Trust the Timing - Chapter 7

Shane's heart was racing wildly out of control. She was certain that seeing Oliver was not safe for her heart in any way! Oliver looked straight into her eyes and his longing for her was unmistakable! All Shane wanted to do now was get out of Rita's car and run into his arms, but how safe was that?

"Do you want to go say hello to him?" She heard Rita asking.

"No!" She said quietly.

"Are you sure?"

"Please let's go, Rita, now!"

Rita pressed her foot down on the accelerator and they left behind Oliver standing in the parking lot looking all forlorn. As soon as the car turned around the corner, Shane covered her face and sobbed.

"Oh, Shane, why are you doing this to yourself? He's totally free now and he's been desperately trying to find you."

"Oh, Rita, I don't know if my heart could survive another heartbreak because of Oliver. I just can't take it."

"So, what are you going to do, avoid him for the rest of your life? I have a feeling he's never going to give up on you."

"I don't know, Rita. All I know is this has been the hardest 6 months of my life." "You're going to be thrown together a lot this week, whether you want to see him or not."

"Well, I will do my best to avoid him for as long as I can."

Rita just sighed.

The first thing Oliver did when he entered the DLO was say good morning to Norman, followed quickly by questions about the girls. "What are they doing today? Where is Shane staying?"

"They are visiting the venue where both the ceremony and the reception are taking place followed by a stop at the florist to check on the flowers and finally they will be doing some shopping. Rita plans to come back to work mid-afternoon and Shane will head back to her hotel."

"Which hotel is it?"

"Hilton Garden."

"Ok, thanks Norman."

Oliver could not focus on his work. The hours ticked by so slowly it was excruciating! As soon as Rita walked through the double doors at about 3 pm, Oliver said he had to run an errand and he wouldn't be back at work for the rest of the day. Norman suspected he was heading directly to the hotel to see Shane. Since he was Oliver's best friend, he wasn't about to mention his suspicion to Rita, as he didn't want Shane to be alerted to Oliver's visit. Norman wished with all his heart to see his friend happy again.

###

Shane was sitting on the small balcony outside her room that overlooked the swimming pool and manicured grounds as she sipped on a glass of white wine. Since it was very hot, she was in the middle of planning to go for a dip, when she heard the knock on her door. She frowned. Who could it be? She wasn't expecting anybody and Rita had gone back to work.

She walked to the door and opened it. She gasped. There stood Oliver as gorgeous as always. He smiled his radiant, beautiful smile at her.

"Hello, Ms. McInerney."

Shane just stood there looking at him, rooted to the spot!

"May I come in?"

"Oh... sure… of course." She opened the door wider. He walked past her very slowly, very deliberate. She caught a whiff of his cologne. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked him, as she walked past him and back out onto the balcony. He followed her. She was wearing a tiny pair of denim shorts and a tank top that hugged her beautiful curves. He removed his jacket and loosened his tie; suddenly feeling the heat surging up his body, not only from the hot day. Was this room extremely hot or what? He thought.

She sat where she had been before and grabbed her glass. "Would you like a glass of Chardonnay?"

"Yes, please, thank you. Norman told me you were staying here."

She nodded as she got up again and walked back to the kitchenette to grab a glass of wine for him. He walked to the balcony balustrade and turned around. He leaned against it as he looked at her going to the fridge and coming back. She was just too cute in her casual summer clothes and bare feet. His mouth went dry! She handed him the glass. As he took it, their fingers brushed against each other's. They both felt the jolt of electricity surge through their bodies. He took the glass from her hand, and she retreated quickly, as if she had been burned.

She sat back down near the little glass table. "Why are you here, Oliver? Shouldn't you be hard at work at the DLO? It's Monday, after all."

"There are more important things in life than work Ms. McInerney."

"Right!" Shane pursed her lips.

Oliver took a sip of his wine and put it down, folding his arms over his chest. "How have you been?"

"Fine." She said curtly.

He raised his eyebrows. "Are you angry with me?"

She glared at him. "Angry? No, why should I be angry? You're nothing to me, after all."

He nodded. "True! I'm nothing to you." He sighed.

"Where is Holly?" She spat the name out of her mouth, as if it was offensive.

"I don't know. All I know is she's out of my life… forever!"

"Really? Did she get tired of you again? How long did it take this time?" It was obvious she absolutely was fuming!

He looked at her with his intense blue eyes. "Just so you know, I asked her for a divorce, not the other way round. I kicked her out of my house. I took her to the airport and literally forced her to get on a plane."

Shane's jaw dropped. She covered her mouth, trying hard to stifle a sob. She did not succeed. She got up to run away into the bedroom, but Oliver grabbed her arm, spinning her around and pulling her to him. She offered no resistance. She went into his arms and melted into them. Their mouths found each other's immediately without the smallest of efforts and moulded into each other's. He held her face with both his hands and allowed his passion to be released. Tongue playing with tongue, exploring each other's mouths without hurry, without reproach, just an onslaught of love and desire!

She lifted her hands and dug her fingers through his hair, playing with the ends of it on his nape.

"Oh Shane…" he whispered in her ear breathlessly. "Where have you been?" He took her mouth again not waiting for an answer, running his hands up and down her body, then pressing her body into his with his ferocious desire threatening to overwhelm him.

"Oh, Oliver…" she said, kissing his face, his strong jaw line, nibbling his lips, moving to his earlobe and then back to his mouth again. "I want you right now! Love me, Oliver or I think I will go crazy."

He gently pushed her away and looked into her eyes. He said softly. "Only God knows how much I want to tear your clothes off and make love to you right now, Shane. I love you and you know it, but I will not and cannot treat you like I did Holly. We're going to have to wait a bit."

"I don't want to wait." She said, crying. "I have done nothing but wait for you. I'm so tired of waiting."

He took her mouth again. He didn't know what to do. His desire for her was physically hurting him and seeing her crying with desire for him was like balm to his soul. They stayed in each other's arms for a long time, as they realised that a lifetime of this would never be enough to restore the years of longing they had endured.

He noticed her lips were completely swollen from the intensity of his kisses. Yes, he wanted this woman more than he had ever wanted any other woman in his entire life. He knew regardless of what they decided to do at this moment and beyond, it would be an uphill battle to resist her. At that very moment he looked at the bed and he made up his mind. "Shane, sweetheart, I have to return to work. Will you please join me for dinner? I can come back to pick you up."

"Yes!" Was her quick response.

"Ok." He said, letting her go. "7pm?"

"Yes!" She said.

###

Oliver breathed a sigh of relief the moment he stepped out of Shane's room. He decided what just occurred between them was too close for comfort. However, his heart was soaring with hope for a future with her! He couldn't wait for this evening. He had a surprise for her and he knew she was going to love it. He remembered with horror the last time he felt like this about going out on a date with her, Holly had turned up unexpectedly at his front door, screwing up his and Shane's lives completely.

"Oh Lord, please protect us." He prayed fervently.

###

As soon as Oliver left, Shane changed into her bikini and made her way to the swimming pool. She needed to cool herself off in more ways than one. She happily smiled to herself. She had known she was going to see Oliver this week, but she hadn't expected he'd seek her out on her first day in Denver, nor had she ever expected him to literally claim her as his the way he did. Well, she thought to herself, he could have staked his claim much more thoroughly if he wanted to! She certainly wouldn't have stopped him. In fact, there was nothing she wanted more than to completely give herself to him, but she knew well the man's character. He was the epitome of honour. She wouldn't want to change that about him, since his character was very much part of the many reasons why she had fallen so crazily in love with him in the first place.

That evening, Shane chose a creamy light summer dress and almond ballerina flats. She looked fresh and beautiful. She liked her reflection in the mirror and hoped Oliver would approve a more casual look. At 7pm on the dot, Oliver arrived. He was also wearing a light coloured suit and his pocket square matched her dress. He looked at her approvingly.

"Shane, you take my breath away. I'd forgotten how beautiful you are."

She smiled. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to a place in Cherry Creek"

"Cherry Creek? Is there a new restaurant in Cherry Creek?"

"No, not exactly." He extended his arm to her. He looked mysterious with that mischievous boyish smile of his. Oh God, she loved this man to distraction! How she had missed him! She couldn't care less where they went, as long as she was with him…

Oliver was chatty on their way to the restaurant, telling her how the DLO was functioning nowadays without her. When they needed computer assistance, Rita was their go to person and she tried her best to provide what was needed. When that wasn't enough, they brought in a young man named Ryan from the sorting floor to help out. Shane was asking all sorts of questions and not paying much attention to where they were going. When they finally arrived, and Oliver parked the car by the curb she looked around, surprised. They were at her old house.

"What are we doing here, Oliver?"

He smiled his charmingly gorgeous smile, "We're having dinner."

"Who lives here now?"

"Well, you, if you want to."

"I beg your pardon... what do you mean?"

"I bought this house after you moved out."

He got out of the car and went around to assist her. Shane stepped out of the car and stopped to admire her old place. The garden was well maintained and looked beautiful. The yellow roses were blooming riotously everywhere.

They were going up the steps to the front porch when she noticed a porch swing. She smiled and shook her head. She remembered telling him about the porch swing she had at her house as a child.

"Dad has been helping me maintain it, which is why it looks so good."

"Do you live here?" She asked, as he was unlocking the front door.

"No, not officially, but I have spent a lot of my time here in the last 6 months." They walked in. Shane looked around. Everything was as she had left it, apart from her personal things.

"Wow!" She said, overwhelmed. She turned towards him. She couldn't believe it.

"Have you slept in my bed?" She asked, teasing him. He chuckled.

"Yes, Ms. McInerney, many times. It's a good bed."

She walked towards him. "Why did you buy it?"

He looked at her seriously. "Because it was the only way to keep a piece of you with me."

"Did you spend time here when Holly was around?"

"Especially when Holly was around. It was my safe haven."

At that moment, the door bell rang. "Dinner is here." He said and he went to open the door.

Shane noticed the table was already set. He really had thought of everything. They had Italian food delivered from Donatello's, including a bottle of Brunello.

"Shane, where have you been since January?"

"Seattle! I asked Becky for a transfer anywhere in the country. There was a vacancy at the Seattle Direct Line Operations and that's where I've been all this time."

"Why did you ask Becky and Rita not to give me your address?"

She shook her head. "I didn't think I could see you and say goodbye again. My heart couldn't take any more grief."

"Didn't Rita tell you I got a divorce?"

"From the very beginning I asked her not to talk about you. It was my way of trying to protect my heart. I did not know until last week you had got a divorce."

"Are you going to come back to Denver, Shane?"

"Do you want me to?"

He stood up from his chair, walked around the table and extended his hand to her. She grabbed it and stood up. He pulled her into his arms. Gently he brushed his lips over her lips and whispered against them, "What do you think?"

She didn't bother to answer him, she just parted her lips for him and he deepened the kiss. They clung to each other, kissing deeply. She moaned against his mouth while he looked for deeper angles.

She slipped her hands inside his jacket and pushed it off his shoulders. He shrugged it off. She loosened his tie and pulled it off without breaking their kisses. She started to unbutton his shirt, but he grabbed her hand. He pulled back from the kiss and brought her hand to his mouth instead. He kissed it.

"Shane… I love you!"

"I love you too, Oliver. More than you can even imagine."

Oliver looked at her intently, "Will you please trust me and not push for a sexual relationship at this point?"

She stepped back, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't know how long I can survive without you, Oliver, but I will certainly try, if that's what you want."

He kissed both her hands. "You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear you saying such things to me, Shane. You bless me."

"How?" She asked mystified.

"After the emotional abuse I suffered at Holly's hands, hearing you declare your love and how much you desire me, lifts my spirits."

"Holly's an idiot! She's not right in the head." She said angrily, remembering the wretched woman.

He smiled at her. "Forget Holly, she's not important. Let's focus on ourselves."

"I'm ready to show you by actions how much I love you, Oliver."

He smiled into her eyes. "All in good time, sweetheart." He cleared his throat. "Would you like to dance?" He asked.

"Really? Have we got a CD player here?" "No! We have a record player… and some records." He walked to the cabinet and lifted the lid. He found the vinyl record he was looking for and put it on. The clear voice of Billy Joel singing their song started to play.

Shane's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, how I love this song, it touches me deeply."

He took her hand and led the way into the open living room area. He twirled her around and pulled her into his arms. They had forgotten their rehearsed steps but they hadn't forgotten how to dance together, fully plastered up against each other.

They finished off the magical evening by sitting on the porch swing, sipping wine and kissing the night away.