“Wow,” I said amused. “Look how far we’ve come. Remember what a jerk you were?”
“Hush. I’m concentrating.”
“You stole Lucy’s chips.”
He smiled. “She dropped them.”
“And why did she drop them?”
“I was an asshole. There. Are you satisfied?”
“Yes,” I said smugly.
His expression turned somber as he drew. “I’m glad that happened. The thought of not knowing you guys.” He pointed to his chest slowly before rubbing it. “Hurts right here.”
My mouth parted slightly as I watched him. I stood, needing a second away from him just so I could breathe. Everything he said was always so…beautiful…perfect…right to my ears.
I’d never known that feeling. It made me think he might want more than friendship. Could I trust that happiness like I desperately wanted? Running my fingers through my hair, I thought about it as I walked around and studied all the drawings and paintings on the wall. Every single one of them had a dark and morbid vibe. Demons and naked women… Violent war drawings with dead zombie soldiers… Female vampires feeding on men… I glanced over at Elijah who was hunched over the desk drawing. He really was different. Darker than other men I’d met yet gentle and kind in all the ways that counted. A low and pleasant hum warned my blood, the sensation crawling between my thighs. I clenched my legs together, then unclenched, turning myself on. Trying to decode who Elijah was as a man was burning me to liquid fire. Was he a gentle, caring lover? Was he rough? Was he somewhere in between? Could he give me a bit of both?
“Did you draw all these?” I said in a raspy voice.
“Most. Wendy and Lance did a few.”
I just knew that Elijah’s were all the artwork with the demons. He was covered in creepy ones that I suddenly wished to trace with my fingers. I trembled, and that’s when I noticed the next painting. A blonde female draped across the lap of a crouched demon. Her naked breasts arched up in the air as blood flowed from the demon’s lips—her blood. Instead of terror, ecstasy shone on her face. The demon gazed at her almost with yearning, like she was so far away despite her blood dripping from his fangs and lips. He knew he shouldn’t have her, but he couldn’t help himself. And her breasts seemed to be full of leaking milk?
That one was my favorite. Deep down, instead of princes, I thought maybe every woman wanted gentle monsters. Someone strong—scary enough to keep all the bad things away—and gentle only to those he loved. I knew where I went wrong. I’d stumbled upon a faux prince, having never met a monster before. Monsters weren’t easy to approach, but princes came too easily. Maybe you had to deal with someone easy to learn what to do and not to do just in case a monster showed up.
“Did you paint this one?” I asked.
He lifted his head and nodded. Elijah went back to drawing, then abruptly did a double-take and gawked. Something akin to panic flashed in his wide brown eyes. A hint of worry seeped into his voice. “Why?”
“I love it,” I said heatedly. “Will you let me buy it? One day I’ll have a house, and I want it to go in my bedroom. Or honestly, maybe my closet away from prying eyes.”
Elijah flinched, stood, and made his way to me. He studied the painting before looking at me. “You really like it?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“Because it’s so dark and you’re so…” His gaze skimmed over me, and I fought the urge to squirm. I couldn’t prevent the desire flowing freely from me to him, though. That would be impossible.
I stared at the artwork. “Studying this picture makes me wonder what the demon’s thinking as he gazes at her. I wonder how it’d feel for someone to look at me that way.”
When I glimpsed at Elijah, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. The heat between us was palpable, and I wondered if he felt it too. Fudge, how could he not? My breasts were heavy and aching. I shuddered with an overwhelming need for Elijah.
“It’s yours to take if you want it,” he uttered.
“Really?”
He gave me a firm nod. “Come on. I’m almost finished.” He took my hand and led me back over to the stools. He was warm to the touch. I wondered how much warmer he could be.
Thirty minutes later, he was finished drawing my infinity sign. I loved it the moment I saw it. It was made of tiny sunflowers and roses. Lucy’s name curved one corner while Eli’s around the other. It wasn’t big and for my first, I was glad. The nerves hit the moment he asked, “Where do you want it?”
“Um,” I glanced around, examining myself slowly. “The center of my back toward the top, maybe?”
“Come here.” He stood and beckoned for me to follow. “You’ll have to take off the T-shirt.” My mouth dropped. “You’re the one that chose the back.” He was right. “You can hold your shirt to your chest once you take it off if that makes you more comfortable. The bra shouldn't be a problem since you’re wanting it high in on your back.”
I nodded nervously. “Yeah.”
Elijah gathered everything he needed—sterilizing the area and opening a new needle. He kept glancing at me as he did everything as if to prove how clean an operation he ran. I just rolled my eyes and smirked. The moment Elijah turned the other way, I took off my shirt and cradled it to my chest. When he saw that I was ready, he waved me forward. I turned around and let him place the outline on my back. He pointed toward the mirror next to us. “See if that’s where you want it.”
After checking the placement, I sat down. When Elijah noticed my nervousness, he reminded me that if I could survive pregnancy then I could handle this. He said some people described the needle feeling like tiny bee stings. My apprehension eased as he began. The tiny jabbing pain was nothing I couldn’t handle. It hurt but not enough to be nervous over. The gun’s buzzing sound was more intimidating than the pain. Honestly, I was more focused on Elijah’s heat against my skin than the discomfort. The glove around his hand did nothing to mask his warmth. In fact, the thought only made it worse. So close, his touch was…
“You okay?” he murmured behind me.
“Mm-hmm.”
Two hours later, Elijah was finished. “Go check it out in the mirror.” He watched as I got up and stood in front of the mirror, gazing over my shoulder. It was beautiful. No colors were added, instead, he used different shades of black. Whatever he’d done, it was perfect. The sunflowers were feminine yet the black ink and Elijah’s drawing gave it an edgier vibe.
“I love it.” I caught his pleased expression as I faced him.
After Elijah wrapped a plastic film over it, I put on my shirt while he cleaned up. It was after midnight, and Olivia texted me an hour ago that Lucy finally fell asleep.
While I waited, I said, “Thanks. I know this was last minute, but I’m really glad I got the chance to do this.”
“I’m here for whatever you need me for.”
I tilted my head at him. He was sterilizing his area again, wiping everything down. I couldn’t read pass the look of utter concentration on his face. Kind of hard to figure out what he meant when he said stuff like that to me.
All I heard was I’m here and my body reacted. Elijah would be the type to spoil me, wouldn’t he? I couldn’t imagine him with another woman. The thought alone made me angry and hurt. It made me think… I want to be spoiled, loved, adored, and ravished. By him. It was a powerful sensation.
“How long is your sister staying?” Elijah asked once he was finished, approaching me.
“Two more days.” I waited beside him as he shut off the lights.
Elijah opened the door for me, and we walked out. Suddenly, Elijah turned and his strong hand bumped into mine. Elijah’s fingers slid over mine, warmth flowing freely from him to me. I said nothing as he intertwined our fingers as we walked to the car. I studied the of side his face, heart on my sleeve, as he walked me around the truck and opened the door for me. It was like he was easing me into something. My pulse sped up as I got in. When I turned, Elijah was
still there, only closer.
“I’ve got to head to my other parlor, so I won’t be able to take you to work this week.”
I couldn’t mask my disappointment. “Oh.” I waved my hand in the air. “It wasn’t your job to take me. My parents don’t mind doing it.”
He placed his hand on my knee, his thumb rubbing across it. “I want you all to come to my house when I get back next weekend. I’ll order some takeout and let Lucy pick us a movie.”
I would have smiled if he weren’t touching me, but all I could think of was his hand on me. “Hadley?”
Locking eyes with his, I whispered, “Why are you so sweet?”
His hand cupped my knee firmly, possessively. “You’re the only one that would call me that. That’s not a word someone would use to describe me.”
“You are though.”
“Only for you and yours.”
“Elijah…”
His gaze fell on my lips. He swallowed hard and drew in a deep, pained breath before he turned away. “Let’s get you home.”
My rattled brain wanted me to reply, Let’s get you inside me. The idea frightened me yet cemented itself in my head. These thoughts were unlike me. I was so tuned to him at that moment I felt magnetic.
Panting hard and feeling achy, Elijah drove me home. I briefly thought of the painting and Elijah… Next to me… His tattoos… Naked… Wanting me…pushing inside of me.
Elijah, you’re suffocating me with your firm gentleness. I truly believed him when he said that he liked spending time with us. It wasn’t about getting into my pants with him, but lately…I thought maybe, he wanted me as more than a friend. With Elijah, I thought I could trust him with my body and heart.
Maybe I was reading him wrong. The monster didn’t want me. There was no way he could feel like I did and not do anything.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hadley
Elijah: I forgot your painting last night. I’ll give it to you when I’m back.
Hadley: Okay : )
Two days later…
Hadley: Are you busy? Lucy wants to call…
My phone rang two minutes later. I handed it to Lucy as she bounced up and down. “Elijah?” her blue eyes widened as she answered Elijah’s call. “Guess what I got! Mommy got me a shirt with a unicorn on it. When are you coming home? I want to show you.” She kept talking so fast that I wondered if she gave Elijah time to respond. “I’m going to school, Mommy said.” She giggled, clutching the phone as she walked around. “Yeah, I’m excited. No, I will have boy and girl friends. Nooo, boyfriends. I’m too young, Mommy said.” More giggling.
Her words made me think back to when Lucy was two. Olivia had her going on a boyfriend tirade for months when she brought her boyfriend home. It convinced Lucy that she needed one as well. Every guy she saw was her boyfriend. It was cute until it became embarrassing. Lucy turned every man she saw—young or old—into potential boyfriends for herself. Thankfully, it stopped. I would kill Elijah for bringing that word up.
“Okay. I miss you. I’m going to call Daddy now and tell him.” She hung up the phone.
“You didn’t say bye,” I told her.
I wondered how Elijah took her words. After getting my tattoo, I was curious how we fit into his life. I liked Elijah. Okay, I really, really liked him. Of course, I wondered if he felt the same about me—about all of us.
“Oops. I forgot. Will he be upset?” Lucy frowned. “Can you call him again? I don’t want him to be mad at me.”
I dropped to my knees. “Elijah won’t be mad. When he comes home, he wants to watch a movie with us.”
She walked up and hugged me. “Can Elijah give me a tattoo?”
“You already know the answer to that, and don’t think a hug will change anything. Tattoos hurt.” I tickled her sides, and she laughed. “Do you want to call Daddy now and tell him about your new clothes?”
She nodded. I dialed his number and handed the phone over to her. Things weren’t good between Scott and me, but Lucy seemed to have forgotten that outburst the last time he was over. I was glad but worried all the same. Scott still mentioned Elijah through text messages that I mostly ignored unless it was about Lucy and Eli. I hoped Scott didn’t start on Lucy again. Now that I was more aware of what I was feeling toward Elijah, I didn’t want my ex ruining the relationship between Lucy and Elijah—even if we were only friends.
“Daddy! Guess what! I got new clothes for school. Yeah, Mommy took me.” She looked up at me hesitantly. “Just me, Bubby, and Mom.” Crestfallen, Lucy handed the phone to me. “Here. Daddy wants to talk to you.”
Keeping my emotions in check, I grabbed the phone. “Yeah?”
“How about I come over tonight?” That was the first thing he said to me.
“Why?”
Long sigh. “I miss you. I miss us. This is ridiculous. You don’t really want to raise them this way, do you?”
“What way?”
“Apart. I fucked up, Hadley, but we can put it behind us.”
Stepping away from Lucy, I ventured into the bathroom and shut the door slightly. “Just stop. It’s been a year, and you still think what you did is something I’m going to forgive. We’re never getting back together. Please, I want to get along for Lucy and Eli’s sake.”
“Let’s get back together then. What are you going to do? Raise my kids with someone else? That neighbor is bad news.” The way he said neighbor implied he thought Elijah was more than that. He was, but that wasn’t Scott’s business. “I know what this is, though. You’ll get it out of your system and afterward, you won’t get to say shit to me for what I did.”
“Out of my system?” I whisper shouted. “First off, we’re not together. Second, you don’t know Elijah. He’s never once tried anything with me.”
He snorted. “Okay.”
“Listen to you.” Scott’s words angered me. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and told myself he wasn’t worth this aggravation. The only thing I ever had to speak to him about was our kids. He had no right to anything else. “Lucy called to talk to you. If you won’t talk to her, I have no reason to stay on the phone.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” he spat out.
“Will you please talk to Lucy? She’s excited about starting preschool and wanted to tell you about her clothes.”
“That’s what I’m saying. I can come over tonight. Imagine how excited she’d be for us to all be together.”
He scared me with words like that. If he talked to Lucy like that, he’d make things hard on me by planting ideas in her head.
“She’d be happy if you’d just call her every day.”
“Hadley…”
“You’re not coming over. If you want to spend time with Lucy and Eli, I can meet you somewhere or they can spend the night with you.”
“Why? Do you have something to hide?” He swore under his breath. “Not tried anything my ass.”
Tears pricked my eyes. He mentally drained me. How could I have ever loved that man? “It’s because I don’t trust you. You take advantage of Lucy and use her to get to me.”
“I do not—”
“Yes, you do, Scott. Instead of talking to me, you should be listening to your daughter who asked to call you.”
“Put her on the phone,” he hissed, anger laced in his tone.
My heart dropped. “Not if you’ll upset her. Just be happy—”
“You should have thought of that before.”
His words frosted my heart. I didn’t doubt for a second that he’d hurt his own daughter’s feelings to hurt me. I hung up and dropped to my knees, shutting the bathroom door the rest of the way as I did. I didn’t want Lucy to hear me cry.
Just like that, all those good feelings I’d had lately broke into pieces.
_____
“That’s not your house!” Lucy yelled the next day. I glimpsed over to Elijah’s where Lucy was staring and saw a very tall, sturdy-built woman on his porch. She had dark hair and eyes and they were
focused on us at Lucy’s declaration. “That’s Elijah’s house!’
The older woman tilted her head at her, eyes brightening like someone just told her she won the lottery. “Lucy?”
Lucy placed her hands on her hips, an intimidating glower that wasn’t very effective slashed across her tiny features. “How do you know me?”
“Elijah talks about you. I’m his momma.”
Lucy and I both took her in at the same time.
“And you two must be Hadley and Eli!” She was extremely excited and before I knew it, she was making her way down the steps toward us. “Oh, goodness you’re even cuter in person.” She stopped in front of Lucy.
Lucy peered around her back toward Elijah’s. “Is Elijah home now?”
“He’ll be home tomorrow.” She beamed down at Lucy, then glanced at me. “Beautiful daughter for a beautiful mother.” I blushed at her compliment. “Would you guys like to come in? Elijah doesn’t know that I stopped by. I wanted to do a little cleaning while he was away.” She winked at me. “He’s not a duster, not much of cleaner or cook either.”
Lucy covered her mouth, giggling like the idea of Elijah being that way was funny. “I got called into work on my day off.” She frowned, so I quickly added. “But maybe just until my dad shows up.”
_____
One second inside Elijah’s home, and I knew his one weak point. He was bad at adulting. Or maybe just picking up after himself. Or simply just bad at living alone.
His house wasn’t filthy, just lacking. The two-story home didn’t have much in it. His living room was covered in papers, pencils, and all the things I associated with his drawings and paints. They were scattered chaotically over his table and couch. There wasn’t much in his kitchen either. I spotted takeout in his trash can.
“Okay, I’ll admit it. My son isn’t very dirty. Just unorganized.” His mother placed her hands on her hips and smiled down thoughtfully at his mess of papers. “You know, I used to worry about him.” She picked up this creepy drawing and tapped it with amusement. “Odd sort. He has a strange way with art, and it honestly scared me. I thought he was missing something.”
One Percent of You Page 17