Only Oscar (Wattys 2022 Shortlist!)

Chapter Eleven

She dropped her chin and looked up at him through a veil of heavy lashes. "If you're still trying to sell me on that being a natural talent, I'm not buying. When a guy kisses a girl like that, it's obvious he's had plenty of practice."

"Jealous?"

"Curious."

"About the girls I practiced with or the other things I'm good at? Cos if you need a demonstration of the latter, we might need to go some place more private."

The statement was punctuated with a suggestive wink which made her laugh. 

Grabbing a fistful of the material on his back, she tugged and asked, "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

"Don't worry. He's still in here." He leaned down to reassure her with a brief, soft brush of his lips over hers. "So, you wanna stand here and make out for the next few hours or go on an adventure with me?"

"Hmmm..." Callie pouted. "Tough choice..."

"Choose fast," he warned with his gaze on her mouth. "Or I'll make the decision for you..."

It was tempting to let him, particularly when she was so taken with the more forceful, take-charge version of her best friend. But it was probably better to take things slow. 

She couldn't jump into the new version of their relationship with both feet and hope for the best, the way she usually did.

"Adventure, please."

Taking a step back and releasing her arms so Oscar could claim her hand was a move which made her realize taking it slow would involve considerable willpower on her part. Despite the ambient temperature, she immediately missed the heat of his body, the lack of it creating a hollow sense of loss.

Swaying closer to him as they walked, she encased his large hand in both of hers, "Where are we going?"

"Wait and see."

She was perfectly happy to spend the afternoon wandering the crowded streets with him. It didn't matter where they went so long as they were together. But when they rounded a corner and the incongruous sight of a large boat on wheels came into view, she gasped.

"We're not...?"

"We are."

"Ohmygod." Callie bounced with excitement. "I've wanted to do this forever."

"I know." Oscar smiled indulgently.

When they took one of their first walks around the city to get their bearings, the loud music and quacking sounds emanating from a passing Duck Tour instantly endeared it to Callie. That it was a tour which covered both land and sea might be enough for most folks, but for her the attraction lay in the plastic duck-billed quackers. She'd wanted one so bad. 

The second Oscar paid for their tickets and she had one in her possession, she ripped open the bag, popped it in her mouth and blew to produce a satisfyingly loud quack.

Oscar shook his head as they joined the tourists. "That's going to be your only method of communication for the entire time we're on this thing, isn't it?"

She quacked once for 'yes'.

"You do know that's the reason we haven't done this before now?"

Two short quacks, 'I do.'

He sighed. "That's gonna get old real quack."

'Funny guy,' she quacked in reply. 'But I love that you're doing this for me.'

Oscar smiled. "Yeah, I didn't get any of that."

The tour was everything she thought it would be and more. Though most of the unexpected bonuses came from her travelling companion. 

One long arm rested across the back of her seat, fingers brushing her bare shoulder or tracing the side of her neck throughout the journey in a way which suggested he was incapable of keeping his hands off her. His free hand sat loosely on his lap for a while, but the first time he leaned over her to get a better view, it settled on her leg. 

His fingertips whispered towards the soft skin behind her knee and when her gaze flew to his face, his eyes darkened with awareness. By the time they were floating along the Hudson, he'd re-positioned himself, the hand which had been exploring her neck and shoulder replacing the one on her leg. 

He donned an impassive expression, focused straight ahead and appeared to be listening intently to every word the tour guide said. But Callie knew his mind was elsewhere.

She glanced around to check no-one was watching what he was doing as his fingers slid higher, exploring the sensitive skin on her inner thigh. Arousal spiked, sending waves of moist heat to her core. She shifted restlessly on the plastic seat, checked again to make sure they didn't have an audience. They didn't, but there was only so much she could take and when his fingers crept dangerously close to the hemline of her mini-skirt, she clamped her hand down on his.

Lips pressed tightly around the plastic duck bill, she produced a somewhat plaintive quack, frowned and delivered a firmer warning with her eyes. 'Stop that.'

She saw his chest shudder with silent amusement. Then he turned towards her, grazed her cheek with the hint of stubble on his jaw and whispered in her ear.

"Chicken."

'Duck,' she quacked as he leaned back and looked in her eyes. 'And the payback for this is gonna be a doozy, my friend. So, you best be prepared for what's headed your way.'

"Say again?" He grinned.

Callie glared at him, ruining the effect when she removed his hand from her leg, placed it back around her shoulders and snuggled into his side. 

He placed a soft kiss on her forehead when she was settled. But as tender as the gesture was, if he thought that was all it took to appease her, he was wrong.

For the rest of the tour she plotted her revenge.

She considered what it would take to get him to the same state of heightened arousal she was in. Then she pictured all the places she could touch him and kiss him and taste him. But all that did was make her think about what it would feel like to have him do the same things to her. 

Her body was primed and ready to take their relationship to the next level. 

If they were a random couple who met at a party the night before, it might have felt like they were moving too fast. Particularly if she wanted more from him than sex. But when it had taken so long for her to discover he had the ability to turn her knees to jelly, a fact which still put a goofy grin on her face, it didn't feel fast. She wanted to know everything about him, every detail she'd missed or overlooked, the things he kept hidden when their relationship was platonic.

She wanted it all. She wanted him. She burned for him.