by Penny Wylder
She doesn't deserve this type of hurt. She doesn't deserve to keep herself locked up and removed from the rest of the world because a few people broke her trust. And I'm going to prove that to her.
“You're wrong, you didn't deserve any of that. No one deserves to be treated that way. Narissa, I'm so sorry you carry this around with you, but it's time to let it go.” I squeeze her hand, forcing her to look up at me. “No one is going to hurt you ever again, because I won't let that happen. I won't ever let anyone treat you that way, and you won't either. You're stronger than you realize. You're too beautiful to be so sad. I want to make you happy.”
Under hooded lids, her eyes go still, steadying on mine. “What do you mean?” she asks.
“I mean, I'm going to show you how you should always be treated. I'll put you on a pedestal. I'll always show you how special you are. I just need you to let me in.”
Narissa smiles, nudging me with her shoulder and braiding her fingers around mine. “I let you in, even if you can't see it. I just tried to fight it every step of the way. You broke down my walls, Oliver. Can't you see that? Look where you are right now. You're here, I invited you in. I never thought I'd ever trust anyone again, but you've proven me wrong.”
“You could have fooled me. The other day when you went off, I thought you hated me.”
“No, I didn't hate you. I hated myself for trying to pretend what I was feeling was wrong. I was angry at myself for panicking that day at the house, and not being able to tell you the truth.” Her eyes well up again as she says, “You didn't deserve that.” She drops her chin to her chest as she tries not to cry.
“It's okay, Narissa, you didn't do anything wrong.” I lift her chin, holding her head high. Keeping it right where it belongs. She should always hold her head high, because who she is inside is more beautiful than any person I've ever met in my life.
I want to take her pain away. I only ever want her to feel happiness. I want her to know her own worth and never put herself beneath someone else.
My eyes hold hers as I wipe away the tears that are streaming down her face. She leans her head against my palm, reaching up with her other hand and placing it over mine. I watch her lick her lips slow and methodically. They glisten, shining and begging to be kissed.
Driving my face forward, I kiss her hard. I kiss her hoping to infuse her soul with enough power to erase the girl who saw herself as nothing, and replace her with the woman I've been seeing all along.
She exhales, cooing quietly as she tilts her head and closes her eyes. My fingers grip her face tightly, pulling her in closer. I need her right against me. I want to feel her breathing. I want to feel her heartbeat. I want to feel her pulse kick and her body melt in my hands.
“You're so special and you don't even realize it,” I say into our kiss as I slip my tongue inside her mouth.
Narissa moans, pushing her fingers through my hair and kissing me back with just as much passion. Her tongue sweeps across mine, swirling and licking. Her lips push back harder, fiercer, and more unhinged as I wrap my arm around her lower back and tug her against my chest.
“You deserve the sun.” I kiss her deeper. “You deserve the sky.” My lips slip off hers and move down the curve of her jaw. “You deserve the moon and all the stars, and I want to be the one to give them to you.”
My lips keep moving, kissing her exposed flesh down her throat and across her collarbone. I can't stop kissing her. I want to kiss every inch of her from head to toe.
Narissa's fingers pull at my hair as I lick from one side of her neck to the other. Her head rolls on her shoulders, giving me all the room I need. Her nipples are hard, pressing her against my chest, I hug her tight.
“Take me.” She whispers against the shell of my ear. “I'm all yours.”
Scooping her up off the couch, I carry her to the bedroom. I don't want to just fuck her. I want to enjoy her, please her, and make her mine over and over again. This isn't about getting off just to feel good. This is about savoring her for as long as I can.
I lay her on the bed, placing her down gently. Grabbing her ankle, I slip off one shoe and then the next. She's watching me closely, chewing her bottom lip. It's so damn sexy the way she tugs it with her teeth that my cock is trying to jump out of my pants to get inside her.
Batting her lashes, she angles her head, her eyes following my hands as I reach for the button on her pants. I pull it free, slowly unzipping her pants and pulling them off. Her stomach trembles lightly as I run my fingers across the lace edge of her panties.
The pads of my fingers flutter across her skin, teasing the hem. Narissa inhales a sharp breath as the tips of my fingers dip under the seam. She holds it in, her back arching high as I slide a single finger down the center of her panties and press against her clit.
She's wet. I can feel her silky arousal as I rub her clit beneath the fabric. Her legs shake, clamping around my forearm as her hips buck up. I press harder, drawing quick circles around her needy button.
Narissa throws her hands into her hair as she moans loudly. I want her to come. I want her to come over and over again. From my touch, from my mouth, from my cock. I'm going to use every tool I have to make her scream. I want her legs numb and her breathing labored. I want her skin covered in goosebumps and drenched in sweat.
I apply more pressure, massaging with deep strokes on the outside of her panties. But I'm hitting her just right, working her clit into a frenzy. “Mm, fuck,” she groans, running a hand down her throat and over her belly as she clenches around my arm tighter with her thighs.
“Holy shit,” she says, opening her eyes and smiling. “That feels fucking good.”
“I'm not done yet.” Smirking, I push her legs open wide and climb between them. I pull her shirt over her head and throw it over my shoulder. Her bra comes off next and I toss it just as carelessly behind me. “Now I want to taste you.”
She grins with bright white teeth and rosy cheeks. “I want you to fuck me.”
“I know you do,” I say coyly, pressing her knees to the bed as I lower my face to her heat.
Her pussy is hot against my lips. Her skin is coated in a thin sheen of arousal. I lick her softly, barely touching her, but I can still feel the pulse of her clit. Her clit is so swollen I suck it into my mouth and flick it with my tongue.
“Oh God,” she calls out as her body jerks against my mouth and her nails dig into the sheets. The sharp tips claw at the fabric, bunching thick wads into her palms.
I smile against her pussy, sucking her juice into my mouth. She tastes so fucking good, like honey and sunflowers. I could eat her out all night long and never feel full. I want more. I need more.
Driving my tongue deep into her pussy, I fuck her with my mouth. My tongue dips in, causing her to yell with pleasure, then I move it up between her folds, tasting every inch of her pussy.
Narissa's legs butterfly open as I trace her pussy with my tongue. Up around her clit, down the center, into her heat, and back up again. Her muscles are shaking violently as I flick the tip of my tongue back and forth over her clit.
There's a rumble in her chest, building and building until she screams. She bites her bottom lip hard, her back almost completely off the bed as she comes in my mouth.
“That's right,” I say, crawling on top of her. Her eyes are wild as they bounce in their sockets. “Now I want to feel you come on my cock.” I rip my pants open, my cock hurting, it's so hard.
Narissa runs her hands down my sides, then slowly back up. Her eyes fix on mine, and for the first time ever, I see her. The real her. The girl behind the mask. The woman who's been hiding in her own shadow.
And she's beautiful. She's more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.
I swipe tender fingertips across her forehead as I press my length inside her body. Her walls contract as she holds me tight, refusing to let me go. This moment is special. We're not just two people having sex. We're two people finding each other in a world that tends to kee
p people apart. I could have given up on her on day one, but I didn't. And she could have pushed me away until I had no choice but to finally go.
We chose each other.
I kiss her softly. My hips start to move slowly, and it feels so damn good, but I never take my eyes off her. We stare at each other as I glide in and out. Narissa moans, her mouth falling open as I pick up my pace.
She drags her nails down my spine with force as her thighs squeeze my hips and her pussy begins to drip. Her muscles are starting to shake. I can feel them as they quiver against my chest and around my waist.
“Oh my God, Oliver,” she quietly whispers into a moan as her quivers become spastic, and she holds her breath as the orgasm destroys her from the inside out.
My toes curl and my stomach clenches as I come with her. My cock explodes inside her body, filling her with pump after pump of hot cum. Stilling above her, our eyes are on each other, our breathing heavy and labored.
I fall to my side and lay my arms across my chest. Narissa curls her body around mine and pulls the covers up over us.
“Oliver,” she says as she swirls a finger against the center of my chest.
“Yeah?”
“There's something I need from you. . .”
7
Narissa
“What do you need?” he asks. I don't hear any caution in his voice. He asks me openly with no sense that he's wary of what I'm going to ask him for.
“Well, since I've been working with you, I've come to realize something.” I run the tips of my fingers across his chest, following his rigid lines.
“And what's that?” Oliver pulls me in closer to his side, wrapping his arm firmly around my shoulder.
“How much I enjoy working with you and bringing beauty to something that's so scarred it's unrecognizable.”
He sucks in a slow breath, adjusting against me and snuggling deeper into the blanket. “It's an incredible feeling isn't it? To see something come to life right before your eyes.” He tickles his hand up and down my arm. “It's really powerful to watch, like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly.”
“It is,” I say, looking up at him. “So, I was thinking. . .” My voice trails off slightly as I move my hand to his chin and pull his face down so I can look in his eyes. “I want to come work with you.”
“Really?” he asks, his eyes growing large as saucers. “You want to come work for me?”
“Not for you, with you.” Grinning, I giggle lightly. “You're great at what you do, but I can add another element that other contractors don't have. I can help design, paint, create beautiful art that will add a wow factor to any home. I'm ready to get out there, to really showcase what I can do, and I think it's something we can do together. It's time for me to step into the real world and work with real people, with real faces and voices that have visions I can help make come true.”
“You're really serious about this, aren't you?”
“I am. I've thought a lot about it the past few days.”
“What about your parents? What will they think?”
“It's not up to them, it's up to me. Right? It's my life and I should be doing something I love. I'm done hiding who I am. I love painting, I love drawing, I love art. Why not make it my career?”
Oliver's mouth twists up hard, his lids thinning. “Your mom said something to me the other day. She thanked me for getting you out of your comfort zone.”
“She did that?” I ask as I push up on my elbow to see him better. “She's never said anything to me like that.”
“Maybe that's because you're her daughter and she loves you and doesn't want to hurt your feelings.” He slips his hands under his head and smiles. “But it made me think, too. If she could see a difference in you just from that, then what could happen if we were together? How high would you reach if you had someone you trust holding you up, so you aren't afraid to fall?”
“I'm ready to start climbing if that's what you're asking me.”
His eyes shift between mine as he angles his head slightly. There's a long, agonizing silence while he studies my face. “All right,” he finally spits out.
“All right,” I repeat. “All right what?”
“All right let's do it. Let's bring you on as a design consultant.”
“Are you serious?” I ask, my voice growing in volume as he smirks.
“Yes, I'm serious. I think it's a great idea. Your father loved what you did with that wall on Belmont. Just imagine what you could do if you had more time to really think about it.”
“Oh my God, Oliver! I'm so excited! I wasn't sure what you would say, but this is awesome!” Throwing my arms around his neck, I kiss him all over his face. “I can't believe you're saying yes to this.” My lips move down his cheek and across his chin, placing frantic happy kisses.
Oliver grabs my face in his hands, holding me still so he can look me straight in the eyes. “I'm not saying yes to this, I'm saying yes to you.” He runs his thumb across my bottom lip. “I'll always say yes to you.”
“I love you,” I blurt out before I have time to stop myself. I can't help it. It's what I feel inside and it's so strong I can't ignore it.
His whole body stills from his eyes to his hand. His thumb freezes on my lip, his eyes motionless.
Oh no. What the hell did I just do?
It's too soon! I said it too soon!
I wish I could take the words from the air and swallow them back down so he’d never heard them. But I can't. They're out there, and now I don't know what to do.
“I. . . I'm. . . I'm sorry,” I stutter, fumbling my words and trying to reverse course. “I didn't mean it like that. I just mean—”
He throws himself upright, slamming his lips against mine. “You mean it. You just got to say it before me. So, I'll just say it louder.” Oliver sucks in a big breath of air and belts loudly, “I love you!”
My neighbor who shares a wall, bangs against the sheet rock. “Hey! Keep it down!”
Oliver and I look at each other, then start laughing hysterically. I'm laughing so hard my eyes are actually tearing. I feel amazing. I'm ready for this fresh new chapter of my life.
My stomach tumbles with nervous flutters as the thought of failing or being rejected tries to find its way in. “I know this might be hard, but I'm ready.”
“Time to fly little bird,” Oliver says.
Smirking, I say, “Must our only options be to squawk and settle or never leave the nest?” He quirks a brow, and I can see the confused look on his face. “Forget it.” Waving a lazy hand, I glance away. “I'm a bit of a geek, if you haven't noticed already. I'm not perfect, but no one is.”
Oliver sits up in the bed, reaching out and brushing his hand down over my hair. “Just because something is not perfect, does not make it any less worthy of love.”
“Is that. . .” Holding up my finger, I spin it in the air. “Is that a quote from Bridgerton?”
His smile thins as he shrugs his shoulder. “Maybe.” Oliver chuckles, his eyes moving to my fanart. “I might have binge watched it to try and understand you better. Thought it could give me a little peek into who you are.”
“You did really did that?”
“I want to know you in every way. I want to see you for you.”
I kiss him instantly. He's stolen my heart. I'm his. I was his the second he laid eyes on me.
And he was mine, it just took me a little longer to see it.
Epilogue
Narissa
Six months later
“Hey,” Hardin says as he comes into the workshop. He kicks the door with his foot to shut it, same as he always does.
I take a second to look up and give him a quick smile. “Hey, how's it going?” I ask, letting my eyes drop back down to my drawing. I'm half listening as he talks, doing my best to pay attention and concentrate.
He lays his work belt across the saw table then walks over to me and leans against the wall. “You do know Oliver is looking for you, right?”
“He is?” My eyes flick up, and Hardin nods. “Did he try calling me?” I pick up my phone off the table and check it to see if I have any missed calls. I didn't hear my phone ring at all, but maybe I’d been so into my design, I just didn't notice my phone going off. “I don't have any messages or missed calls.”
“All I know is there's a new client Oliver is talking to and he needs you to come talk with them about possible designs.”
“Right now? But I'm so close to finishing the design for the Maplewood Avenue house. Can't it wait?”
I love my new life. I never thought I'd actually say those words. Yet here I am.
I have a job I absolutely adore, and Oliver and I are strong as ever. We work amazing together. He meets with the clients about the big renovation projects, and then he brings me in, and we go over the details.
The current home I'm working on has a vintage sixties vibe. The new owners are older and really want to enjoy a modern twist of what they love. There are going to be archways throughout the home, and I'm going to use a new technique I came up with to create a wall with actual texture.
I'm going to use this method in their kitchen to put sixties style flower shapes on the wall. I'll hand apply a paintable epoxy with a caulk gun, then paint their color of choice over it. I know they'll be happy once it's done, and right now, I only have one room left to mockup for them, and then I'll have the designs finished to show them.
“Don't shoot the messenger. It's boss's orders,” Hardin says as he widens his eyes and holds up open palms. “Maybe the new owner is famous or something, and that's why he's calling you away right now. I'm not really sure, I was just told to let you know.”
I straighten the drawings on my desk and put them back in the folder. Rolling up the blueprint for the house, I slide it back inside the tube. “Okay, I guess this can wait a little bit,” I say with a sigh. “What's the address?”