Exposed by Fate (Serve #2)(56)

Oliver took a step in her direction, but Eliza got the impression he was blocking the exit. “Porter isn’t coming.”

It didn’t even surprise her how little she cared. “Why?”

His throat worked. “When I called him this afternoon…I had the mute button pressed the whole time. He probably hung up after the first few seconds of silence.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t do it, babe. I can’t even stand the thought of him near you, let alone being the one to put you there. I won’t do it.”

Her chest felt like a dam about to give way, but she plugged the holes. She was too tired. Too wrung out. Clear, honest words. That’s all she could process at this point. “Why are you here in his place?” Yes, she was exhausted, but as soon as the question left her mouth, she grew terrified of not getting the answer she needed. Terrified she would.

Oliver closed the distance between them and grasped her upper arms. “Eliza, all this time, all these wasted years, I’ve been trying to distract myself from what I needed. I needed you from the day we met, and I’m an idiot for ignoring what my f*cking soul was trying to tell me. You waited for me, and I didn’t wait for you. If there was something I could do to change that, I’d kill myself trying.” With a shaky breath, he reached down and took her hand, placing it in the center of his chest. “I know when you look at me you see a man who has used and been used. You think I have nothing left to offer you.” His eyes burned. “Believe me when I tell you that no one has touched what I’ve got inside me for you, Eliza. Just. You. It’s real. It’s the reason I’m alive. I’m alive to offer you everything. Take it. I’m begging you to take it. Take me. I’m so scared to find out what happens if you don’t.”

A deluge of relief and awe almost made Eliza collapse. She wanted to jump into his arms and promise to take everything he wanted to offer her. It would be so easy and be so achingly perfect. He’d drag her under, and she wouldn’t think about another thing but him. For a while. “I can’t compete with other women, Oliver.” A sob fell past her lips. “I don’t want to.”

He made a pained sound. “I wish you could feel what happens inside me when I look at you, Eliza. It’s like I finally have a future and it’s f*cking beautiful. There will never be another person for me as long as you exist. Before I’d even had you, no one compared. Now that I have? The thought of being with someone else, the thought of you being with someone else, makes me insane. Believe what I’m saying.” His voice rang with intensity. “Please, Eliza. Just let me prove myself. I won’t let you feel a single second of doubt for the rest of your life.”

She thought back to that afternoon in the office, when she’d walked in and seen that girl sitting on his desk. At the time, she hadn’t let herself see beyond what appeared obvious. What she would expect to see if she hadn’t learned so much more about Oliver over the last few weeks. Now, with his raw promises ringing in her ears, she recalled the strain she’d seen on his face. The grimace she’d interpreted as a smile. How haggard he’d looked behind the desk as he leaned away. Not toward. She’d had an idea of Oliver for so long in her mind, she’d neglected to replace it with this man. This man who kept his word and treated her with respect. Love. This amazing man who wanted to be with her.

Her pulse sped up so fast, she felt lightheaded. She just needed a moment to gather her thoughts so she could say what he deserved to hear. “Why did you bring the ouzo?”

He brushed her hair over her shoulder. “If you won’t give me forever, I’ll beg you to stay with me…at least until the ouzo runs out. I’ll take whatever I can get, Eliza. Every last second.”

She threw her arms around his neck, wondering how the hell she’d held off so long. Her body molded to his, pressed close by his ferocious grip. Her nerve endings sang wherever they touched. God. Life without this would have been dark. “Forget the ouzo. I’m yours forever, Oliver. I’ve been yours forever.”

His body sagged, making them both stumble, but he caught them before they went over. Warm breath raced in her ear. “So I shipped forty crates of ouzo to your apartment this afternoon for no reason?”

Eliza laughed and felt tension ebb from every muscle. “Were you going to try and keep me on a technicality?”

“We both know I like to play dirty.”

Finally, he kissed her, but it dissolved into ragged moans. They breathed hard against one another’s lips. It felt so good to touch him. Without reservations or questions hanging in their air. She had her answer. Oliver.

He framed her face with his hands. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I will be destroying that outfit you’re wearing. I need to never see it again. I hate that it was meant for—”

“No.” She pressed a kiss to his mouth, her throat aching for what she’d put him through. What they’d put each other through. “I walked in here ready to cancel and saw you instead. I wasn’t going through with it. I couldn’t. Not when I love you this much.”

“Thank Christ.” He buried his face against her neck and exhaled on a shudder. “How did I survive this long without you? I love you, Eliza. It’s all I can feel. I’m made of it. If you’ve got even an ounce of this for me, I’m so damn grateful.”