Page 90 of Fallen Flame

Oliver chuckled and pressed a kiss to my temple. “I hope that is high praise from you.”

I closed my eyes. “The highest of praise. That was the only word I could think of.” Oliver had officially scrambled my brain, and I hoped he did it over and over forever.

“We should probably get dressed.”

I opened my eyes and remembered that we were in the work cooler with Ever and Jude less than twenty feet away. I knew I did some crazy things, but this was at the top of the list. “You know when you said I don’t look before I leap?”

Oliver chuckled.

“I think you might be right, Ollie.” I loosened my legs from around him, and he lowered me till my feet hit the cold concrete. “How about we race to see who can get dressed the fastest?”

He pressed a kiss to my lips and then stepped back. He yanked his pants and smiled at me. “I think I’ll win.”

I gasped and looked for my pants. I managed to dress quickly, but Oliver still beat me since he didn’t have to take his shoes off.

He brushed an imaginary speck of dust off my shoulder before gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His hand lingered against my cheek and I leaned into it without thinking. “I should probably finish inventory.”

Oliver chuckled. “I’ll try to keep my hands to myself.”

I picked up the clipboard just as the cooler door swung open.

Ever stepped inside and her gaze landed on me. Then Oliver. Then back to me.

One corner of her mouth twitched. “Counts okay?”

I looked down at the clipboard like I’d been studying it the entire time. “Yep.” I flipped a page. “Everything looks good.” I pointed toward one of the shelves. “We should probably order another case of heavy whipping cream.” I scanned another note. “And maybe two more caramel sauces.”

“Perfect.” Ever nodded. “The bell just rang.” She smiled knowingly. “You’re done just in time for customers.” Without another word, she walked back out, leaving the cooler door propped open behind her.

I waited until I heard her footsteps disappear.

Then I looked at Oliver. For one whole second, we stared at each other. Then I burst out laughing.

“‘Done just in time,’” I repeated between laughs.

Oliver’s mouth curved into a grin.

He stepped closer and slipped his arms around my waist again. “Can you imagine if she’d walked in five minutes earlier?”

I laughed even harder. “She would’ve gotten quite the surprise.”

His grin widened. “She would’ve gotten an eyeful, baby.”

I buried my face against his chest, laughing until my sides hurt.

When I finally looked back up, he brushed a kiss across my forehead. Then another across my lips.

Soft. Sweet.

I smiled into the kiss before taking his hand. “Come on. Break time is over.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Oliver

I pushed another bite of mint chocolate chip around my cup with my spoon. It had been one of those weirdly slow afternoons. The lunch rush had come and gone. The after-school crowd hadn’t shown up yet.

Which meant Jude and I had claimed the booth closest to the front windows while Ever and Lark wiped down the counter for probably the fifth time.