Page 20 of Noble Neighbor
With excruciating slowness, Oliver shifted his eyes up, meeting her heated stare.
“What’s happening here? Between us,” she clarified.
“Not sure, Sunny.” He placed an arm on either side of her and leaned in, keeping his gaze trained on her eyes, bringing his face close to hers.
So close his sightblurred, and he felt the breath escaping her lips, minglingwith his. “But if I don’t get to kiss you,tasteyou, in the next second, I might die.”
He felt her lips crease into a smile. “We wouldn’t want that to happen.”
“No, we most certainly wouldn’t want that to happen.”
“Have at it,” she invited.
Oliver closed the hairsbreadth between their mouths, pressing his to hers.
Good. So good. And warm. An incredible warmth seeped through Sunny, yet only their lips touched. But what lips. Gentle yet strong. Soft yet firm.
Oliver deepened the kiss, parting his lips, and his tongue swiped against the seam of her mouth. Sunny allowed him access, impatient for more, greedily pulling him deeper when his tongue entered, giving free rein to the torrent of desire that had been building within her since the moment she’d laid eyes on the man. Synapses, long dormant, fired to life, shooting electric impulses to every nerve ending in her body.
“Oliver,” she whimpered.
His hands went to her hair, spearing through it, gripping tight, keeping her still as he plundered her mouth. Sunny moved her hands to his shoulders, holding on as he laid to waste all her carefully constructed boundaries.
She was alive, on fire, and it felt good.
So, so good.
A British friend from a former life often used the expression “bloody marvelous.”
Being kissed by Oliver Armstrong wasbloody marvelous.
He lifted his head to rest his forehead against hers. His breathing, ragged and choppy, matched her uneven gulps of oxygen.
“Sunny …” Her name, uttered on an exhale as he straightened, carried a wealth of emotion. Confusion, longing. Resignation. “This … it’s been a long time coming. But …” His arms dropped, returning to their original position on either side of her spread thighs.
When had she parted her legs, making space for his hips to snuggle between them? Moving her hand to cup his jaw, Sunny smoothed her thumb over his cheek. “I know. Maybe we should not overthink this. It’s been an adventure-filled morning. Let’s just chalk it up to, ah, adrenaline?”
A small smile pulled at his lips. “Adrenaline it is. Shall we see to your battle wounds?”
She grimaced, but gamely nodded. “Yes, lets. They’re throbbing.”
He lowered his gaze to her stomach and sucked in a breath. “Oh, Sunny. You should’ve spoken sooner.”
Chuffing a laugh, she wryly replied, “My mouth was too busy with more enjoyable activities.”
Oliver echoed her laugh and stepped back. He opened a tap. “Where are your washcloths?”
She pointed to the cupboard beneath her, moving her legs to the side. Oliver crouched, rummaged about, and straightened with a couple in his hand.
Idly, Sunny wondered what he thought of her flabby midriff.She’d put on a lot of weight with Molly, and after … well, life had fallen apart, and watching calories had not been a priority, and she’d discovered the freedom of eating what she wanted was too liberating to curb it. She wasn’t obese, just well-padded, and she’d becomecomfortable with her new shape. And judging fromOliver’s earlier response to her, he found her attractive.
Testing the water, Oliver plugged the drain and filled the basin. With meticulous care, he cleaned thescratches with soap and water, and she tried her best to not flinch at the sting and instead focused her attentionon the man before her.
This close, she could make out the individual color and texture of his hair. Predominantly a rich caramel brown, strands of red and gold wove through, and she itched to run her fingers through its glossy weight, grab hold, pull him near, feel his mouth on hers again, and continue what he’d started earlier.
Enough.
First, she had to figure what she thought about this attraction between her and her neighbor. A man in her new life never featured. And if it developed into something … more, she’d have to tell Oliver about …him. Her stomach soured at the thought.
