26. Chapter 26
LUNA
Last night was one of the best nights I’ve ever had.
I not only felt things I didn’t know were possible, but I met someone I didn’t know existed.
A passionate person dedicated to my satisfaction.
But when I woke up, that person ceased to exist, the perfect dream ended, and it was time to get back to reality.
I may not have much experience with casual sex, but I knew how it worked, so despite how much it hurt to do, I slid Oliver’s hulk of a bicep off me and aimed for my room while he was still dead to the world.
Carefully peeling my clothing off the floor, slip them on and tiptoe to the door, although I do give in to steal one last glance at the man who rocked my world last night.
The covers draped over the lower half of his body, the ripples of his back muscles are on display to the world, and his messy bed head - I want to tangle my hands in it, hang over his eyes while he sleeps.
That familiar pang piercing my chest makes another appearance, a feeling I knew would happen regardless of all the warning signs, including the part where I decided to cross this line.
Everything changes now. Despite the many things Oliver said last night, I assume it was all lust-driven chit-chat. I’m not the only source of release this man has access to… and it’s stupid to believe that now that he’s had his fill towards me, there won’t be much more between us.
I fight back the tears trying to escape, and I quickly exit his room. Once I’m back in my safe place, I let it all out in the shower, giving myself the time to come to terms with the consequences of last night.
Hours later, I stand by the kitchen counter making Oliver’s vomit smoothie. I came down straight after my shower-cry. I knew I couldn’t get any more sleep, so instead I got an early start on the household chores until Theo woke up and I got him ready for school.
He’s just gone to get a drawing he did last night so he can show his friends at school.
Once the smoothie is ready, I pour it into Oliver’s to-go flask and wait by the front door.
I hope that Theo is the first to come downstairs instead of his brother, but the sound of full-size padded feet makes my hope wither.
I don’t look up, but I can feel Oliver towering over me; he stares as if he’s trying to figure out what to say while I try to hide the tension in my shoulders.
To prepare myself for when he does speak, but luckily, the moment he tries to reach for me, the sound of little feet punching down the stairs fills the house, and Theo jumps off the last step.
I shove Oliver’s drink in his hand, then bend down towards Theo, who is letting me know he found the drawing as I pull his coat on and help him out of the Mario slippers Gran brought him as a present; it was her little surprise for him she got from her trip to Dalston Market a few weeks ago and into his school shoes.
Once that’s done, I take extra time to soak in Theo’s goodbye hug because it might very well be our last hug.
Oliver still doesn’t speak, but his eyes never leave me, so I refuse to look at him.
Because then he’ll be able to read exactly how I’m feeling, and I’m not getting into anything with Theo here.
The best way to avoid that is by opening the door and walking Theo to the car.
Oliver follows behind and unlocks the car so I can help Theo into his car seat.
“Have a great day, sweetie. I’ll see you later, okay?” I smile as Theo pulls me into another hug, then gets lost playing on his tablet that Oliver keeps in the car.
I close the door, quickly reciting the words “Have a good day, Oliver.” Only because it’s something I always say. It doesn’t matter if he’s going to fire me; I want to show for the record that I can still be professional, then I aim to head back up the stairs to the house.
But what I don’t expect is to be tugged back by the wrist and pinned against the boot of the car.
The cold metal tingles against my skin as I turn to the back seat window.
I see Theo lost in his monster truck game, unable to see us.
Oliver traces me with his surly gaze as I avoid eye contact until he cradles my chin between his index finger and his thumb, making me look up at him.
“You have a good day, Luna, too,” he replies, brushing his lips against mine softly. Then he rounds the car and climbs into the driver’s seat, and I step onto the pavement a little dazed when Theo waves to me through the window the moment Oliver puts the keys in the ignition and off they go.
I watch helplessly as the car disappears down the road.
The rest of my day, just like this morning, was unconventional.
I’d already done my handful of chores this morning, feeling too wired to sleep after last night.
So I occupied my time staring off into space as my mind started to spiral in many different directions, especially after the text Oliver sent me when he must have reached work.
I spent about five minutes thinking about how to respond, but kept coming up blank because what do I say? ‘Hey Oliver, how the hell do you know what I was thinking or thanks for letting me keep my job, but I’m not sure last night was a good idea because I don’t do casual sex.’
I can’t say that, so I just don’t respond. Instead, I fixate on the fact that I did exactly what he told me not to do, because he texted me in the first place, as if he anticipated this.
Oliver has never texted me before.
The only communication we’ve had that wasn’t physical was when he’d call to wish Theo a good night during his business trips, and it all had me so confused.
I know, I consented to everything that happened between us last night, but now that I don’t have my hormones clouding my judgment, the things Oliver said last night don’t make sense.
“I’m bloody obsessed with you,”
“I’m giving in,” - “to what?” - “you,”
“You’re everything I knew you’d be, Luna,”
I-I mean, I wasn’t crazy, right?
The man who couldn’t stop worshipping me hours ago is the same man who avoided me like the plague. Yes, okay, he was the one who made the first move and acted like both times were a mistake.
Us sleeping together is probably one too; he probably saw it as ridding himself of sexual frustration, and since he was satisfied, he’ll let me keep my job.
But I don’t see it being anything more than that, could it?
And if we’re being honest, my heart hopes that it is, which is why it’s hammering against my ribcage.
While I try to find a solution to what this all means and what we’ll possibly talk about once he’s home later, haunted by the memories of last night.
D-did I miss something?
All this time, did Oliver feel something towards me, and I just didn’t see it?
No.
That’s impossible.
From the first day we met, he wanted to bite my head off, and I can’t stand it when he acts like an entitled jerk. I respect that he doesn’t do it in front of Theo, but whenever it’s the two of us, he drives me up the wall. But then again, this past week has been different…
He did come to dinner with my family, and he probably did it to be polite…
but then again, when has Oliver Walters ever done something just to be polite?
I mean, he engaged with my family, he nearly choked to death on a glass of water, and he handled Gran like a champ.
Being around his employees out of work doesn’t seem like a common thing for a man like Oliver, so does that mean he did it because…
Maybe Oliver has started to change - slowly, so I haven’t realised.
That night before we kissed for the first time, I never imagined sitting in the same room as Oliver, talking and cracking jokes, yet it happened.
If you put aside his constant game of cat and mouse, I can’t say he’s done anything terrible against me.
I mean, lately I’ve been so consumed with my anger towards him that I never noticed any of this until I was pressed against his bedroom door.
My mind continues to spiral. When the sound of my phone ringing pulls me out of my thoughts, I blink back to reality and pick up my phone off the coffee table when I check the caller ID.
My heart rate slows down, and I can feel the acid in my stomach clawing its way back up my throat. I panic, wondering how the hell he got my number. When I remember, he’s Theo’s teacher. Let it ring for a few more seconds, taking a deep breath, and I close my eyes as I answer the phone.
OLIVER
“Which is why we couldn’t think of a better person to take on this case, th-Oliver? Are you with us?” Buckley asks, snapping out of my thoughts to see everyone in the room looking at me.
“Yes. I’m sorry, I was just going through the case in my head.
” I lie through my teeth; I couldn’t care less about this case.
I’m too busy thinking about how much I wish Luna was here right now, so I could bend her over this table because I want to hear her scream my name again.
I temporarily push that thought aside as the lie works and the room buzzes with approval of my professionalism.
“And that is why he’s the best!” Kaine adds, pointing at me with a smirk, as the room fills with laughs and everyone falls back into conversation, but like earlier, I’m paying attention to none of it.
I stay neutral and smile or nod when Buckley, Kaine or our new potential client and his entourage send looks my way, then look towards Nigel, who has spent the last decade analysing me to know my head is not in this right now, so it’s up to him to make detailed notes of the meeting he can use to fill me in later.
There’s a look I give him that only he can decipher as being apologetic, an emotion I only express towards him or Theo.
Nigel just shakes it off and pays attention to the meeting as I should be.
I’m aware of the fact that we’re about to score yet another expensive client that will no doubt bring millions of pounds into the company, but I can’t focus because all I can think about is my live-in nanny.