Chapter 19 Ollie
ollie
“You got your car,” Nova said as I opened the door, thankful I’d found a spot in front of her building.
“I did,” I said with a laugh, watching her shove a croissant into her mouth. I pulled another one from inside my coat and held it out to her. “Didn’t want to assume you’d only want one.”
“Thank God,” she mumbled through a full mouth.
“I have to run back to my place to get dressed.”
She hummed in concession and climbed into the car. As I slid into the driver’s seat, I glanced over at Nova, watching her take another bite of the croissant. I drove toward my place, and my mind spun.
My life had been all about work until now. Rugby was everything—training, games, and coaching. It consumed me. I’d hooked up with girls over the years, gone on dates, but nothing ever stuck. It never felt right. A couple of times, and then it was done. No distractions, no attachments.
Nova had broken every rule I’d made for myself. She was the exact kind of complication I swore to avoid. Yet here I was, planning to take her on a date.
She didn’t fit into the life I thought I wanted, but something about her still fit into me.
I’d spent my whole life watching my parents, the way they loved each other without ever seeming to fight for it.
It had always looked effortless, easy. I told myself love should be that simple, and if it wasn’t, it wasn’t worth it.
So I kept my distance. Kept things light and uncomplicated.
But Nova wasn’t easy. She was chaos and strength and heartache wrapped into one, and still, I couldn’t look at her without feeling like some part of my soul recognized her. Like she was the risk I’d been waiting my whole life to take.
I wasn’t terrified that she was pregnant with her ex’s baby.
I thought I would be. That should’ve been a deal-breaker, but it wasn’t.
If anything, it only made her more remarkable in my eyes.
She was strong, resilient, unapologetically herself—and somehow, despite everything, she made me want more.
She wasn’t just someone I wanted to be around.
She was someone I wanted to know deeply, someone I wanted to protect, someone I couldn’t stop thinking about.
I gripped the steering wheel tightly for a moment before forcing myself to focus.
“Do you like it here better or the Cotswolds?”
My breath whooshed out of me in a heavy exhale, and I was grateful that maybe she’d realized I was struggling with the impact of the moment, too.
“They both have their benefits. I like the calm and quiet of the countryside, but I like my job.”
“Do you miss playing?”
I nodded slowly. “I do. But I kept injuring my shoulder, and it wasn’t sustainable anymore.
I knew if I didn’t stop, it would only get worse.
” I glanced at her. “Will offered me a coaching position, and eventually, I graduated to assistant coach. I like it well enough. It keeps me close to the game.” I pressed my lips into a line. “Rugby’s in my blood.”
“It’s not like there’s a lot of money in it,” she added. “I mean, it’s good money, but it’s not American football dollars.”
I chuckled. “You’re right. But it keeps me well.”
She side-eyed me, a mischievous smile creeping onto her lips. “You’re rich, aren’t you?”
I raised an eyebrow, amused. “What do you mean by that?”
Her grin widened as she gestured toward me.
“You’ve got that whole posh, private-schoolboy thing going on.
Your parents live in some million-pound countryside estate.
You’ve got a townhouse here in the city, and it’s in a bougie area, too, even if it’s understated.
Plus, your mom’s got that artsy, free-spirited vibe going for her. Am I wrong?”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I turned into the drive of said townhouse, the classic brick facade coming into view. I put the car in park in my parking spot out front.
“I wouldn’t call it posh or rich.”
“Prove me wrong.” She dared me with her smirk as she unbuckled her seat belt.
I shook my head, a grin still on my face as I stepped out of the car and followed her toward my home.
“You’re already winning, Scratchy Itch.”
“I thought you were the Scratchy Itch.” I grinned, pulling the keys from my pocket.
“Tomato. Tomahto.”
Once the door was unlocked and I’d pushed it open, Nova wasted no time brushing past me, her bag slung over her shoulder.
“Holy. Shit.” She dropped her bag onto the bench in the front hallway and spun around, taking it all in. “I knew you were rich.”
Her grin was huge, the kind that crinkled her eyes and made her look like she was finally letting herself have some fun. It caught me off guard for a moment, and I found myself smiling back.
“Mum’s an artist, Dad’s in finance. They did well for themselves, and yeah, I’ve got a bit of an inheritance. I used it to get this place.”
She wandered farther in, running her hand along the back of one of the oversized chairs in the sitting area. The furniture was massive—deep, warm pieces. The dark interior gave it a grounded, almost moody vibe, with textured walls and dim lighting.
“This is unbelievable,” she murmured, spinning to take it all in.
“It’s a house,” I said teasingly, motioning for her to follow me.
“Just a house,” she repeated, shaking her head as we moved through the first floor.
When we reached the back of the house, I gestured toward the kitchen. “This is new. Had it redone a couple of years ago.”
Her jaw dropped.
Dark green cabinets stretched from floor to ceiling, their gold hardware catching the light from the pendant fixtures above the large island. The countertops were pristine, a marbled stone that added a touch of brightness to the otherwise dark space.
“This.” She pointed around the room. “This is a dream kitchen.”
I chuckled. “Glad you approve.”
She turned to me, her eyes bright with curiosity. “What about upstairs? Can I get the grand tour?”
I headed toward the staircase. “Anything for you, love.”
“It’s so warm.” Her hands grazed the banister, and we made our way upstairs.
“Thank you,” I responded earnestly. “I worked hard to make sure it was a place I wanted to come home to.”
“The last place I lived was cold. It was minimal. It wasn’t . . . a home.”
She glanced off into the distance, and I knew she was thinking about the place she had shared with her ex. A home with an addict, cold and despondent—it wasn’t surprising that was where she’d been living. What surprised me was that she found warmth here, in this space with me.
“How many bedrooms does it have?” she asked.
“Technically, there’s a garden apartment below,” I said as we moved up the stairs. “I’ve had tenants in it for a while, but they recently got married and moved out. So, including that? Five bedrooms. Four in the main house.”
I gestured to the large open loft space in the center of the upstairs. “I don’t know what to do with this, so I use it as a reading nook.”
Nova stepped in, her mouth agape as she spun around the room. “It’s huge,” she exclaimed, taking it all in. “And carpeted?” She looked down, her boots sinking into the plush surface.
“I know it’s kind of the American thing to do,” I admitted with a shrug, “but I hated how cold the floors up here were.”
I led her to the first of the three guest bedrooms, pushing the doors open one by one.
“Plenty of natural light.” There was so much awe in her voice as she walked slowly around each room.
“Kind of.” I glanced at the windows. “We’re close to the neighbors, though.”
“Eh, I like the light more than I mind the view,” she murmured.
Finally, I pushed open the door to my bedroom. “And this is the primary.” I stepped inside.
Nova burst into laughter behind me, making me pause.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“What?” I turned to her, worried for a moment that I might’ve left a pair of boxers on the floor or something equally mortifying.
“This is huge,” she shouted, wandering deeper into the space. Her gaze landed on the en suite bathroom, and she practically bolted toward it.
“Oh, Ollie,” she said dramatically, standing in front of the massive glass shower and the freestanding tub.
I couldn’t help but grin, watching her soak it all in. “What?” I asked innocently.
“This tub.” She gestured to it like it was the crown jewel of the house. “I could live in here.”
“Be my guest,” I joked. “But I’m charging rent.”
She laughed, shaking her head as she stepped back into the bedroom, still looking around with wide eyes. I watched her from the doorway, letting the moment settle.
When she turned to me, her expression shifted to something softer and unguarded. I took a step toward her, and she didn’t hesitate. She slowly brought her arms up, slipping them around my neck, pulling me into her warmth.
“Ollie,” she whispered, resting her forehead against mine.
Her lips met mine gently at first, tentative. Then again, deeper this time. I kissed her back, resting my hands at her waist.
As she threaded her fingers through my hair, she breathed into me, like she didn’t want to let go. I didn’t either, but I pulled back, just enough to meet her eyes.
“I can’t,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I owe you a date.”
She looked up at me, eyes shining. “Fuck the date,” she said, smiling like maybe—for the first time in a long time—she finally felt safe.
“No. I can’t. I promised us this.” I ran a hand through my hair, trying to steady myself. “As much as I want to fuck my date, I want you to see that I want more than your body. I want everything you’ll give me, and if I take you right here, right now, you won’t believe it.”
She chuckled. “Okay, Romeo, calm down. We don’t need the whole soliloquy.”
“Fair enough.”
“I’d kill for a house like this. Pomegranate would love it.”
“She will love it,” I muttered to myself because I couldn’t tell her that I wanted her to move in with me. Not yet. She’d run.
“Let me get dressed. I never showed you the garden out back, but help yourself.”
“There’s an outdoor space? In London?” Her mouth dropped open, and she happily skipped downstairs.
I chuckled as I heard her squeal from outside. I grabbed a pair of jeans, a sweater, and a new overcoat. I fixed my hair and then followed her downstairs, scared that if I left her alone for too long, I’d come down to an empty house.
“One day,” she muttered when I found her in the kitchen, hands running over the cabinets and the marble countertop. “One day, when I’m rich, I am going to have a kitchen like this.”
One day, when you’re mine, you can have all of this.