Exposed by Fate (Serve #2)(41)

“Eliza—”

“Hmm?” She popped open the top two buttons of his shirt. Keeping her gaze locked on him, she licked the hollow up his neck, tracing a path up to his ear. “Okay, we’ll ditch the uniform and keep the handcuffs. Sound fair?”

Oliver groaned, feeling so hot he actually pondered fulfilling the urge to drag Eliza onto his lap and sink her down on the erection for which she was responsible. He could throw a handful of bills at the cab driver and tell him to keep driving. The guy probably wouldn’t bat an eyelash. She hadn’t ridden him yet and that suddenly seemed like the crime of the century. Still, his heart won. He couldn’t stand for his time with Eliza to end so soon. He couldn’t.

“Stop, babe.”

She went still, her tongue pausing in its exploration of his ear. “Okay.”

The hurt in her voice made him feel sea sick. “I have to get back to the office. There’s a meeting…people are there…” Nice one, f*ckwit.

As if she’d been climbing on an electrified prison fence that had suddenly jolted to life, she all but dove back to her side of the cab. One shaky hand came up to tuck a lock of blond hair behind her ear. She hadn’t bought his excuse. No one would have. “Yeah, me too. M-meeting.”

Christ, he couldn’t let her go without setting their final lesson. As soon as the cab stopped moving, she’d be running toward her building. He’d hurt her feminine pride and she probably couldn’t wait to start avoiding him. Forgetting about him. Not yet. We’re not done yet.

“Eliza.”

Her head whipped around at the dominance in his voice. The sheen of tears in her eyes transformed on the spot into a glazed look, one she got when he spoke to her this way. Dammit, why did she have to be so perfect for him? Following him seamlessly between both sides of his personality without any prompting beforehand, like they’d been doing this their whole lives. Not f*cking fair.

He took her chin in his hand and held it firm. “Wednesday night at seven. My place. You’ll arrive without a bra or panties on. In this dress. I want your hair up so I can see all of you.” Knowing it was a risk, he leaned in and kissed her, a slow brush of lips that exacerbated both of their breathing. “Your final lesson, Eliza. I plan to make sure you graduate with honors.”





Chapter Eighteen


Eliza rested her forehead against the cool passenger side window, watching absently as her breath fogged it up. She’d made dinner plans with Caroline tonight in an effort to distract herself from thoughts of Oliver and their last meeting tomorrow. Kind of silly, considering the two of them were siblings and shared a nose, but her best friend had an uncanny way of taking her mind off everything, usually with off-the-wall topics that had little to do with either of their professions. Eliza liked to think they decompressed each other.

With an hour to go in the work day, Caroline had called her apologizing. Even with her and Oliver at the magazine’s helm, their father was still required to sign some paperwork from time to time, and Caroline needed documents signed for an early morning meeting. Not wanting to cancel completely, she’d invited Eliza along for the ride to Long Island, promising egg rolls and noodles on the way back. She’d had no choice but to agree. The alternative was burrowing under a pile of swatches on her living room floor and watching a Pawn Stars marathon.

Oliver.

Who was he to her now? Could she spend time with him now and not think about what he did to her body? How his voice sounded in her ear? She didn’t think so and that scared her. After yesterday, she couldn’t fool herself anymore into thinking he was a typical lady’s man with commitment issues that happened to be atrociously handsome. Oliver was a damn sight more than that. He had insecurities, just like anyone else, only she hadn’t realized until yesterday just how deep they ran. No one will be surprised if I don’t deliver on this. His family’s lack of confidence in him had always been a running joke, one she’d even been in on from time to time, but it wasn’t funny to her anymore. All this time, he’d taken it to heart, smiled through the pain.

It killed her, knowing that. Knowing this caring man who hadn’t just used their time together as an excuse for easy sex. He’d been patient with her, reminding her to stand strong on her boundaries, to have a voice. Maybe he was the brave one, and she hadn’t seen it until now. How cruel of fate to give her a glimpse into this amazing man just in time to watch him walk away. Like a freight train headed toward disaster, though, she could see the pain ahead. It was going to hurt, this separation. Had she fallen in love with him that day in the dorm room when he’d winked at her behind everyone’s back or had it happened yesterday when he held her hand so tightly in that cab? It was all a blur now. A blur that only came into focus when he was standing in front of her. After tomorrow night, he wouldn’t be there anymore. She’d watch him date and discard to his heart’s content when all the while, hers would be bleeding on the floor.

Porter. She hadn’t even thought of him since that night last weekend in Serve. Yet, Oliver had made the promise to call and set them up. Should she let him? It felt wrong on every level, but if she declined, she might as well skywrite her feelings for Oliver over Manhattan. Things would never have a chance of being the same after that, and she couldn’t stand the thought of him being gone from her life. And he’d do it, too. Oliver might leave a trail of broken hearts behind him wherever he went, but he cared about his family. Her, too. If staying away would be the easiest thing for her, for Caroline, he would do it. So she’d let him set her up with Porter. Hell, maybe a night with another man was the only way to force herself to move on.