Oliver leaned against the doorjamb, tee-shirt in hand and stared. The scene was amusing and heart-stopping all at once. Chloe had requisitioned all the pillows on the bed to make a nest against the headrest. She sat in the middle like those Chacmool statues, with her laptop upon her bosom. A strand of hair fell before her eyes. She continued typing, too engrossed in her task to notice it, or him.
Hair getting in her eyes annoyed her on the best days, so she had to work on something important. He sighed—so much for their no-work rule— and pulled his tee over his head. "What's up?"
Chloe flashed a quick grin above her screen. "Detective Jones confirmed my exclusive." She smirked, more for her benefit than his. "I'm setting up a program to wipe all traces of Watchtower from the files before I sent them over."
"Okay."
Moving the Bratva' focus away from them was definitely worth bending the rules for an hour or two. Oliver laid on his back with one arm under his head, his other hand flat on the mattress.
"Do you want a pillow?"
He glimpsed at her profile. She was still concentrating on her laptop, reading her code as if it didn't look like some sci-fi movie gibberish. Oliver briefly wondered if she would still frown like that in thirty years, maybe push a pair of glasses up her nose instead of the lock of hair that insisted it belonged between her and the world. He looked forward finding out. "I'm good."
He continued staring while she read line after line, pursing her lips here and there, with outburst of intense typing whenever she decided her program needed tweaking. The faint glow of the laptop screen made her eyes greener than usual.
Finally, Chloe double-taped the mousepad and closed the lid. Oliver waited for her to put her precious cargo away before he tugged at the corner of the closest pillow. The whole structure tumbled down on his head. He swept it all aside to find her leaning on her side, facing him. He mirrored her position. Her smile made his heart race.
"Hi…"
She continued to smile, her eyes caressing his face. Her fingers followed suite, detailing his features with featherlike touches, from his cheekbones to the arch of his brow and down his patrician nose. Her fingertips ghosted over his mouth. The delicate touch taunted him to close his eyes and just feel. If he did, he wouldn't be able to see her. Oliver resisted the pull and bared his soul to her.
Chloe leaned into him and pressed her lips against his, the kiss as soft as her previous caresses. Magic danced in the air above them. His hand naturally found her hip and the hot, smooth skin between her pajamas shorts and her tank top. Chloe kissed him again, longer this time. Oliver firmed his hold to gather her closer.
"Thank you."
Somehow, he knew what she was thanking him for. All it took after Clark showed up at the penthouse was a phone call to confirm their silent agreement, another to his pilot. He hadn't even paused to think about it. It was so little compared to what he wanted to give her. He knew it would make her happy, so he hadn't even thought about it.
Oliver tucked the recalcitrant tresses behind her ear. "You're very welcome."
Her piece said, Chloe finally closed her eyes, ending the enchantment. Oliver reached for the switch then settled back down on the bed so she was all but draped over his chest, her nose in the crook of his neck. Chloe sighed in contentment. This was his second part of the day, when they settled for sleep, everything else checked out the door so it was just them.
"Second favorite?" Chloe mused. "What's the first?"
He hadn't realized he'd spoken out loud. Oliver grinned into her hair. "Waking up."
Her blush heated his collarbone. Her body pouring heat into his like a furnace distracted him from the fact her mind had gone a particularly interesting road again. Oliver kissed her forehead. Her hand in his was burning up.
"Are you…" He sought to find the proper adjective, certain "okay" would ruin their moment. "…comfortable? I can open the window if you're too hot."
"No, it's fine. Don't move…"
The gentle pressure of her lower body against his thigh made staying still a challenge. Her smooth leg slid up and between his. Desire stirred. Oliver ran his free hand along her spine, enjoying the contrast between hot skin and cool silk. Chloe stretched like a cat, down and away from him, pulling his torture to a stop. Or so he thought until she found the rim of his tee-shirt on his stomach.
Oliver caught her hand. "The entire universe will laugh at me saying this but… Behave."
Undeterred, Chloe shifted to kiss his jaw then his chin. Her breasts pressed into his chest. Oliver growled. "Chloe…"
She continued to trace patterns on his throat with her tongue all the while pushing his tee-shirt up while she moved downward. Oliver grabbed both her arms and crushed her to him to halt her movements. Pushing her away was not an option. "No."
Her feline eyes were impossible to read in the imperfect darkness yet he guessed they were wide and maybe a little shocked at his refusal. Not as much as I am, Sweetheart.
She protested. "This afternoon…"
"Took its toll. I know you know that…" He caressed her face. "We have all the time in the world for that, Love."
"But I could…"
Oliver kissed her hard to silence her. The images that flooded his brain at the unvoiced suggestion were harder to quench. "Not if I can't reciprocate. That's not how it works."
He cupped her cheek, pressing his forehead to hers. Oliver bumped his nose against hers. "Give your heart a chance to rest…"
He brushed his nose against hers and kissed her when she returned the gentle caress.
"In a few days, though, all bets are off."
Chloe melted into his next kiss, her moan a tingle on his tongue. God, he was a fucking idiot.
Chloe opened her eyes when Dawn peeked through the too fine curtains. She'd turned at some point during the night, so now her back was to Oliver's chest which formed a muscular wall to lean into. She stayed immobile, enjoying the weight of Oliver's arm on her hip. His hand splayed on her stomach, already protective of their baby even though its presence was little more than an imperceptible swell under her navel.
Her body's changes overwhelmed her. She oscillated between tears, exhilaration and uncontrollable bouts of temper so fast her head spun. None of it seemed to throw the man holding her off balance. Oliver apparently had a better grasp on her emotions than she did. Her hero.
Chloe threaded her fingers through his and burrowed deeper in his embrace, closing her eyes again.
"'Morning, Beautiful…"
Gentle lips touched her shoulder.
"Good morning…"
"It is… My favorite part of the day." Oliver nuzzled her neck. "Did you sleep well? What time is it?"
His voice thick with sleep sent goosebumps down her spin. His thumb drew eights on the skin above the edge of her shorts. Chloe suppressed a shiver. "I… don't know. Ear-ly?"
Her tongue stumbled on the last word when his teeth grazed the curve of her neck. He did that again and her body arched into his on its own volition. He jerked as if he'd been burned.
"Sorry. Right. Sorry…" She whined when he inched further away, then shrieked when cold air hit her legs as he flipped the duvet.
"Come on. I want to show you something."
Chloe stared as he pulled up his jeans. His sweater stretched over his back. She had to pinch her lips hard not to yank him back on the bed. She pouted. "What? The sun's not even up yet."
"That's kind of the point, Sidekick." He landed one knee on the mattress to peck her mouth. "I'll make it up to you."
"You keep saying that…" she grumbled, taking the clothes he held on his free hand from him.
"And you have no idea how eager I am to I keep my promises. Come on."
Chloe grumbled "I do" before she inched her legs closer to the rim of the bed. She prayed morning sickness delayed its ugly appearance a little longer. Oliver was shuffling his feet, his eyes heavy in her while she dressed. He whipped his palms on his thighs while she dressed. "Ready? All right… Let's go then…"
They exited the house just in time to see a rose-gold line lit the horizon. The sky was a pearly hue, the grey of the night already giving way to sunrise. The sand was cold under her bare feet. Chloe stepped a little closer to Oliver who automatically looped one arm around her to tug her closer for warmth. She'd never get tired of that, how he always seemed to know what she needed, sometimes before she did. They walked side by side, her mind awakening to the fragile beauty of the world being born again.
Finally, they reached the spot he apparently had in mind. He helped her seat on the edge of the water. The sea was a glittering of mirror of pastel and cream now. Foam reached out and retreated less than a foot from her toes. Chloe wanted to protest they were going to get wet if they didn't back up a little. Then she caught the look on his face.
"I love you."
Sensation fled her body to concentrate on the hand he' caught in his. Her left hand. Oh.
"Mornings are my favorite part of the day because when I wake up, I know I will have new opportunities to be with you. To touch you. To make you laugh and to make you mad, and everything in between. I love you. I always will. Will you marry me, and give me a lifetime of mornings to look forward to?"
Oliver held himself very still. Her free hand had flown to her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers as soon as she realized what he was about to do. The green eyes welled, and his heart plummeted. He'd pushed too fast. She wasn't ready. He tried to swallow past the clog in his throat. Her hand trembled in his. He should let go, take her refusal and pretended he wasn't breaking in a billion pieces. The rose-gold ring seared a hole in his palm.
"You… You're very lucky Lois and Martha are here to help organize everything, because I am not marrying you when I'm as big as a Mack truck, and I am not waiting nine months to marry you either."
His breath whooshed out so fast his other knee fell in the water. He should have chosen a place a little farther away from the sea. "Yes?"
"Yes."
Note : that was the original final chapter (before the epilogue). If you want to keep it that way, switch to Chapter 78 directly. If you want to read a bit more, please beware that the story finishes kind of abruptly (but still makes sense. I hope).
