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“I just…I have a thing. For a guy.” He nodded again, this time slowly. His eyes darkened, and the corner of his jaw twitched, just for a moment. She blinked, and his expression was blank again. “Yeah. I gathered that.”
“So, what are we talking about?” Why, I was just in the middle of lying my ass off, thank you for asking.
“Did Adam tell you that he almost didn’t graduate high school? He got suspended for punching a guy who insisted that the Large Hadron Collider would destroy the planet.” “Interesting how you’re not mentioning that you got suspended alongside me for doing the exact same thing.”
“We held hands. We slow-danced. We made Richie spit out his punch and regret every single one of his wretched choices. Then we went home and played even more Final Fantasy. It was the shit.” “It was surprisingly fun,” Adam conceded, almost reluctantly.
What the helly
He grinned, and—Malcolm was right. Had been right for the past two years: there really was something easygoing and effortlessly attractive about Holden. Not that Olive seemed to be interested in anything but tall, broody, sullen hunks with genius IQs.
“Really?” Holden nodded. “Yep. I’m so glad he finally scrounged up the courage to ask you out. He’d been going on and on about this ‘amazing girl’ for years, but he was concerned about being in the same department, and you know how he is…” He shrugged and waved his hand. “I’m glad he finally managed to pull his head out of his ass.”
Holden must have been referring to someone else. And Adam must have feelings for that someone. Someone he worked with, someone who was in their department. Someone who was “amazing.”
I could kick her Ass
“That would be lovely.” She attempted a smile. “Right?” He grinned. “Adam would hate it with the intensity of a thousand suns.” He really would.
“Olive,” Dr. Aslan interrupted her with a stern tone. “What do I always tell you?” “Um…‘Don’t misplace the multichannel pipette’?” “The other thing.” She sighed. “ ‘Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man.’ ”
Since the conference was in less than two weeks, and everything was likely already booked up. What was left was undoubtedly so out of her price range, she’d have to sell a kidney to be able to afford it. Which could be an option—she did have two.
HYPOTHESIS: Approximately two out of three fake-dating situations will eventually involve room-sharing; 50 percent of room-sharing situations will be further complicated by the presence of only one bed.
I freaking love this bok
“I’m glad you’re back. I’m pretty sure the biology dropout rates have seen a steep reduction. We can’t have that.” He gave her a patient, put-upon look. “You look tired, smart-ass.”
“Which, by the way, is new on the menu. You could totally buy it for me, and that would make my day.” “Sure.” He looked slightly nauseous. “Awesome.” She grinned. “I think it’s cheaper today, some kind of Tuesday sale, so—” “But you could room with me.”
Oh its so on baby
“I couldn’t.” “The room is a double, of course,” he offered, as if that piece of information could have possibly changed her mind.
But is it?
“Adam.” She rubbed her forehead with her fingers. “There will be only one bed.” He frowned. “No, as I said it’s a double—” “It’s not. It won’t be. There will be only one bed, for sure.” He gave her a puzzled look. “I got the booking confirmation the other day. I can forward it to you if you want; it says that—” “It doesn’t matter what it says. It’s always one bed.”
She knows better hahhhhh
“Are you afraid that I’ll try to kiss you without your consent? To sit on your lap, or fondle you under the pretext of applying sunscreen? Because I would never—” Olive chucked her phone at him. He caught it in his left hand, studied its glitter amino-acid case with a pleased expression, and then carefully set it next to her laptop.
“A roommate.” It occurred to her that Adam was thirty-four and likely hadn’t had a roommate in about a decade. “Or a girlfriend.” He smiled faintly and lowered his gaze. “I guess my ‘girlfriend’ will tell me after SBD, then.”
“To be fair, I don’t like people in general.” “Right.” Don’t ask, Olive. Do not ask. “Do you like me?” A millisecond of hesitation as he pressed his lips together. “Nope. You’re a smart-ass with abysmal taste in beverages.”
“How likely is it that your feedback will cause me to cry under the shower?” “That depends on the quality of your slides.” She smiled. “Don’t feel like you have to hold back.” “Believe me, I don’t.”
There were two beds in the hotel room. Two double beds to be precise,
God dammit
He was holding his key card and typing something in his phone, but stopped as soon as he looked up and noticed Olive. His mouth opened, and— That was it. It just stayed open.
She had thought sweaters were a good look for him, but only because she’d never seen him wear a blazer. He had a secret weapon all along, she thought, trying not to stare too hard. And now he’s unleashing it. Damn him.
when she was sitting on her bed staring at the Boston skyline and chewing on her lunch, that Olive realized that the protein bar Adam had given her was covered in chocolate.
fingers, a vise-tight grip around her upper arm, and why was he—what was he— “What—” Heart in her throat, Olive freed her arm and took several steps back. “What are you doing?” Her hand came up to her biceps and—it hurt, where he’d clasped her.
God—had he really done that? Tried to kiss her? No, she must have imagined it. She must be going crazy, because Tom would never— “A preview, I think.”
Huh
“Listen, Olive. My friendly advice is: suck it up. Keep Adam happy and interested as long as possible, and then come to my lab to finally do some decent work. If you keep me happy, I’ll make sure you can save the world from pancreatic cancer. Your nice little sob story about your mom or your aunt or your stupid kindergarten teacher dying from it is only going to get you so far. You’re mediocre.” Olive turned around and ran from the room.
“Hey.” She tried a smile, but continued to stare down at her own hands. “How did your address go?” “What happened?” His voice was calm, pitched low. “Did you only just finish?” Her smile was holding. Good. Good, that was good. “How was the Q and A—” “What happened?”
“Olive.” “Really. Nothing.” Adam stared at her, questioning, and didn’t let go. “Did someone buy the last bag of chips?”
“Who? Who were they?” Oh, Adam. “Someone. I’m not sure.” “Did you see their badges?” “I…didn’t pay attention.” “Were they on your panel?” There was something underneath his tone. Something pressing that hinted at violence and rage and broken bones. Adam’s
You just had to go and make me fall for you, she thought, blinking against his skin. You absolute ass.
“And I keynote-spoke.” He grabbed her red duffle coat from the bed and pulled her toward the entrance. “Can you walk in those shoes?” “I—yes, but—” “I have my key card; we don’t need yours.” “Adam.”
“Adam, you can’t skip those events. People will say that you—” His smile was lopsided. “That I want to spend time with my girlfriend?” Olive’s brain stopped. Just like that. And then it started again, and— The world was a little different.
“Those free drinks you mentioned? Do they come with food?” “I’ll get you dinner.” Adam’s lips curved a little more. “You’re not a cheap date, though.”
“Where do you want to go, smart-ass?” “Let’s see…What do you like? Aside from tap water and hard-boiled spinach?” He gave her a dirty side-look. “How about burgers?”
“—or the best movie in the Fast and Furious franchise—” “Fast Five. Though I have a feeling you’re going to say—” “Tokyo Drift.” “Right.” He sighed,
“You are not mediocre, Olive. You were not invited to speak because people think that you are my girlfriend—there is no such thing, since SBD’s abstracts go through a blind review process. I would know, because I’ve been roped into reviewing them in the past. And the work you presented is important, rigorous, and brilliant.” He took a deep breath. His shoulders rose and fell in time with the thudding of her heart. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”
And when she bent, for once taller than him, the shape of his lips under hers was like an old song, familiar and easy. It wasn’t their first kiss, after all. Though, it was different. Calm and tentative and precious, Adam’s hand light on her waist as he tilted his chin up to her, eager and pressing, like this was something he’d thought of—like he’d been wanting it, too. It wasn’t their first kiss, but it was the first kiss that was theirs, and Olive savored it for long moments. The texture, the smell, the closeness. The slight hitch in Adam’s breath, the odd pauses, the way their lips had to
...more
Maybe I’m just not attractive to you, and you don’t want this—” It nearly made her lose her balance, the way he tugged at her wrist and pulled her hand to himself, pressing her palm flush to his groin to show her that…Oh. Oh. Yeah.
“Olive.” His mouth traveled upward, less than an inch, teeth grazing against skin and bone. “Here?”
“Pay attention, sweetheart.” He sucked the underside of her breast. She had to hold on to his shoulders, or her knees would give out on her. “Here?”
Im done for
“Remember what?” “Our first kiss.” He didn’t answer. Instead he looked up and down at her, eyes glazed, and said, “I want to keep you in this hotel room for a week.” His
“You said to do something I’m into.” His breath was hot against her. “I am.” “You can’t possibly want to—” He squeezed her leg. “I can’t remember a moment I didn’t.”
“This might take a while,” she said apologetically, hating how thin her voice sounded. “Fuck, yes.”
“What?” “Can I fuck you?” He sucked the base of her throat. “Please?” He breathed it against the shell of her ear, and—it wasn’t as though she could say no.
“You’re so big.” He groaned into her neck. His entire body was vibrating with tension. “You can take it.”
“I love it, Adam.”
Adam tried to look away and failed. “You are so beautiful.”
“The things I want to do to you. You have no idea.” “I think maybe I do.” She licked her lips. “Some, at least.” His eyes were glazed as he stroked the corner of her mouth, and Olive wondered how she could possibly be done with this, with him, in just a few hours.
If he hadn’t said, “Olive. If you ever need anything, anything at all. Anything. Whenever. You can come to me.” His jaw worked, like there were other words, words he was keeping inside. “I want you to come to me.”
Can you believe it? Anyway. After dinner we got ice cream and then we went back to Holden’s hotel room and sixty-nined like the world was about to end—”
