Page 73 of Almost Love

“I could do worse,” she teased.

“Babe.” He snorted and shook his head. “Come the fuck on.”

The smile on his face lit her up and told her that everything was going to be absolutely okay.

CHAPTER 20

If you asked him what he ate for dinner, Oakley wouldn’t be able to recall a single thing that had been set in front of him. Because all he could think about and focus on was Clementine. Everything about that week had taken him by surprise, but her saying she wanted him was definitely the icing on the cake. He realized that he might have been pushing too hard and definitely didn’t expect the confession aboutXander. If Oakley ever crossed paths with the dude, he would show him just what he missed.

The crazy part was when he’d woken up that morning, wrapped around her, he had thought about asking her to behis. He liked that she did whatever possible to help when he felt like he was lacking. After rehab nobody had been patient with him. For all her bristle, frowning and eye rolling, Clementine was the softest of them all.

She brought him cake tasters, made special batches of donuts andcaredabout him. She might be hesitant about relationships and him, but she was exactly the kind of person he was meant to be with. He’d never felt this way about someone before and it was this intense, all consuming kind of feeling that he hadn’t expected. He craved and ached for her all the time. It wasintoxicating how deeply she’d seeped into his soul. To be cared for and wanted in equal measure by the woman he desired was a big deal.

After dinner he suggested they go back to his place. He was prepared for her to protest, but she climbed into his Jeep without argument. They’d been spending nights at her house because it kept them far away from prying eyes. Taking her back to his place was a reminder that they were not a secret.

Plus, he wanted her to meet the other woman in his life.

The drive and elevator ride to his apartment was filled with simple chatter—how was his food? Was there something specific he wanted to try next time?—and once he let them inside, Oakley had her pressed against the door. Her head was tipped back and he stared into her beautiful eyes, her hands at his waist.

“More important question is, do you still have a crush on me?”

“Absolutely not. I got over you,” he mumbled and her fingers curled into his side.

“Is that so? Then what are we doing here?”

“We agreed to fuck, so that’s what we’re doing.”

“What if I want your affections before I do that?”

“Then you’ve got to work harder.”

He chuckled and dipped his head, her soft lips brushing against his. The kiss was interrupted by faint laughter on the other side of the door and he pulled back when he realized it was Frankie and Milo.

“Should we say hi?” she asked.

“Not tonight.” Hooking a hand into the waistband of her jeans, he tugged her towards him. She came willingly and the minute her stomach bumped into him, Oakley pressed his mouth to hers again. She sighed softly and returned the kiss, rubbing her lips slowly against his. He flicked his tongue out and parted her lips, hand tangling in her thick hair as he cuppedthe back of her head. Clementine returned the favor by pushing her fingers through his hair, angling his head just the way she wanted him.

Her tongue swiped over his and he pulled her closer, their hips lined up so she could feel how hard he was for her. A soft grunt and a hum filtered between them as the kiss broke.

“Maybe I do like you,” she said, beautiful brown eyes blinking open to look up at him.

“Not a crush?”

“You’ve had your fingers and tongue inside me, we’re way past crushes.”

“I haven’t had my tongue inside you yet.” Because they were standing flush, he felt her shiver at his words. Before he could say or do anything else, nails moving quickly on the wooden floor filled the apartment. Clementine’s eyes widened and fingers tightened in his shirt before she looked past him as the sound stopped.

“Who is this?” she asked softly, extracting herself from his arms to squat in front of his dog. Clementine stretched out a hand and his golden girl didn’t even hesitate to sniff, lick and nuzzle their guest.

“That’s Gracie. She’s sort of my support animal.”

She looked up at him, forehead wrinkled. “Support animal?”

“I sometimes need to be reminded to calm down when things get hard.”

She watched him for a long moment and nodded, not pushing for more. He’d told her pretty much everything about his history, and while he wasn’t ashamed of his anxiety or bad days, it happened so rarely now. In fact, ever since he met her, it had probably happened once. If Gracie could speak, she’d tell him it happened a lot more than that. There had been a few nights when he woke up with a start to find Gracie’s paws on his chest, tiny face staring at him in concern.

“How do you feel about hot cocoa?” he asked.

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