by Emma Cole
I take a deep breath and continue. “But I'm unhappy that I feel like they forgot all about me, that they never even tried to contact me. They just moved on while my life went to shit. Then there's Dylan showing up with Samantha. By the way, Samantha is a bitch. I already don't like her, and if she's with Dylan, then how can I be around him? If they're together, she'll be there, and I won’t... I'm under no illusion that they wouldn't have continued on having relationships or meeting people just like I met Ethan and then you. I didn't find another relationship to get into other than a few casual dates here and there, not until you. So that leaves me feeling like I was the only one so severely affected. I thought about them all the time, and the cloud of our relationships hanging over me kept me from getting serious about anyone until I could get some closure…"
I pause after the torrent of words runs out, waiting for his reaction. It's not quite as bad as I thought it would be.
"I get that, Remi. And don't get mad, but they did share the basics of your friendships. Nothing invasive that I think would upset you. Full disclosure, I can't stand Samantha. I don't even think Dylan likes her that much, either. I'm not really sure what that situation is. I know it's not anything serious, or he'd bring her around more. It was a dick move taking her to the game. Last I knew, she wasn't going with him."
Well, that makes me feel slightly better about them.
"As for you and the guys,” he went on, “I can't say I'm happy about it. At least they're like family and not strangers that I could lose you to. Even if you decide to pursue one of them instead of being with me, I still want to be a part of your life. Just don't cut me out, okay?"
I can only nod in response. I'm not sure I deserve this amazing man, not with my whiplash emotions and crazy life.
"Eli, I love you. I'll say it and show it any way you need me to. I'm not leaving you. I want you to really understand that. Stop thinking I'm going to leave you. I'll be the barnacle to your hull. You're gonna have to scrape me off to get rid of me. The past is just that and should probably stay there. I'll adjust. I always do." I feel a sense of resolved relief. I can be mature and handle this.
"I hear you, and I believe you.” Eli nods, his chin tickling my head. “If anything changes, I won't hold it against you. The guys were your first loves. You didn't break up. While you were young, that doesn't mean those feelings weren't or aren't valid. Mind you, it's only those three. If Adam pokes his nose in or that Christian d-bag, they're in for an ass kicking "
I giggle at the ire in his voice. Ready to move on from the subject and make up for what we didn't get to do last night, I slip my hand up his hard, jean-clad thigh. He gets the drift real quick, if the stirring of his dick under my hip is any indication. I turn and straddle his legs again, right above his knees, and drag my nails up his inseam. Glancing up to gauge his reaction, I find hooded eyes full of anticipation and adoration. Those clear green orbs suck me in as I pull his shirt over the steel-like ridges of his abdomen. Leaning up on my knees, I employ both hands to bare his torso, tipping my head down to place hard, open-mouthed kisses on every place I can reach on his chest and neck.
Eli goes wild after just a few minutes of my attention and surges up, displacing me. I land on my back in the middle of the bed with him hovering over, caging me in with his arms. I grin up at him with mischief and dart up to nip at his chin. Unfortunately, he was also coming down as I was going up, and he ended up with a mouthful of my nose. Pulling apart, we both start laughing as he flops to his side next to me, and I wipe the spit off my face.
At least I didn't end up with a black eye.
"You're dangerous, woman!" he declares with exasperation in his voice.
"Me? You're the one that just tried to eat my face!" In retaliation, I dive on top of him, tickling him mercilessly on the ribs. He's so solid it's hard to get a good spot, but I manage as he tries to ineffectively escape my fingers.
I know Eli has trained hard to keep his flexibility along with bulking up, and he uses both to his advantage now, as he does one of those weird, twisty things to escape me before turning around and flattening me face-first down on the bed. He quickly divests me of my hoodie and pants, leaving me only in my bra and underwear.
Briefly, he lifts off the bed to shuck his pants off. I try to turn over, but Eli places a hand on my back to keep me in my current position. Coming over me, he pushes my hair to one side, letting part of his weight settle on me. He cups his hips into mine, lodging his erection between the juncture of my thighs where my butt cheeks meet my legs. I wiggle to stall him as he nips and nibbles on the back of my neck.
"No marks! Have a job this week," I manage to get out, my voice muffled by the bedspread.
Eli groans in disappointment but complies. Lifting his hips, he pulls mine up with him, spreading my knees and keeping his torso on my back, pinning mine down. He slides an arm underneath my stomach, and traveling downward, he finds the soaked gusset of my panties and slips them off to the side. With a little maneuvering, he parts my thighs further, far enough I can feel the warm length of his dick slip between them and up through my wetness. The soft blunt head of his dick nudges my clit, and he traps it there with his hand. Short quick thrusts and he's sliding back and forth through my slick lips, hitting that sweet spot on every upward stroke.
I join him in moving my ass up and down, adding to the friction and speeding it up. My groan echoes his at the excitement of being trapped yet not. He knows how to push all my buttons.
Propping himself on his other elbow, he scoops the cups of my bra down to expose my nipples, twisting and pulling at them in turns just hard enough to make an ache bloom and shoot straight between my legs. It doesn't take long before we're both making noises of pleasure. We don't worry about muffling, not with the house empty.
The cues my body is giving off, the erratic breathing and jerking hips, gives Eli plenty of warning for my impending orgasm, and on the last slide back, he uses his fingertips to angle himself so that, on the next upward movement, he slides slowly but steadily into my depths. Before he's seated all the way, he turns his talented hand to flicking and rubbing at my clit and slams home hard, holding deep and tight. The stretch and burn, just this side of unpleasant, makes me come undone.
Before I'm even finished clenching around his girth, he's pulsing inside and coming right along with me. The sensation of it prolongs my own enjoyment.
He doesn't immediately pull out, instead, stays lodged deep and still, half hard. He trails soft wet kisses all over my neck and cheek while we both calm our racing hearts. I vaguely worry about my sweaty hair, but I’m too content to care much. Eventually, he softens and slips from me, and I adjust my underwear back to their proper position.
We spend a little longer just enjoying each other's company before Eli brings it up again.
"So, I got you kicked out of your motel. I didn't mean for that to happen either. With the situation with Alex's roommate, I would really like you to come move back into your room."
"Eli, I'm not sure about that, I'm not sure that I'll feel comfortable."
He persists. "How about you just pack a bag for tonight and what you'll need tomorrow for class, and you can just stay the night with me? Not in your room, in mine.
I think about it for a minute and don't really see the harm. If there’s anyone there that I don’t want to see, I can just hide out in his room.
"Fine, but just for tonight. And thank you, I really do appreciate it. It's not that I don't want to stay with you, but… you know."
I gather up what I need for the night and send Alex a text message that I'm going home with Eli, letting her know I'll see her tomorrow. I follow Eli's Jeep in my car and park on the street by the side of the brownstone while he pulls into the garage.
Shutting the engine off, I get a bout of nervous butterflies in my stomach. I'm not sure I'm going to get out of the car. I procrastinate so long that Eli comes to see what the holdup is.
Rapping on my window, he motions m
e to come on. With a heavy sigh, I grab my bags from the passenger seat and open the door. Eli takes the ones with my clothes and school supplies, while I keep my purse.
This is gonna suck.
Thankfully, no one else is home and I can relax and, hopefully, escape to Eli's room before I have to see anyone else. I almost get my wish.
"Remi?" I hear Eli calling me from the living room. Going to investigate what he needs, I find him lacing up his shoes.
"Going somewhere?" I ask. He'd better not be leaving me alone here. That was not part of the plan.
Not making eye contact he answers me. "Yeah, um, I'm really sorry but the coach called a meeting. He's going to be gone the next few days and wants to go over some things before he leaves." Running his hands through his hair, he finally meets my pissed off gaze. "I know that's not what we planned. I'll come back as soon as I can. Promise. You can take snacks and hang out in my room or watch Netflix or whatever. Use the big tub in my bathroom. Dylan is out at Sam—”
I cut him off with my hand up. "That's fine. I can occupy myself. I expect... something in return, though. I don't know what yet, but I'll think of something. Like, I'm painting your toenails or something. Yes, I think that would make up for this."
I can't help but crack a smile at his slightly horrified face. Pink. Toes are going to be pink.
He starts to protest, and I raise a brow at him with my hands on my hips.
"Fine,” he relents. “Pick a color. Not pink."
I snort. This is my revenge. It's so gonna be pink.
"Or purple,” he adds. “No red either. I gotta go babe. See you soon." He drops a quick kiss on my lips and hauls ass out the door.
I feel a little bad for holding him up but not enough to forgo sorting my polish for which shade of pink I'll be using to paint his nails.
All my schoolwork is already done for the next few days. I lose interest in the shows I try to watch, so I go check out the tub in Eli's bathroom. It's huge and is more jacuzzi than bathtub. I go straight to starting the water after checking if it's clean. Everything has been so far, but with men, you never know. I even find some soaking salts I'm assuming are Eli's for sore muscles after games or practice.
Dumping some in the water, a strong peppermint scent permeates the room. I double check that the connecting door is locked. Even though the tub is in its own little alcove with a partial wall concealing, I still don't want anyone to walk in on me.
Stripping down, I hang my bra on the door hook and toss the rest in the corner to retrieve later. My slow slide into the hot, minty water is awesome. I could get spoiled with this. I idly wonder if Alex would be up for a little bathroom remodel.
Enjoying myself dozing and turning into a prune, I contemplate getting out. I’ve been in the water long enough for it to cool after shutting off the jets and the heater. I hear noises coming from the room on the other side of the connecting door. Before I can flip the drain lever, I hear a woman's voice, as well as what I'm guessing is Dylan's. It's familiar, yet deeper than I remember. I wasn't paying attention before, but I don't know who else would be in his room. Certainly not Beck, not with a woman, anyway.
Frozen in indecision of either alerting them with the draining of the tub or eavesdropping, I soon wish I'd bolted directly out. A soft thump followed by feminine noises lets me know exactly what's about to take place. I'm horrified at the instant heartbreak that seizes my chest in a vice. What the fuck happened to the no bringing women home rule? I don't even feel like a hypocrite; technically, I still belong here. I should have stayed at Alex's.
"Fuck, Sam," I hear muffled through the wall. The bed must share a wall with the bathtub. Just my stinking luck.
Cheeks on fire for invading his privacy and tears overflowing my eyes at the act he's engaged in, I quickly and as quietly as possible get out and dry off. Collecting my dirty clothes, I'm ready to drain the tub and flip the lock before I escape to Eli's room. I don't want anyone to find out I'm in here. They'll probably assume it's Elliot, which is way better than me.
Hand poised at the lever, I hear, "Hold on just a sec m'kay? Need to use the bathroom."
Oh, hell no! I'm going to get caught listening. That'll teach me. Well, probably not, but at the moment I'm crossing my fingers that I can make my escape. I slam the drain lever down and nearly sprint to unlock the door, then back to Eli's room. I slip through the open doorway and click the lock on this side as I swing it shut. Before it latches, I see the opposite one start to open.
That was close.
Storing my dirties in a pocket in my bag, I realize I left my bra and it's not going unnoticed. Still dripping tears, mostly angry ones at this point, I roughly pull on sweats and a tank. Fishing out some fuzzy socks for comfort, I eye them in distaste. Ethan got me started on these. The air conditioning in his room was always freezing my feet, so I'd retaliate by touching him with them any chance I got.
"Dilly bar!"
Oh seriously? Fucking gag me now.
"You might wanna tell your roommate to keep her underwear out of your bathroom? It's tacky and rude to leave it lying around like that."
I'll show the bitch tacky. And why the hell is it so quiet in here? I'm not even trying to listen at this point, but the voices are carrying. Fucking cruel, is what it is.
A deeper rumble sounds out. "What are you talking about, Sam? Hurry up and get back in here. I don't care about Eli's underwear.
"When is she moving out of here, anyway? I thought you said she was gone. If she's here, then there shouldn't be a problem with me being here either."
I hear Dylan's voice get closer. He's in the bathroom now, too. "What are you in here going on about?"
Samantha must show Dylan my forgotten bra.
"Well, I don't remember that being there earlier, and Eli's Jeep isn't in the garage," Dylan says.
"No, but her yellow car was out on the side, parked at the curb when I came in. And I'm assuming she was the one in the bath, since the water was still draining when I came in here." She sounds pissy. It may be petty, but I take some satisfaction in it.
"Remi's car is out on the side? Shit, I screwed up. Eli's gonna kill me. Samantha, you got to go."
Yes, you did screw up, skanky ass. Guys can be skanks too, right?
"Why do I have to leave if she's here? There's no reason I shouldn't be allowed too!"
I can picture her stomping her foot like a petulant child.
His voice recedes, while hers picks up in volume.
"You're seriously kicking me out right now? What is the issue with her? You're all pussy whipped when you're not even getting any!"
Well, you just got cock blocked by this lack of pussy. Or would that be beaver dammed? Maybe a cunt punt? I'm officially a Petty Crocker.
I hear some door slamming and muffled words, then silence. A few minutes later, there's a light knock on the bedroom door.
"Eli, you home?"
Right, like Dylan didn't just go look for vehicles when he walked Samantha out. At least I'm more angry than sad, at this point. Not that it's my business or that he owes me any explanation. I'm chalking it up to crazy girl emotions. Mid cycle PMS.
Deciding to act like an adult instead of hiding and sulking, I go to open the door.
"Eli's gone to a team meeting. Said he'll be back later." I shut the door in his surprised face before he can reply. Well, at least I tried to adult.
Settling into bed, I inhale the rich scent of the sheets, a mix of the remnants of the products Eli uses, and work on taking a nap until he returns.
Chapter Thirteen
Dylan
Ethan and Beckett come in as I'm leaving a voicemail for Elliot. I shouldn't have brought Sam here, and now I feel guilty about it. I didn't know Remi would be here, and now I'm worried I made things even more awkward than they already are. Ethan and Beck both said she was upset after she realized they were together, when they showed up to talk to her at the motel.
Ethan overhears my message to Eli and waits
for me to hang up, looking pissed.
"You brought Samantha back here? What's wrong with you, Dylan? Do you not care that she's finally back here at all?"
Beck comes in to hear my response as well
"Dude, I didn't even know she was here. Eli's going to kill me. There's no way she didn't hear what was going on, and when I knocked, she informed me he was at a meeting and shut the door in my face."
My brother joins in, berating me. Usually, it's the other way around. All I can seem to do since walking in on her here is fuck up.
"Eli sent us a group text. Did you not bother to check your messages? And since when are hook ups brought back home? You know better, Dylan. Why are you carrying on with her, anyway? We've gotten complaints while we were gone, and you being mixed up with her is going to make letting her go an issue. Do you want a sexual harassment claim? Because I don't think she's above making one out of spite." He shakes his head at me and starts pulling out items for dinner.
Checking my phone, I don't find anything in the group thread.
"I don't have a text." I frown at my phone. "Maybe it didn't come in." Even I don't believe my own words.
"Or maybe your fling got into your phone. You're telling me she didn't see Remi's car parked in the same spot she uses?" Ethan is fuming. And I wouldn't quite put that past Sam. She is a bit of a bitch.
I drag my hands down my face. "I'll deal with Sam. You two are going to have to talk to Remi. I'm believing the letters really weren't from her, and I'm not sure what to do with that. That's the only reason we stopped trying to get in touch with her again."
Ethan nods. "I'd planned to reconnect once I could, regardless of what it said. But now with Elliot and her together, I don't know how it will work."
I'm shocked. "You and Beckett are together. Why would you be planning on dumping my brother?"
"I never said I planned on dumping him. When we hung out the school year before I met her and after you two did, Beck told me some of what had happened. After we got together, we both knew there was someone else and things could change. It's lucky happenstance it turned out to be Reese. I figured I could at least ask. You two didn't have a problem with the idea of sharing her." He shrugs defiantly, the old, pissed off bad boy peeking out.
