Chapter 114: Their Secret Place
“It’s beautiful in here,” Del breathed.
Golden string lights traced the iron ribs of the glass ceiling, bathing everything in a soft, honeyed glow.
She paused just inside, eyes drifting over the lush green walls and clusters of flowers. “This is… yours?” she asked, voice hushed.
“Secret,” Oliver answered, latching the door with a quiet click. “Until tonight.”
She moved deeper into the space, fingertips grazing velvet petals and glossy leaves. The humidity wrapped around her like a second skin. Oliver watched her with that familiar, easy smile, then nodded toward the far corner. “This way.”
Behind two flowering trellises was a nook, a low, wide daybed piled with thick wool blankets and pillows in muted greens and creams. A single lantern hung overhead, its light turned down to a warm ember.
Del’s pulse kicked up. She met his eyes. “You planned this, didn’t you? Prepared all this.”
“Yes, but,” he said, sitting first and patting the space beside him, “with no expectations. We can just… hang out.”
She slipped off her shoes and climbed onto the blankets. The fabric was sun-warm. Oliver shifted closer until their shoulders brushed. For several long minutes, they simply sat like that, breathing the same rose-scented air.
Then he reached up, fingers gentle, and tucked a loose wave of hair behind her ear. His thumb lingered along the edge of her jaw.
“You’re nervous,” he said, not teasing, just stating it.
“Yeah,” she admitted. “And I don’t know why.”
He leaned in slowly, and when she didn’t lean away, he kissed her lips, barely parting. Del kissed back, cautious at first, then pressing closer. Soon, his hand settled on her waist, thumb stroking slow arcs over her dress.
And every time her shoulders tightened, he paused. “You okay?”
She nodded against his mouth. “Keep going.”
The kisses deepened naturally until his mouth drifted from hers to the soft curve of her jaw and then along the side of her neck. When his teeth brushed lightly over her pulse, her breath caught despite herself, a quiet, involuntary reaction that made his hands tighten just a little at her waist. He drew back enough to look at her, as though he wanted to be certain he was reading her correctly.
“Can I take this off?” he asked, his fingers already skimming the fabric of her sweater.
“Yes,” she said.
He eased the sweater over her head and smiled when it was gone. “And this?” he murmured, his hands settling at the hem of her blouse.
Del studied his face for a second, then nodded. He lifted the blouse and pulled it free, the cool air brushing her skin before his warmth replaced it. His palms slid up along her ribs, leaving heat in their wake. He paused again, gaze dropping briefly before returning to her eyes.
“God, Del,” he said. “You’re so beautiful.”
Del just smiled. Reaching for him, she worked the buttons of his shirt. Oliver helped when she fumbled, laughing quietly against her temple. When the shirt fell away, she pressed both palms to his chest.
She liked how he felt—warm skin, steady heartbeat, the faint rise of muscle under her hands.
“I don’t want to go home,” she said suddenly, the words slipping out before she had fully examined them herself.
He smiled at her, not surprised. “Did I say we were going home tonight?”
Before she could reply, he kissed her again. His hand moved along her side before coming to rest at the button of her jeans without pressing further. “We can stop anytime, Del,” he said quietly against her mouth. “We can just hang out. You just have to say the word.”
“I know,” she said. She swallowed, then added with such honesty, “ButI don’t want you to stop.”
His smile curved gently as he kissed her again, a little deeper this time. “Then I won’t.”
He reached up and dimmed the lantern until the light was little more than candle-soft. Then he eased her down onto the blankets, settling over her with careful weight. His mouth found hers again while his fingers worked the button of her jeans, then the zipper.
When he slid the denim down her legs, cool air brushed her thighs, chased immediately by the heat of his palms smoothing back up. He moved down and kissed the inside of her knee, then higher, slow, open-mouthed kisses along her skin that made her hips lift without meaning to.
Del moaned softly as her hands found Oliver’s hair, fingers threading through the dark strands. When he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her underwear and looked up for permission, she nodded, heart hammering.
He peeled the fabric away, then settled between her thighs, kissing her stomach, her hipbones, the sensitive crease where leg met body. When his mouth finally found her, Del gasped. Her fingers tightened in his hair.
Oliver’s mouth moved over her, his tongue tracing slow, steady circles that made Del’s breath hitch in silence. He paid close attention to every small shift in her body, every subtle lift of her hips as she instinctively sought more contact. When she gave a soft, needy sound, he responded immediately, deepening the rhythm to match what she craved.
“Oliver,” she whispered, the word trembling out of her.
He paused just long enough to look up at her, his breath warm against her skin. “It’s okay, Del,” he said gently. “Let go. No one can hear us.”
She relaxed at his words, and he eased a finger inside her, then a second when she let out a soft moan and arched into his hand. He kept his movements slow at first, letting her adjust, then gradually built a steady pace that matched the gentle flick of his tongue, every stroke designed to draw her higher without rushing her.
Soon, Del's breathing grew quicker, her fingers tightening in his hair. When the pleasure finally peaked, it rolled through her in long, shuddering waves. Her thighs trembled around him, her back bowed off the bed, and she came with a low, breathless cry that dissolved into quiet gasps.
Oliver trailed soft kisses up her stomach and chest as Del’s breathing slowly evened out. When he reached her again, he settled comfortably between her thighs, letting her feel how ready he was without pushing forward. He rested his forehead gently against hers.
“You still want this?” he asked, eyes searching hers.
Del nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips as she reached down between them. Her fingers worked the buttons of his jeans, and without breaking eye contact, she slid her hand inside his boxer briefs, wrapping her fingers around him.
Oliver let out a shaky breath, his hips shifting slightly into her touch. “God, Del,” he murmured, voice rough with affection. “I love when you take what you want like this.” He gasped softly as her thumb brushed over the tip, his eyes fluttering for a moment. “You’re still on the pill, right?”
She smiled wider, warmth spreading through her at the way he responded to her. “Yeah,” she whispered.
He exhaled, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. “Good girl.”