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I playfully swatted his arm. "You always push the envelope, don't you?"
"After a year together, that shouldn't surprise you," Oliver murmured, his fingers trailing along my collarbone. "I like to keep things... interesting."
As I slipped on my robe, I turned to the mirror, wiping away steam to inspect my face. Oliver came up behind me, nuzzling my cheek. "You're beautiful like this," he whispered. "Clean, natural, just you."
I giggled, leaning back into his chest. "So, you love me sweaty, clean, made-up, bare faced... why don't you just admit you love me, period?"
"I do," Oliver said, his arms encircling my waist. "I'll take you any way I can get you."
A thought occurred to me, and I turned in his embrace, my tone a mix of teasing and vulnerability. "Even when I'm pregnant and fat?"
Oliver's eyes softened, a tender smile replacing his earlier smirk. "That's when you'll be the most desirable."
"Why is that?" I asked, genuinely curious.
His hand splayed across my stomach. "Because you'll be carrying our child. A part of both of us."
I placed my hand over his. "And I bet you'll be even more protective then."
"It's who I am," Oliver said, his voice taking on a serious edge. "I need to keep you safe."
A chill ran down my spine, remembering. "I haven't seen that man again."
Oliver's jaw tightened. "We still don't know who he is or what he wants. If he shows up again..."
"Maybe he's just a harmless stalker?" I suggested, trying to lighten the mood.
"There's no such thing as harmless when it comes to you," Oliver growled. "We've been in the papers. Some people can't separate fantasy from reality."
I traced the worry lines on his forehead. "I'm sure you've had your share of admirers, Mr. Eligible Bachelor."
Oliver caught my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm. "None that mattered. Not until you."
"And if we hadn't crossed paths at work?" I asked, curious.
A mischievous glint appeared in Oliver's eyes. "I would have found you. Asked you out."
I laughed, but there was an undercurrent of seriousness in my next question. "How? Would you have stalked me?"
Oliver's grip on me tightened ever so slightly, his expression unreadable. "If that's what it took to make you mine. You forget I have a security team that can track people.”
“Like Jonah?” I asked.
Oliver's eyes darkened as he leaned against the bathroom counter. "Jonah is a ghost," he said, his voice low and intense. "No credit cards, no bank accounts, no job. Nothing to trace."
I felt a chill run down my spine. "So, you'd use those things to track me?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light despite the unease settling in my stomach.
A smirk played at the corner of Oliver's mouth. "I didn't have to," he murmured, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "You made it easy by working in my building. All I had to do was ask you out."
I swallowed hard, trying to redirect the conversation. "Have you heard anything about Jonah?"
Oliver's jaw tightened. "Nothing. He's vanished, clearly doesn't want to be found. I can't force him out of hiding. All I can do is hope he comes to his senses."
"And then what?" I pressed, searching his face for answers.
He shrugged, a calculated nonchalance in his movements. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." His eyes suddenly glinted with mischief. "Now, do you want to keep talking about my brother, or would you prefer... another activity?"
Heat rose to my cheeks. "What did you have in mind?"
