Chapter 25

OLLIE

Hearing June’s sob felt like a punch to his guts. It stirred something dark and primal inside of him. He wanted to burn down everything that had caused her tears.

The tires shrieked against the asphalt as he slammed on the brakes, the car screeching to a halt outside June's apartment complex

Without another thought, Ollie yanked the door and stormed inside with long and quick strides. He took the stairs two at a time until he reached June's apartment unit.

His heart pounded as he threw open the door. The sight that greeted him made his blood run cold. Shattered glasses littered the floor and furniture lay overturned.

A grimace twisted his face.

Whether a robbery or random break in attack, whoever did this would pay dearly.

As he stepped further inside the house, he found June behind the door. She was curled up like an orb with her head buried between her knees.

A vise twisted his chest at the state he'd found her.

He ran his hand over his face before moving toward her. He knelt carefully, not wanting to startle her and gently lifted her chin. His fingers brushed away the strands of hair that clung to her tear-streaked face that tightened his chest.

When she blinked up at him, he felt a sharp jab to his chest. Her face was flushed, her eyes red and puffy, and the tears had left streaks down her cheeks. The sight of her set a fire in him. He wanted to fix this, to take the hurt away, to make whoever did this feel every ounce of it.

What if he hadn’t call her? What if she had been alone? His stomach turned at the thought of her sitting there and crying in the silence. The thought drained him physically.

Her voice was soft, shaky. “You came.”

“Always.” He nodded as he reached out to wipe the tears from her face with his thumb.

It didn’t matter how far he was, he would always come for her. No matter what.

Ollie’s hand gently slid around June’s waist as he helped her to her feet. The moment his fingers made contact with her skin, her body tensed slightly, but she didn’t pull away as he eventually scooped her up and cradled her against his chest.

When he set her down, she curled up into herself, knees pulled to her chest, like she was trying to hide from the world. Ollie moved in front of her, sitting at her level, his hand reaching out to gently caress her cheek with his thumb. He felt the roughness of her tear-streaked skin beneath his fingers, and his chest tightened.

Ollie scrambled for words to say, but his mind drew a complete blank. Fixing things? That, he could handle. Destroying whoever did this? No problem. But consoling her? He didn’t know how to start.

His eyes flicked to the mess of shattered glass on the floor. At least that was something he could take care of.

Taking of care of the broken pieces didn’t take long, after which he returned to June’s side. Her eyes were on him the whole time, her knees still clutched to her chest.

He knelt down in front of her and brushed back a stray strand of her hair, his fingers threading gently through it. Then, his hands cupped her face, and his thumbs skimmed over the faint dampness on her cheeks.

“June,” he said quietly, holding her weary gaze. “Who did this to you?”

Her breath hitched, and he could feel it, warm against his skin. She looked down at her fingers twisting the fabric of her jeans.

“Tell me.” He pressed as he leaned in until their foreheads almost touched. “Who made you cry?” His voice was controlled, but anger hummed just beneath, barely contained. “Let me deal with them. I’ll make sure they never even think about hurting you again.”

A small laugh slipped out of her, catching him off guard. He hadn’t meant to be funny, but seeing her smile—hearing her laugh—felt like winning the lottery.

“I almost believed you,” she murmured, her voice so soft.

He smirked, tilting his head. “I don’t joke about these things. Now, come on, tell me who it was.”

Her smile grew wider, and for a moment, he felt like he was on top of the fucking world. Two smiles. He’d coaxed two smiles out of her.

“This isn’t funny,” he said, though his lips still twitched. “I’m dead serious. I’ll make them pay for hurting you.”

Her laughter bubbled up again, this time fuller, brighter, and it hit him square in the chest. Warmth spread through him, crowding out the rage that had been simmering since he first saw her tears.

“You don’t want me to torture them?” he teased, raising an eyebrow. “Too extreme for you?”

She snorted, and his grin widened. Only June could make a snort sound cute.

“Fine,” he said as he leaned back slightly. “I’ll call the cops. Do it the legal way.”

The smile vanished from her face almost instantly. Her shoulders hunched as she pulled back into the couch.

“No. It’s nothing. Just a stupid argument with my brother. Nothing serious.”

Her brother. Again. Her fucking brother had made her cry again.

Ollie’s jaw tightened as anger flared in his chest. He would kill the bastard, gladly, though he doubted June would appreciate the courtesy. It was clear she cared about that asshole, even if he didn’t deserve an ounce of it.  

His fists curled at his sides. The words that came out of his mouth were low, measured, but laced with restrained fury.

“If it was nothing, you wouldn’t be crying.”

June shook her head quickly, wiping at her eyes. “I’m just a crybaby.” She forced a weak laugh. “It’s really nothing. Just stupid, petty sibling stuff.”

He couldn’t relate, thank God, but he knew enough to see through her deflection. On second thought, paying her brother a visit didn’t sound half bad. He wouldn’t have to kill him. There were plenty of ways to make someone regret their actions without crossing that line. Though death had its appeal.

As if she could sense his intention, June’s hand reached out, her fingers brushing lightly against his thigh. “Don’t do anything,” she said softly, “Please.”

Ollie’s gaze dropped to her hand, and he covered it with his own. “I won’t,” he said to put her mind at ease, though he was going to decide later.

Her hand lingered for a moment before she pulled back. “I’m sorry,” she said hesitantly. “I shouldn’t have cried on the phone like that. Now you had to come all the way here because of me—”

“June,” he said through her spiral

“God, I’m such an inconvenience.” Her hands flew to her face. “I’m so sorry—”

If he hadn’t called her, he wouldn’t have known she was falling apart. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn’t understand why he felt this overwhelming need to always be there for her, but he did. And he wasn’t going to stop. Nor was he was going to put too thoughts into it.

"What did I say about assumptions?" He arched a brow.

Her hands lowered slightly, and she peeked at him through her lashes. “But I made you come all the way here.”

"So?"

"You must be busy."

"Not too busy for you, baby."

“Don’t call me that.” she frowned, her lips pressed together in a way that didn’t quite sell the annoyance she was aiming for. Still, he didn’t miss the faint flush painting her a shade he found too endearing.   

“Why not?” He shrugged, though he was already leaning closer, watching her reaction closely.

“Because I’m not,” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, her gaze darting to the floor for half a second before snapping back to him.

He tilted his head, studying her with an amused smirk. “But you’re mine, though.”

The words left him with a certainty he didn’t bother masking. She was his—his baby, his princess, his whatever-the-hell-he-decided she was.

“Says who?” she crossed her arm over her chest. He could tell she was enjoying it with the way her face significantly brightened, despite the gruff exterior.

He straightened to his full height, towering over her. His hand slid behind her head, his fingers gently threading through the strands of her hair. Then, he tilted her face upward to meet his gaze.

Big brown eyes locked onto his, wide and unblinkingly. And then she did it. her tongue darted out, dragging slowly over her lower lips, leaving it glossy and entirely too tempting.

Blood rushed southward, heat pooling low in his body. Fuck. A muscle in his jaw ticked as he fought to keep himself in check.

“Says me. Obviously.” His voice came rougher, edged with something dark.

 “You can’t just decide those kinds of things, Ollie.”

“Says who.” His lips curled into a smirk.

She frowned, though he didn’t miss the twitch at the corners of her lips.

“So, Edelweiss—” he began, drawing out the word.

June’s eyebrows furrowed. “Edel—what?” She let out a short, surprised laughter, her face lighting up like the sun. “What’s even that?”

Edelweiss is a flower that grows in harshest condition, looks tough like it could weather anything, but underneath, it’s delicate as hell. Just like June.

“Look it up,” he shrugged casually, and her eyes narrowed in thought. “So,” he cupped her face. “What should we do?”

Her eyes searched his for something. “You’re staying?”

“If you want me to.” His thumb brushed along her cheekbone.

She looked away from him, her gaze flicking sideways. “I’m sure you have important things to do.”

“Do you?” He cocked his head to the side to look at her.

Her gaze dropped to her fingers fidgeting the fabric of her top. “I can’t force you to stay, you know.”

“June.”

She swallowed, then whispered so softly that he barely caught the words. “Stay.”

“What?” He smirked, leaning in closer, wanting to hear it again. “I can’t hear you.”

She stood up abruptly and walked around him, her body brushing against his in passing. Ollie couldn’t stop the grin that pulled at his lips. Jesus Christ, what was this woman doing to him? He’d never been this damn smiley. “Stay, jeez,” she muttered, clearly flustered.

“Would you like coffee?” she asked as she walked behind him.

 He turned around to face her with a smug grin and he crossed his arms. “Anything you’d like to offer.”

She scoffed, shaking her head with a playful roll of her eyes before continuing toward the kitchen area. Ollie followed right behind her, unable to resist the pull to be near her. What else was he supposed to do? He could barely keep his distance.

“What should we do? What do you like doing?” he leaned against the counter as he watched her move around the kitchen.

She craned her neck to glance at him. “What’s the question, exactly?”

“What do you like?”  

She hummed, tilting her head slightly as if contemplating. “Not much,” she finally admitted with a small shrug. Then her eyes suddenly lit up like it finally clicked. "I like sightseeing. It is always a dream to see beautiful places. Like poetry readings, like going to art galleries" The way her eyes twinkled made his chest warm in a strange, unfamiliar way. "I also love Valentina Pyotr. I could listen to her all day," she added with a sigh. "Though I don't think that’s something."

He nodded, slowly, his lips tugging up. Everything she liked fitted her perfectly.

She turned sharply toward him with a sudden spark of something mischievous dancing in her eyes. “Though there’s something I’d really like to do right now.”

“What,” he asked, “would that be?”

Her smile pulled upward too wide.