Standing outside Olivia's room, Christian waited patiently. Since Eva seemed like she'd be occupied with her call for a while, he figured… why not check in on Olivia?
He didn't open the door himself. No matter how casual and familiar things had become between them, face-to-face interactions still held a different weight from simple phone calls.
Is she already asleep?
When the door didn't open right away, Christian couldn't help but wonder. He narrowed his eyes slightly, concentrating his senses inward, and against his initial assumption, there was indeed movement inside.
Moments later, the door opened, revealing Olivia. Her damp hair clung in strands around her neck and shoulders, and she wore a short robe tied loosely at the waist.
"Chris?" she said, blinking in surprise.
From her tone, she had clearly expected someone else. Then, without much thought, she simply added, "Well, whatever. Come in."
Her bare thigh peeked out with each step, the robe parting just enough to tease. But it wasn't just that. The way her breasts pressed against the loosely tied fabric made Christian's throat tighten involuntarily.
"You're seriously trying to seduce me," he said, indignation in his tone.
His voice might have sounded righteous, but his eyes, glued to the generous curve of her chest, betrayed a very different truth.
Olivia caught the stare and let out an exasperated sigh. "Then wait outside while I change, pervert!"
Seeing her hand actually reaching for the door, Christian quickly stepped forward and blocked it.
"Who said I wasn't coming in?" he said smoothly, and walked past her without hesitation.
Olivia smirked and shut the door behind them.
She settled across from him, where he had already sprawled on the couch like he owned the place. Crossing one leg slowly over the other, she leaned back slightly, her smooth legs coming into view again as she asked, "So? What did you come to talk about?"
"Nothing important, really," Christian said, his gaze lingering. "I just thought we could hang out for a bit. You're free, right?"
Her lips curled into a small smile that soon bloomed into a playful grin. "And if I wasn't? Would you leave like a gentleman?"
Christian chuckled. "It's not impossible. But you should make a little time for your dear dad every now and then, don't you think?"
Olivia rolled her eyes with a snort. "There's no father in the world who looks at his daughter, with the way you're ogling me right now."
Christian leaned back, as if wounded. "Hey now, it's not ogling… it's called appreciation."
"And besides," he added with a smug grin, "wasn't that what you wanted? Flaunting your legs like that, and letting your robe almost fall off your shoulders?"
Olivia finally showed a flicker of embarrassment. She snorted lightly, trying to cover it up, then said, "Better that than running your mouth and shamelessly saying all that to me, especially considering your relationship with my mother. Now shut up and come dry my hair."
As she spoke, she casually lifted a hairdryer beside her and pointed it at him like a royal decree.
"Immediately, Princess," Christian said, without missing a beat. He took the dryer and moved to sit behind her on the edge of the bed, just close enough that his knees lightly brushed her back.
The moment he settled into place, the scent of her, something light, fresh, and a little sweet, floated into his nose. It was warm and clean, with a faint trace of her natural fragrance that made him briefly forget what he was supposed to be doing.
He still turned on the dryer and began to gently run his fingers through her damp hair, lifting sections and letting the warm air pass through. His movements were calm and steady at first, but being so close to her, the situation wasn't exactly easy to ignore.
Her robe had slipped slightly, revealing more of her breasts than it had before.
Her breasts, soft and full, gently rose and fell with each breath, and being this close, it was impossible for him not to notice the slight pinkness of her skin just above the fabric's edge.
His eyes wandered, and almost without realizing it, he leaned in just a little, as if a closer look might somehow uncover a hidden treasure.
His fingers slowed. His focus faltered. The drying turned a little careless.
Olivia tilted her head slightly, catching his shift in movement. Her eyes flicked back toward him, and she naturally noticed where his gaze was directed, but, she didn't fix her robe. Instead, she raised an eyebrow, then said, bold and unflinching, "Should I just take the robe off? Would that help you get a better look?"
Her voice snapped Christian out of it. He coughed awkwardly, quickly averting his eyes. "Sorry. It's just… hard not to be distracted."
Olivia said nothing. She turned her head forward again, letting him continue. And again, she didn't adjust the robe at all.
That surprised him a little. But even so, he tried to focus back on drying her hair… tried.
Christian wasn't new to this. He had long since lost his virginity, and even this morning, he'd slept with Eva and his sister. But this… this kind of closeness with Olivia, in her room, with her robe slipping and her skin still warm from the bath, it felt different. It had a strange, almost forbidden pull that stirred something deep.
Still, he didn't want to let that hungry part of him take the reins. He tried not to look at her breasts again… tried.
But his gaze wandered every now and then, drawn back by instinct.
… At least it wasn't as blatant as earlier, right? That was some improvement.
And most importantly, she wasn't some innocent girl who didn't understand what was happening. So, the fact that she hadn't stopped him, hadn't fixed her robe, probably meant she was fine with it. At least, fine with it to this extent… right?
Before long, Christian finally finished drying Olivia's hair. He let out a slow breath, strangely feeling a little exhausted.
His voice came out low and firm as he said, "Go and change your clothes."
Olivia's eyes lit up at his words, sparkling with a playful glint. She tilted her head and let out a teasing, drawn-out, "Oh~"
"Are you aroused? Horny?" she asked, her voice dripping with mischief. "Do you feel like you're going to jump on me if I stay ?"
Seeing his gaze still lingering, Olivia, who had already grown far too comfortable around Christian, far more than with any other boy she had ever been close to, suddenly grew bolder.
And with a flick of her wrist, she took hold of the edge of her loose robe and lowered it slightly.
Enough to let one soft, pink bud peek through.
"So," she said, her voice a little quieter now, a little more unsure beneath the bravado, "what do you think?"
The moment the words left her lips, she quickly pulled her robe back over her chest, covering herself. Her cheeks flushed a deep red. That brief flash of skin had taken real courage, and it showed.
This wasn't something she ever did. It wasn't just another tease.
And Christian stared at her for a second longer, but then his voice turned sharp.
Just one word, but the sternness behind it made her freeze… no, made her wake up.
And her teasing faded in an instant.
Olivia's lips pressed together as she nodded faintly, and then, without a word, she turned and walked away, meekly, quietly.
As soon as she was out of his line of sight, she squatted down near the corner of the room, covering her face with both hands.
Her heart was racing. Her body was still warm.
What the hell did I just do?
She couldn't believe it. That wasn't like her. That wasn't something she would ever do.
It felt like a moment of sheer, uncontrollable stupidity… sparked by the tension, by the heat, by finally seeing him face to face after all those long conversations and playful back-and-forths over the phone.
Now, though, all she wanted was for the floor to open up and swallow her whole.
Was there any hole she could crawl into and hide?