Handle With Care by Josephine Myles Read Free Book Online Page B

DVD? Was he after getting his comics back? How much was I going to have to grovel to get back in his good graces? I knew I couldn’t answer any of these questions without opening the door, so I reached out and turned the handle with a sweaty hand.
    “Hey, how ya doing?” Ollie asked, a small smile playing around his lips. He started twirling his wristbands and was jiggling more than usual. “Um, I’m sorry 46
     
    about storming off yesterday. I’m not usually such a drama queen, but I was a bit shaken up by the whole thing.”
    I was flabbergasted. I stared at him with my mouth hanging open until the unease in his eyes made me remember my manners. I pulled the door wide open.
    “You got time to come in for a moment? I could make you a coffee to say sorry for being such an ungrateful tosser.”
    He grinned as if in relief, then tore back a Velcro strip on one of his wristbands to reveal a watch face. “Yeah, I could probably spare fifteen minutes or so. I mean, I shouldn’t, but who’s gonna know? I can just say I got stuck in traffic.” He gave me a wicked smile and had a glint in his eyes that made my heart start to pound.
    I wordlessly led the way to my kitchen, trying desperately to convince my body that soaking itself in sweat was not the best plan of action right now.
    Needless to say, it didn’t bloody well listen to me.
    “Wow! Great place you’ve got here. I was too panicked to notice it all yesterday.” Ollie spun around in the middle of the kitchen, peered out over the courtyard garden, then his gaze skittered over my coffeemaker. “Shit, you’ve got an Elektra Micro Casa! These things are fucking beautiful.” He stroked a hand over the brass body. “Looks proper steampunk, that does. Like I said, you’ve got great taste.”
    He turned to me, and my mouth dried up. I swallowed hard. “You want a coffee, then?”
    Ollie shook his head, a mischievous smile quirking his lips. “Not really.
    Maybe next time, though.”
    He took a step closer, his eyes sparkling, and I started to panic at my body’s instinctive reaction to him. I couldn’t get properly hard when I was bloated with fluid, could I? I was starting to doubt my previous certainty.
    “Juice?” I offered. “Soda water?” Anything to take my mind off the way my blood was racing south.
    “There is something I’d like to taste,” Ollie said, stepping well into my personal space. I took a step back and ended up trapped against the worktop.
    “Yeah?” I croaked, unable to take my eyes off his as he moved right up close until we were practically touching. I could feel the heat radiating off him, and I wanted nothing more than to pull him to me, but my hands seemed to be glued to the worktop.
    “Yeah,” Ollie replied, then slipped his arms around my waist and craned up on tiptoe until our lips brushed together.
    48

Chapter Seven
    “Hnnugh!” My breath escaped me with an embarrassing protest, but Ollie just smiled and hooked a hand around my neck to pull my head down. This time, I was prepared for him and opened my lips to his probing tongue. He kissed enthusiastically—more energy and desire than technique—but he tasted incredible, like mocha with cream. I took over the kiss, slowing it down so that our teeth wouldn’t clash anymore. I sucked on his tongue, and Ollie made this little noise that sounded like he’d gone to heaven. It was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. Jesus Christ, I needed to keep my hands to myself, or I was going to grab hold of his arse and frot against him until I came in my pants. I pulled back, panting, my forehead resting against his.
    Then his hand dropped down and groped me through my jeans.
    “You’d better stop that,” I protested, but I hadn’t even convinced myself, so I wasn’t surprised when he ignored me.
    “What have we got here, then?” he asked. “Feels like a bit of a monster.
    Think I’d better take a closer look.”
    He slid his other hand up inside my T-shirt, and I