And Then There Was Her (And Then There Was, 1)

by Jenika Snow

  I was afraid still, of course, but I knew because this felt so scary, it was real. It had to be. But just because this scared me didn’t mean I’d allow myself to hide any longer.

  The sound of Oliver shifting on the bed had me looking through the balcony doors at where he was. He sat up, ran a hand over his hair, and immediately started looking around. I could see the panic on his face in the darkened room, and my heart broke that in that one moment, he thought I left him again.

  “I’m out here,” I said softly, and he snapped his head in my direction. That panic left as his face eased, and he heaved a sigh.

  He got up and grabbed his boxers that were on the floor, slipping them on, then walking toward me. Oliver sat beside me, smiled, and as I stared into his face, I knew everything would be okay and that everything would fall into place.

  Everything would work out, because it had to. We’d make sure of it.

  “Come here, baby,” he said low, softly.

  I stood and moved closer to him, and he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me onto his lap. He draped the blanket over both of us and just held me.

  We stayed like that in silence for long moments, watching the sun rise, watching the city come alive. Our silence was comforting.

  “I love you, Adele,” he whispered against my temple, and I sighed in contentment. “I really do.”

  “I know,” I responded and shifted so I could look into his face. “I love you too. No more fighting it. I just want you.”

  He pulled me tighter against his chest and kissed the side of my head once more. “This is just the beginning, and it’ll be incredible.”

  Yeah, I couldn’t agree more.

  12

  Oliver

  I was exhausted, but I was afraid to close my eyes, afraid I’d wake up and she wouldn’t be here. We’d come back in from the balcony half an hour ago, but I refused to sleep. I didn’t want to sleep and waste a moment I had with her.

  I tightened my hold on her and felt Adele snuggle in closer. I closed my eyes and smiled against the crown of her head. Now that I actually had her back in my arms, it all felt like a dream. A delirious, sleep-deprived dream that I never wanted to wake up from.

  If I died right now, I would be content, happy. I would’ve fulfilled the most important thing in my life… being with Adele again.

  “Isn’t it crazy?” she whispered sleepily against my chest.

  I pushed some of her braids over her shoulder and trailed my fingers along the curve of her neck, over her delicate shoulder, and down her arm. I watched as goose bumps formed along her skin. I loved that she was so receptive to my touch.

  I inhaled deeply and took in her scent and was really fucking pleased that mine mingled with hers. She was mine now, marked, claimed like I was some kind of ferocious beast, like she was a princess locked away in a tower, and I was the one keeping her hostage, never letting her go.

  “What’s crazy, baby?”

  I felt her shift, and then she was tipping her head back and looking at me. I smoothed my fingers along her forehead, down her temple, and along her jawline. Her skin was so smooth. Flawless. Everything about her was perfect.

  This was what it felt like to find The One.

  “That I can feel this way about you, and you can feel the same way about me, and we know virtually nothing about each other.”

  I didn’t say anything, not because I was speechless, but because I wanted to say it just right, so she knew without a doubt what I meant was genuine and true.

  “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” I leaned down and kissed the center of her forehead. “I am a thirty-five-year-old construction foreman who never thought he’d find someone who completed him. I never thought about marriage or children, a future with a white picket fence and a dog.” I was just letting it all out, opening my heart even more. “But then I saw you on that stage. I heard your voice, and I fell in love with a twenty-seven-year-old singing angel.” We talked for a hours before we finally fell asleep last night, so I now knew some bits of information about the woman of my fantasies.

  I stared into her dark eyes. What I told her was the truth, and I expected her to be apprehensive on how real it was. Instead I heard her sigh in contentment.

  “Adele Lily Smith, I’d marry you right here and now. That’s how badly my love for you consumes me.”

  I saw the surprise on her face, but she didn’t look like she wanted to run, didn’t look like I scared the shit out of her. I didn’t want to keep things from her no matter how much saying that frightened me.

  And then she smiled with this dreamy expression on her face. “Oliver Luke Callim, I love you just as much. So much it makes my chest hurt. I’d marry you right here on the spot.”

  My heart skipped a beat, and I leaned down and kissed her. “Then marry me. You’re already my everything. Be my wife too. You know nothing has ever felt so right.” I knew I would’ve never stopped searching for her. Never stopped loving her. There would have never been another woman for me as long as I lived.

  “Yes,” she whispered, and I kissed her deeply.

  And for the rest of the day, I showed my future wife no matter how uncertain most things in life were. Our love for each other wasn’t one of them.

  13

  Oliver

  One month later

  “People think this is crazy,” Adele said, but I could hear the smile in her voice.

  I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her in close to my body, kissing the top of her head. She smelled so good, like peaches, sun-ripened and sweet. “Let them think this is crazy. Let them think I’m crazy for you. It would be the truth.”

  She pulled back and tipped her head to look up at me, her smile blinding. I cupped the sides of her face and smoothed my thumbs along her cheekbones. She was so delicate, so feminine.

  She was mine.

  I leaned down and kissed her because I couldn’t help myself. For the last month we’d been inseparable. And although we were only forty-five minutes away from each other, it felt like an ocean separated us when I wasn’t near Adele. So, I drove down and stayed with her every night, leaving early the next morning so I could get back up to work and repeat the process. Every day I did this during the week, and then on the weekends, I stayed with her the entire time. It was perfect. It was exactly how it should be.

  And now that we were engaged, leaving her every morning was getting unbearable.

  There was nothing more I wanted than to be with her always.

  I leaned back and looked down at her ring finger. After my impromptu proposal, the following morning I’d taken her to the jewelry store, let her pick whatever ring she wanted. But nothing had called to her. It was when we passed an antique shop, when she’d seen a diamond solitaire with emerald embellishments, that she said that was the one.

  And I bought it right on the spot, asked her to marry me all over again, and slipped it on her finger, sealing the deal.

  I didn’t want to move away from her, but I reluctantly did so I could grab more boxes out of the back of the moving van while we still had sunlight.

  Almost right after I proposed the second time, I all but demanded Adele to move in with me, but in reality it hadn’t taken much convincing. She was all for it, jumping into my arms when I broached the subject, kissing me all over the face, and whispering how she wanted me to ask her right from the beginning.

  So we’d gone house-hunting, found the perfect two-story home situated on five acres with a small pond in the back. There was no renting. We’d gone balls-to-the-wall and bought it right after we’d done the tour. Some would say this was crazy, too fast, that getting engaged and then buying a house with someone you’ve only known for a handful of months was ludicrous.

  But I’d tell them I waited my entire life for her, that the months that passed seemed like a lifetime.

  We were making up for lost time, because I couldn’t see myself being without Adele. Ever.

  I looked over at
her, watched as she set up a small bistro table and chairs on the wooden porch that was situated in front of the house. The deck was painted white, the deck furniture teal because it was her favorite color.

  The sun shone on her, the sundress she wore this baby blue color. God, she looked good in everything she wore. She looked good in nothing at all. My cock started to harden at the thought of her naked, of how good she felt.

  And like it happened every time I stared at her, I fell in love with her all over again. She was my world, the reason I was put on this planet. I had absolutely no doubts about that.

  So here we were, starting our life together, and nothing had ever felt so fucking perfect.

  Epilogue One

  Adele

  One year later

  I was perpetually smiling every day, I noticed, my happiness so pronounced it was like nothing could bring me down.

  And it was all because of Oliver and how happy he made me.

  Fate had a funny way of making things work out when someone least expected it. I felt so strongly for him that first night, when I spoke to him, when he touched me… when I gave myself to him. I had been scared of those emotions, so I ran, left without saying anything. I’d regretted it as soon as the thought entered my mind, and every second of every day after that until destiny had brought us together once more.

  I’d fallen in love with Oliver when I looked at him from the stage, saw the way he watched me, this transfixed expression on his face. I felt this pull toward him, and we hadn’t even spoke two words to each other. I’d never felt that with any other person in my life, and that’s how I knew it had been real.

  That’s why it had scared the shit out of me.

  I honestly never thought I’d have him in my life in the way I desperately wanted. But here I was, going to spend the rest of my life with him. He’d become such an integral part of my world that I didn’t know what I’d do without him. My heart belonged to Oliver always.

  For the last year I’d stopped waitressing and just sang… and sang and sang. I was an exclusive act at Lyrics, Bishop giving me the position because the crowd I drew in had been staggering to all of us. I had no idea people cared that much—or enjoyed for that matter—listening to me sing.

  My dreams were coming true, had come true.

  And here we were, all these months later, all this time past since I knew I couldn’t let Oliver out of my life. I was pregnant with our first baby, and the home we’d bought last year had really come together. There was even a little garden out back that he’d made for me. I planted flowers in the beds, had asked him to make me a vegetable garden. And he had, hadn’t even hesitated as he built the raised beds, as he brought me an array of seeds.

  He’d even made me my own sound rom, a little place where I could go and create and record music even if it was only for me, for us. It was convenient as hell having a husband who was good with his hands.

  God, I loved this man.

  And Lord, was he good with his hands. I flushed at that thought.

  Over the last year I’d seen how possessive and territorial Oliver was when it came to me. Most women might have found it too controlling, too overbearing. Not me. It showed me how much he loved me. He gave me my independence, let me have my space. But he protected me, let me know how much he loved me, how much I meant to him.

  I heard the shower shut off and lifted my head up from the book I was reading. It was getting late. Oliver had just gotten off work, but I knew he’d want to spend time with me. He always did, and I was so grateful for that.

  The bathroom was attached to the bedroom, and when the door opened, steam billowing around before the light was turned off and Oliver stepped out. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and another one covering his head as he dried his hair. I instantly heated even more. I set the book I’d been reading on the bedside table, smiled slowly, and felt every part of my body come alive.

  He finished drying his hair and tossed the damp towel into the hamper by the door. Then he slowly looked up at me, and I watched as his expression turned to heated desire. My nipples hardened, my pussy became wet, and I felt my entire body heat with lust. Oliver’s chest was so masculine, a work of art. He had bulging muscles, a six-pack that was so defined I could have probably bounced a coin off it, and that delicious V of muscle that dipped down to disappear beneath his towel had me feeling so feminine I couldn’t even breathe.

  This deep growl left him as he lowered his hands to the towel at his waist, pulled the material free, and let it drop to the floor. He was already sporting a massive erection, his cock long and thick, straining toward me. My mouth dried at the sight.

  “Baby,” he groaned right before he stalked toward me, pulled the blanket away from my body, and covered my chest with his own. I spread my legs to accommodate his larger frame, felt his massive dick press against my panty-covered pussy, and a gasp of pleasure left me.

  “You’re insatiable,” I said against his neck. He started running his tongue along the side of my throat.

  “Only with you, Adele. Only ever with you.” He let out this low growl and thrust his cock against me again.

  “Good.” I smiled, even if he couldn’t see me.

  “You make me so fucking hard, so turned on I can’t even control myself.” His mouth was still at my throat, the vibrations seeping into my body.

  He pulled back, looking at my mouth. I lifted my hands and tangled my fingers in his damp hair. He gave one last deep groan before all but tearing at my nightshirt and panties until I was naked. He latched onto my nipples right away, the feeling of him sucking at the peaks with his hot, wet mouth causing me to squirm in desire. The blood rushed to the surface and swelled under his ministrations.

  For several agonizingly pleasure-filled seconds, all he did was suck on my breasts. He alternated between them, drawing the tissue out with his teeth and then dragging his tongue over the slight sting he caused. It felt so incredibly good, and I wanted it to last forever, but I desperately wanted him to advance in what we were doing.

  I was vaguely aware of the sounds coming from me, ones that should have embarrassed me, but I didn’t care, not with how Oliver made me feel. He slid his palm down my slightly rounded belly, pushed my legs apart even farther, and covered my panty-clad pussy with his big hand.

  “I need this gone,” he grunted a second before he ripped the material from me, the fabric pulling against my flesh before the garment gave way. I gasped at how much that turned me on. He pulled the panties up and brought them to his nose, inhaling deeply as he stared at me.

  “So fucking sweet.” He tossed the material away, and at the first touch of his fingers on my slick cleft, I cried out.

  “Tell me how it feels.” He added a bit of pressure, and I gasped again.

  “It’s so good, Oliver. So good.”

  “Yeah, it really fucking does feel good, baby.” He continued to stroke me slowly. He slipped a thick finger into my pussy and started pushing it in and pulling it back out slowly. All the while, he stared into my eyes. “And it’s all for me, baby. You’re wet and primed and ready for my cock… only my dick, baby,” he murmured at the same time he pressed his thumb to my clit and started working the bundle of nerves back and forth.

  I nodded. “Only for you, Oliver.” His name fell from my lips like a plea, like I was begging for more. And I supposed I was. All I wanted was Oliver to have his cock inside me, stretching me, filling me. I wanted him desperately.

  “Yes,” I moaned and shifted on the bed, lifting my hips, needing him deeper, needing something thicker, more substantial.

  I needed his dick.

  I let go of his hair and moved my hands between our bodies. He let out a hoarse growl and moved his hands under me so he was now grabbing my ass.

  “You smell so fucking good, Adele, the best fucking aroma in the world.”

  I wrapped my legs around his waist, rubbing my pussy on his length. He hissed out a curse and ran his tongue up the column of my thr
oat. “I could eat your pussy all night long, and I still wouldn’t be sated.” He took my mouth in a hungry kiss for long, drugging seconds. I kissed him like my life depended on it. Our tongues pressed together, and when he retreated, I followed into his mouth. It was strange taking control, and in all honesty, I wasn’t sure if I liked it. Because I loved him taking control.

  He trailed his lips down to my collarbones, dragging them across the arches. He moved his hands from under my ass and placed them on my knees, opening my thighs even wider than before. He slid his hands up my inner thighs until he came to the area of my body that ached for him the most.

  He moved back and sat on his haunches, his focus trained between my thighs. Pushing myself up, I looked down the length of my body. Oliver lifted his gaze to mine, and I held my breath at the intensity in his gaze.

  A high claimed me, and I sucked in a deep breath. He lowered his head to my pussy, never once taking his gaze off me. And at the first lick of his tongue on the most intimate part of me, I waited with desire and anticipation for Oliver to give me the pleasure that only he could bring out in me.

  Oliver

  Oh. Christ.

  I could only eat her out for so long, and if I didn’t stop, I’d come all over the fucking sheets. Her pussy was pink and wet, so damn hot. But it wasn’t sex that had me feeling this euphoria. It was the fact that Adele was here with me.

  My cock jerked at the sight. She was slick and slightly swollen from her arousal. With my mouth so close to the most intimate part of her, I couldn’t have torn my focus from her if my life was on the line.

  “Fuck.” I murmured out that lone word and lifted my gaze to her face for a moment, saw her watching me intently. While holding her gaze, I ran my tongue out and moved it up the center of her cunt. She gasped, her mouth opening, her eyes widening.