Page 58 of Beautiful Place By the Sea

“To dance,” he says, like he couldn’t possibly have meant anything else. “It worked earlier,” he shrugs.

I follow him back to the dance floor. Our hands find each other again, a little clumsier than before, thanks to the booze. His arm slides around my back, pulling me against his chest a little more tightly than when we danced earlier. I feel my breath catch in my throat.

“Wow,” I chuckle awkwardly, “you saved me twice in one night.”

His body is warm against mine, and I’m acutely aware of every shift of his fingers on my hand.

He chuckles softly. “Well, that guy is still staring at you from about ten feet away. I’m not sure you’re in the clear just yet.”

“Damn it,” I whisper. “I’m so not in the mood to deal with a creeper.”

Oliver grins in a way that makes me feel a little weak in the knees. What in God’s name is happening to me tonight?

He’s looking right at me now, but we’re so close. If I fall into his gaze, I’m not sure I’ll be able to get back out. I pick a spot on the far wall and stare at it for a second, trying to get my bearings.

“To be fair,” he muses, “the first time I saved you was just payback for you helping me with Rachel. So maybe that one doesn’t count. They cancel each other out.”

“Maybe.” I tap his shoulder with my pointer finger, considering. “But you wouldn’t have been in that situation if I hadn’t encouraged the depraved street youths in the first place.”

“Hmm.” Oliver’s chest is firm against mine, and I sink into him a little further. He doesn’t pull away. “So what you’re saying is that, really, helping me with Rachel was just fixing your own mistake? And thus, I really did save you twice in one night?”

“Exactly.”

“So therefore, you really do still owe me. Twice.”

“Hey!” I swat playfully at his shoulder with my free hand. “Way to back me into a corner, there.”

I feel his laughter vibrate against my chest.

“Fortunately, I’m very solutions-minded.”

“Oh, are you?” I tease.

He nods in mock seriousness. “Absolutely. And I think we can take care of the afore-mentioned debt and make Mr. Red Polo go away, all with one simple act.”

I dare to meet his eyes. “Oh?”

He doesn’t look away. “Can I kiss you?”

I can’t breathe. I don’t know if it’s the song, or the alcohol, or how good it feels to be held after months of heartbreak, or if it’s because of how safe Oliver is making me feel right now. But my heart is palpitating like it’s never beat steadily in my life, and I nod before I can talk myself out of it.

“Go ahead,” I whisper.

He raises an eyebrow, then a small smile flashes across his face. He weaves his fingers through the hair on the back of my head, tips me backwards, and leans in to cover my lips with his.

I see stars. His kiss is firm, and warm, and it makes my heart pound. I don’t even think; I just kiss him back, opening my lips to him and slipping my tongue inside his mouth. I’m lost in the feeling of Oliver—something I didn’t anticipate, but now that I’ve found it, I can’t imagine I ever lived without. It’s like everything before this moment was a foreword, and this is the story itself.

Before I can muster a coherent thought, he pulls my face toward him more tightly as he gently guides us back to a standing position.

I realize the bit is probably supposed to be over by now, but I’m lost in a whirling eddy of emotions, and I’m not ready to stop. I slide my free hand over Oliver’s cheek, down his shoulder, around his neck, pulling him to me.

God, this feels so good.

“Ivy?” he finally murmurs, breaking free.

“Mmm?” My eyelids flutter open.

He gestures with his head. “He’s gone.”