Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
The moment came back to me as he spoke, a mini-avalanche of noise, pressure. Pain. Eli, on top of me, protecting me. My raw fear for both of us. I pulled him closer, even though we were already as close as two people could be.
He shook his head and raised his hand to cup my cheek. “Sylvie. This is fucking terrifying.”
“Why?” I breathed, my heart so full from this man. I covered his hand with mine, holding him to me, hating that he was afraid and loving the reason why. He was making up for his lies with a kind of bare honesty that hooked me deep.
“You’re so much to lose,” he said, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Too much. You’re everything. And I was holding you away, so it wouldn’t hurt as much when it went bad. But then I thought you were gone, and I knew trying to save myself was useless because I was already in love with you. And this…” Eli stroked his knuckles over my cheekbone with a reverence that melted me. “This feels like the second chance I don’t deserve, but I won’t waste it.”
His mouth on mine was slow and sweet. I threaded my fingers into his hair and held him there, connected. His hands touched my body, and we moved together like we’d known each other a lifetime—unhurried, savoring every touch, every breath. I wrapped my arms around him again, stroking down the smooth skin of his back, feeling the flex of his muscles under my hands as he filled me over and over in a gentle rhythm, building the pleasure slowly, careful not to jostle my head or my bruised body. I wouldn’t have cared. It was so good, so perfect, I didn’t think I would have felt an ache if one had dared to appear, but Eli wasn’t taking any chances.
The last traces of fatigue fell away, chased out by bliss.
Eli followed me when I came, my name on his lips.
After, he tugged me out of bed and into the shower. Standing under the spray, he washed me from head to toe, his eyes cataloging every scrape and bruise. When I was clean, I did the same, lingering over all that was Eli. His back was a mess of bruises, and his forearms had minor burns, but overall, he’d escaped with fewer injuries than me. At least we were both better than we had been.
Clean and almost fully functional, we pulled on clothes, and Eli floated the crazy idea that we camp out on the sofa in the living room like normal people. I grabbed my laptop and followed him.
“What are you doing?” he asked when I got comfortable and flipped the screen open.
“I don’t know, honestly,” I said. “I feel like I should work on the next season, but I can’t get my head in it.”
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do about your van?” Eli asked, his eyes heavy with an uncertainty I wasn’t sure I understood.
“Not really,” I said. “Not yet. I’ll have to start looking for a new one, I guess. And figure out where to live while I fix it up…” My voice trailed off as I remembered I had more problems than just the assassin sent to kill me and my lack of a new season for my podcast. I was homeless, and almost everything I owned had been burned to ash.
Eli cleared his throat, looking more unsure of himself than I’d ever seen him. “I have an idea about that.” He reached out to close his hand around mine, squeezing before turning his palm and staring down at my fingers, twining his through mine. “Move in with me.”
“What?” I asked, my brain stalling at his suggestion.
On the face of it, the idea was insane. We barely knew each other. It had been… I counted. Eight days since we met. And yes, I’d fallen in love and so had he, but it was way beyond too early to move in together.
“We haven’t been out on a date yet.” I heard my inane response, and my cheeks heated.
Eli’s mouth curved in a slow smile that sent my heart beating faster. “I’ll take you on a date, Sylvie.” He turned my hand in his and rubbed the back against his stubbled cheek as if savoring my nearness.
“I don’t even know where you live,” I said, trying to stop myself from talking so I could think for a second. But even as my mouth kept saying stupid things, my heart, thudding in my chest, didn’t care about any of them.
I wanted to stay with Eli. I didn’t want to retreat to another van or an apartment while he took me on dates, and we did this thing the normal way. I didn’t want flowers or dinner out.