“I’ve never liked someone as much as you either,” I admitted, realizing in real time that it was the truth. I’d never been excited about anyone like this before. The way he made me feel should be studied.

Instead of backing away, his gaze hardened into one of determination. “I don’t want to mess anything up.” He brought a hand to my cheek and traced a circle.

“Life is messy. We already established, we’re messy. And that’s okay,” I said.

He laughed. “I never thought you’d be okay with a mess.”

I put my arms around his waist, giving him a squeeze. “We don’t know what’s going to happen next,” I murmured. “But what I do know is that I’m going to combust if you don’t touch me right now.”

That was all it took for his mouth to descend on mine.

This time, I could feel the difference. Any hesitation had evaporated. Instead, there was pure resolve.

He grabbed me by my ass and hoisted me up, back onto the counter. I wrapped my legs around him, impatient to finish what we’d started. As our mouths continued to move together, my body grinded against his, securing him to me. He brought a hand to the edge of my shirt, sliding it up. The feel of his warm hand against my bare skin made me gasp on contact.

The fact that he’d shared something so personal with me only made my desire for him stronger. I couldn’t believe that he saw it as a weakness. To me, it made him seem real. And realness was something I had been sorely missing in my life.

I felt his smile against my mouth as he carefully traced his hand up my stomach, sliding it along the underwire of my bra before cupping one of my breasts. The relief at feeling his touch on me was both decadent and short-lived. Each little bit of progress made me want more of him.

I arched my back and he took that as an invitation to yank my shirt over my head. I followed suit and pulled his shirt up. He pulled away briefly to tug it over his head before returning his touch to my body. He broke the kiss to examine me for a moment. Him drinking me in like I was precious made me simmer under his gaze.

“Fucking perfect,” he muttered, lightly grasping the edge of my bra and tugging it down to free one of my nipples.

I sucked in a breath, before he brought his lips back down to mine. As soon as he pinched my nipple, twirling it between his fingers, my eyes rolled back into my head from the pleasure.

After weeks of imagining what it would be like to finally cross that line with Oliver, to feel his touch on me without him holding back—I felt utterly undone. His touch wasn’t enough. I wanted his mouth on me. I wanted all of him on me.

He pulled the straps of my bra down and yanked the whole thing so it now sat around my waist, leaving me bare for the taking.