Page 89 of Bestie's Bossy Billionaire Brother
As soon as he steps inside, I close the door and turn to face him. His eyes are fixed on the ground, but I can tell he’s nervous.
“I’m sorry for showing up unannounced,” he says, still staring at his shoes. “But I had to see you.”
I take a step closer to him, not sure what to say. My heart is pounding in my chest, and I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks.
“What’s going on, Oliver?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
He finally looks up at me, his blue eyes meeting mine. “Catherine, I know you must be mad at me for not telling you the truth earlier, but I came here because I need to talk to you. It’s about us.”
I look at him skeptically. “What about us?”
He takes a deep breath and steps closer to me. “I know we’ve been stubborn about admitting our feelings for each other, but I can’t take it anymore. I’ve fallen in love with you, Catherine,” he finally says, his voice barely a whisper. “And I don’t know what to do about it.”
His words send shockwaves through my body, and I’m suddenly unable to move. I stand there, frozen in place by the intensity of his gaze.
“I know this isn’t the right time or place for this,” he continues, “but I had to tell you how I feel. It’s been on my mind ever since we started spending time together.”
He takes another step closer until his face is inches away from mine. My heart skips a beat, and I can’t help but lean in closer to him.
“Oliver,” I whisper, reaching up to touch his face. “I’ve fallen in love with you too.”
Relief floods his expression, and he pulls me into a tight embrace. We stand there for a long moment, holding each other tightly, until he finally pulls away.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” he says, looking down at me. “I was just so scared of getting hurt again. After Emily, I was certain I couldn’t go through commitment ever again.”
I nod, understanding all too well.
Then he takes my hand in his and lifts it to his lips. He kisses it softly, then looks up into my eyes.
“I’m sorry for believing that you had anything to do with Jason stealing my proposal,” he says, his voice full of remorse. “Jamie did everything alongside Jason. I should have known you wouldn’t betray me. I’m so sorry for how I treated you, for putting you through all of that… I will never, ever let that happen again.”
I smile and cup his face in my hands. “It’s okay,” I whisper. “I’ve thought a lot about your side of things, about protecting your heartandyour daughter… I know you were hurt, but no more knee-jerk reactions, okay?”
“We’re partners in this, in everything,” he says earnestly. “What you did for me, my company, by catching Jason in his lies, is so unbelievably clever and brave. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I say with a soft smile. “And I forgive you.”
Relief visibly crosses his face as he kisses my fingers. “Let’s not focus on the past anymore.”
I smirk. “Easy for you to say, considering you aren’t standing in a sublet apartment that belongs to your former co-worker’s grandmother because your moody boss decided to unexpectedly fire you.”
He breathes out a laugh. “Hey, I was feeling betrayed. You would have done the same thing.”
I pretend to mull it over. “I don’t think so. I think that’s an Oliver Burke thing to do, not a Catherine Turner thing to do.”
“Well, then I’ll remember to always consider the Catherine Turner option first from now on.”
I smile, lifting my chin to bring his lips closer to me. “That sounds like the perfect plan.”
We kiss again, this time more passionately than before. Then we step back and look into each other’s eyes, both of us overwhelmed by the intensity of the kiss.
“About Erica and Fred,” he says. “How long have you known they were dating?”
I bite my lip, feeling a little guilty for keeping it from him. “I’ve known for a little while now. Erica asked me to keep it a secret.”
He raises an eyebrow at me. “And you didn’t think to tell me, anyway?”
I shrug. “I didn’t want you to get angry with Fred. And I didn’t know if it was my place to say anything.”
