Chapter Seven
Finn
Last night, I passed out from sheer exhaustion when I got upstairs to Olivia’s room. I’ve been in the DeLancy house enough times to know which room is hers, so it’s not like I had to ask or anything.
I guess I was far more tired than I thought. I’d taken my shirt off along with my socks and shoes when I stretched out on her bed last night.
With the sun shining in through the blinds, I know the second I see floral wallpaper that this wasn’t a dream. For a moment, I thought it was. My arm is wrapped around Olivia’s waist while she sleeps with her head pressed to my chest. I’ve been with a lot of women, but I can say there haven’t been any that I’ve held in my arms while we slept. No one has ever been this important to me, and the only thing I wanted from others was to get off. I always returned the favor, but as soon as I was done with my partner, their ass was hitting the door. No one would ever sleep in my bed, especially after I set my eyes on this gem of a woman.
Laying with Olivia in my arms is a new experience for me, and it’s one I know I want to do for the rest of my life. I didn’t mean to make her fall to the ground last night when I was trying to get her to talk to me. She freaked out and I know something happened to her. In fact, I knowexactlywhat’s happened to her and it makes me see red.
Olivia should never have to know the type of fear I saw in her eyes last night. If anything, it signifies the importance of our relationship. I’ll wait for her to tell me when she’s ready for something more. I won’t rush her. In fact, I refuse to. Even if I have to wait months or a year, we won’t do anything that’s not at her pace.
Opening my eyes, I blink against the brightness of the room and tilt my head to look at the woman who’s meant to be mine. Olivia looks peaceful in her sleep. Her hair is fanned out behind her head. I lift the hand that isn’t holding her to me and brush my fingers through the softness of her deep brunette locks. I could definitely get used to this. She’s absolutely beautiful like this, without a speck of makeup on her face. In fact, when she’s asleep, she looks so damn peaceful.
Olivia stirs slightly, attempting to roll over, but as she does, she whacks me in the face with her elbow. “Fuck!” I didn’t see that coming, quite literally.
Olivia jolts awake and turns to face me. Her eyes are wide but I can see she’s still half-awake. Granted, I can’t even wake up without coffee. She takes a moment to adjust to the light and become more focused. “What happened?” she whispers her question in a half-groggy tone.
“You whacked me in the face with your elbow, but it doesn’t matter. Good morning, beautiful,” I murmur gruffly, raking my fingers in the long, luscious hair I love so much.
“Shit, I’m sorry.” Olivia pauses for a moment like she’s waiting for me to say something, but I don’t, so she continues. “You fell asleep before I could get up here.”
“Yeah, I guess you can say I haven’t slept well the last few days. Stuff back home hasn’t been easy to deal with,” I tell her, being truthful about it but not telling her the reasons.
Olivia nods in understanding. I don’t miss the way her eyes drop to my mouth. I keep my fingers in her hair, playing with the thick strands.
Eyes come back to meet mine, and she lifts herself onto her elbows.
“I want to kiss you,” I tell her, keeping my tone as soft as possible. The last thing I want to do right now is scare her, or move too fast.
“So, kiss me,” she utters quietly, and I don’t hesitate. I’ve wanted to kiss her for years. Lifting my head, I brush my lips to hers softly, using the hand that’s still wrapped in her hair to cup the back of her head.
I swipe my tongue along the seam of her lips, encouraging her to open for me. When she does, I slip inside and deepen the kiss. Olivia moans into my mouth, and I take it as a good sign that I’m not doing something she doesn’t want or like.
Adjusting us, I lay her on her back and cage her in with my bigger body. I won’t keep this going for much longer, but just long enough for me to get my fill for the time being. Now that I’ve had a taste of her, I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of it.
When I pull away, breaking the connection of our mouths, I meet her gaze as she opens her eyes, her breathing labored.
“How about I take you for breakfast and coffee this morning, then we spend the day together?” I suggest, hoping she agrees since I do have some plans I need her to tend to with me.
“I would like to do that,” she murmurs, still catching her breath. I give her a grin and slowly kiss her once more.
“Good,” I rasp against her lips and lift my head. “Go ahead and get ready. I’ll use the shower in the guest bathroom and change. I’ve got clothes in the trunk of the car.”
“You do?” she asks, furrowing her brow in confusion.
“Yeah, I keep a bag in there for when I’m at my house in Port Sulphur. It’s just easier for me that way.” What I don’t tell her is that the bag is filled with clothes for if I get dirty, and by dirty, I mean bloody. I learned a long time ago to keep a spare set just as a precaution. You never know when someone might cross you and you have to put them in their place or in the ground.
Nodding, she accepts my answer, and I move away so she can get up. I move to her door, giving her one last look. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”
“Okay, I’ll be ready,” she says and climbs out of bed.
I leave the room, go out to my car, get my bag, glare at her asshole of a bodyguard, and go back inside. I shower quickly and get ready for the day. It’s a big day and I don’t intend to waste a minute of it not being with Olivia.
Thirty minutes later, Olivia is coming down the stairs and smiles at me.
“Ready?” I ask, holding my arm out for her to take.