Chapter 24

Well, that sure broke the ice.

But instead of kissing her, Eli barely moved. He turned toward her a bit, laid his forehead against hers. Was still.

What? Why wasn’t he…

And it hit her. Special knowledge of her man, the weaknesses he’d tried to hide from the start helped her. Though an outsider might see him as a strong man, military, for all intents and purposes, and all about action, she knew better. She knew his break points. She’d catalogued them long ago in her heart, learned them through sometimes painful trial and error.

Soldier or not, he was still a regular guy. Tough, yet sweet. A protector, yet he had his fragile bits, too. Buried deep, but they existed.

And purposefully covered them over, protected them. Like an oyster covered grit and made it into unmatchable gems.

She felt the hardness of his forehead against hers, heard his shallow breathing. She whispered in the quiet of the room, inestimably tender. “What’s wrong?”

No response.

“Baby,” she coaxed, her voice barely audible in the empty room. “Tell me.”

She heard the tremor in his voice, the resignation. “I never thought I’d get a girl like you.”

Warmth, a sweetness swept through her. Filled her, flowed into all the chinks that had been left vacant, raw and bare, for so long. In pain.

And instead of the pain, there was—call her crazy—a glow. Life.

Life was starting up in her again. The tiniest bit of healing had begun—all because of Eli, here, now. His sweet words.

The Eli she’d known all along was still here. In front of her this moment. Maybe had been buried for three long years, but he was here now.

And her heart rose to answer him.

“I’m not a girl like me. I’m just me.”

She heard his sharp exhale of air, heralding amusement, despite himself.

She relaxed, her voice steadier. “We good now, Babe?”

His tone turned somber. “I don’t know. Are we?”

That was her cue. And she knew he was still should-ing all over himself, one of his specialties.

“Listen.” Her tone was beseeching. “I love your brother. And I love my family. If I ever had to choose between you and them, I’d be torn apart.”

Silence.

She tried again. “All I know is I love you, and no matter what happened, I…”

He asked, his tone gravelly. Tentative. “You…?”

“I trust you.”

And she saw it, even in the darkened room. Felt it. Muscles slacking. Releasing. Letting go. “You…trust…me?”

“With my life. I didn’t before, but now I do. And whatever you do from here on in, whenever, I know your reasons are the best, and that you never want to hurt me. Never would, never will. Eli? I trust you.”

Oh, she’d learned a lot this night, and the words she spoke, she meant. Even if life had been unkind in some areas, gentle, careful, painstaking gifts had also been given. Just for her.

She remembered the words of her yoga teacher, and suddenly—they made sense.

Embrace it.

She finally understood, and she was embracing it.

And then her attention was back on him. His shoulders were straight now, and she felt the punch of blood through his body as if it was her own.

“Then…maybe it’s time I showed you, Tish.” His voice was steady now.

She breathed a sigh of relief. They’d gotten through it. Maybe not all of it—but the worst of it. “Maybe it is.”

And the next thing she knew, he’d moved close to her, and she felt his breath fan her lips as he whispered. “Baby.”

“Eli.”

And then time shifted and it was just them. And he was kissing her.

Holy god, it had been so long. His scent through her, his face, so close to hers. His skin pressed against hers.

Eli, Eli…

The man that had swept her off her feet as a teenager, taught her about love and lust and sex…and love.

His lips brushed hers. Then his lips were on hers. Glorious. Good.

But not enough. Not nearly enough. She increased the pressure, as he did. Then he was teasing her mouth, his lips dancing around hers in little nibbles, placing damp kisses everywhere. The top of her lip. Her cheek.

Contact. Hell. She needed contact, as wet and warm as possible. Tried to catch his mouth, open to him, but he ignored it. She was shocked that he could. But he’d always been a master at delayed gratification. She moaned a demand, an insistent sexual protest.

A deep, knowing laugh. “Impatient?”

She mumbled into his lips as they played the space on each side of her mouth, sweeping her mouth, just missing. On purpose. “I sure as hell am.”

“Well, don’t say you didn’t ask.”

And he shifted, moved into her, all of a sudden. He raised his head to meet her, swept his hands through her hair, anchored them deep in her mane. Then suddenly he was cradling the back of her head, pressing her gently into the wall. Yes.

Captive. She was Eli’s captive.

He pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was surprisingly soft and gentle, yet firm. He tasted her, and reveled in that taste. Excitement pounded through her as he kicked it up a notch. She opened to him and he opened to her at the same time.

They were together, and she was lost in it.

Then his kiss turned exploratory. Insistent. His tongue slid against hers, played with hers, and sparks shot through her body. She moaned. An answering, raw peal of something deep in his throat. His kiss became forceful, alive, as she continued to meet the wall at her back and Eli pressed her into it.

She reached for him, felt the hard muscles in his shoulders and arms. Strong. She skimmed under his T-shirt, palmed her hands on his chest. Felt his quick suck of breath in as she splayed her fingers, felt his nipples.

Then she moved her palms down. Down those six packs, until her baby finger grazed his belly button. A raw gasp from him. “Tish.”

She moved lower. Under his waistband where it was tight and constricted.

A ragged exclamation. “What the hell are you doing?”

“This.” She drew her hands lower, under the elastic of his shorts. Felt the swollen length in his briefs. Heard the breath war in his lungs. Curled her fingers around its heat, felt the shock of it flex through him.

But he rallied. “You think you’re the only one that can play?” He pressed his hand on the outside of his jeans on top of hers, holding hers imprisoned inside his shorts, pressing them against him, not letting her move. Her lips parted from her own gasp, and instantly his tongue was between them and suddenly he was invading her.

Damn, it made her hot. She felt her nipples peak under her sweater. Managed a mumbled imperative in between breaths through that glorious kiss. “Bra off.”

He groaned, barely managed the hoarse syllables. “You don’t tell me what to do, Missy.”

“I do now.” And suddenly, he pulled his lips away. She tried to match up with his mouth again, but he wouldn’t let her. Instead, he played the space on each side of her mouth, just missing. Denying her. But it was costing him, she could tell. “Oh yeah?” She tried even harder to push forward and get his lips lodged on hers, but instead, he laughed, then again avoided compliance.

Well, she had the key player in her hot little hands. She loved his feel, and especially now when he was still bound in his shorts. Captive, in her control. She curled her fingers around it, tightened her grip. Felt it jerk.

“Hell, Tish.” And a moment later he pulled her top off, flung it. The he was moving to cup her breasts and his mouth was on hers, wet. Wild. He yanked her bra down and she felt the hit of cool air on them. He let the bra stay suspended around her rib cage, but those heavenly fingers were stroking them, passing his thumbs across the nipples, first on one side, then the other, and the play between the two of them was going to drive her nuts.

“So hard. So hard for me.”

He lowered his mouth to one turgid bud, while rolling the other between two fingers. Capturing the one with his mouth, he slicked the areola, then played the nipple with his tongue, before sucking it as if it was a critical examination he had to pass and he was going to get student’s honors. Focused. Holy hell.

Fire slashed through her body, bit to her core. She was wet.

“Now.” She splayed her fingers around him, squeezed. “Now, Eli.”

He took control. What that man could do while he was sucking a breast was inspirational. First his hand released the one swollen breast, and then his pants were off, as were his briefs, and he was naked. Oh, so gloriously naked. Then he pushed the waistband of her yoga pants down along with her panties, and she was bare too.

A dizzying haze of lust tore through her, and she slid down, down under him, practically burning her ass on the old carpet.

And suddenly, Eli was above her, supporting himself on his outstretched palms, his eyes narrow, full of hunger. One word tore from him, deep, almost not a word, just a cut-off syllable. “Now?”

She could barely speak, she was out of her mind. “Now.”

And then his mouth was on her. Reckless sensation tore through her. This was the Eli she remembered. They’d made love everywhere and anywhere as they’d learned together.

And they finally were, again. Together. Hearts and bodies, will and spirits. For the last time. And she was determined to get every ounce of this man, wrench everything from his body, his heart, and make it last forever.

Because it was hers.

Freaking forever.