him in for another long, heated kiss that left no more room fordoubts.

Ollie groaned against her lips, pressing his body as closeto hers as he could manage.

Blake didn’t even care about the stucco and tile of the pool’ssurroundings pushing into her back as she pulled him close. She wound her armsaround Ollie’s neck, tilting her head to deepen the kiss.

Ollie’s cock, hard and thick inside his boxer briefs,pressed against her belly.

She heard herself whimper when he used his thigh to nudgeher legs apart. His lips traveled from her mouth, down her neck to nip at hercollarbone before moving to her nipple.

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