Her lower lip trembles as she looks at me. We both know what we want, and while it feels dangerous, I don’t care. I need her, and the rush I get from having her this close is bigger than anything else I’ve felt in my entire life.
I place my hands on her waist, tugging her away from the door and close to me, pressing her body against me and looking into her beautiful eyes. “You haven’t answered me yet.”
Mindy doesn’t answer. Instead, she puts her arms around my neck and I know I have her. She’s mine. The girl who has excited me since the first time I saw her picture is totally mine.
I lean in for the kill, intent on working her body from this side of the moon to Sunday, when there's a knock at the door.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
Chapter 15
Mindy
I pull away from Oliver with a gasp, my skin prickling with desire. I want him so fucking badly I can practically taste it.
I shiver. Ever since dinner started, I felt like I was just going along, doing what came naturally, waiting for this moment. From the moment I stood up and took his hand, it was like my mind was on cruise control.
But can I control what comes after?
“Don’t answer that,” I say breathlessly, leaning back in to kiss him again.
Oliver begins to shake his head when I hear Roxy's muffled voice. “Mindy, open up. I know you're not asleep yet. You guys literally just left the living room.”
I roll my eyes, cursing my sister. I turn around and take the two steps to open the door. Roxy is standing there with a smile on her face while holding Bertha in her arms. “What?”
“Ooh, I hope I didn't interrupt anything,” she says, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
I want to choke her. “Oh, yeah, I was just about to pull out my strap-on. Oli’s got a fetish, you know.”
She slaps me playfully on the arm. “You liar!” She looks over my shoulder at Oliver. “She’s lying, right?”
“You’ll never know,” Oliver says.
I nod at Bertha. “What's this?”
Roxy grins again. “After Mr. Dog Whisperer here showed his skills today, I thought this would be the best place for her for tonight. So . . . here.”
She thrusts Bertha forward, and I step back, totally disbelieving. “What are you doing?”
Roxy nods. “Grandma was going to kill her, and Mom wouldn't let her stay in her room tonight because she had an accident or something. She kept running and pawing on Maw Maw's door. That used to be mom’s room. I tried to take her with me, but she kept whining and I want to be able to sleep.”
“And you think she’s gonna be fine here with a couple of strangers?”
Before Roxy can reply, Oliver walks over and takes Bertha from her hands. “It’s fine, we’ve got this. Goodnight, Roxy.”
I turn to glower at him, but when I see the small dog in his arms, my heart melts. “Yeah . . . goodnight, Roxy.”
Roxy beams at Oliver. “Thank you. You have a heart of gold, unlike Miss Evanora over here.”
“Goodnight, Roxy,” I repeat forcefully. “Love you.”
I gently shut the door in her face. I hear her mutter some insult on the other side of the door, but I can't make out what it is. Instead, I turn to Oliver. “You must really like dogs.”
He nods, petting her. “I always had golden retrievers. Loyal to a fault and greatly behaved. Bertha’s no retriever, but she’ll do in a pinch.”
Bertha snuggles into his arms, and I swear she's claiming him as her own. I just can't get over how cute she looks in his arms.
I reach out and stroke Bertha’s soft fur. She’s not as bad or as annoying as she was earlier, or maybe it’s just who’s holding her. “I love seeing you hold her.”
A slight smile turns up Oliver’s lips as he stares down at the dog. “Do you, now?”
“Yes. I can see the soft, vulnerable side of you. And it makes me . . .”
He looks up at me, and there is fire in his eyes. Fire that heats my body again in an instant. Soft and vulnerable? No, those aren’t the right words. Protective, nurturing . . . those words might be better, because I don’t think anyone in their right mind could call Oliver Steele soft.
“Makes you what?” he asks, his voice low and magnetic.
Sweat beads my brow as my heart pounds in my chest. “Want you even more,” I finish.
I can't believe I admitted that! To hell with it. It’s true.
Oliver gently sets Bertha on the floor and takes my hand, leading me over to the bed.
“Then why not enjoy the benefits of having a fiancé?” he says, running his fingers along the curve of my left earlobe. “You know, I have a special talent.”