by Rye Hart
“Maybe I can work on cars or something,” he said. “I'm sure we can figure something out.”
“MmmHmm,” I said, gasping as he flicked my nipple with his fingers gently.
Eli lifted my shirt off over my head as he backed me up toward his bed.
“I'll get a real job, we buy a house,” he growled, “And have as many babies as you want. I'll give you the world, Hannah. We'll settle down, have a happy little family one day real soon.”
“Oh yes,” I said.
Eli pushed me back onto the bed, holding himself above me as he stared down into my eyes. I traced the tattoos upon his pecs with my fingertips, feeling the muscles move beneath the skin as he slipped my pants down my hips. I gasped when he slid them off of me completely and tossed them to the side.
When he was holding himself over me again though, I trailed a finger down his chest to the waist band of his boxers, then slipped my hand underneath it, taking his firm, stiff prick in my hand. He was already long and hard, and ready for me – and judging by the heat and moisture between my thighs, I was more than ready for him too.
I stroked him, moving my hand up and down that thick, firm shaft. Eli's head fell forward and his hair tickled my face as it cascaded down around us.
“Do you have a condom?” I muttered, “Just to avoid any future scares, you know?”
“Do you want to use one?” he asked, staring down at me.
A smile pulled at my lips as I thought about the possibility of getting pregnant. It was dangerous with him the father of one infant, but God, I didn't want to wait for the future. Still, it wasn't just my decision to make.
“Do you?”
“I say we take our chances,” he said with a wink. “And whatever happens, happens.”
My heart sped up as I closed the distance between our faces and pressed my mouth to his, kissing him hard and full of the passion I felt for him. I wrapped my legs around his body and pulled myself up to him, feeling his cock resting against my warm, wet opening. Eli grabbed hold of his shaft and positioned it just right, and together, our bodies were joined with one, deep thrust.
We both groaned as he buried himself deep inside of me. Gently, he started rocking his hips back and forth. I bit the back of my hand and tries to avoid calling out or making any noise. We tried to be quiet, to not wake Aubree, because God forbid something so beautiful come to an end so abruptly. Eli's forehead was against mine, and we stared into each other's eyes, the intensity of our passion coursing through the both of us, as he moved in and out of me. My hands kneaded at his back, feeling the muscles as they strained with each movement.
Eli grabbed hold of my hips roughly, and in one movement, flipped us over so that I was suddenly on top. I sat up and stared down at him beneath me, rocking back and forth on top of him. His hands slid up my belly, cupped my breasts, and pinched my stiff nipples, drawing a throaty gasp from me.
“God, you're so beautiful,” he said, taking one of my nipples into his mouth.
That one action sent a jolt of pleasure rocketing throughout my body, and I fell forward, gasping as I tried to stop myself from screaming. Eli held my head in his hands and kissed me, moving upward to meet my movements, our bodies grinding against each other, until I felt my orgasm approaching.
My mouth opened to scream out in pleasure, but Eli held his face against mine, taking my cries of pleasure into his mouth as I bit down, hard on his lip. I spasmed and rocked, thrashing wildly on top of him as my body was ravaged with such intense pleasure. The sensations of ecstasy were searing my every nerve ending so badly, I almost couldn't take it.
As I finally began to come down, Eli released his hold on me and my face fell forward. I dotted kisses along his jawline as I rode him, bouncing up and down on his cock. His bed springs were creaking like crazy, but otherwise we were as quiet as humanly possible. His grip on my hips and his frantic upward thrusts told me he was close, as did the look on his face. He pulled me down, hard, on top of him, filling me up with every inch of that thick, glorious dick as he let out a low grunt.
I opened my eyes and stared into his as I felt his cock throbbing and pulsing. He groaned low as he filled me with his seed, knowing I wasn't on any sort of birth control. He knew the risks, as did I, and yet, he didn't pull out – and I didn't ask him to.
Once he was spent and his cock deflating within me, I collapsed beside him, still in shock.
“Eli, are you sure we should be tempting fate like this?” I asked, propping myself up on my arm. He rolled over and pulled me close, kissing the tip of my nose.
“I'm more than sure,” he said. “You just assumed I wouldn't want to have kids with you based on some stupid shit I said as a teenager, Hannah. But, a lot has changed since then. I'm ready to grow up, and I want to have a future with you.”
The power of those words sent waves of ecstasy rolling through me every bit as powerful and intense as the orgasm he'd just given me.
***
We were fast asleep when my phone buzzed. It startled me, pulling me out of a deep sleep, and made me sit up. My heart thumping hard in my chest, I quickly searched the room for my phone. It was in my pocket, on the floor. I dug around and finally found it as it continued going off.
“Dammit,” I mumbled, suddenly remembering the dinner I'd set up with Chris.
My head fell flat to the bed as I tried to think of some way out of the mess I'd created for myself. The buzzing was his text message verifying that we were still on. I could cancel and crawl back into bed with Eli, who was still softly snoring away.
As tempting as that sounded though, I knew that I had to get some answers about my father and his club. I thought that maybe, just maybe Chris and I could come up with something together. No date, just two friends talking. I'd have to make that clear from the get go now that things seem to have changed. Now that the situation with Eli seemed to be going okay. Or at least, trending in the right direction. A direction I was far more comfortable with.
I texted him back confirmation, and we agreed to meet at a casual place. Nothing fancy, just a little hole in the wall diner. Great choice. We could talk, it wouldn't be romantic and there would be no pressure. I was hoping that if we put our heads together, we could figure some things out and come up with some answers.
It meant I'd have to leave Eli's warm bed and naked body and go home soon, though. I'd need to shower and change, making myself presentable before I let myself be seen in public. There was no way I was going out with bed head, makeup smeared, smelling of sex.
I rolled over and curled up next to Eli, kissing him awake. His eyes opened, and even though he looked half-asleep, he smiled at me.
“Hey, you,” he said, stroking my cheek.
“Hey back,” I whispered.
The look in his chocolate brown eyes filled my heart and my soul with such warmth, I almost laid my head back down and stayed put. Almost, but I knew better. I had business I needed to attend to. Once that business was done, once and for all, maybe then, I wouldn't have to leave Eli's bed until I was damn good and ready.
“I actually have to head out soon,” I said, “but thank you for talking to me.”
“Of course,” he said. “Glad I could ease some of your fears, finally.”
“Me too.”
“So, does this mean what I think it means?” he teased.
“Depends,” I replied. “What do you think it means?”
“That I can finally be with the woman I love,” he said. “Exclusively. And that we can move forward with things like a real couple. Together.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. “A real couple, huh?” I said. “Elijah Soloman finally going to settle down? Be still my beating heart.”
“With the right woman, hell yeah,” he said. “And I've known for a long, long time that you were the only woman I could ever see myself with for the long haul.”
My insides turned to mush as I listened to him speak. Just complete and utter mush. Eli brought my hands to his
lips and laid a gentle kiss upon the knuckles.
“I love you, Eli,” I said. “And yes, I want to move forward with things and be a real couple too.”
“Finally,” he said, letting out an exaggerated sigh as his head fell to his pillow. “I feel like I've been waiting a lifetime, and finally, I have everything I want in this world.”
“Is that your way of saying you love me too?”
“Hannah, do you even have to ask?” He scooped me in his arms and flipped us around, so I was on top of him again. I erupted into a fit of giggles. “Thankfully, I'll never get sick of saying it. Hannah Ross, I love you too, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you're the happiest woman on this whole damned planet. I swear that to you.”
His eyes sparkled and were filled with nothing but pure love, and his smile was sincere. A rare sight after his mom died, but something I could bring out of him sometimes. That was the first time I'd seen that smile in a long while though. It was a sight though, that I'd never grow tired of it. I leaned down and planted a kiss on his lips before pushing myself up.
I groaned. “I don't want to go, but I have to,” I said.
“You always know where to find me,” he said.
“That I do,” I said. “Come by my place this evening? If you're off, that is.”
“I'm off,” he said.
“Bring the little one, obviously,” I said, glancing back at the crib. “Maybe even be prepared to spend the night with me?”
He feigned shock. “Hannah Ross is asking me to spend the night at her place?” he gasped. “I think I'm dead from shock.”
I playfully smacked him with a pillow before getting out of bed and throwing my clothes on. At the rate I was going, I was never going to leave. Though, truth be told, I really didn't want to. The good news was, now that we were past the hard stuff, maybe Eli and I could have more moments like that together.
Many, many more moments like that.
I was walking on air as I slipped from his apartment, and I hummed as I walked to my car, totally oblivious to anything and everything except for the ooey-gooey feeling inside of me. The feeling of being in love with someone who loved you back.
Was there any better feeling in the entire world?
Chapter Thirteen
Elijah
“Alright, little one,” I said, unbuckling Aubree from the car seat.
I'd packed up the travel crib and all her things, but it still felt like I left something behind. Eventually, I'd need to get her a more permanent baby bed. Well, as soon as I got a larger apartment, that was. Since it was obvious Aubree was sticking around, I'd have to figure something out.
The studio I was in was fine for me, but for a child – and Hannah – it wasn't going to cut it.
I felt ridiculous carrying everything around with me. It would be really nice if Hannah and I discussed a future together that involved living in the same place, but that might be rushing things. Although things seemed to be going in the right direction, I figured it was probably best to move slowly. To proceed with a little bit of caution.
Even though we'd lived together before, that had been an entirely different situation. We were step-siblings under our parent's roof. At least when she was in Yora instead of Seattle, that was. Living together now took on an entirely new meaning and context. One I wasn't sure either of us were truly ready for.
I looked down at my daughter's big, brown eyes and her head full of nearly black hair. She was completely unexpected, but in many ways, she was probably exactly what I needed. Before her, I guess I'd been content to just float along in life with no real direction or purpose. I worked at the bar, did what I wanted, wasn't accountable to anybody for anything, and that had been good enough for me.
Now that Aubree was a part of my daily existence – and Hannah too – I realized that I needed to do more. To be more. I wanted and needed to be a better person for the both of them. But most of all, I wanted and needed to be a better person for me. I wanted to make something of myself and of my life. Rather than just float along, I wanted to take some control in seizing and shaping my own future.
I would start looking for a job that paid more, get a larger place, and be the dad she needed. Be the man that Hannah wanted.
Life was looking up I was happy as hell, so sue me. I was humming a little tune and making faces at Aubree as I walked up to Hannah's apartment door. That feeling of giddiness was short-lived though, when I glanced down and saw her car wasn't parked in the usual, assigned spot. The lights in her apartment were all off too, which was strange. Still, I knocked. I knocked a few times before giving up and digging for the spare key she'd given me. I opened the door and stepped inside. The place was empty. In fact, there was no sign of her being home anytime recently.
I put Aubree down on Hannah's bed and walked through the apartment. No sign of Hannah. There was a dirty towel on the bathroom floor, her clothes from earlier in a pile on the floor, but nothing else. I pulled out my phone, sat down beside Aubree, and dialed her number.
It went straight to voicemail.
I tried again. Same thing. I left a message, just a brief one telling her to call me back. Then I hung up and texted her. I waited for about ten minutes and after getting no response, I started to panic. This wasn't like her. My head was spinning. She'd mentioned confronting her father, after she'd first gotten to my place, but I'd thought I talked her out of it. Thought I'd made her understand just how dangerous that could be for her. I thought I'd gotten through to her.
But, had I? Or had she, being the stubborn and hardheaded woman, she was, decided to go at him head on anyway?
A rising tide of worry welling up within me, I called Roy's number. I held the phone to my ear and waited for the call to go through. It also went straight to voicemail.
Shit.
The next number I called was Beth.
“Hey, think you could watch the munchkin for a bit? I'll pay you double,” I said.
She agreed, in a heartbeat. I gave her Hannah's address and waited until someone was with Aubree before I went searching for Hannah. Each minute I sat there, waiting for Beth, was agonizing. An exercise in absolute torture. My heart was racing, and I kept thinking that maybe I was overreacting. Hoping I was panicking for nothing.
I sat there hoping she was going to walk through the front door with a story about how she got held up with a friend or some shit. Yeah, that would be it. I was being ridiculous. Paranoid.
Still, as soon as Beth arrived, I was out of there. I didn't even have a chance to explain what was going on or make up an excuse. I was out the door and in my truck with no idea where I was going. I drove through the center of town and saw her car parked along the street. I came to a quick stop and parked nearby.
A liquor store. A dry cleaner. A nail place. All but one of those places was closed, and Hannah wasn't a big drinker. I ducked in there anyway and looked around. No sign of her. Further down, there was a twenty-four-hour diner and I stepped through the door there, hopeful to see her smiling face staring back at me.
Only one table was occupied, and it was an elderly gentleman drinking coffee. The waitress looked up as I entered, a friendly smile on her face.
“Have you seen Hannah Ross?” I asked her, hoping that Yora was still small enough for people to know who was who.
The woman thought for a second before answering, “Petite blonde nurse, right?” she asked. “Roy's daughter?”
“Yes, that's her,” I said.
“Yep. She was in here about two hours ago. With Officer Abbott, if I remember correctly,” she said.
She stood there, as if waiting for more questions or hoping I'd take a table. I didn't really have any questions and I wasn't there to eat. Her answer threw me for a loop and I wasn't sure where to go with it at the moment.
Finally, I asked, “When did they leave? Did they go together?”
“I dunno,” she shrugged. “I wasn't paying attention honestly.”
Great. Her car
was still there. Chris Abbott, old friend turned cop. Not a good cop either. One of the cops who tended to look the other way when things went to hell. Some said he was dirty, open to taking bribes to let certain things slide. Others said he supplemented his income by doing the dirty work for one of the motorcycle clubs in the area. Nobody could agree with club he belonged to, which sort of shot down the credibility of the story in my mind.
Still, the fact that he was the last person Hannah had been seen with worried me. It worried me a lot. Chris may not have been everything some people accused him of, but typically speaking, where there's smoke, there's fire. You get enough people saying you're dirty, chances are, you've got some mud on you. How much is just a matter of degree.
“You didn't happen to see which way they went?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Sorry, hon,” she replied. “Like I said, I wasn't really paying attention.”
I nodded. “Okay, great,” I said. “Thanks for the info.”
“Anytime,” she replied.
I turned and left the diner, walking back to my truck, trying to figure out what my next move was going to be. Honestly, I had no next move. I had no idea where to even begin looking for Hannah. Leaning against my truck, I slipped my phone out of my pocket and punched in a number. Holding the phone to my ear, I waited for the call to go through.
“Yora Sheriff's Department,” came the woman's voice on the other end of the line.
“Tracy,” I said, recognizing the voice. “It's Eli.”
Tracy had been a fixture at the Yora Sheriff's station for as far back as I could remember. She was practically an institution unto herself. Sweet older lady – though a little too chatty at times. Like now. This was an emergency and I didn't have time to sit there and chat.
“Hey, Eli,” she said, her voice instantly perking up. “How are ya, hon?”
“Doin' good, thanks,” I said. “You?”
“Pretty good, thanks,” she replied – and then went on to tell me about her various ailments.
I stood there tapping my foot on the ground impatiently, frustrated at having to go through the usual niceties of a civilized society. I was keenly aware of each and every second ticking by and felt my blood pressure rising that much more with every grain of sand through the hourglass.
