Page 23 of His to Cherish
I peek around the lacy curtain and gasp when I see his Jag pulling into the driveway. “You’re here?”
“I’m here,” he agrees. “Unlock the door for me.”
“It’s unlocked.”
He growls. “We’re going to have a talk about that.”
A shiver runs down my spine. It’s not the first time he’s said something like that to me. Oliver has always been overprotective of me, always looked out for me since we first started hanging out. The context feels different, now, after everything we did last night.
I end the call when I hear his car door slam, panic suddenly rushing through me at what I must look like. I didn’t bother changing out of my leggings and tank top this morning. I didn’t even shower. My hair is a mess pulled up on the top of my head. Luckily, I washed my face last night, but I have zero makeup on.
And he’s seen you looking exactly like this on numerous occasions,I remind myself. I rarely dress up, and certainly not for afternoons hanging around the house with Ollie. But it all feels different, now, and I wish I would have put a little effort into my appearance today.
There’s no time to do anything about it, though, because a moment later the front door opens and Ollie is standing there, looking mouthwatering in jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. The man can wear the hell out of a suit, as last night proved, but he also does casualverywell.
“Hey,” I squeak, feeling my face flush with heat. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
He rubs a hand through his hair, still standing in the doorway. His eyes are locked on me, but he makes no move in my direction and my nerves inch up another notch. “What brings you to this neighborhood?”
“You,” he says simply. “I wanted to see you.”
And there go the stomach butterflies. I can’t help but shoot him a shy smile. “Really?”
He laughs, finally closing the door and crossing the room to me. He takes me in his arms and I snuggle into my spot, the perfect place below his collarbone that I claimed for myself years ago.
“You said you were going out of your mind?” he asks, kissing the top of my head. I snuggle in even farther. Never have I felt so safe as I do in Oliver’s arms. And that’s not anything new—he’s always given me this feeling.
I think it’s why I love him so much.
“I probably put a groove in the carpet from all my pacing.”
He chuckles. “Me too, sweetheart. I’ve been going crazy.”
I pull away enough to look up into his face. “Why would you be going crazy?”
He raises an eyebrow, his expression indicating it’s the dumbest question he’s ever heard. “Because you might say no.”
“And that would…upset you?”
His jaw hardens. “It would fucking devastate me, babygirl.” He closes his eyes and seems to force the next words out, like they’re painful to him. “But I would deal with it. If that’s what you really wanted, I would deal with it. I only want this if you’re sure.” He walks us over to the couch, collapsing into the cushions without releasing me so I fall into his lap. “Now talk to me. Tell me why you’ve been feeling crazy.”
I take a deep breath, realizing that most of the frantic thoughts have quieted down now. “I think space was the wrong choice for me today,” I say. “I was sitting here thinking that I wish I had someone to talk to, and it hit me. You’re the one I would talk to about a big life decision.”
He makes an approving noise. “That makes me really fucking happy, babygirl. I want to be the person you trust.”
“You always have been.” I try to gather my courage. “So how would this, um, relationship work?” A terrible thought crosses my mind. “Would it even be a relationship or are you looking for something casual or?—”
“It would be a relationship, Lilly,” he says, sounding a bit pissed off, like he’s offended I would even ask. “An exclusive relationship. I don’t want you with any other guys.”
“And what about you?” I ask. “Would you be with other girls?”
“Shit no,” he snaps. Yeah, he’s definitely annoyed. “Why in the hell would I be with anyone else if I had you?”
My heart swells up in my chest even as uncertainty fills me. “I don’t really understand, Oliver. Before yesterday you never once acted like you were interested in me…that way.”
He snorts. “I guess I’m a good damn actor then, baby, because I can assure you this isn’t something that suddenly occurred to me last night.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything? You’re the kind of guy who goes after what he wants.”
