She’d turned it into a joke, but he understood. They had really only just started; he didn’t want to invite the rest of the world into their relationship yet, either.

“Plus,” she went on, “your staff will probably freak out if they find out you’re dating someone who got arrested as a teenager.”

He laughed and touched her cheek.

“Number one, your records are sealed, no one has to know about that. And number two, I know at least three people on my staff who have been arrested much more recently, so they have no grounds to complain.”

They got to his house after a much longer drive than he wanted it to be. As soon as he closed the door behind them, he reached for Olivia.

He kissed her, and kissed her, and kissed her. All of the kisses he’d wanted to give her while they were on the hike, while she’d given him advice and confessed about her own anxieties, he gave her now, again and again and again.

And then, suddenly, kissing her wasn’t enough.

He took her hand and led her into his living room, and fell down with her on the couch while they laughed together. And then, finally, he reached for the bottom of her shirt, that T-shirt that was so snug, that shirt that had been driving him wild all day.

“I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for this,” she said.

He leaned forward to kiss her again, just for that.

“Good God, it’s been a nightmare,” he said.

She ran her fingers from his temple to his chin.

“This whole waiting thing was your idea, you know.”

He shook his head.

“Don’t remind me, especially right now. I feel like the stupidest person in Congress, and that’s saying something.”

He tugged off her shirt, and then sat back to stare.

“Holy shit, Olivia.”

She smiled wickedly at him.

“Hmmmm?”

He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“If I had known all day that you were wearing this underneath that shirt, I might have aborted the whole ‘hike’ idea and never even left the house.”

Her bra was the sexiest thing he’d seen in months, with the exception of the woman wearing it. It was hot-pink sheer lace, and he couldn’t decide if he wanted to rip it right off her body or to have her keep it on as long as possible.

“It’s not the kind of bra you’re supposed to wear on hikes, but I had to draw the line somewhere,” she said.

“My God, you’re amazing,” he said. He reached for her again, and let his thumbs dance over her dark nipples.

“Do you like that?” he asked.

Her eyes closed halfway, and she nodded.

“I like it a lot,” she said.