15. Oliver

Chapter 15

Oliver

His Isobel

“ Y ou’re an idiot.” The voice cut through the darkness as Oliver stepped into the bedroom and watched his Isobel sleep for the umpteenth time.

It had been a week since he’d caught her between Emilio and Maddox.

Maddox he had accepted if only just barely, but Emilio?

The scoundrel was supposed to protect her when Oliver didn’t trust himself to anymore. Instead, he had stolen Isobel’s virginity.

It had only taken Oliver a few minutes to do the math, to figure out who it was. He knew someone had while he was away overseas, she had told him as much. But he thought it was a nobody classmate.

Not his supposed ally.

And to top it all off. Emilio didn’t even keep her safe, she had almost fallen victim to one of the York scum.

It was that and the blatant disrespect that had caused him to spiral into his own mind. The darkness that typically lived there overcrowding the light that Isobel shined into it.

He was afraid he would hurt her, that he would say something he didn’t mean. He needed time to wrap his mind around the fact that it wouldn’t just be him and Maddox with his precious Isobel.

But Emilio would be joining the foray, too .

Maybe he should have taken her wings and locked her away years ago .

“Whatever you’re thinking, no, just no. You have that sinister look on your face,” Maddox whispered in a hushed tone.

“How did you—” Oliver protested before stopping himself.

Maddox always knew, even in their days together in the military. It was one of the reasons Oliver trusted him. The reason he allowed Maddox around Isobel at all.

“But what about the asshole?”

Said asshole was off for some work purpose but he would be returning in the morning. Ready to disrupt Oliver’s carefully laid plans again.

All Oliver had ever wanted was Isobel and while he could acknowledge that he wasn’t enough for her, that didn’t mean he wanted to share her with two other men.

“Emilio is good for her. He pushes her past her point of comfort. Makes her feel good about herself. And besides, I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but they’re married.”

Oliver did everything in his power to control the surge of rage that rolled up his body, filling him. “They are not married in my eyes. Maybe by some stupid fucking piece of paper, but she is not his.”

Maddox heaved a sigh, disentangling himself from Isobel’s sleeping form, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before exiting the bed. “You’re going to lose her. She has been on edge for a week. She already went through something traumatic and then a series of life-altering revelations. She hasn’t touched Emilio or me since you saw us. She’s scared, she hasn’t said as much, but I can tell. Ellie was just starting to come out of her shell, to feel good about herself, and then you iced yourself out from her. You two have been friends for over a decade. Get your shit together.”

Oliver clenched his fists and turned to leave .

“She loves you.” Maddox stepped into his space and placed a hand on his shoulder.

There was just enough light in the room to make out the intensity of Maddox’s stare. It was unnerving. “Yes, as a friend.”

Maddox let out a humorless snort. “You’re an idiot. Pull your head out of your ass before you miss out on the last remaining happiness in your life. What are you without her? Who are you?”

Oliver griped, “But that’s the point isn’t it? Emilio isn’t good for her, but he can keep her secure with his army of men. He was her first love for fuck’s sake. Her goddamn husband as you so aptly noted. And you? You’re safe, you don’t have any ties to the underbelly of this town. You’re who she runs to when she needs comfort. But what about me? What is my role in this happy little family ?”

Maddox dropped his hold before pulling his arm back and punching Oliver in the shoulder.

Oliver narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flared. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“There it is. Sometimes I think you forget the mask you wear. You’re what Ellie craves. To have her control taken. To be bossed around and told what to do. To challenge her. Are you going to ruin the only possibility of happiness in your life? Because I remember you on our tour together. You were a lost fucking puppy. Isobel this and Isobel that . You were goddamn annoying.” Maddox smirked, stepping around Oliver and quietly pulling the bedroom door open. “But you weren’t wrong. She is worth it. The obsession, the other men, all of it. I would kill for Ellie. Hurt anyone that hurts her. And that includes you.”

Oliver expected the man to throw him out, but instead, Maddox walked out of the bedroom.

“Make her feel good.” Maddox tossed over his shoulder, shutting the door behind him.

Oliver looked at his Isobel as she slept peacefully in the bed.

His beautiful butterfly. His darkest desire. His reason for life.

He stepped further into the room.