Chapter 10
CHAPTER
TEN
HARRISON
Walking away from Olive last night was the hardest thing I’ve done.
It went against everything I wanted, but some unknown voice inside me talked me out of pushing.
It wouldn’t have taken much of a push to convince her to invite me in.
She wants me, that’s obvious, but I just couldn’t push. Not with her.
Since when do I worry about someone else’s needs above my own? What the fuck is happening to me? I ask myself for the millionth time since the first moment I laid eyes on Miss Olive Lively.
“What?” I bark at whoever is knocking on my office door.
“Jesus, man. What the fuck crawled up your ass and died?” My best friend and business partner, Sam, asks.
“Anything that interrupts my work today,” I snarl.
Sam holds his hands up in front of him as he sits in a chair across from my desk. “No need to bite my head off. We’re supposed to be going over the Billings takeover.”
I rub my hands down my face and let out a calming breath. Work. I need to focus on work. “What are the numbers like?”
“They are in a prime position to be purchased. Stocks are down, and they are barely treading water.”
“Good, make it happen. Those idiots have no idea what they have, and I want it.” Billings have contracts with multiple tech groups, and they have no idea what they are doing. They’re sitting on millions and don’t know it.
“You got it. I’ll have the papers drawn up today. Now, do you want to tell me what’s got you turning up the asshole vibe?”
“Nothing. This is just my glowing personality.”
Sam laughs. “Well, you’re in rare form today.”
“It’s nothing,” I wave him off, not wanting to admit I’m twisted in knots over a woman.
Me, Harrison James, cut-throat businessman, is feeling out of control because of a woman.
A beautiful woman, a woman who is looking for love, not a one-time fuck.
She’s the exact opposite of everything I stand for as a man, yet here I am, itching to spend more time with her.
“It’s a woman, isn’t it?”
“What? No. Why the fuck would you say that?”
Sam shakes his head, giving me a knowing look. “Because the only time I’ve seen you so tense was when you were dating that bitch Kaeli in college. Back when you had a heart.”
I narrow my eyes and consider his words. I have a feeling he’s not wrong. I can remember how it felt to be led around by my dick by Kaeli. That’s not what’s happening though. Yes, I’ve got the worst case of blue balls in history, but that doesn’t mean anything.
Walking away last night was the right thing to do…
Fuck. I’m actually becoming a better man for this woman.
I’m putting my desires aside for someone else.
It’s unheard of when it comes to me. The few times I’ve made an effort in the last several years has been to the mutual benefit of me and the woman…
meaning we fucked, we got off, and we parted ways satisfied.
This is totally different. I want Olive, yet here I am, giving her space and time.
Wanting to spend that time with her. Get to know her.
I blame my aunt. Fucking Rita and her letters. If it wasn’t for her, I never would have met this maddening woman, and I wouldn’t be feeling like my life is out of control.
I close my eyes and let out a sigh. “Look, there is a woman, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”
“What, you’re actually thinking about going in for seconds with this one?”
“It’s not like that,” I growl, not at all liking the tone in his voice, nor the assumption that Olive is just a good lay.
Sam’s eyebrows raise. “You like this woman.”
I think about how much I want to reveal to my friend. Yeah, he’ll give me shit about it, but he’ll also understand. Sam’s not like me. He’s been married twice and is all about finding the next Mrs. Wilson.
“I do. She’s… different.”
“Well, good for you. It’s about time you chisel away that ice around your heart.”
“Fuck you.”
Sam stands and heads to the door. “Love you too.”
I roll my eyes feeling exasperated but running his words through my head. He’s not wrong. I do like Olive, and she has definitely clicked open a part of me that I thought I’d turned off forever.
Two hours later, I still can’t concentrate on work. I want to see Olive again. Tonight. So I do something I’ve never done before. I text a woman.
Hi angel. I want to see you again.
Her response doesn’t come right away, and I wonder if she’s avoiding me or just busy. The thought that she might be avoiding me is enough to have me twisted up. I’m minutes away from just showing up at her apartment when the text comes through.
Hey! I’d like that.
I can imagine her cheeks flushed pink as she types her response.
When?
Tonight. I can’t get you out of my mind.
I hit send before I realize how much I’ve just revealed. I’m giving her way too much power, but I find that I want her to hold it. I want to follow her lead and see where it takes me—us.
She responds quickly, confirming tonight. I smile wide, knowing in just a few short hours I’ll have my girl within my grasp. My girl. It’s then that I realize how true those two words are. She’s mine. Whether either of us is ready to admit it or not. She’s all mine.