Stay with me

My hair fell over Isaac’s shoulder as I leaned over him. Keeping my eyes on Ollie’s, I traced my tongue up the length of Isaac’s neck until my lips fell over the tender spot behind his ear—the spot I knew drove Ollie insane. Ollie clenched his jaw as my lips touched Isaac’s skin with delicacy. My fingertips traced the length of his arm, and I whispered sweet nothings in Isaac’s ear.

“Shit, Mia,” Isaac breathed. I looked from Ollie down to Isaacs’ arm as goosebumps and the hairs on his arm raised.

Ollie averted his gaze.

“Goosebumps? Really, Alicia? Every time …” Bria scoffed as I settled back in my place between Jake and Isaac.

“Five. I give her a five,” Isaac said with enthusiasm.

“The score goes up to three,” Bria reminded him.

“I still give her a five.”

“Three it is.”

The rest of the group rambled off scores, and when it got to Ollie, he refused to score.

It was Isaac’s turn, and he had everyone stand up in a circle. After blindfolding him and spi

A mortified expression crossed Alicia’s face as Isaac pulled off his blindfold. “Sorry, darling.” He laughed.

“Oh, come on, you could have done better than that.” I laughed. “One for me.”

“Wish he chose you?” Bria asked.

My eyes rolled at her nonsense. She was next, and with only three people left, I hoped she was the one who got my action. After everyone said their scores, Bria reached into the hat and pulled out a piece of paper. Her eyes went wide as she read it before snapping her head in Ollie’s direction.

Mission complete.

“In front of everyone?” she repeated as she read the last part out loud.

“W-w-whoa, you can’t say anything,” Jake reminded her.

Bria stood and reached her hand down to Ollie. “Come on. You’re a part of this one.”

Ollie looked back at the group, and I pressed my lips together to avoid laughing.

“Whoever this was will be ruined,” Ollie said as Bria pushed him against a tree. She dropped to her knees and reached for his waistband.

My heart went haywire in my chest, and though this had been my idea to begin with, regret filled me without notice. His top button came undone, his zipper was pulled down, and Ollie lifted his face to the sky. Inside, I was screaming. Why did I do this to myself?

Then Ollie pushed her hands away. “No, I can’t.” He took the paper out of Bria’s hand and read it. “I’m not bloody doing that, are you mad?”

“You’re turning down a blow job with no strings attached?” Bria asked, surprised.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing,” Ollie said with his hands in the air. “I can’t … not with you.”

Bria stood as her hands flew to her hips. “Excuse me? What do you mean not with me?”

“Just forget it,” he muttered under his breath, and walked away from her and back to the group. “Now, who did that?”

Jake was in tears from laughing so hard, and I was still recovering from the fact I had tested my feelings for Ollie without realizing it, and I didn’t like the outcome.

Ollie bent down and snatched a paper from the hat and read it. “I need someone to count mentally for one minute.” Bria sat back down, the rejection stinging her a million times over as Ollie walked over to me. “Come with me,” he said and held out his hand.

Taking his hand, Ollie helped me to my feet and I glanced around at the others while he led me over to the brick wall. He positioned me against it, and I glanced past him to the group behind him, all having no idea what was about to happen.

“Keep your eyes on me,” Ollie said before turning over to Jake. “One minute, mate.”

Ollie drew in a deep breath as he took a step closer. A lump made of concrete formed in my throat as he came within inches of my face. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, love, but I can promise you it won’t work. If you hadn’t already noticed, you had me from day one …”

Ollie exhaled and placed a palm against the wall beside me. Leaning into my ear, he said, “Mia, I only want you … I want to be found by you across the room, I want your lips on mine whenever I want, and I want to feel myself inside you. I need it. You and everyone else your entire life has told you that you’re incapable of feeling, but you’re all wrong. What happened in your room, that was real—a feeling so strong, you flipped out because you haven’t felt like that before, and I promise you will never feel that again with anyone else. I’m not going to save you, Mia. I don’t want to be the one. I’m going to show you how to save yourself.”

“Twenty seconds,” Jake called out.

Ollie brought his attention back to me. “Now this paper in my hand says I can’t touch you, and I’m not supposed to have you speak, but I have to hear it from you. And be frank with me, Mia, do you feel for me?”

My palms began to sweat and my mouth went dry as his green eyes searched mine. “I know you’re in there,” he whispered as the mint from the gum in his mouth brushed my trembling lips, and I wasn’t sure if it was a reaction to Ollie or the biting cold. All I was sure of was I needed his warmth.

I dropped my chin in a small nod and met his eyes again. A boyish smile reached his eyes and a single finger rested under my chin as he leaned in a little closer. “Say it, Mia.”

“Time’s up, Ollie,” Jake a

Ollie turned around. “Ah, fuck off, mate,” he called out, and while he was distracted, I stole the paper from his hand and read it to myself. “Give Jake a hand-job OR finger Bria for one minute.”

He snatched the paper from my hand and stuffed it into the pocket of his joggers. “It’s between you and me.” He returned his palm to the brick and leaned back in. “Now, I’m dying right now. Answer me.”

“Yes,” I said, voice cracking. “I feel for you, I always have. And no matter how hard I try not to”—I shrugged—”it won’t go away. It’s always there.”

Ollie’s lips twitched. “You can stop fighting now, Mia.”

My heels lifted off the ground, and without an afterthought, my mouth found his. I felt his smile against my lips before they molded with mine, and I slipped my tongue inside, craving the taste of him. Ollie’s body relaxed against me as he held my head in his hand, and took my bottom lip between his teeth.

“Ollie, it’s over!” someone shouted, but Ollie reached one hand behind them and flicked them off without parting from me. A giggle escaped between us.

“You. Me. Tonight. Your room,” he whispered, and took my hand and lifted me off the wall. His words bounced around in my head the whole way back to the circle. He refused to keep his distance after and pulled me over to his spot between his legs. Everyone’s eyes darted around, but neither one of us could care as he kissed my neck and kept me warm inside his arms, where I should have been all along—my safety net.

“Think it’s your birthday, mate?” Jake teased, looking over at Ollie and me.

“Every day is a present,” Ollie replied with a lift in his tone.

Alicia leaned over and whispered in Ollie’s ear, “You’re walking a dangerous line … You need to be careful.”

Ollie nodded and brought his attention back to me and ran his palms up and down my arms.