“I know.” It’s easier to agree with him than to argue. “He’s going to show up anyway, no matter what I tell him.”
“I really have a hard time understanding how I could lose you to that Neanderthal,” Eli blurts out.
“Eli, you didn’t lose me to anyone but your own demons. Aiden and I are not back together.” My answer is laced with sadness. Part of me aches for Eli.
“Shay, don’t lie to me, it’s not very becoming.” Eli shoots a hard glance in my direction as he says it.
“I’m not lying to you. I’m not with Aiden, I’m not with anyone,” I protest, because it’s true. If it weren’t I would be honest.
“I was there last night.” Eli’s expression is pained. “I talked to him, he was cooking you dinner while you were taking a ‘post-reunion shower’ as he put it.”
“You were there?” I start to put things together. Aiden didn’t find those flowers on the steps, that son of a bitch.
Eli nods and turns to me again. “Shay, you told me you wanted to be alone. I thought you meant it.” He focuses back on the road. “I know I wasn’t supposed to come over, but I just wanted to drop off a birthday present. I haven’t seen you in so long it hurts.”
I place my hand on his. “Eli, just because he was there last night doesn’t mean we were together.” He interlaces our fingers. His dimples cave slightly under the weight of his doubt.
I turn in my seat toward him. “He broke into my house while I was in the shower and he scared the shit out of me.” I continue to tell him everything that happened.
Fumes ignite in Eli’s eyes. “Why do you let him get away with this?” He shakes his head. “You deserve better than that. I really hope that one day you will wake up and see that there are far better men who love you, who want to be with you.”
We pull into my driveway and I’m washed over with a sense of dread when I see the yellow police tape surrounding my garage. It is so surreal.
Eli turns off the car and steps around to my side to let me out. “Come on, let’s just go in.”
“What did they do?” I let him help me out of the car. I’m so stunned that my house is a crime scene.
“They had to come and search your studio and house.” Eli says it low.
“Didn’t they need a warrant or something, or at least my permission?” How can they just do that, just go through my studio? I feel completely violated.
“There was a search warrant issued. I had someone here supervising.” He looks back at me, leading me up the walk by the hand.
We walk through the front door. The house is completely overturned on the inside. I look around at the carnage. “Oh my God.”
Eli is carefully gauging my reaction and I can see his wheels turning. “Why don’t you pack a few things and come to my house.”
I want to protest, but honestly I can’t face this right now. I’m exhausted. I just want to wash my feet and fall into bed, but since my home is completely torn apart it will be a while before I can rest.
“Okay, let me shower and change first.”
Eli lets a relieved smile pass over his lips.
***
Eli pulls his Mercedes directly into the immaculate garage. He trots around to my side of the car, always the perfect gentleman. It’s as though I’m totally trained to stay put until he opens the door. He offers his hand to lift me out. “I’ll get your bag out of the trunk. Make yourself at home.”
I walk through the doorway that leads into the house straight to the kitchen. It’s always amazed me that Eli feels the need to have such a grand house. It’s only him and occasionally his wayward brother Jerry.
Rex comes bounding into the kitchen, tackling me. “Rex, oh what a good boy!” I scratch him behind the ears, his tail wagging at neck-breaking speeds.
There is a bowl of fruit sitting on the dark granite counter. That’s when I realize how hungry I am.
“Your dad said he would be by later so we can talk about our next steps. He said he was glad you decided not to stay at your house tonight.” Eli puts the bag down in the foyer and walks into the kitchen. “Are you hungry? Harry said I needed to feed you.” He puts a funny emphasis on ‘feed’ like some Little Shop of Horrors throwback. He’s trying to be cute; it’s working.
I take a seat at the breakfast bar, facing toward the kitchen. “I’m starving.” I consciously eye the fruit again, leaning forward on the counter.
Eli gets a playfully wild look, takes a shiny red apple from the bowl and polishes it with his shirt. He rests his elbows on the counter across from me. Commanding my gaze with a hungry look he unfurls the apple from his hands. “Forbidden fruit?”
I can feel the rush of color fill my cheeks. I smile at his silliness. “Why, yes please.” I take the apple and bite into it. I love being able to feel silly with him; a playful exchange is exactly what the doctor ordered.
“What else would you like? Woman can’t live on forbidden fruit alone.” Eli opens the freezer to survey the offerings. “I have steaks, chicken, chops…” He turns around, facing me. “Anything sound good?”
“I really don’t care; whatever you want is good with me.” I say, still crunching on my apple.
“Chinese food it is.” Eli has the Hibiscus Gardens on one-touch speed dial.
How is that Eli can wash away the pain of a day like today? The realization hits me. This has been Eli’s role in my life for years. It seems like he’s always picking up the pieces that have crumbled at my feet.
I move into the great room to a comfy spot on the couch. Even though we rarely spent time here while we were dating, I’ve always felt comfortable in his house. It’s a very masculine, rich mahogany in the living room. One thing I do appreciate is that it smells like Eli. I could bathe myself in his scent for comfort, it’s better than cookies. Huh, that’s what kind of bath basket Trish should have gotten me for my birthday: Eli flavor. My mind begins to race to places it really shouldn’t. Not now, not with all that’s happening.
I look around at the walls. I’m amazed he still has my artwork hanging in here. I get up to look at a piece I did in charcoal of him and me together. I press my fingers on the glass. Eli comes up behind me and puts his fingertips just above mine on the portrait and slides them down to meet mine. I lean back into him and close my eyes to relish in the safety and calm of him.
He intertwines our fingers, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “Penny for your thoughts.”
The memories come flooding back to me and I can’t help but revisit that day. I was at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Atlanta and he was just starting law school at Emory. I was drowning my sorrows at the Highlander, a shitty bar I would go to with friends. Aiden had just taken off again. The burgers were great, but the booze was doing nothing for my mood. My spirits soared when I heard his deep voice in my ear. “A penny for your thoughts.”
Smiling, I reply as I have since that day, “A penny would be too much.”
“No really, what are you thinking about?” Eli presses, twisting his neck slightly to be more in front of me.
“Why?” I’m not sure if I’m being coy on purpose, but he seems to really want to know. He always really wants to know.
“Because you have such a peaceful look on your face, you must be lost in a happy thought.” He turns me around to face him as he says it.
“I was just thinking of the night I ran into you at the Highlander. I remember feeling so happy to see you.” I answer, getting lost in those gorgeous cobalt eyes staring back intently.
A slow smile spreads across Eli’s face. “Really? That’s what you were thinking about?”
“Yeah, stupid huh?” I’m not quite so sure this is the time for nostalgia—or maybe it’s just what I need to take my mind off of my impending appointment with an orange jumpsuit.
“I don’t think it’s stupid.” Eli seems almost offended. “What’s stupid is how many nights I waited there hoping you would walk through the door.”
“What?”
“Shay, I was supposed to go to law school at Stanford, but when I heard that you were at SCAD I decided to go to Emory instead. Then went to all the places thecool kids went. I knew that I would eventually run into you.” Eli releases my hand, turning away from me in embarrassment.
“Eli, why didn’t you just call me?” You could knock me over with a breath. We started seeing each other a few weeks after that.
“Because I didn’t know what to say.” He continued to evade my eyes.
“So wait a minute,” his words are starting to sink in heavily, “you gave up Stanford to go to Emory so you could maybe run into me?”
He didn’t respond, only looks back at me with a look of yearning. I walk over to him and throw my arms around him. “That is by far the dumbest thing anyone has ever done.” It dawns on me that Eli didn’t go to Brown University for undergrad because I wasn’t done in high school, and this realization was just too much. Tears well up in the corners of my eyes, and I pull back from our hug to see his raised brows topping off his befuddled expression. “And the sweetest thing any man has ever done for a woman.”
I find myself trapped in the intensity of his gaze. My hands slide around his neck. Reaching up on my tiptoes I meet his lips with a soft, gentle kiss, let it linger. All of my senses come to life. His hands move to my waist, tugging me closer into him as if to make me aware of the growth of his monument to manhood. And oh my, is it growing.
His heart is beating so hard it’s audible. I feel in his slow, aching kiss that he is burning inside for me. Our kiss grows into something deeper, more passionate. A dam of emotion bursts in me, forcing me to realize how much I’ve missed him in all of his imperfect glory.
My hands wander wildly down his neck, then chest. I unbutton his shirt, one button at a time, pressing my hand against his skin to know his heart is mine. He brings his hand up to mine, tangling our fingers. He pulls back breathless, to look into my eyes, searching for something in them.
“Shay,” he whispers, barely audible.
Caught in his gaze, I bite down on my bottom lip. I don’t want him to stop. “Don’t say anything sensible right now.” I just want him to take me. Throw all caution to the wind, let me touch him and love him like we are the only two people in the world. Being this close to Eli has awakened something that has long been dormant. A rushing heat rakes over me in the wake of his hungry gaze.
“We should–” He stops mid-sentence as his expression changes from serious to mischievous in a split second.
I answer in the form of another enduring kiss. My fingers run through his thick hair and soak in the passion we have at this moment. He whispers my name again. “Yes?” It comes out only as a breath in his ear. “We should what?” I say, gently biting his ear. I’m still lost in him, pressed hard against his body. His warmth is telling me that everything is right. I lead him by the hand toward the bedroom.
He follows, being dragged for a step before moving in quickly to lift me in his arms. Crashing against my lips, he smothers me with hungry kisses as he carries me into the bedroom. He lays me carefully down on the bed. His muscles are rippling under his unbuttoned shirt, the glory of his finely chiseled body peeking out, taunting me to rake my hands over him. His hair is brushing against his eyes, unruly from me running my fingers through it.
He lies down beside me, his fingers ambling along my belly, lifting my shirt, our lips never parting. He whispers, “Shay, I love you.”
His voice sends an incredible heat dancing down my spine and through my body. I feel so overwhelmed with emotion, and it isn’t just the heat between us. I really do love Eli.
His hand slides around, unhooking my bra and then pulling my skirt down over my hips in one smooth motion, leaving me only in my black lace panties. His eyes devour my form, his hands gently trace the contours of my waist, down over my hip. He gives my undies a gentle tug and looks up at me as if asking for permission. His ocean blue eyes are intense and bedeviled with wanting, begging for my approval.
My fingertips glide down his chest to just below his belly button, running along the inside band of his boxers. I undo his pants. He releases an involuntary moan in my ear while my hand slides downward. I smile from the inside out. The passion that has been held hostage deep within me is released. I haven’t experienced desire like this for months, and now I am completely consumed by my need to be with him. “God, I missed you.” I hold his stare for a moment, lost in him.
In the great room Rex is going crazy; we can barely hear the wild banging on the door over his barking, and my cell phone rings.
“Chinese food.” Eli gets up to answer the door and I pull my cell phone from my pocket.
Aiden.
Chapter Eleven
Old Friends
Eli
I hurry across the great room to the foyer, holding my pants up. Why did I have to order Chinese food? I should have just thrown a frozen pizza in the oven and let the fucker burn. I have to stop and wait a minute before I open the door to avoid greeting Ping looking like I stuffed a pagoda down my pants. “Jesus Rex, hush.”
Between the banging on the door and Rex’s barking, my “pagoda problem” disappears pretty quickly. Deciding I’m in the clear, I open the door to find a visibly irritated Aiden. Fucking master of the cock-block, he holds up the box of coffee and slides his phone into his jeans. I’d like to shove that coffee up his ass.
I have to get rid of him. “Aiden, she’s resting right now, it’s not a good time.” I put my arm across the door so he can’t come in the house and block Rex from going out with my leg.
“Resting?” He eyes my unbuttoned shirt and pants. “Decided she needed to be tired out first?”
He’s pissing me off, but I know him all too well and I know damn well he’s not leaving. The last thing Shay needs right now is Aiden and I getting into it. “Give me a second to put him up.” I close and lock the door and command Rex to follow me into the bedroom.
When I open the door I catch sight of Shay lying on her side, her beautiful curves accentuated by those hot as hell panties. I fucking hate Aiden.
I move in closer, noticing her eyes are closed, her breathing rhythmic. She looks so peaceful sleeping. The tension releases from my shoulders seeing her so calm. I pull the comforter up around her and gently kiss her forehead. Rex jumps on the bed as I close the door.
Aiden is already banging on the door again. I swing the door open and give him a hard stare. “You’re going to wake her up.” I shake my head at what an incredible asshole he is. I can’t believe he and I were ever best friends.
If I’m going to let him in I need to set some ground rules. “You can come in, but this is my home and it’s a no-bullshit zone.”
Aiden doesn't like not calling the shots. He takes too long to answer; all I can do is shake my head. “This isn’t about us, this is about her. She needs us both, and if we can’t get along we are both abandoning her.” I have to bite my tongue to keep from cutting him deeper with the abandonment crack.
“You're right.” Aiden spits the words out like they are poison and pushes past me, putting the coffee on the breakfast bar. “So let’s get a few things straight when it comes to Shay.”
Aw shit, here we go. I run my fingers through my hair but before he gets started I stop him. “Aiden, the only thing we need to have straight about Shay is that she has her own mind, her own opinions. Why don’t we just give her some peace?”
“You’re going to leave her alone?” Aiden is doubtful that’s what I’m implying.
“If she wants me to leave her alone I will. I have always respected her choices, regardless of whether I agreed with them or not.” I’m reminded of all the times I’ve just let her go, so she could get screwed over again by him.
Aiden lets out a quick laugh and shakes his head. “I can live with that.”
“Okay.” I know what he’s saying, but at least he’s not saying it out loud, which is strange for Aiden. Whatever, time to wind down. I head for the f
ridge. “Want a beer?”
“Sure.” Aiden takes the beer and we head for the great room.
I sit in the most comfortable chair and lean back, closing my eyes. ”Hell of a day, huh?”
“Never a dull moment with her.” Aiden smiles, but it quickly fades. “So what happened?”
“Nothing really. You know how she is. She started getting nostalgic and talking about when we were in Atlanta. Then a walk down memory lane led to some-” I look up from my respite to see Aiden’s displeased expression and stop cold.
“I mean with Gary and Alice.” His tone is flat.
“Oh.” Whoops. I take a second to think about it—this requires another swig from my beer. “It was so awful. Gary was cut to pieces, and CSU couldn’t find his organs.” I choke back a belch before I continue, “Alice was hung upside down from the rafters in the garage. Gary’s eyes were on the floor in front of her. Whoever did this has serious issues.” I shake my head, pulling my lips to the side, forming a half-grimace.
“Do you know if they have any leads other than Shay?” Aiden is unnerved by the description of the crime scene.
“No, nothing else yet. CSU is going to be running tests for a while. It could take weeks before we know if there are any other suspects, but right now Shay looks guilty as hell.” I empty the bottle and put it on the coffee table. I wish it weren’t true, but she’s the prime suspect.
The doorbell rings; this time it is the Chinese food. I go to get the door.
Aiden announces, “I’m hitting the head.”
“You remember where it is?”
“Yeah.” Aiden turns the wrong way down the hallway. That fucker better not wake her up.
I answer the door and lead Ping into the kitchen to put the food down. He hands me the receipt.
“Thanks Ping, best stuff around!” I sign the credit card receipt, sure to leave a good tip. He’s always good to me.
“No problem Mr. Walker. I put a little something special in there for you.” His eyes twinkle a little.
“Did you slip me some Tsingtao Dark?” I ask in a mischievous tone.
INK: Fine Lines (Book 1) Page 5
