Page 93 of The Bossy One

Olivia beamed. “I got word from Molly today. Her publishing friend liked our book proposal. And they had something go wrong with one of their other book projects, so now they have a hole in their schedule. It’s a tiny local press, so we won’t make much money, and hardly anyone will read it, but—”

“Wait. You got a book deal?” I asked. “You’re going to be a published author?”

Olivia bit her lip and nodded. She might be downplaying her accomplishment verbally, but her face was glowing.

“I’m so fucking proud of you,” I said.

“Bad word,” Olivia and Catie said in unison.

I rolled my eyes, and Olivia laughed.

I watched the line of her throat, the brightness of her smile. I wanted to kiss her so bad. I thought I’d been starving for her before we’d hooked up. Butknowingher mouth was a goddamn miracle, and not being able to taste it was…

Olivia met my eyes, and her laughter died out. She must have seen the hunger in my eyes because her own darkened.

“Are you going toacquirethe video company you came here to see, Uncle Declan?” Catie asked. She saidacquirelike it was a foreign word she was very proud of herself for learning.

I turned to her, grateful for the distraction. “I’m not sure yet. If you could pick any company to buy, which one would you want to run?” I asked.

“The zoo,” Catie answered immediately. “Obviously.”

“Which one?” I asked.

“All of them,” she said.

After that, Olivia and I kept the conversation mostly focused on Catie. Olivia was probably doing it because she was a good nanny who loved children. I was doing it mostly out of self-preservation.

I studiously kept my mind away from Olivia in that green dress—and what she wasn’t wearing beneath it.

After dinner, we wandered a bit through the historic neighborhood admiring the dignified old buildings. But Catie had had a long day, and I quickly ended up carrying her. Olivia hailed a cab like a pro, and we headed back toward the hotel.

Catie was out like a light by the time the cab reached its destination. I carried her up to her bed. Olivia carefully peeled off Catie’s shoes and tucked her under the covers.

“You’re going to be a good mom someday,” I whispered, without thinking.

Something wistful flashed across her face. “Maybe.” She kissed Catie on the forehead. “My current career doesn’t lend itself to meeting anyone I could start a family with.”

You met me,I wanted to say, but I stopped myself just in time.

Was I actually considering suggesting I was someone she could plan a future around? Because that was bullshit. I didn’t do relationships. I didn’t even fall in love, not the way Anil and Thomas and most of my other friends did.

We finished tucking Catie in and retreated to the sitting room.

Olivia and I stared at each other awkwardly. Without the buffer of Catie between us, the sexual tension crackled dangerously between us.

“Well. Good night,” I said abruptly.

“Wait. Could you…?” She turned around and gestured to the back of her dress.

I steeled myself to wrestle with temptation. But this time the zipper was easy, sliding down to the sweet curve of her ass in one fell swoop.

For a moment we stood motionless, the only sound in the room our ragged breathing. Then Olivia muttered a thank you and retreated to her room, shutting the door firmly in my face.

I poured myself a glass of whiskey from the minibar and headed out to the balcony. The evening breeze was cool, but it did nothing to cool the heat in my blood.

I stared out at the city surrounding me, an uneven mix of modern and ancient. Architectural purists might have called the juxtaposition messy. But there was something real and wonderful in that mess.

And Olivia could have been out here sharing this moment with me, if I hadn’t suggested that damn break.

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