Page 74 of Almost Love

“I feel very good about hot cocoa.”

The smile she flashed made him melt. When Gracie hurried over to him, he scooped her up and kissed the top of her head.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

As she wandered around the apartment, taking in the mismatched details, he watched her from the kitchen. He filled Gracie’s bowl with food and water then got started on their drinks. His eyes kept drifting to Clementine, wondering how she saw his apartment after the beauty that was her home. It was a one bedroom place with a large area that consisted of a living room, dining room and an open kitchen. He’d picked up a lot of the furniture at garage sales and secondhand stores, so everything had a loved and lived-in feel, and nothing matched.

When she opened the balcony doors off the main room, Gracie followed excitedly. Clementine stepped outside and he could no longer see her, but he could hear her muffled voice as she spoke to Gracie. He smiled and finished putting their hot cocoas together. Carrying the drinks out, he found her leaning against the handrail, hair fluttering in the cool breeze. Gracie had made herself comfortable in one of the patio chairs he’d set up, but she watched his every move. He stood behind Clementine, hands resting on the railing on either side of her.

“It’s really beautiful here,” she said softly.

He kissed the side of her head, eyes closed as he inhaled her vanilla and sugar scent. “You definitely make it better.”

“Such a cliché.”

He laughed and burrowed into the high neck of her sweater so he could press his nose to the soft warmth of her neck. She hummed and rocked back against him, her ass pressing into his crotch.

“Thank you,” she said after a long moment, her voice soft.

“For what?”

“For being you. For wanting me.”

“My absolute honor.” She turned to look at him and Oakley smiled. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Knowing that you felt something for me is pretty fucking special too.”

“I mean…it was all surface level at first. Because you’re infuriatingly attractive.”

“Are you saying that you’re not attracted to me anymore?”

“Be serious, Oakley.”

He laughed at the huffy tone of her words. “I’m serious, baby.”

“Would I be here if I wasn’t attracted to you?” The look she gave him would burn a lesser man, but he soaked it up. Because from the day they met, that’s how she looked at him. “But I’m here for more than that.”

“What are you here for?”

“You,” she replied promptly and he felt that in his chest.

“I’m here for you too.”

“I know.”

With a slight stretch of her neck, she pressed a kiss to his jaw and he sighed softly. Forgetlikeandcrushes, this woman was going to own him body, heart and soul, and it would be better than anything else in the whole fucking world.

“I’m going to fall in love with you, Clementine. You better be ready for it.”

Eyes widened and lips parted, ready to protest. But he didn’t give her a chance when he stepped back and gestured to the hot cocoa.

“We should probably drink that before it gets cold.”

Had it been anyone else, he’d talk to fill the silence. With Clementine, silence was totally acceptable. It had a lot to do with the fact that the woman was so fascinating to watch because she was fidgety as hell. First, she slurped her hot cocoa, then she spent a few minutes rubbing her sock-covered feet together. Then she struggled to tuck her legs onto the chair before giving up and slumping into her seat with a pout. Gracie had climbed into her lap when she sat down. With all this fussing, his dog had wandered off to find another soft spot to sleep. He would have laughed had it gone over well.

Her dark hair fell down past her shoulders in messy waves and her makeup free face was flushed, drawing his attention to her long lashes that fluttered against her full cheeks every time she closed her eyes to take a sip. He hadn’t been joking earlier when he said he would fall in love with her. He was on the edge already and they were still getting to know each other. But what he knew about her? He was obsessed.

“Gimme your feet,” he said when he noticed her flexing her toes and rotating her ankles. She hesitated, frowning at him. “Come on, Clem.”

After one of her famous eye rolls, she adjusted her chair so it was facing him and then one at a time, she set her feet in his lap. Oakley put his drink down to peel off her socks, then with both hands he gently massaged her soles. Clementine gasped at the contact and then settled, eyes fixed on his face as he pressed his thumbs along the instep.

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