Page 102 of A Chance for Us
Once inside the room, it feels like our wedding night all over again. There’s this strange tension in the air. We both know what’s going to happen, but we’re being cautious.
I smile at him, and he grabs my wrist as I pass. His blue eyes are filled with an unnamed emotion.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s stupid, but . . . your uncle made a joke about your ring, and he’s right.”
“Right about what?”
“You should have an engagement ring.”
I’m only wearing the plain gold band that matches Oliver’s.
“Oliver, I don’t need one. A ring doesn’t show love or commitment, I would know.” I try to ease his mind.
“It’s more that . . . if we had dated and I had the opportunity to do all this the right way, I would’ve gone to your dad, gotten his permission, and bought you something that you’d be proud to wear.”
I smile softly, resting my palm on his cheek with my free hand. “We didn’t do things that way, though. We did it our way, and I am perfectly happy without a diamond. One day, if things are different and we can do this the right way, then, yeah, I’d love a ring that you picked out.”
He sighs heavily, pulling me closer. “One day, huh?”
I want that one day to come, but not now. Not because we were thrust into this relationship that became a marriage. “You’ll know when it’s right.”
And so will I, but for that to happen, I’m going to have to fix this so we can start over and do it the right way. I want Oliver to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I want him. I care about him, need him, crave him, and it’s not because we’re already married.
I would choose this man every day of the week and not think twice.
“You know it’s crazy, right?”
“What?”
“That we’re here. That I feel this . . .”
“This what?” I ask, my heart pounding out of rhythm.
His eyes are swimming with an emotion I can’t name. “Strong.”
“I feel it too.”
I lift up, pressing my lips to his. All the pain and struggles from today disappear as his tongue delves past my lips.
We hold on to each other, giving and taking each other’s struggles. Oliver lies back, taking me with him. “I want all of you, Maren. The good, the bad, all the parts that you’ve kept to yourself. All of it, I want . . . fuck, I swore I’d never feel this again.”
I felt the same way. Afraid of what would happen if I trusted someone with my heart again. This time, I couldn’t stop it if I wanted to.
“It’s different for me.”
His big hands push the hair back off my face. “How?”
“I want to give all of it to you. I’ve never wanted to do that before. No one has ever made me want to take that chance before. My heart is yours, Oliver. The good, the bad, the entire thing is all yours.”
He kisses me again, and I pour my emotions into kissing him back. His hands skim down my back, gripping my shirt before releasing it. We move together, pulling at the barrier of cloth between us. One by one, items go flying to the floor until we’re naked, and I feel more vulnerable than ever before.
This time is different.
It feels like . . . love, not just sex.
Oliver lays next to me, staring into my eyes before his finger moves from my throat to my breast. He slowly circles my nipple, our gazes locked the entire time.
