Page 102 of At His Beck & Call

At his smirk, I roll my eyes, loving the fact that he’s teasing me. I had no idea he had that in him, and it’s throwing me off. Where’s the brooding, bossy man who barely speaks except to make me blush?

Oliver sips his wine, eating with neat little forkfuls of food. I expected him to devour it instantly, but he takes his time, chewing slowly after every bite.

“Adelaide tells me you had planned to study law,” he says, glancing at me over the rim of his glass.

“That’s true.”

“Why did you stop?”

“Well, I got pregnant with Henry.”

“Did James ask you to quit school?”

I nod. He watches me carefully for several seconds. “How long were you married?”

“Six years.”

“And he’s filed for divorce?”

“Yes. He was very angry that I didn’t tell him about Henry’s illness. I suppose he has every right to be.”

Oliver swallows, his jaw clenching. “Men like him don’t deserve any rights at all,” he mutters, his voice bitter and angry, and the atmosphere changes as I continue to eat my food, not knowing what to say.

As the silence stretches, my stomach begins to tie itself in knots, and I glance around the space looking for a new topic of conversation, but I draw a blank.

The surfaces are stripped bare, and there’s very little to comment on. I start to panic that things will only get more awkward, and we finish our food, every bite feeling endless.

Finally, Oliver puts his knife and fork together on his plate and sits back, looking far more relaxed than I feel.

Maybe I was overthinking it, and he just likes the silence.

“Would you like a tour?”

I brighten instantly. “I’d love one!”

He rises, takes my plate, and places it in the sink. Slowly, we move through the house together as Oliver shows me each room.

When we reach the living room, I’m astounded to find an entire cabinet filled with watches, as if taken straight from a jewelry store. There must be thirty in total, probably worth thousands each.

I walk along the line looking at them all.

“James always wanted that one,” I say. “He was into scuba diving, and apparently it’s one of the best for deep-sea swimming.”

“Over 300-meter water resistance. I wore it while cave diving once.”

“How many do you have?” I ask.

“Over a hundred, but these are my favorites. I love to collect them. Most people think I’m insane.”

“They’re beautiful, though.”

“It’s ridiculous to have more than one watch. I mean, I can only wear one at a time.”

“But that’s not really the point, is it?” I say with a smile. “It’s about thecollection.”

He nods, his eyes darkening. “Exactly. I’ll continue buying them until I have all the limited editions.”

“I feel the same about shoes… I just can’t afford the ones I like.”