Page 41 of Falling for the Bad Boy
Oliver shoved the paintbrush between his teeth to free up his hands and pull a couple of paper towels off the roll.
“Give that to me.” I stepped across the canvas to take the paintbrush back. As I reached for it, he let it go. It tumbled past my hand, leaving a trail of paint down my shirt before landing in the middle of the canvas, right on top of the first “I” in “limits.”
His eyes widened as he let out a laugh. “I’m so sorry.”
I glanced down at the splotches of blue paint dotting the front of my shirt, then back up at the humor in his eyes. All I wanted to do in that moment was wipe that smile off his face. I reached down, dipping my hand into the can of paint and before Oliver could move, I placed my palm in the center of his chest. My arm tingled at the contact. The man might infuriate me but there was no denying the magnetic pull I felt around him.
His hand clamped around my wrist. “Is that all you got?”
I wanted to pull away, but I couldn’t. Something in his tone, or maybe the heat flaring in his eyes, made me stop. “You said you never fingerpainted.”
“And you think now’s a good time to start?”
Shrugging, I reached down to dip my other hand in the can of paint. “No time like the present.”
He waited until I brought my hand up, intent on putting another blue handprint on his chest. As I smiled, proud of my work, he reached around me and dragged me up against him. Paint oozed through my shirt, dampening my skin.
“Oh, that’s not fair. You just got paint all over my shirt.” I half-heartedly tried to duck out of his grasp, but he wouldn’t have it.
“I think you’ve just proven that you’re not going to play fair.” Oliver pulled me tighter against him until he’d spread most of the paint from his chest onto my shirt. “You know, you could always take it off.”
CHAPTER 17
Oliver
I stepped back as Trinity lifted the hem of her shirt up and over her head. So much for being neighborly. We could still be neighbors with benefits. That could be a thing in the States.
She tossed her shirt to the side and reached for me, her palms covered in blue paint. “So the first thing you need to know about finger painting is that you’re going to get dirty.”
“How dirty are we talking? Wash your hands in the sink kind of dirty or will you need to get me in the shower to clean up?”
“You’re going to need a full-body cleanse by the time I get done with you.” She narrowed her eyes and fussed over her bottom lip with her teeth.
Damn. I’d underestimated the intensity of my attraction to the gal next door. One look like that from her and my dick sprang to attention, ready for a repeat performance of the night before.
“First you need to get some paint.” She squatted down next to the paint can and looked up at me. All I could think about was what she might be able to do from that position if we took off our pants. Not even the overpowering paint fumes could curb my attraction.
I lowered to my knees and dipped my pointer finger into the paint. “Now what?”
“Now you’re going to have to paint the border by hand since you’ve proven I can’t trust you with a brush.” She scooted to the edge of the canvas and traced her finger along the edge, leaving a wavy blue line.
I could do that. Following her lead, I extended the squiggle she made. “Like that?”
“Not bad.”
My ego expanded with the praise. “Maybe I’m not so artistically challenged after all.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. You made a line. Not even a straight one.” She peered across the canvas at me, a smile making the edges of her eyes crinkle.
“So it’s like that, huh? You can’t bear to give me any kind of positive feedback?”
Her cheeks flushed. “As I recall, I gave you plenty of affirmations last night.”
Yes, she had. Fuck it. This neighborly thing wasn’t going to work out. Not with the heat that pulsed between us. “Come here.”
She didn’t resist when I reached for her and pulled her into my arms. Her hands wrapped around my shoulders as my mouth captured hers. My fingers went to her hair, hands cupped the back of her head, adjusting the angle so I could take the kiss deeper.
Chills raced up and down my limbs. It hadn’t been twenty-four hours since we’d been together and still, it felt like forever since I’d had her up against me. Skimming a hand over her shoulder, I inhaled her scent. Everything about her drove me crazy. I wanted to, no, I needed to possess her. Make her as desperate for my touch as I seemed to be for hers.
