"Love."
Chloe bounced on the mattress when Oliver straightened abruptly to switch his lamp on. She blinked against the brilliance twice, unable to comprehend Oliver's sudden change of mood. One minute he was all but declaring his flame, and the next…
The next he was up and rummaging through his nightstand to find his cell phone.
"Oliver?"
"That's the missing link. Love. Someone is using Byers' feelings for them to facilitate their little operation. It's the only possible explanation for it. He's asked to facilitate some things "Sign here" "Do that" and he's probably not even told why. That's why his name appears at random and it doesn't appear to make sense."
The mattress dipped when he put one knee next to her to kiss swiftly on the mouth. "I have to call Hal. We're going in tonight."
"Absolutely not." Chloe grabbed his arm with both hands and pulled him down on the bed. "First of all, it's past three in the morning, Dawn will be there soon, there's simply no time. Second, we talked about this, and we agreed you would wait until our departure for Smallville, so that I can plan things properly, because the plan is still risky. Last, I am not letting you go there half-cocked because you associate your feelings for me to emotional blackmail."
Oliver frowned. "What? No! That's not what I—"
Her stomach turned. Acid shot up her throat. Her eyes began to water at the burn. Her stomach contracted again and Chloe slanted one hand over her mouth.
Tears stained her cheeks even as her abdomen muscles relaxed. She took small, shallow breaths as the nausea finally receded, leaving her exhausted and drenched in cold sweat. Her whole body hurt, from the back of her throat scratched raw to the blood pounding against her temples.
The humid washcloth felt like heaven on her neck. "Better?"
Chloe whipped her cheeks of tears. Speaking hurt so she settled for a nod.
"Guess that was the signal for "don't upset mom…", huh?"
She managed a small smile in return. "Sorry…"
Oliver rubbed gentle circles in her back. "You have nothing to apologize for, Sidekick. Do you want to shower?"
She gave a minuscule nod again, unsure how she was to stand in the shower when Jello® was stronger than her legs.
"All right. Don't move."
Chloe nodded for the third time and immediately regretted it when the world tilted. Just bobbing her head requested more energy than she had. She shivered, chilled by the cold tiles under her bare legs, and the porcelain she was still hugging.
Oliver stood from his crouch to flicker on the jets in the shower before he pulled his tee-shirt over his head. His sweats followed so he stood with only his boxers on, a glorious sight of tan skin and slick muscles. Her face heated in embarrassment and annoyance. Really, did he have to look so beautiful when she felt gross and as appealing as a baboon? "Arms up."
She obeyed, ashamed to realize keeping her arms over her head for five seconds had her spasming in exhaustion. Her blush intensified when he reached for her sleeping shorts.
Oliver grinned. "Mind off the gutter, Sidekick, it's shower and then back to bed for you, no funny business." He sobered up as soon as he caught the sight on her face. Obviously she looked as awful as she felt. "Come on."
Chloe allowed him to finish divesting her then accepted his help to stand. "I hate vomiting…"
Oliver guided her into the stall. The water cascaded over her, warm and deliciously clean. The wet curtain washed away the icy discomfort from her bout of nausea. Secured against his chest, she watched Oliver poured some shower gel into his palm then rubbed it over the luffa to make it foam. Chloe closed her eyes. The fluffy ball caressed her back then her shoulders. When he moved to her front, she couldn't repress a different shudder. The wet fabric of the shorts he'd neglected to shed stuck to the skin of her bottom. Even though Oliver kept his gestures as neutral as possible, the tenderness coupled with his hard body holding her up made it impossible not to react. Him being Oliver made it impossible to react.
His nose brushed her neck. Chloe resisted the urge to reach for the arm curled around her waist. Their skins were slicked with soap and water, touching and dancing together in arousing slides. "Do you want to wash your hair?"
His voice was a little hoarse. "No, no thank you."
The heat from the water combined with desire raising made her lightheaded. Oliver squeezed the luffa a couple of times to rinse it. He shut down the jets, then helped her out of the shower.
The towel he wrapped around her was plush and wonderful against her body. He sat her on the counter. His drench underwear hit the ground with a wet thud. Oliver quickly toweled himself off. "I'll be right back."
Chloe felt a little foolish. She'd never been pampered like that, not since she'd been a small child. Her previous outburst about emotional blackmail felt so petty now. Oliver didn't offer her grand declarations of undying love. Instead, his feelings showed through all those small gestures he made every day, from preparing tea for her in the morning to remembering her favorite flowers or what sort of muffins she liked. She only had to look at the way his eyes searched for her when he entered the room, and how they lit when he smiled back at her.
She exhaled slowly. Leaning sideways to fish her toothbrush behind her, Chloe squeezed some toothpaste on it and proceeded to refresh her mouth. Her towel started to slip so she grabbed it with her other hand, and realized too late her precarious perch wasn't exactly made for twisting and turning. Oliver came back with dry pajamas just in time to catch her before she made a dive head-first to the floor.
"Wow, careful there."
"Thanks…"
Chloe smiled, but tiredness was getting to her. Minutes later, she could barely keep her eyes open as he arranged the sheet around them. Oliver's kiss on her forehead was light as a dream. She crawled closer to rest her head on his shoulder. His arm automatically reached for her, so she was secured against his side.
"Go to sleep, Sidekick."
"Love you…"
She was already dozing off, as his whisper grazed her temple. "I love you, too."
Chloe scowled at her herbal tea and her laptop both. "I would kill for a cup of coffee…"
"Not me I hope." Her head snapped up from the document she was editing to find Oliver leaning against the doorframe, with his trademark smirk in place. "Or I won't be able to take you to lunch…"
"Hey… Is it noon already?"
"Well past one, actually. I'm kidnapping you. What do you say? You, me, e le ozi de Capua."
"If I have to agree first, it's not a kidnapping. How many languages do you speak, anyway?"
She knew she was grouchy for the sake of it but she couldn't help it. She'd thrown up again after waking up—alone. The lack of sleep made her miserable, and she missed coffee.
"Six. You know, you're cute when you're decaffeinated."
"Oliver, you think I'm cute when I yell at you."
His smirk turned into a full beam. "I beg to differ. When you yell at me, I think you're breathtaking."
He moved to drop a kiss on her lips.
"Masochist."
Oliver rested his chin on the top of her head, his hands travelling down to her elbows until she was all but enclosed in his arms. "What are you working on?"
Even as he asked, his mouth found its way to the rim of her neckline.
"Grading papers for the Oas…" Teeth grazed her skin. Lust zapped through her so fast she froze completely.
"You're grading papers? Chloe?"
He was hovering so close his after-shave enveloped her in a cloud of sandalwood and heat. "Hum?"
"You're okay? Your skin is burning hot…"
Oh, she had a very good idea what she looked like. Her face flushed, her eyes too bright, lips parting in arousal… "I… am fine. It's… It's your after-shave."
Chloe bit back the rest of her sentence before her voice betrayed her. Oliver jumped away. "Ah, shit! Sorry… Sorry. The smell is bothering you. I should… I didn't think… I'll shower real quick, and—"
"No!" Oliver. Shower. Naked. Chloe closed her eyes and reopened them in a hurry to escape the images her brain conjured. "It's fine. It's heady is all. You suggested Italian? I like Italian."
She stood at once. The man in front of her considered her from head to toe, amused interest quickly replacing worry in the chocolate eyes.
"Are you sure you're all right? They will deliver if I call…"
Chloe groaned. "I'd like to go out. I've been cooped in all morning. I need some fresh air."
"Hum…"
Oliver prowled upon her like a big cat. Her pulse quickened. "Stop it."
"Stop what?"
She took a step back and her back hit the counter. He bracketed her between his arms again, this time facing her. The amazing scent of sandalwood and bergamot clouded her senses once more. "You're screwing up my plan."
"What plan, Sidekick?"
"My Don't-jump-Oliver plan."
"I don't like that plan. Let's work on a new one. We'll call it "Oliver and Chloe make out in the kitchen"."
Chloe swallowed hard, barely able to stop her hands from reaching for him. He was too close, smelled too good, felt too amazing against her to resent him teasing her. She shook her head between difficult breaths.
"You… got me… pregnant… last time we… we tried that one."
He enjoyed every second of her torment, the rake. "See? Great plan." Oliver' sigh ghosted along her cheek. "Amazing… Tremendous… Still no? Really?"
His smirk when he backed one inch to look her in the eye awarded her a glimpse of dimples. He was so sure of his power over her, the arrogant display annoyed her enough to push him off her without letting her hands wander on his chest. Much.
"Lunch," Chloe grumbled. She straightened her clothing and walked to the living room behind him.
"Why are you grading papers?"
"Because they need grading. Sister Clare called me. The English staff is short one of their regulars, so they need help to review all the final essays before Christmas. I offered to help."
Her face heated again when she saw the fond admiration in his gaze. "It's simple really, just proofreading. Though they might not ask me again. Clark used to call me a grammar Nazi."
Oliver fixed the collar of her coat before he tilted her head back and kissed her.