When I first realized that I’d fallen asleep, there was still daylight outside and I could hear Dylan’s raised voice coming from downstairs. Ignoring him, I pulled the covers over my head and resumed my sleeping. I didn’t want to do anything else anyway.
The second time, I woke up because I was suffocating under the covers and it was still daylight. Switching to a lighter cover, I lost some of my clothes, too.
The third and fourth times were because I was uncomfortable in my own skin.
Then I started tossing and turning too much. I simply hated everything. At least it was finally dark outside.
The fifth time… The fifth time I woke up because someone was getting in bed with me.
I didn’t open my eyes, but I knew it was Jason; I’d know his scent anywhere. My body tensed, but I tried not to make it too obvious and tried even harder to keep my breathing under control.
Dylan was pissed off enough for the entire family; he wouldn’t have let him in the house, let alone climb up in bed with me, so what was he doing here? I didn’t have to wait too long for an answer.
“Your mom fixed me the couch, but I sneaked up to your room,” Jason whispered. “We have to be quiet so your idiot brother doesn’t bust in here trying to protect my wife from me.” He paused. “You have no idea how weird it is to be back here, Olive, but to be sneaking into your room like this…for some reason that doesn’t feel weird.”
I didn’t move, but he continued.
“Olive…” There was a long sigh. “When did I start missing you this much, sweetheart? When did I…” Another sigh. “I was so worried when Alvin said they didn’t know where you were.”
More silence.
Slowly, he pulled the covers down, and his fingertips touched my bare shoulder.
Damn it! Why had I thought it was smart to sleep in a tank top and my underwear? I should’ve let myself suffocate in peace. When his fingertips reached my hip and he realized that I wasn’t wearing much underneath the covers, he sucked in a breath and let the cover rest on my thighs.
My heart beating in my throat, I waited to see what his next move would be. Maybe he had come to say we had to get a divorce? If these were our last moments, I wanted to savor every second of it.
I know what you’re thinking, but did you hear the part where I already acknowledged the fact that I was pathetic?
“Is your heart still beating just for me, Olive?” he asked softly, his voice low and sweet.
I closed my eyes tighter.
“I wonder if you can feel my touch in your dreams…if that’s why your heart is beating so fast.”
His soft words a whisper on my skin, I let his fingertips trail every inch of my body, seducing my heart before my mind could put a stop to it.
“I missed you, baby. If I kiss you, Olive…” I felt the touch of his warm lips on my shoulder just before he moved closer. A shiver went down my spine and I was too late to hold in my small gasp. Jason continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “If I kiss you will you wake up and play with me? I want to feel your lips on mine so badly, Olive. Will you please stop pretending to be asleep, baby?”
He knew I was awake. Too tired for games, I opened my eyes to a dark room. “What are you doing here, Jason?” I whispered after some time.
“Will you look at me, sweetheart? Please.”
I turned to face him, but we were a little too close for my comfort, my childhood bed being too small to keep a respectable distance between us. Still, I backed away until I was lying on the very edge of the bed. I kept my eyes down on the sheets.
“Can I tell you what I remember from last night? Will you listen to me?”
“Do I have any other choice? You are in my bed and I have no other place to run to.”
I could barely see with the only light coming from outside, but he still lifted my chin so I could look at his eyes. I focused on the stubble on his cheeks.
Because I’m a rebel like that.
“I never want you to run away from me again, little one. If you do, I will always come after you. I want you to remember that. That being said, I will never give you a reason to run away from me either.”
Again, I stayed silent.
“The last thing I remember from last night is going up to the private rooms with you and trying to figure out what I could say to convince you to let me have you up there.”
His fingertips touched my lips and I flinched. He ignored it and gently stroked my lips.
“Then I kissed you, Olive, didn’t I? I always remember kissing you.”
I would never forget how it felt to have his lips on mine either. It would always stay with me.
Damn those tears rushing to my eyes!
“I also remember talking to Lucy and Lily, but after that I remember nothing, Olive.” He paused for a minute. “Do you know where I woke up this morning?”
I flinched again and braced myself, but instead of continuing with his story, he brushed my hair back.
“You’re shivering sweetheart. I wish you would come closer so I could warm you.”
I didn’t move. When he was satisfied with my hair placement, he sighed and picked up from where he had left off. “I woke up in Devlin’s hotel suite. Alvin was there, too. They think someone spiked my drink because I was acting weird, and when I woke up I couldn’t even remember where you were.”
I tensed.
“Will you come closer so I can hold you in my arms? You’re about to fall off, and I’m afraid Dylan will barge in to protect you from me.”
“He knows you’re in my room?”
“Not yet, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
He linked his hand with mine and gave it a gentle tug. Reluctantly, I scooted forward. When I was close enough, his hand sneaked around my waist and he pulled me flush against his chest, resting his head on top of mine as I discreetly breathed in his scent.
His long sigh sounded like he was relieved.
“I don’t know how I’m going to make you believe me, Olive, but I hope you will. While I was sleeping it off, Devlin questioned his entire staff, but other than that one drink, I didn’t have anything. No one could’ve slipped anything into my drink because the bartender prepared it in the room, you saw it yourself.”
Somewhere in the house, someone opened a door and we fell silent, our bodies tense with the interruption. A few seconds later, the bathroom door opened and closed.
When the coast was clear again, he continued, talking in hushed tones. “I took Alvin with me and went to your apartment to look for Lucy, but she wasn’t there. When I found Lily instead, I kinda lost it. I might have scared her a little, but it was worth it because she admitted to messing with my drink with Charlotte. According to Lily, it was Charlotte’s idea to take pictures of me to leak to the press. I don’t know how much of it is a lie, but that was what she was going with.”
I hadn’t even realized I was crying until Jason lifted his hand to softly wipe away my tears.
“As if they hadn’t done enough damage, one of them also called the tabloids as an anonymous source to say that our marriage was fake.”
Bewildered, I shook my head. “It couldn’t be Lily. I don’t even know her all that well. But I swear to you, I didn’t tell Charlotte either. Only Lucy knows.”
“It’s okay sweetheart, it doesn’t matter. Megan pulled some strings and they won’t take the tip seriously.” His lips touched my forehead and instead of pulling back, he stayed just like that.
“I brought your phone with me. Why don’t we call Lucy and you can hear it from her, too,” he whispered.
Reaching behind, he took something out of his back pocket and handed it to me. My phone. I barely had any battery left.
I dialed Lucy’s number.
“Lucy? Hi.”
“Hey, babe. How are you holding up?”
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? How is Jameson?” I tried to talk as quietly as possible.
“He is awake now. He is already making my life miserable. Frankly, I’m more worried about you right now. You promised you would call me when you made it home.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. When I saw my dad, I just…”
“It’s okay, Olive, I understand. I’m assuming lover boy made it there and that’s why you are calling.”
My lips twitched, but that was all I could manage.
“I don’t know exactly what he told you, but he is telling the truth, my little green Olive. I talked to Charlotte a few hours ago, or more like fought with her. The night I brought you to the apartment and Marcus carried you away to his room, well, that’s apparently when she realized Marcus would drop her like a hot potato the moment you wanted to get back with him. I think that’s why she told you that she’d been with Marcus while you guys were still together. If you ask me, I have my doubts about that after everything that’s happened since yesterday.”
The more Lucy talked, the more confused I was getting. Messing with someone’s drink was a whole different ball game then just cheating, or made up cheating, or whatever. Heck, where had she even found a pill that would mess Jason up like that?
“My take is that she told you about the cheating so you wouldn’t go back to Marcus, and she messed with Jason so you couldn’t have him either. The worst of it is she made it sound like she did you a favor because it was ‘bound to happen anyway’. The bitch has no idea Jason is in love with you.”
“You are the only one who thinks that.”
“Oh please, it’s only you who doesn’t think that.”
“My battery is dying, I have to go, Lucy. Can I call you tomorrow?”
She made a sound that clearly meant she was annoyed with me. “Fine. I’ll call you later. Don’t be stupid about this, Olive. You better have good news for me tomorrow. And try to ask him what he thinks about adopting me. He is even hotter when he is fuming. Be a good friend for once and ask him.”
She hung up while I was still shaking my head.
I pushed my phone under the pillow.
“So?” Jason asked into the silence. “Do you believe me?”
“I didn’t have to call Lucy to confirm what you said, Jason. I believe you. This type of stupid drama is supposed to happen with the costar you are working with. I’m supposed to hate Lindsay, not my best friend. She is supposed to fall in love with you and then mess with our marriage.”
“Is that what is supposed to happen?” he murmured, a small smile curling around his lips.
“Yes,” I said miserably. “That’s what happens in books. There is always an evil costar or ex. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I’m really sorry for what my—”
His lips crashed into mine and the angels started singing above us.
With his unexpected movement, I gasped into his mouth; he made sure to take advantage of that opening and slipped his tongue inside. I clutched his shirt and pulled him closer to me, his fingers biting into my flesh, but right when I was getting more into the kiss, he pulled away.
“That’s all I wanted to hear,” he said roughly, his hot breath mixing with mine.
I slowly pried my fingers open, let go of his shirt, and took a deep breath to clear my mind.
“This is not a game any more, is it?” I asked.
“I thought about that on my way over here. I’m not sure if it ever was, baby.”
“So what happens now?”
“Tomorrow, I’m taking you home with me.”
“And then what? We act like nothing happened?” I twisted away from him and plopped onto my back. “I’m not sure if—”
“Don’t finish that sentence. Yes, we act like nothing happened because nothing happened. You are my wife, Olive. You already made the mistake of saying yes, and I’m not letting that go. You can’t take it back.”
See if I’m letting you go, buddy.
In my next breath, Jason was on top of me and was making himself a place in between my legs.
When I felt his erection, I gasped. “What are you doing?” I asked in panic, glancing at the door over his shoulder.
“Falling in love with you.”
“Right now? You’re falling in love with me right this minute? Sure.”
Dipping his head down, he gently nipped at my lips.
“No, you little smartass. I already fell—a little too hard if you ask me. Now it’s your turn.”
“My turn for what?”
“To say you love me so I can close my eyes and fall all the way.”
“I didn’t exactly hear you say you love me so why am I saying it? I think you should say it first.”
He tilted his head and this time lowered it slowly, giving me the option of stopping him. When our lips were barely touching, he murmured, “Kiss me, Olive.”
Without meaning to, I lifted my head up and gently kissed his lips. The bastard was playing with me. “What’s with the ordering around all of a sudden?”
“Shut up and kiss me, woman.”
“I thi—”
He shut me up and kissed me, for several minutes—several glorious minutes. When it ended, we were both breathless. “Say it. Please,” he murmured again, ghosting small kisses around my lips.
“I love you, Jason Thorn,” I admitted.
I’ve loved you for a disturbingly long time.
My heart was going crazy. The butterflies he had awakened in me the very first day I’d seen him were multiplying by the second, and I felt sick.
And vulnerable.
And hopeful.
So very hopeful.
His eyes closed and then he rested his forehead on mine. “The night I came to the bar and saw you singing with your friend…that’s when I started falling for you.”
“Can you say the actual words?” I asked.
He smiled down at me. “I love you, my beautiful little Olive. My wife.”
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Keep repeating that. You can do it!
“Okay. That was okay,” I said, patting him on the shoulder and barely holding back a heart attack.
He chuckled quietly. “So my love is acceptable?”
I made a noncommittal sound. “Eh, sure. Why not?”
He started kissing my neck while he was still chuckling, so I closed my eyes to keep my sanity. “You are more than ten years late, but damn if it isn’t good to hear those words in this room,” I whispered quietly.
His hand sneaked under my top and he started stroking my waist, slowly moving upward. “What else did you want to hear or do in this room? I’m all about making your dreams come true.”
Suddenly the door to my room opened and I saw Dylan’s shoulder. He was trying not to peek in.
“You’ve been in here for an hour now, you son of a bitch. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? How about you get your ass out of my sister’s room and we have a nice little chat, you piece of shit!” Dylan whispered furiously and closed the door without waiting for an answer. Not a second had passed when he opened it again. “I’m waiting for you!”
Burying my forehead against Jason’s neck, I quietly laughed.
When the door had opened the first time, his hand had frozen on my skin, his whole body going taut, but as soon as Dylan closed the door, he started stroking again and sighed.
“I guess I wasn’t as sneaky as I thought I was.”
“I guess not,” I said and started laughing again.
“He’s not gonna make this easy on me, is he?”
I dropped my head on the pillow and looked at his handsome face. “Doesn’t look like it.”
“I thought I would be happier to see him, and for a second there I thought I was, but it looks like I was wrong,” he said with another heavy sigh. “At least it wasn’t your father who busted us. Thank god.”
I smiled without saying anything.
He fell silent, too, and smiled back at me.
“I love you so very much, Jason,” I said, having a hard time keeping it in.
His smile grew bigger.
“There’s that dimple,” I mumbled, reaching with my finger to touch it.
“You like it?” he asked roughly.
I nodded.
“There are a lot of things I like about you, too, wife.”
“Like what?” I asked breathlessly as I lost myself a little bit more in his eyes.
“Like that little birth mark you have on your waist,” he murmured, his fingertips finding it in the dark as if he had painted it on there. “Like that little smile you always have on your lips when you are writing and you think no one is looking at you.”
There was a rude knock on the door and Jason sighed.
“Do you know what else I learned today?” Jason asked conversationally as he pushed himself up with a sigh. “I learned that you texted me when I was eighteen, pretending to be someone else.”
I lost my breath and my smile melted off my face. “Wh-hat?”
“Interesting isn’t it? Because I certainly thought so. And you know what? Apparently I texted you back saying my friend’s sister was being sticky, or something like that.”
By then he had already gotten out of my bed and was standing over me as I held the covers in a death grip in my hands.
“You know why I can’t remember what my exact words were? Because—wait for it—it wasn’t me who wrote them. Hilarious, isn’t it?”
“What?” I repeated again. “What do you mean, it wasn’t you who wrote them?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? It was your loving brother trying to protect you from me. Or maybe the other way around, who knows with him.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, but I am sweetheart. I am.”
I threw the covers off and scrambled out of my bed. “I’m gonna kill him!”
I only managed to take two steps and then Jason pulled me back against his chest.
“Easy there tiger. We can kill him together, but first wear some pants so he won’t have a legitimate reason to kill me first.”
I turned in his arms, rose up on my tiptoes, and kissed him passionately until his hands were framing my face and tilting my head to the side. I could’ve easily fainted with the intensity of it.
“I’m not sticky?” I asked once I could find the willpower to stop.
“I loved you. You were my little one. I would never call you sticky. And…” He let go of my face and suddenly lifted me up in his arms. “Now that you are all grown up, I don’t mind you being sticky at all. In fact, I can’t wait to get you home so you can get sticky all over me, sweetheart.”
