I'd Come For You 8/24
banner by: alxnhnt22
Title: I'd Come For You
Chapter: 8/25
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen
Rating: PG-13 (for now, subject to change)
Word Count: 5,857
Prompt: This is dedicated to the amazing slytherinpunk who wanted to see a fic where Chloe met Oliver and Green Arrow before Lois and Clark did. Happy Birthday, Dawn! ♥
Previous Chapters: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven
Chloe practically floated up the stairs when she returned to her apartment a few hours later. Oliver had insisted on driving her home and her lips were still tingling from the good-bye kiss he’d given her. She’d been half-tempted to invite him upstairs to finish what they’d started on his couch, but there was a reason they’d both stopped things from going too far. Chloe was having a hard time remembering what that reason was at the moment because all she could think about was how good it had felt to be in his arms.
She stood in the hallway outside her apartment and tried to pull herself together. The last thing she needed was for Lois to take one look at her and know exactly what she had been doing for the past few hours. Chloe glanced down at her clothes and hoped they didn’t look too wrinkled. She smoothed out her sweater and ran her hand over her hair to settle it back into place. Her mind drifted back to Oliver’s fingers getting tangled in her hair while his mouth moved over her neck.
Stop it, Chloe admonished herself. She was behaving like a lovesick teenager. She reached into her purse for her keys and entered the apartment cautiously, much like Lois had done the day before. But at least she had a valid reason. Clark had been pretty upset when she’d left. Chloe knew that for the most part Lois and Clark were considerate enough to avoid scarring her for life, but there had been a few close calls over the years. She opened the door and relaxed when she spotted Lois sitting alone at the kitchen table.
“Hey Lo,” she called as she hung up her coat and dropped her purse on the chair. “Did Clark leave?” Chloe made her way into the kitchen, already eyeing the nearly full coffee pot. She’d never had the chance to finish her coffee at the café. Not that she was complaining about how she’d spent her time instead.
“Yeah, he wanted to talk to some of the guests before the Luthor people got to them,” Lois replied. She stood up from her chair and leaned against the counter while Chloe poured some coffee. “Where have you been?” she asked.
The casual tone of her voice had Chloe’s fingers freezing around the sugar packet she’d been about to add to her coffee. Maybe she wasn’t as covert as she thought she was. Lois never sounded casual, she was always blunt or hyper, there was no in between setting. Chloe glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and saw Lois watching her closely. That definitely was not a good sign.
She stirred the sugar into her coffee and braced herself for whatever Lois was going to say. The fact that she’d asked where she was made Chloe think she somehow already knew the answer. Unless she had somehow missed a giant hickey on her neck, Chloe was fairly confident her appearance didn’t scream “I’ve been making out with Oliver Queen”, but maybe Lois knew her just a little too well.
“I went out to get some coffee and then I was with Oliver,” Chloe said. She really hoped her voice sounded as casual as she wanted it to in her head. Forcing herself to look at Lois, she saw the knowing smile on her face.
“With Oliver or under Oliver?” Lois asked, eyes gleaming.
There was nothing Chloe could do to stop her cheeks from flaming red. “It wasn’t like that,” she insisted, her mind instantly flashing back to being in his lap while his mouth devoured hers. Technically, he had been under her. Chloe chewed on the corner of her lip as her skin burned even hotter at the thought. “Not exactly,” she said.
Lois grinned wickedly. “How was it exactly? You might as well tell me, Chloe because we both know I’m not going to stop until I get all the details.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. Her cousin was like a dog with a bone and Chloe had no doubt she would drive her insane until she told her something. But that didn’t mean she had to cave that easily. “Some things are supposed to be private, Lo. You don’t see me grilling you about what you and Clark do behind closed doors.” She grimaced at the thought.
“Prude,” Lois teased. She grabbed Chloe’s wrist and dragged her to the couch. “Clark is like a brother to you so it’s weird, but I’d be more than happy to share if you don’t want to tell me about you and your hunky billionaire,” she threatened.
“Fine,” Chloe agreed, knowing there was no other way to make her stop. “I kissed Ollie,” she admitted.
Lois’s eyes widened with a mixture of surprise and pride. “You kissed him? Way to go, cuz! I knew you weren’t really immune to all that charm,” she teased.
“Not so much,” Chloe muttered.
“Was this kiss before or after he punched out Lex?” Lois asked.
“After,” Chloe replied. Her eyes widened when Lois’s words sunk in and it was her turn to be surprised. “Wait a minute. How did you know Ollie punched Lex?”
Lois pointed at herself. “Reporter,” she said. “One billionaire punches another on the sidewalk and people talk about it. No one got any pictures unfortunately.” She raised an eyebrow. “Did you get a picture by any chance?”
“No!”
Lois pouted. “Anyway, witnesses said the altercation started over a blonde woman who left with Mr. Queen. I put the pieces together pretty fast after that.”
Chloe nodded. She’d been too shocked to think about it at the time, but there had been a decent amount of people around and Oliver and Lex were both headlines makers. “I knew Ollie hated Lex, but I’ve never seen him so angry. I think the fact that I was there was the only thing that stopped him from hitting him again.”
“What was Lex harassing you about?” Lois asked.
Chloe hesitated, not wanting to bring up the picture of Oliver. She believed him when he told her the picture was old, but she knew he had no reason to lie to her. Lois might not be as understanding and she didn’t want her cousin to have a low opinion of Oliver. Then again, Lois seemed pretty up on everything else that had happened in the past few hours and considering she worked at the Inquisitor, there was a solid chance she already knew about the picture.
“Have you seen the latest edition of the rag you call a newspaper? Lex had a few choice words for me about my ability - or lack of ability - to hold onto Oliver,” Chloe explained.
“Bastard,” Lois muttered darkly. She wished she’d been there to cheer Oliver on when he’d flattened Lex for hurting Chloe. She wouldn’t mind taking a swing at him herself. But Lex wasn’t the only issue at hand. Her expression softened when her eyes met Chloe’s. “What did Oliver tell you about the picture?” she asked.
“I told him that he didn’t owe me an explanation, which he didn’t,” Chloe said firmly before Lois had any chance to react. “Nothing had happened between us at that point. But he told me that the picture itself was old and he was just out for a low key evening with his friend.” She looked at Lois expectantly, waiting for her cousin to tell her she was being naïve.
Lois simply pursed her lips together and nodded. “I saw the picture and my first instinct was to punch the smug jackass in his pretty face. But then I thought about the fact that I warned you that this would happen and I thought I should wait to see what you had to say before I gave him a makeover.”
Chloe sighed heavily. She supposed she should be grateful that Lois had exercised tact for once in her life, or as close to tact as Lois Lane was going to get. “Lois, even if Oliver was out partying last night, you have no reason to be upset with him. We weren’t together. We’re not even really together now,” she pointed out. Just because they had kissed and he had asked her to go on a date did not mean he owed her any kind of commitment.
Narrowing her eyes, Lois watched Chloe’s face carefully. “But you want to be or you wouldn’t have kissed him,” she replied. Even if Chloe hadn’t admitted as much to her the night before, her cousin’s feelings were all over her face. She clearly had it bad for this guy.
“Yes,” Chloe said, trying hard not to squirm under Lois’s scrutiny. “I like Oliver and I trust him when he says that nothing happened. He has no reason to lie to me.”
“All right,” Lois agreed. She trusted Chloe’s instincts so she wasn’t going to push the matter, for now. She smiled. “So, tell me the good stuff like when he punched Lex. I want vivid details,” she encouraged. “Maybe I should make popcorn.”
Relieved that Lois was changing the subject, Chloe gave her a rueful smile. “Sorry, Lo, it happened really fast.” Chloe told her about Lex grabbing her arm and a split second later ending up on the ground. “Ollie basically told him not to come near me and then we left.”
Lois grinned. She had to give Oliver points for that one. “Looks like you’ve got another personal hero to replace the Green Arrow Bandit,” she teased.
“Bandit?” Chloe made a face. “I still think there’s more to that story,” she said.
“Who cares?” Lois waved her hand dismissively. “I want to hear what happened after you laid one on Oliver.”
Chloe felt herself blushing again. “He kissed me back and then we talked. That’s it,” she said.
Lois frowned, clearly disappointed. “But something is going to happen in the future?” she prompted.
“Maybe,” Chloe said. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. “He wants to take me on an official date.”
Lois bit back the urge to squeal because she did not do that kind of thing, but it had been way too long since she’d seen her cousin this excited about a guy. Like since they were teenagers too long and she was ecstatic that Chloe was finally on track to get the happiness she deserved. She would personally kick Oliver’s ass if he screwed this up, billionaire or not.
“Did he say where you were going? Paris, maybe? Or Rome?” she asked.
Chloe rolled her eyes. “He’s not taking me to Paris. Or Rome.” She considered it. Oliver did own a private jet and he had told her how much he enjoyed traveling. It wouldn’t be out of the question for him to suddenly pick up and head to Europe. But that didn’t mean he would want to take her with him. At least she didn’t think he would want to. “He wouldn’t do that, right?”
Lois laughed at her. “You’re the one dating the billionaire, cuz, you tell me.”
Eyes wide with uncertainty, Chloe shook her head. “He wouldn’t,” she said firmly. Oliver knew she wasn’t materialistic. She’d never even left Kansas before her trip to Star City. Chloe frowned, realizing how pathetic that seemed. Oliver had been all over the world and she had literally been to two major cities. “Oh God, Lois, what am I doing? I am not the girl who dates billionaires,” she said.
Lois rolled her eyes. She leaned forward, gripping Chloe’s shoulders tightly. She could practically feel the panic pouring out of her cousin and she wanted to put a stop to it immediately. “Chloe, you like this guy, right?”
“Yes,” Chloe replied quietly. She liked him a lot and she knew her feelings would only continue to grow if she spent more time with him.
“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Lois assured her. “Stop freaking out and just enjoy it,” she suggested.
Chloe nodded. The rational part of her brain knew Lois was right. Oliver had gotten to know her very well and he liked her enough to want to take her out on a date. There was no reason she should be panicking. “I’ll try,” she promised.
Lois shook her head. “Don’t try,” she ordered. “Do. I know you, Chloe and I’m not about to let you talk yourself out of being with Oliver when we both know it’s what you want,” she said.
“You’re right,” Chloe agreed. “Thanks, Lois.”
***
Despite her promise to her cousin, Chloe managed to inadvertently avoid Oliver for the next few days. It wasn’t like she was ignoring him or dodging his calls on purpose, she just found herself extremely busy at work and his calls ended up going to her voicemail more often than not. Chloe returned each call as soon as she had a chance, but Oliver was apparently busy too and it seemed like each time she called him back, he was in a meeting.
Chloe felt bad, but she couldn’t help it now that she was an official Daily Planet reporter and not just an intern. She’d been thrilled when she received the offer and Oliver had been the first person she’d called to share the news with. She’d ended up leaving it on his voicemail, but the large bouquet of tulips she received two hours later definitely made up for it along with a note promising a proper celebration in the near future. She was looking forward to that, as soon as she proved herself to her editor.
So far, her story assignments hadn’t changed much and that was why Chloe was putting in so many extra hours. She wrote the city beat pieces and the obituaries and the puff pieces that the seasoned reporters passed over and she did it with a smile on her face because this was her dream job. But Chloe knew if she was ever going to get out of the basement, she was going to have to do something to impress her editor.
That was why she remained at her desk even though it was Friday night and the basement of the Planet was practically a ghost town. The news had been pretty slow all week and everyone was still talking about the Green Arrow crashing the fundraiser. There were no new leads and the leather-clad man had not been spotted since, but Chloe was more determined than ever to find a break in the case.
She stared at the latest police sketch made up from various witnesses who caught a glimpse of him at the fundraiser. It didn’t look like any of the other sketches she’d seen, but there was something about this one that tugged at her. No matter how hard she tried, Chloe knew her mind didn’t have a clear shot of Green Arrow. He’d stayed in the shadows of her room and she’d only caught a glimpse of his hood.
But he’d rescued her from Lex’s men, so there was a chance she’d gotten a better look at him before the drug knocked her out. Chloe had a feeling the image was locked away in her mind just waiting for her to remember.
Chloe wished there was some way to bring it to the surface. She’d gone over everything she could recall more times than she could count and most of the night was still a blank slate. It was like her own head was keeping the biggest news story ever from her. The whole thing was beyond frustrating.
“So, this is where you’ve been hiding.”
She nearly jumped out of her chair when the sound of his voice broke through her thoughts. Clutching her heart in an effort to keep it from bursting out of her chest, Chloe spun around in her chair and found Oliver standing behind her.
“Oliver, you scared me,” she said. Her heart started pounding for a different reason as she stared up at him. Chloe was pretty sure he’d somehow managed to get even hotter since the last time she’d seen him.
He was dressed casually in jeans, a loose-fitting gray button-down shirt and his leather jacket. His hair was slightly tousled from the autumn wind and he was grinning at her in that way that made her dizzy. Then again, a lot of things about Oliver made her feel dizzy, like the way his lips felt against hers or the way his hands…
She quickly pushed the thoughts aside before she started blushing. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” Oliver replied with a grin. “I stopped by your apartment and Lois told me you would be here.”
Chloe frowned, wondering what else Lois had told him. She’d been playing phone tag with Lois and Clark lately too and her cousin’s last message had basically been a three minute rant about why it was not okay to avoid everyone in her life when she clearly needed to have some fun. She had suggested a double date just before the voicemail cut her off. Chloe really hoped that she hadn’t said anything crazy like that to Oliver.
“Yeah, I’m sorry I’ve been so busy since this job became official. Thank you for the flowers,” she added quickly, instantly regretting it when the words sounded too rushed. The last thing Chloe wanted was for Oliver to think she didn’t appreciate the gesture. She bit the corner of her lip and wondered why she had to over think everything.
“You’re welcome,” Oliver replied easily. He was relieved that she seemed happy to see him. After a few days of phone tag, he’d started to wonder if she’d already changed her mind about him. He’d been discreetly keeping an eye on her and he had noticed she seemed to be leaving work later and later each night. That had soothed his ego a little, but he’d still been more apprehensive than he would have liked when he’d arrived at the Planet.
“How is the new job?” he asked.
“A lot like the old job,” Chloe admitted with a laugh. “I still have to prove myself and that means working twice as hard as I did before.”
“I can attest that you worked pretty hard before,” Oliver commented. He glanced at the computer screen behind her and tried to keep his expression neutral when he saw the police sketch staring back at him. Personally, he didn’t think it looked anything like him, but Victor and AC both told him it was the closest one yet. He could hear Victor’s voice in his head warning him that he was pushing his luck, but Oliver ignored him.
“Are you working on the Green Arrow story?” he asked.
Chloe glanced back at the computer, hesitating for a moment before looking at Oliver and answering his question. “Unofficially,” she said.
Oliver chewed on the inside of his cheek. He knew why she was being evasive and he knew the smart thing to do would be to drop it and get back to the reason he’d come in the first place. But he had to know how much she knew about Green Arrow.
“Have you found anything interesting?” Oliver asked. He tried to keep his tone conversational, like he was just another curious citizen. “The news makes it sound like the police don’t have any leads on who this guy is.”
“They don’t,” Chloe said. She gestured to the screen. “The sketch is pretty much it and those tend to be inaccurate. Green Arrow remains a mystery,” she said.
Oliver nodded stoically, fighting hard to hold back a proud smile at her referring to Green Arrow without the “Bandit” the local media seemed determined to attach. Chloe was obviously keeping an open mind about his alter ego and maybe that would work out in his favor if she discovered the truth about him. Or it would just be something else for her to throw in his face when she walked out on him for lying to her and betraying her trust.
Determined not to let his dark thoughts put a damper on the evening, Oliver gave Chloe his best charming smile. “I was hoping I could steal you away from work and take you on that date we talked about,” he said.
Chloe couldn’t help smiling back at him even as her heart started to beat too fast again. “What did have in mind?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise,” Oliver replied mysteriously.
“Oh,” Chloe said. She bit her lip as uncertainty washed over her again. She quickly turned away from Oliver so he wouldn’t see her nerves written all over her face and concentrated on shutting down her computer and straightening her desk.
“Chloe,” Oliver said. He waited for her to turn around meet his gaze. “Trust me?” he asked hopefully. He held out his hand to her.
She didn’t hesitate to slip her hand into his. Chloe let all of her silly concerns about their wildly different lifestyles fade away. It didn’t matter that he was a billionaire and she was a newbie reporter who had grown up in Smallville. Oliver had never made her feel like she was anything less than special and being with him made her happy. Lois was right. There was no reason she had to let anything get in the way of that.
But she was still a curious reporter. “How about a hint?” she asked. “Am I at least dressed for wherever we’re going?” She gestured to the simple blouse and black pants she wore.
“No, but I may have had ulterior motives for stopping by your apartment,” Oliver said. He reached for the jacket she had tossed over the back of her chair and helped her slide it on.
Chloe’s eyes widened. “You went to get me a change of clothes?”
Oliver wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he steered her toward the stairs. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t rifling through your closet. I had Lois do that for me,” he said.
Laughing, Chloe leaned into his side as they made their way out of the building. “I imagine that was an interesting experience,” she teased. She had no doubt her cousin had asked him a million questions and probably had every detail of their itinerary down.
He smiled, but didn’t reply right away as his mind drifted back to his encounter with Lois.
Lois flung open the door and Oliver tried not to wince as it bounced against the wall behind it with a loud bang. Raising a single eyebrow, she eyed him warily. “Chloe’s not here. You might want to check the Planet,” she said.
“Lois,” Oliver greeted her pleasantly, smile firmly in place despite her cool expression. “I actually stopped by to see you,” he said.
She crossed her arms over her chest and he saw a flash of interest in her eyes before her poker face returned. “Are you ready to give me an exclusive?” she asked. “Perhaps clear up that nasty business from last weekend?” she suggested.
Understanding dawned and Oliver’s smile slipped slightly. Chloe might have believed him, but Lois obviously had doubts. “Tabloids report false stuff every day,” he said. “If I took the time to clear up all those rumors, I wouldn’t get anything else done.”
“Insulting my place of business probably isn’t your brightest move right now.”
Oliver nodded and his expression sobered. “Habit,” he admitted. “Nothing happened this weekend or any weekend since I met Chloe. I know how special she is,” he added.
“You’d better,” Lois warned. She took a step closer and glared at him. “Look buddy, Chloe is willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and I want my cousin to be happy so I will too. But if you even think about hurting her, we’re going to have a problem,” she said.
Unable to stop himself, Oliver smirked. “Is this the part where you tell me you know people?” he quipped.
Lois snorted. “Yeah, people named Lois Lane. You hurt my cousin and I will make you suffer in ways you can’t even imagine.” She arched an eyebrow. “Got it?”
Oliver swallowed hard. The threatening look in her eye rivaled those he’d seen on the worst criminals. “Got it,” he said.
“Good.” Lois grinned. “Now come in and tell me what you’ve got planned for Chloe.”
“Lois has a way with words,” Oliver finally replied diplomatically. He unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for Chloe. He waited for her to settle into the seat before closing the door and jogging around to the driver’s side. “But it was worth it,” he assured her as he slid the key into the ignition.
Chloe smiled at him and reached for her seatbelt. “I hope she didn’t give you my passport,” she teased, thinking of Lois’s expectations for their first date.
“She offered,” Oliver admitted. He laughed when she just gaped at him. “I told her it wasn’t necessary for this trip.”
“Trip?” Chloe repeated. Her eyes were wide when she turned to Oliver and she tried not to panic even as her heart started to beat faster. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not referring to a long drive?” she asked.
Oliver grinned. “It would be a long drive, but luckily I have a private jet at my disposal,” he teased.
“Oliver,” Chloe started. She bit her lip, trying to think of a tactful way to tell him that she didn’t need anything fancy without hurting his feelings.
“I know what you’re going to say,” Oliver replied. He shifted in his seat to face her. “You’re going to tell me that you’d be perfectly happy with pizza and a movie.”
She nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“There’s not,” Oliver agreed. He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers. “But we’ve done that. This is the first time you’re letting me take you out and call it a date and we’re celebrating your new job. I want to do something special for you, Chloe and I need you to let me.”
Chloe wondered if it was possible for anyone to look into his brown eyes and say no to him. She certainly wasn’t strong enough to do it. “Okay,” she agreed.
Oliver grinned. “Good choice,” he said. Leaning over, he pressed his lips to hers. Chloe responded immediately, kissing him back as her hand threaded into his hair to bring him closer. His tongue swept into her mouth, gliding and swirling against hers.
Reluctantly, Chloe pulled back. “This probably isn’t the best place to get carried away,” she said. The windows were tinted, but that wouldn’t stop people from speculating if they had seen them walking out together.
“Good point,” Oliver agreed. He gave her another quick kiss and moved back into his seat, quickly fastening his seatbelt and pulling out of the parking space. “We need to get to the airstrip anyway.”
“Care to tell me where we’re going?” Chloe asked hopefully.
Her persistence made him laugh. “Star City,” he said, glancing at her sideways as he slowed down for a stoplight. “But that’s all you’re getting out of me.”
Chloe grinned. “We’ll see about that, Mr. Queen. You’d be surprised how fast I can figure out all your secrets,” she teased.
Grateful that the light changed so he was forced to keep his eyes on the road, Oliver swallowed hard and ignored the sinking feeling in his stomach that told him that was exactly what he should be afraid of.
***
Despite her best efforts, Oliver was true to his word and gave her no further hints on the flight to Star City. Chloe did her best not to gawk over the fact that she was traveling by private jet or dwell on how nervous she was about the date itself. It wasn’t like she’d never been alone with Oliver before. Conversation flowed easily between them on the plane just like it always had. When they landed in Star City, she told herself to stop overreacting and just enjoy the experience.
Oliver brought her to his penthouse so they could change before heading out to the mystery destination. As he gave her the tour, Chloe tried to keep her jaw from hitting the floor from the sheer size of the apartment. He showed her to one of the six guest rooms (six!) and handed her the bag Lois had packed for her. As soon as he closed the door behind him, Chloe pulled out her cell phone and dialed Lois’s number.
As she waited anxiously for her cousin to pick up, Chloe opened the suitcase and was surprised to see the emerald dress she had bought on a whim when she had gone shopping with Lois to find a dress for Lex’s party. The silk material clung to her curves and made her eyes shine, but she had decided it was too fancy for that party. Lois had insisted she buy it anyway and Chloe had caved because it was just too gorgeous to pass up.
“I’m not telling you anything,” Lois said when she answered the phone.
“Is this dress appropriate?” Chloe asked. She held it up against her body and wondered what Oliver would think of it.
“Extremely,” Lois replied. “I’m hanging up now.”
“Wait!” Chloe cried. “I need something, Lois. I’m freaking out,” she whispered.
Lois sighed. “Billionaire Boy has got this one covered,” she assured her. “Get out of your head and have some fun with him. I’m hanging up now,” she said again.
Chloe frowned when she heard nothing but silence. “Thanks, Lo,” she muttered. Chewing on her lip as she stared at the dress, Chloe decided that she might as well take Lois’s advice.
Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the guest room wearing the dress and her favorite silver heels. Chloe was glad she’d curled her hair that morning before work so it didn’t take her long to adjust the curls and touch up her makeup. She found Oliver in the living room dressed in a black tuxedo. His eyes widened slightly when he saw her and he just stared at her, taking a moment to catch his breath.
“Wow,” he said appreciatively. “You look amazing.”
Blushing, Chloe thought about the first time she’d seen him and thought the same thing. “Thank you. So do you,” she added.
Oliver crossed the room to her and offered his arm. “Ready?” he asked.
She slipped her arm through his. “Definitely.”
***
He took her to the symphony. The usher led them to a private box overlooking the entire orchestra hall and the sheer beauty of the room took Chloe’s breath away. Her eyes couldn’t seem to focus on one thing as she looked at the artwork hanging from the walls and the architecture of the sculpted ceiling and the old fashioned décor that surrounded the stage and the shining instruments of the orchestra itself as the conductor rose from his seat and prepared to start the concert.
Beside her, Oliver held her hand in his and leaned in close to whisper in her ear as the house lights were dimmed. “My parents used to bring me here when I was a kid. All my friends thought it was boring, but the music has a way of getting inside you and staying with you,” he explained.
Chloe turned to meet his gaze and even in the dim lighting she could see the excitement shining in his eyes. Oliver hadn’t told her much about his parents except for the basic facts she already knew from the research she had done before she had interviewed him. Her heart swelled at the realization that he was sharing something special with her.
Squeezing his hand, she smiled softy. “Thank you for bringing me here,” she said.
Oliver returned her smile and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Enjoy the show,” he replied quietly.
She turned her attention back to the orchestra as they began to play their first song. Within minutes, she found herself completely enthralled, understanding exactly what Oliver meant about the music taking hold. By the time the musicians stood from their chairs to bow the audience, Chloe had tears in her eyes and she clapped until her hands hurt. Wrapping his arm around her waist, Oliver pulled her close to him as they made their way out of the hall.
Dinner was every bit as spectacular as the concert and Chloe was quickly discovering that Oliver Queen did not do anything halfway. The seafood restaurant was located on the top floor of one of the skyscrapers and the secluded dining area they were seated in had an amazing view of the ocean beneath the moon and the stars.
Everything on the menu sounded spectacular, and Chloe took Oliver up on his suggestion to order the seafood platter. They talked about the concert and Chloe told Oliver about how she’d wanted to play an instrument when she was a kid, but her piano teacher called her tone deaf and said her fingers were too stubby.
Oliver scoffed, reaching across the table for her hand and softly stroking her fingers with his. “She clearly didn’t know what she was talking about,” he said.
Chloe swallowed hard. His simple touch was setting all the nerves in her spine on fire. “I had the last laugh. I did some research and found out that she was charging twice as much for lessons as the other piano teacher in town. I sent a copy of my article to all the parents and they were furious,” she said.
He nearly doubled over with laughter. Ignoring the looks from nearby diners, Oliver was only focused on her. “How old were you?” he asked.
“Eight,” Chloe replied proudly.
Oliver managed to get his laughter under control and took a sip of his wine. “Remind me never to get on your bad side,” he teased.
“I don’t think you have to worry,” Chloe replied.
When they were finished eating, Oliver took her hand and led her out onto the small terrace overlooking the ocean. Soft music played over the speakers and he pulled her into his arms for a dance. As Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck, she was confident the goose bumps on her skin had little to do with the cool night air and everything to do with the man in front of her.
Chloe tilted her head back to look up at him, enjoying the way his hand was moving in slow circles along her lower back. “Tonight was wonderful, Ollie. Thank you,” she said.
Oliver smiled. “I’m glad you had a good time.” He leaned down and brushed his lips softly against hers.
The kiss broke and Chloe rested her head on his chest as his arms tightened around her. She couldn’t help thinking that “good” was a severe understatement. This night was going down in her book as one of the best nights of her life.
Nine.