by Amber Heart
Eli pulled his phone out of his pocket and called her. No answer. He had a feeling that trying again wouldn’t change anything. As loud as the music was in there, he’d be surprised if she could even hear the phone ringing.
He looked up at the bar with a sigh. She wasn’t leaving him with much choice. He walked up the stairs, ignoring the way that the people on the porch looked at him. They’d be sizing him up and he knew that he didn’t have long before someone got ballsy enough to approach him.
Eli stepped inside, standing by the door as he glanced around. He was relieved when he saw Riley standing in the corner near the bar. The trouble was that she wasn’t alone. A big guy in a leather vest stood beside her, leaning over her, one hand on the wall over her head, making it impossible for her to move without shoving past him. She was looking up at him and Eli could see from where he stood that she was annoyed and more than a little frightened. He sighed and walked across the room. This probably wasn’t going to go well.
“Riley,” he called. “You ready to go?”
“Yes,” she answered, relief lighting those green eyes the minute she saw him. “Definitely.”
The guy reached out and grabbed her arm, looking at Eli with narrowed eyes. “Who’s he?” he demanded, giving her arm a shake. “You’re here with me.”
Riley tried to pull out of his grip and Eli saw her grimace with pain. He clenched his hands, trying hard to ignore the instinct to knock the guy flat.
“Take your hands off of her,” he said, stepping closer, keeping his voice low. He didn’t want to draw attention to them. If he could get her out of there without embarrassing this asshole in front of his buddies it would be much less trouble. It wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying, but he tried not to focus on that part.
“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?”
The man eyed Eli, sizing him up. Eli had been doing this same. This guy was a little shorter than him, probably around 6 feet even. But he was built even more solidly. Muscle strained the seams of his shirt. The plus side to that would be that Eli was faster. The downside was pretty damn obvious.
“I’m the guy that’s taking her home,” Eli said flatly. That wasn’t negotiable and there was no point in pretending that it was. “This doesn’t need to be a problem.”
“Yeah, well it’s gonna be,” the man informed him. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll turn around and walk right out of here.”
Eli shrugged. “And if you know what’s good for you, you won’t make me prove that I can kick your ass up one side of this bar and down the other.”
Riley took advantage of the man’s slackened grip and pulled away. Eli put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close against his side and hoping that she was sober enough to hustle out of there the minute he moved. There wouldn’t be much time. A bar fight was like a wildfire in the way that it spread. They’d have about a minute, tops, to be on his bike and getting the hell out of there.
The man stepped forward and Eli stepped back, dodging his punch easily. Riley squeaked with surprise and he glanced down to make sure she was okay. The next punch landed on his jaw. He turned back and caught the guy’s fist when he swung again.
“You get one for free,” Eli said, shoving him back, getting him off balance. “Don’t fucking try it again.”
When the man glanced over Eli’s shoulder, Eli managed to duck the punch of the man behind him as he pulled Riley against his chest, keeping her out of harm's way. When he spun, he saw that there were about ten guys behind him. Fuck. For a second, he was pissed off enough to want to stand where he was, see how it all shook out. Then he realized that was the stupidest thought he’d had in three years.
Eli grabbed Riley’s hand and ran for it. When he was close enough, he lowered his shoulder and knocked two of the guys back long enough to pull Riley through the crowd. He managed to get to the door ahead of the crowd and he shoved her through and out onto the steps while digging into his pocket for the keys.
He felt someone grab the back of his jacket and yank him back. Eli spun and drove his fist into the guy’s stomach, shoving him back into the rest of the crowd. It gave him the time he needed to get the hell out of there. Eli ran for the bike, relieved to see Riley already standing beside it, looking at him with wide eyes.
“Put your arms around me,” he barked at her as he threw his leg over the bike and gunned the engine. “Come on, move!”
Riley got on the bike and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He could feel her trembling as he pulled out of the parking lot. He didn’t relax until he’d left the bar long behind them and was sure that no one was following them.
He took the shortest way possible back to his house. His heart still hadn’t stopped pounding as he parked the bike and Riley slid off. She still looked shaky too but Eli was too furious to care. He steered her up the steps and into the living room.
When he’d locked the front door behind them, he turned to face her. She was pale in the low light and he had an insane urge to jerk her against him and kiss her breathless. He shook the thought away.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded. “I told you to meet me outside!”
“Well, I couldn’t,” Riley defended herself, her voice shrill with the last of her panic. “He wouldn’t let me go.”
“What the fuck were you doing there in the first place?” Eli pressed on. “It doesn’t take a genius to see that it’s not a good place to be! Are you that fucking naive?”
“Don’t yell at me!” she shouted back at him. “I...oh.”
Shit. He knew that look. Eli grabbed her by the arm and shoved her gently into the bathroom. Then he waited outside until the inevitable was over. He wasn’t the hold back the hair type of guy.
When he heard her shut off the sink after she’d cleaned up, he eased the door open. She was standing there, her face paper white and her hands trembling. His anger faded so quickly that it shocked him.
“Wanna sleep here tonight?” There was no way that he could send her home like that even if he’d wanted to.
Riley nodded tiredly and followed him down the hall to his bedroom. Eli let her brace herself against him as she pulled off her heels and pants. Then he caught the edge of her shirt and tugged it up over her head, tossing it to the floor as he unhooked her pretty lace bra with his other hand. She gave him a wary look, and he gave her a slight smile in return.
“Relax,” Eli said easily, handing her one of his clean tee shirts. “I’m not enough of a jerk to make a move on you right now.”
Riley leaned her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re not a jerk at all, Eli,” she whispered, her voice getting a little shaky. “Thanks for showing up tonight.”
“Anybody would have done the same thing,” he replied briskly, hoping to avoid a crying jag. “It’s no problem.”
She looked up at him and traced the rapidly growing bruise on his jaw. That would ache like a son of a bitch by morning, but he didn’t regret it. He’d gotten her out of there without a scratch.
“It kind of was,” she countered. “You were really brave.”
Eli smiled down at her. “I’ve had worse,” he said honestly. “Come on, quit talking and get into bed.”
He pulled back the blankets and she slid down between the sheets with a sigh. Once she was settled with a trash can pragmatically close, he stepped over to the door. Riley propped up on one elbow, squinting at him.
“Where are you going?”
“I thought I’d sleep on the couch,” he said. “Let you get some rest.”
“I’ll rest better if you stay.”
Her voice was almost shy. Coupled with the fact that she still looked like she felt awful and the fact that she somehow looked just as beautiful in his tee shirt with her hair tangled and her makeup smeared as she did all put together in her nice clothes, Eli couldn’t bring himself to say no.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
; Out of habit he checked to see that the doors were locked and turned off lights. Then he stopped by the kitchen and filled a glass with water. He snagged a bottle of Tylenol off of the top of the refrigerator on his way out. If tonight was any indication, they’d probably both need a few of those tomorrow. He’d expected her to be asleep when he got back, but she smiled slightly when he opened the bedroom door.
Eli tugged his shirt off, aware that she was still watching him. He didn’t mind one bit. He let his pants fall to the floor and pulled on a pair of pajama pants just to keep from being tempted. Then he climbed into bed with her, enjoying the smooth sheets and the soft pillow. It had been a hell of a day.
When he turned the light off, he heard her sigh with relief. Then she rolled over and wrapped herself all around him, her leg thrown over him, her arm across his stomach, and her head resting on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her without even thinking about anything but how well she fit him.
“Good night, Eli,” she whispered.
He twined those long curls around his fingers and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Night, Riley.”
The next morning, he woke up late. For a brief second he was panicked and then he remembered that it was Saturday and he didn’t have to work. Thank God. Riley was still sound asleep and still cuddled against him. That was probably why he’d slept so well.
He untangled himself from her as gently as he could so that he didn’t wake her up and got out of bed. The longer he stayed there the more tempted he’d be.
Eli walked down the hall and turned on the shower. When the water was so hot that steam was billowing up from behind the curtain, he stepped in and let the water pound against his back. He was a little sore from doing his level best to avoid the fight last night. In the past that would have made him feel like a complete pussy. Now he was actually proud of himself. He braced his hands on the shower wall and leaned forward, letting the heat pour over his neck and sighing in relief as the tension began to fade.
A few moments later, the curtain was pulled back and Riley stood there looking at him. “Mind if I join you?” she asked softly.
He knew that he needed to say no. So far, in the past twenty four hours at least, he’d done the right thing where she was concerned. But her eyes moved down his body and back up and when she looked at him, he swore that his knees went a little weak.
“Come on,” he said roughly and she stripped his tee shirt off and stepped under the spray.
Riley caught her breath as the water hit her skin, but then she tilted her head back, letting the water soak into her hair.
“Do you feel better this morning?” he asked.
She opened her eyes, giving him that almost shy look again. “Yes. Thanks for taking such good care of me, Eli.”
“Yeah, well. That’s what I do.”
He shrugged and watched as her eyes moved down his body. He’d be lying if he said that she didn’t like the way she looked at him. Slowly, she reached out, trailing her index finger down the center of his chest.
“Somehow I doubt that you’re the caretaker type.”
“Okay, maybe not,” he admitted, catching her hand and pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist.
When she shivered, he pulled her against his chest. He pushed the guilt away. He was he supposed to be this close to her without tasting her lips? Without feeling her skin, slick and heated against his?
Eli ducked his head and took her mouth with his. The first time they'd been together, it had been rushed and desperate. He wanted to take his time with her now. He wanted to feel her tremble with desire. He wanted her to beg for him.
The water sluiced down between them, making her body slide against his as she arched toward him, into their kiss. Her tightened nipples brushed his chest and he barely held back a groan. Eli cupped her face in his hands, slanting his mouth over hers to take more of her mouth. Her hands went tight on his sides as she pulled him closer.
“Eli,” Riley whispered when he broke the kiss to move down her neck, kissing away the water droplets that clung to her neck. “I want you.”
“Good,” he said roughly. “Because I’ve been dying to have you again.”
He cupped her breasts as he pressed kisses to her collarbone and shoulders. Eli loved the way that her breasts fit perfectly into the palms of his hands. He also loved the way her nipples grew even tighter when he rubbed his thumbs across them.
Riley’s hips jerked up and her stomach brushed against his stiff cock, making him catch his breath at the heated contact. Then he felt her fingers close around his shaft and he pressed his face into the curve of her neck, struggling to control the impulse to pick her up and push deep inside her in one thrust.
She pumped her hand up his slick cock, twisting her wrist just slightly when she got to the thick crown, making him thrust forward. He kissed her again, their tongues tangling as his breathing grew rougher. Her touch was almost too good, too close to perfection. It was driving him much nearer to the edge than he wanted to be.
“I’m trying to make this last,” he managed to say.
“I don’t care how long it lasts,” Riley moaned. “I just want you inside me. I’ve been thinking about you ever since the day I left. Please, Eli!”
Hell, there was no way that he could say no to that. He spun her around so that her back was against his chest and let her brace her hands on the shower wall. Riley glanced over her shoulder at him and he gripped his cock, pressing into her in one smooth thrust. Her eyes closed and she caught her lower lip between her teeth.
“Yes,” she whispered. “God, I’ve wanted you so much, Eli.”
He tightened his grip on her hips and began to thrust faster. He’d wanted her too and she felt even better than he remembered somehow. Hot, slick, giving, and demanding at the same time. He tugged at her hair and she rewarded him with a moan, arching her back even more.
Eli groaned, pounding deep inside her now, making her breath catch as she took him, driving her body back to meet each of his thrusts. When she cried out, it echoed in the tiled room and he savored it, knowing that he was taking her closer and closer.
When she was begging for more, he leaned over, cupping her breasts in his hands and kissing his way up her neck, moving faster and faster.
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Eli felt Riley come all around him and pressed his face against her neck, joining her with a deep groan. It was even better than the first time. He wondered if it would keep getting better with her. Then he wondered how he’d survive it if it did.
Chapter 5
“So,” Riley said when they were at the kitchen table drinking coffee. “Can I tell my brother about this one?” Eli frowned and she raised her hands. “Pardon me, but I just don’t see what the big deal is.”
“Yeah, you really don’t seem to get it,” Eli allowed, making her scowl at him. “Let me see if I can explain this to you.” He took a breath. It had been a long time since he’d told this story. “My parents weren’t great.”
“Okay?” she asked, her brows drawn in confusion.
He gave her the ghost of a smile. “It’s all relevant, I promise.”
Riley sipped her coffee and nodded, though she still looked a little skeptical. “All right. Your parents were not great. Go on.”
“It was a pretty average situation,” Eli said. “At least where I’m from.”
“Where is that, by the way?”
“North Carolina.”
“So that’s where the sexy accent comes from,” she said. “Sorry, I know I’m interrupting. I’m just curious about you.”
“It’s okay,” Eli said. “I’d rather talk about the accent than the parents, honestly.” He shrugged and took a deep breath. “Anyway. There was never enough money, mainly because they both drank it all away as fast as they could. But my old man didn’t blame it on that, he blamed my mom for not working. And when he got mad, he took it out on both of us.” That bitter smile flickered over his face again. “Then she’d
take it out on me after he was done.”
“What did you do?” she asked, sounding shocked.
“Not much,” he replied. “I was just a kid. It wasn’t like I could tell them to stop knocking me into furniture. I mean, eventually I figured out that the less time I spent at home, the fewer bruises I ended up with, so started hanging out anywhere else I could.”
“I guess I can’t blame you for that,” Riley said, her green eyes sympathetic. “Was there anyone else you could talk to?”
Eli chuckled. It was such an innocent question. “You mean like a counselor invested in the needs of a scrappy middle schooler? Our school was a little short on those. I picked up a group of friends along the way. Even got a hobby.”