Stay with me

Tilting my head in Maddie’s direction, I wondered if entertaining her childish games was even worth it. “Good for you, Maddie.” Nope, not worth it. Maddie was never worth it.

“And I know something you don’t know,” she bit back.

Her comment stopped me in my tracks, and I crossed my arms over my chest, taking her in. The devilish smile on her face, the satisfaction in her eyes, her posture, it all screamed the fact she couldn’t wait for whatever she had pla

Ollie appeared beside me and slung his arm around my shoulder. “Maddie starting her games again?” He looked down to me without so much as paying her a lick of attention.

“Trying to.”

“Ah, she’s reaching, love. Come on,” he said into my ear and pulled me away from her toxic antics.

Maddie’s voice bounced through the hall as we put more distance between her. “He will never forgive you for what you did!”

I jerked my head around right before Ollie opened the door to my room and pulled me inside. “Fuck her,” he breathed as soon as the door closed. “Remember what I told you about jealousy? Well, she’s jealous of you. Forget her.”

“What do you think she meant by it, though?”

“Who the hell cares? She’s like a little rat, crawling and scratching at whatever she can get her claws on.” Ollie weaved his long fingers through his thick hair before cupping the back of his neck. “Let’s not waste any more time on her. Christmas is in six days, and I was going to wait until then to give you this, but I’m like a kid when it comes to these things.” Ollie dug his hand into his back pocket.

He groaned. “Shit. Hold on.” He turned around while I sat at the edge of the bed and watched his shoulder blades move against his white shirt.

When he turned back around, he dangled a white origami rose from his finger by a ribbon attached. My eyes darted back and forth between the rose and his lopsided grin as I brought my hand to my mouth.

“You like it?” he asked, crouching down in front of me.

“Ollie …”

He took my hand from my mouth and laid it flat before placing the rose inside. “Truth is, I’d never cared much for Christmas. Most people don’t know it’s a busy season for prostitutes.” He shrugged. “Growing up, I spent all day on Christmas in a bloody closet, and as I got older, the day only got worse. But with you, I want to experience everything. And when we leave here, together, we’ll have a tree, lights, music. A proper Christmas. And this here is going to be the first ornament on our tree.” He gri

I ran my fingers over the delicate edges. “Where did you … How did you learn to do this?”

“Zeke knows origami. I went to the library the other day and tore a page from one of my favorite books and Zeke taught me the rest.”

Zeke. My heart swelled. Ollie kissed my forehead.

“I didn’t know we were … I didn’t get you anything,” I quickly said, then let out a deep sigh. “I always hated Christmas, too.”

But suddenly, I wanted to decorate a tree, play Christmas music on the piano for him, send out ridiculous Christmas cards from Ollie & Mia, and surprise him with gifts, wanting to experience all of it—with him.

Ollie removed the rose from my palm, stood, and set it carefully on my suitcase. “I already have you. What more can I ask for?” His eyes held the daydream look, and I knew what was coming next. “Well, if you really want to give me something … you, on top of me, naked, always works.”

There it was, and when he talked like this, it was no underlying joke. He wanted me now. This very moment. No filter, always telling me what was on his mind.

Me. On top of him. Naked.

He tilted his head, spiked an eyebrow, and his eyes held on strong. My insides pulsed as the tingling sensation ignited. Leaning over, I wrapped my hands around his legs and pulled him toward me between my knees. Glancing up at him standing over me, I slipped my fingers into the waistband of his joggers.

“Mia …” he breathed. My name falling from his lips meant everything. It was a beg, a plea, a demand, a promise, a relief, a praise, a question, an answer, a longing, a desire.

It was everything, all in one breath.

“I want to give you something I’ve never given anyone.” And it was true. Before, my egotistic needs were my only concern. Giving head was a purely selfless act, and I had been a self-centered, egotistical, bitch before Ollie.

Ollie grabbed my wrist and stopped me. “You never had your mouth around anyone?” He was surprised. I didn’t blame him.

Staring up at him from the edge of the mattress, with his fingers wrapped around my wrist, I shook my head. “No.”

He turned his head slightly as a dimple beamed from his cheek, and he ran his palm down his face and through his hair. When his eyes met mine again, his smile was everything. “I can’t seem to wipe this stupid smile off my face.”

“Why are you smiling?”

He sighed, still smiling, still in awe. “I haven’t gone down on anyone either before you …” A laugh pushed through his lips.

My brows pulled together as I leaned back on my hands. “You never went down on anyone?”

Ollie shook his head. “Not until you.”

“But you’re so good at it.”

“You make me good at it.” He winked and released my wrist. “And if I could go back and take away every other first, I would … If I knew one day you’d come into my life, I would have waited.”

“All those small steps were leading you to me, Ollie. If a stone was thrown in one of our paths, if one little thing had changed, would we have met at all?”

Ollie smiled. “Every second is a life-altering decision, but all routes lead to one destination. Weaknesses aren’t strong enough to deter you from your fate—they never were. We’re created with fault, Mia, and whether or not we made a different decision, all my paths would have still led me to you.”

Shaking my head, I said, “How am I supposed to give you head if you keep me smiling. Now, stop. You’re killing my gift-giving vibe.” I returned my hands to his legs and looked back up at him. His expression was a mixture of adoration and lust, his eyes heavy with need, and his lips parted slightly in anticipation. “Take off your shirt, Ollie.”

Ollie reached behind him and withdrew his shirt on command before dropping it to the floor. The lines peeking above his joggers deepened, and the ink on his torso stretched as his muscles flexed. He lowered his hand to my face and ran his thumb over my bottom lip. I kissed his fingertip, and Ollie closed his eyes. “You have no idea how fucking beautiful you are right now,” he whispered, blinking his eyes open again. “Fuck, Mia. You’re always so God damn beautiful, but right now …” He shook his head in awe.

His hard-on pressed against the thin fabric of his joggers, starving for release. Pulling his pants and boxers down together, they slid over his arousal and down his thighs, and I kissed his lower abdomen. Ollie combed his fingers through my hair, keeping the locks away from my face as his eyes drowned in desire.

Grabbing the length of him, I ran my tongue up the bottom of his shaft before wrapping my lips around him. Ollie’s eyes closed as every muscle in his face relaxed. My lips slid across the tight skin, each stroke taking him deeper. Ollie’s head fell back as he moaned. “Holy … Christ, Mia …” He looked down again, and I held his gaze.

Sucking, my tongue slid across each vein, one hand at the back of his thigh and the other holding his length at the base. I learned which parts were more sensitive than others by his reactions—the way his fingers gripped my hair and the way he jolted against me. His tip hit the back of my throat, and I flicked my tongue against the sensitive part underneath.