My stomach dropped. I hated the idea of losing him. That terrified me.
“Oliver,” I whispered, my voice suddenly gone. He was being so rational and kind and perfect, but my mind raced with what-ifs. So many ways this could go wrong—my career being the biggest. Yet, I wanted this. I wanted to let myself trust him. I wanted to have someone happy to see me and be there for me. My eyes prickled, and I swallowed a few times, hoping the tears would stop, but that caused them to spill over. “I’m scared.”
He smiled, soft and patient as he closed the distance between us and held my hand in his, gently running his fingers over my palm. “What’s the saying? If you’re scared, then do it scared.”
I sucked in a breath when he kissed the inside of my wrist. My knees buckled, and I leaned against the counter to hold my balance. “What if?—”
“Uh huh.” He shook his head, his eyes dancing with the light I was used to. “We’re not gonna be playing the what-if game unless it’s what if we we’re meant to be together? What if we get married? What if this is the best decision we ever make?”
More tears spilled over now.
“Sloane,” he whispered, cupping my face with his large hands. “I know you’re scared, and yeah, I’m scared too, but it’s worth the fear. We can figure out all the logistics at work, here, all of that is details. I need to know if you want this with me. I’m still waiting on that answer.”
God. I wanted it with him. I wanted it so badly. I gripped his sweatshirt as I nodded, leaning closer to him to kiss him, yet he stopped me.
“As much as I want to kiss you, I need a few more answers from you,” he said, softly and gently as he smiled down at me.
I frowned, definitely pouting at being rejected.
He ran his thumb over my bottom lip, his teeth coming down on his bottom one. “I love this pout. I really love this pout on you.” He laughed but then tilted my chin up. “I need to hear you say that you want to try this with me, exclusively.”
“What does that mean?”
“Pretty sure that was a clear ask, but I’ll humor you. I want to hear you say it with this pretty mouth of yours, that you are with me. Just me. Not dating others, that you and I try to figure this out together.”
“If I agree,” I said, smiling at the possessive and urgent tone to his voice. No one had ever wanted me this much, and I was almost drunk on this feeling of being wanted. “Will you kiss me then?”
He laughed and ran his hands down my shoulders, arms, then gripped my waist and set me on the counter so we were eye level together. “Yes, Sloane, I’ll give you whatever you want if you fucking agree to be with me. Now stop being a brat.”
It was my turn to touch him, his face and jaw as I ran my fingers over his scruff. He leaned into my touch, his eyes closing as I touched him.
“Before I do that, I want to say sorry.”
His eyes blinked opened, wide and curious. “For?”
“I should’ve told you why I stayed back. I promise you I wasn’t running, but I chose not to share details, and that wasn’t kind of me.” I held his gaze. “I’m sorry for that. If we do this, I’ll communicate better.”
“I appreciate that. Now are you gonna tell me what you did? I won’t lie to you, I imagined you seeing an old ex and might’ve obsessed over that for an hour.”
“No ex.” I chuckled, pulling him closer to remove any space between our chests. “It’s about my family, and it’s not exactly fun. Not sure you want to hear all that baggage.”
“Sloane, let me make something very fucking clear. I want all your baggage. I want to carry it, pack it, move it, all of it. I’m not afraid of hard shit.” His voice was firm, hard, intense. “So what’s your answer? Are you in this?”
God. I trembled at the thought of being with someone like Oliver. Yes, he was younger and a player on the team I worked for. Yes, he was off-limits in so many ways, yet he saw me in a way no one else did. I’d never felt this way about anyone, and the way he looked at me, the promise of partnership?I want all your baggage.
Hottest line I’d ever heard, but I knew he meant it. He didn’t say things he didn’t mean, and I swallowed so hard my throat clicked. This would be the scariest thing I did because it couldhurt me in so many ways, but I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t try.
“I know it’s going to be messy and we have things to work through, but yes, I want this. I want to be with you, just you.”
24
OLIVER
Her words caused an inferno inside me. I needed her mouth on mine, her tongue tangled with mine, her body on mine. I craved the closeness with her, the connection, and somehow, by some divine intervention, I remained patient and calm. “Good answer.”
She giggled and weaved her fingers through my hair, removing my hat and setting it on the counter. “Does that mean I’m allowed to kiss you now?”
“Yes, but—” I paused, honestly quite proud of my restraint. “I do feel like I need to ask first if you want to talk about what happened with your family or if you’re okay? I can listen if you want to chat. No, I want to listen. I want to be there for you.”
