Free Plus One by Brighton Walsh

this, that is.” With a sweep of her hand, she gestured to herself, her nose wrinkled at her disheveled appearance.
    “Quit fishing for compliments,” he teased.
    Laughing, she reached back and untied her apron, then hung it on the hook next to the door. “Hey, a woman never tires of hearing how hot she is.”
    He reached for her hand, pulling her to him before she could push through the swinging door. “In that case, you look amazing, all coated in sugar like that. I want to take you to bed and lick every inch of you.”
    Olivia felt the warmth spread up from her chest, her entire body coming alive with interest.
    Noticing how he’d made her speechless, he chuckled, then leaned in for a quick kiss before grabbing her hand. He pushed through the swinging door, pulling her behind him. As he looked back at her, there was an unmistakable glint in his eye. “Later,” was all he said, but it was enough to send a tingle of want straight to her sex.
    Later couldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter Fifteen
    As Ian watched Olivia practically inhale her chicken sandwich, he couldn’t help but think how normal this was, how right it felt. He loved surprising her at her bakery and sweeping her off to lunch. The images of him living in the city and that being a weekly occurrence bombarded him, and he was more anxious than ever to find out if he got the position he wanted.
    His interview went well, very well, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he got a call later in the week with a job offer. The thought of him living there again was both exhilarating and nerve-racking. If he lived so close to Olivia, it would really open up the possibility of them as a couple. It would also mean that she couldn’t hide behind that as a reason why they shouldn’t pursue something serious. Of course, those things were the exact issues that had his gut twisting.
    Right now, things were easy between them, as this impromptu trip proved. Their base friendship was still their solid foundation, only now he could kiss her when he wanted to, could reach out and touch her without an excuse. He loved the freedom of that. What he didn’t love was the other freedoms they’d essentially given each other. They weren’t committed; they weren’t even technically in a relationship of any sort, so they were both free to see other people. Though he knew he’d never do that while with her—in whatever sense—he didn’t know where she stood. And that was killing him. Imagining her on a date with someone else was pure hell.
    “What are you so serious about over there?” she asked after she took a drink.
    “Just thinking.”
    She waited for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, she prodded, “About?”
    Shrugging, he reached for his water, sucking an ice cube in his mouth before crunching it absentmindedly. “What it would be like to live here again.”
    “Well, obviously it’d be fucking awesome.”
    Her blunt words pulled a sharp laugh from him, and he nodded. “Yeah, I suppose it would be.”
    Tilting her head to the side, she studied him intently. “But you’re not sure. I thought you wanted this, Ian. Are you having second thoughts about moving back?”
    He should have known she would be able to sense something more coming from him. She always was good at getting straight to the heart of matters and helping him talk out his problems.
    “No, that’s not it. I still want to move back. I’m just wondering how it will affect the relationships I have, I guess.”
    “You mean if being so close to everyone here will turn out to be a problem?”
    “Something like that.”
    “Hmm,” she said while giving thought to his worry. “Well, I don’t think so. I mean, you’ve lived here before. Yeah, it was almost ten years ago, but that doesn’t matter. You still have friends here. And I know your mom can be overbearing sometimes, but your parents would both love to have you back.” She paused and sent a grin his way. “Plus you have us.”
    He didn’t