I smack her leg. “He’s not. I mean, he can be, but not to me. You have to get to know him. He has a soft gooey center.”
“If you say so. Just promise me you won’t get too sucked in. Make sure he doesn’t try to cut you off from the rest of us. Let’s have a date Friday night. Only us. No men. Dinner and a movie or something.”
I grin at her. “Deal.”
Anticipation bubbles in my veins while Brienne and I wait for Oliver to meet us in the car.
“He’s on his way down.” Brienne hangs up the phone, her eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror.
“Thank you.” I peer through the tinted glass in the back seat, watching the elevator doors.
I wanted to do something more extravagant for Oliver’s birthday, but I had to come up with a plan on fairly short notice. I considered inviting other people—Guy and Scarlett or Finley and Archer—but it was too last-minute. Besides, I wasn’t sure if Oliver would appreciate that much attention without fair warning. I’ll have to save that for his next birthday.
If we’re still together a year from now. We haven’t had the whole talk about whether we are exclusively dating each other, but it sure feels like we’re pretty damn serious.
I hope he enjoys what I have planned. He has no idea where we’re going. I just told him I wanted to spend time with him, and he was all-in. Of course, I made sure he wore something appropriate for the occasion because a three-piece suit will definitely not work.
The car door pops open, and Oliver slides into the seat next to me, his hands going immediately into my hair, tilting my head. “I missed you,” he murmurs, and then his mouth claims mine.
Distantly, the window between us and the front seat hums closed, and the car purrs to life underneath us. I lose myself his possessive touch and the carnal sensuality of his mouth, the scent of his cologne wrapping around me.
“I missed you too,” I say against his lips when we finally pull back for air. I draw back farther to take him in. “Shorts.” I check him out, my gaze dipping over him. “Shorts and a T-shirt.”
His lips twist. “As commanded.” His voice is dry.
“I like it.”
His gaze zeros in on my mouth. “I like it if you like it.” He reaches for me again, but the car rolls to a stop.
“We’re here!” I grin at him, excitement and nerves making me jittery.
He frowns. “Already? We didn’t go very far.”
“Come on.” I push him out of the car and onto the sidewalk.
Brienne opens the trunk. “Call me when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Brienne.” I reach into the trunk, grab the water guns, and hand one to Oliver.
He blinks down at the giant orange-and-yellow plastic item in his hands. “What is this?”
“A Super Soaker.”
He frowns.
I squeeze the trigger lightly, and a stream of water shoots out of my gun, splashing his shoulder. His brows lift, his mouth popping open in shock. I throw my head back and laugh.
“Oh, you’ll pay for that.” His voice is dark, liquid heat.
“Not if you don’t catch me.” I take off running toward the park.
I had Brienne drop us off on Eighty-Sixth Street so we would be as close to the Great Lawn as possible. I dash down a path that cuts through the trees, darting around pedestrians, Oliver hot on my heels. Water soaks my shorts. He’s shot me in the right butt cheek.
“Hey.” I shoot a laughing glance behind me.
“Just marking my favorite bits.”
Delight is a glow in my chest. Cracking up, I almost trip, and Oliver is there before I fall, grasping my elbow. I catch my footing and then keep running.
He keeps pace. He isn’t even winded. He could probably catch me without exerting himself in the slightest, but he doesn’t. He stays behind me, probably viewing his handiwork on my cotton shorts.
We break out onto the wide expanse of grass that is the Great Lawn, right into the largest water fight in the city.