Oliver smiled. “I don’t like to keep a lot of snacks around. I’ll eat them all.”

No wonder he was always eating dinner at Marie’s.

“The point of having snacks is to eat them, silly.” I poked him in the chest, and he kissed my forehead. Just like that, the seriousness of our conversation had evaporated.

“I have to stay in shape.”

“I think the insane amount of snowboarding you do has got you covered in that department.” I prodded his abs, which were rock solid.

“Hey!” He squirmed away from me.

“Don’t tell me you’re ticklish,” I said, reaching out and pinching his side.

He swatted my hand away, laughing, before jumping toward me and tickling my sides. A squeal escaped me as I writhed on the countertop, but Oliver didn’t relent.

“I give. I give,” I choked out, and he finally stepped back, still hovering above me.

There was a palpable change between us as Oliver stared at me, our faces only inches apart. Everything was charged and something deep in my gut flipped.

“You’re so fucking cute,” he whispered while I caught my breath. I was sure my face was completely beet red at this point.

His eyes studied mine before he dipped his head and kissed me.

I lingered, savoring every second of this. I’d never been kissed the way Oliver kissed me. Both with the comfort of familiarity, as if we’d known each other for years, and the electric thrill that only came with someone new. He always touched my face and I liked how connected it made me feel to him. I craved it.

Leaning my whole body into him while still balancing on the countertop, I deepened the kiss. He brought his hand down, letting his arms cage me on either side. All I had to do was scooch a few inches forward and I’d get that contact I so desperately wanted.

When he slipped his tongue into my mouth, I decided to stop denying myself. I grabbed his arms and tugged him toward me at the same time I scooted forward on the countertop. As soon as we made contact, I moaned into his mouth. I could feel how hard he was for me, and I wanted more. Judging from the way Oliver removed his hands from the counter to wrap them around my waist and bring me closer to him, I wasn’t the only one affected by the contact.

I had been thinking about this for weeks. Maybe since I first met Oliver, if I was being honest with myself. I grasped at the bottom of his shirt and started to pull upward, revealing his abs that I wished I could spend all evening tracing.

His hands fell to the top of my ass and he squeezed. I grinded into him, eager to explore this further.

But then, as fast as we started, Oliver pulled away and gave a reluctant shake of his head. “Maybe we should slow down.” His voice was gruff, as if he could barely get the words out.