by Aleo, Toni
“You're nuts,” Elli laughed as she took the cup of hot chocolate from Jenna.
“He sure is,” Jenna said with a laugh. Everyone laugh along as Shea leaned into Elli, kissing her cheek softly.
Shea was a little upset when he found out that Elli had left with his dad and James, but then thought maybe it was good. Letting Elli bond with them was good, since he didn’t see her going anywhere. He wanted her to love his family, he wanted them to love her, and it seemed to have worked too. Mark and James joked around with Elli and she gave them just as much as they gave her. He loved when she had such a full smile on her face and knowing that his family was the ones to put it there, made him just as ecstatic as if he had done it.
Shea life was basically complete, well it would be if he could play hockey and Elli loved him, but he was feeling pretty damn good at that moment standing in the kitchen with all the people the loved.
The next day, Shea and Elli went for a drive to Shea’s old neighborhood. He showed her his old house, his old school, and then the place he learned to play hockey at. After seeing that the place was turning into a dump, Shea made a call to his accountant, telling them to make a donation to the rink. He’d be damned if the place he learned how to play man’s greatest sport at, was going to be ran into the ground.
Cold day in hell.
After leaving his home town, they headed into Boston for some shopping and to get some lunch. Shea was starting to notice that Elli had a spending problem. He never noticed it before, but then again he never really went shopping with her. When she saw something she liked, her eyes would light up like a Christmas tree and she would gush as she explained the reason she needed that particular thing. She was crazy; Shea had never spent as much money on one item like she did on shoes. He had the best of everything, too, but the girl sees a pair of thigh high boots and goes nuts and drops over two grand on them.
Shea stood beside her, shaking his head as she ran her little black card.
“What?” she asked, smiling at the lady when she handed her her bag.
“Two grand on a pair of boots?”
“Shea, they’re Gucci.”
“Okay?”
“I bought you some shirts, too; the boots were only fifteen hundred.”
“Only? And why are you buying me stuff?” Shea said with an annoyed look on his face, he didn’t like her spending her money on him. He was supposed to spend all his money on her.
“Cause I want to, crabby pants, now come on, there are so many stores I want to hit!”
“I bet, are we gonna be here all day?”
Elli smiled sweetly at him, before running her hand down his chest, over his limp arm that was tapped to his chest, “I think they have an Intimacy here. “
“What’s that?”
“A lingerie store.”
It took Shea two second to comprehend what she was saying, and another second to grab her hand before saying, “Lead the way.”
After dropping more money than Shea needed too, they headed home. When they arrived back at the house, they sat down for dinner with his family. Afterwards, Elli helped with the dishes. When she was done she met Shea up in the room, where he laid on the bed as she went through all her treasures that she bought that day. She had promised to model some of the things for him, so when she got up, locking the door and stripping, he took in his fill.
He loved how she wasn’t shy around him anymore; she was starting to trust him more, which was great. He knew in his heart that she was starting to fall in love with him, she had to be, or he was going to go bat shit crazy.
It was that simple.
Shea watched as she slid the grey lace panties and bra set on that she had gotten at Intimacy. His mouth watered as she slid some knee high grey socks up her legs, before putting on the ridiculous priced boots that she had to have on. They were suede and had a sexy little heel on them, but still--fifteen hundred dollars!?
When she stood up, placing her hands on her hips and looking over at him, with her hair falling down her shoulders over the top of her breast, Shea took in a breath, gawking over the beauty of her body.
Okay, maybe the boots were worth fifteen hundred dollars, because they sure made her ass look amazing.
“Why don’t you bring that sexy ass over here, let me play a little,” he asked as she moved around the room, testing out the boots he guessed.
“No way, I said I would model for you, not let you touch me.”
“Don’t make me get up,” he warned, but all she did was giggle.
“Don’t make me tell your momma.”
“Okay, that’s just dirty.”
Elli smiled sweetly before changing into another lingerie set she had gotten, by the end of her little fashion show, Shea was as hard as a rock, and Elli wasn’t going to help him out at all. All she did was grin, as she left the room to go join his mom downstairs.
“Evil woman!” he yelled as the door shut.
Elli opened it back, smiling over at him before saying, “And you love me just the same.”
Elli shut the door, and he groaned. It was going to be the longest recovery ever and Shea wasn’t sure he was gonna make it. If he had to deal with the nagging of his mother, sister, and girlfriend, he should at least be getting laid while suffering.
Was that too much to ask for?
Shea decided it wasn’t too much, so he got out of bed carefully and marched his ass down stairs. When he entered the kitchen, Elli and his mom sat at the table, looking at some photo albums of course of him, probably naked.
“Okay, this isn’t going to work!” Elli and his mom looked up at him; Elli narrowed her eyes, as Jenna just smiled.
“What honey? I was just showing her some pictures of you in college.” Jenna said sweetly, but he wasn’t going to let her distract him.
“That’s fine! But if I’m gonna be nagged by all you women, I need some kind of release!” Shea complained, causing Elli to turned deep red as her eyes widen.
“Shea!” Elli yelled, as Jenna looked over at her confused, when his mother caught on she high tailed it out of the kitchen with a quick goodnight.
“Shea, really? I was spending some time with your momma! You couldn’t wait until I came back up there?”
“No, I couldn’t. I’m mad as hell, I want you.”
“Shea, you’re being loud!”
“Damn right! I’m pissed off! I want sex.”
“Shea! Jesus!”
Elli stormed by him. When he went to grab her, he tried using the arm that was tapped to his chest, and pain ripped through his body. He almost threw up from the pain. What the hell was he thinking? Elli must have heard him make his sound of distress because she was at his side in a second as he put his hand down, leaning against the counter.
“What happen, are you okay?”
“I tried to grab you with the wrong arm.”
“I mean shit, Shea, this is why you ain’t getting any, not for a while at least,” she said, running her hand up and down his back, he leaned his head down, laying it against the cool of the counter.
Shit, that had hurt. Maybe she was right.
“Okay.”
“Okay, now, come on. Let’s go upstairs.”
He nodded before following her up the stairs. Once inside the room, she helped him get undressed. Shea watched as she carefully removed his shirt, making sure not to touch his arm. “It's just hard being so close to you, and not being able to throw you against the wall and have my way with you.”
“Oh, hush,” she giggled as she undid his pants, lowering them down to the ground, her face passing by his growing erection.
“No really, Elli, I want you all the time, so fucking bad.” Elli looked up at him from her knees and smiled.
“So fucking bad, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
Her eyes lowered a little, becoming half lidded before she pulled his boxers down, releasing his engorged flesh. “I think I do, cause I feel the same way.” That was the last th
ing said before she took him whole in her mouth. He leaned back against the wall, thanking God for giving Elli her hot little mouth, and the things she could do with it.
Pure bliss, he thought as he tangled his fingers into her hair, pure damn bliss.
Elli was having the best time with Shea and his family. Christmas was amazing. Of course, she had missed her family something crazy and called them all Christmas morning, but being with Shea and the rest of the Adler clan made it okay. Everyone loved the gifts Elli had gotten them and Elli loved the gifts they had gotten her. She felt so much a part of the family it was mind blowing. When she opened her gift from Shea, she smiled big as she held the diamond incrusted six in her hand. When she pulled the charm necklace he had given her so long ago out of her shirt, he smiled.
“What? I always wear it,” she said with a grin as she slid the charm beside the hockey stick.
Elli had to admit, though, the best part of Christmas morning was when Mark brought out her wolf fish, stuffed and mounted on a cherry finished board, with her name and the date underneath the fish. It almost brought Elli to tears, because she would forever have that moment on her wall, the moment she fell in love with his family.
And realized she loved Shea.
It was crazy how she came up there not loving anyone, or so she thought, and when she would go home in the next couple days, she would not only love Shea with all her heart, but she loved his family. She loved Jenna and her quirky sense of humor and how she babied everyone. She loved how Mark would laugh so hard he would cry when he would tell a story. How James would pick on Shea and Grace, calling them dorks and weirdoes when they would go into Shea and Grace mode. She loved Grace because she was so strong and loved everyone so much, Elli knew in her heart that Grace might be a tad bit jealous of her but she loved her. Ryan and Amelia were doll babies, Elli loved them at first glance, and she knew that a long time ago. Then there was Shea, her hunky hockey player who rocked her world. How could she not love all these people with everything inside of her? If anything, God forbid, ever happened between her and Shea, Elli would be forever broken. These people were part of her heart now and probably would be for forever.
After cleaning up after Christmas dinner, Elli sat with Grace and Jenna, looking through the Adler family album while James and Mark sat in the living room with the kids, and Shea was laying down cause his arm was hurting. When Jenna turned the page of the Shea’s book, Elli stopped her. The pictures that filled the page were of Shea and some red head.
“Alyson Jacobs,” Grace said with a shake of her head, “Shea was obsessed with her, it was sad really.”
Elli giggled as she took in the beauty of the red head, with light blue eyes and freckles covering her cheeks, while Shea looked gorgeous in all of his eighteen year old glory.
“Oh, Elli, he really was, and damn that girl but she broke my baby’s heart in a thousand different pieces.” Jenna said with a shake of her head, “I heard, though, that she married a stock broker that cheats on her every chance he gets, so she got what was coming to her.”
Elli and Grace laughed as Jenna just smiled, “Shea met up with her back in Philly, used her like the trash she was, and then dumped her. I was surprised with the way handled her the second time, though, I was for sure we would have another episode like the time before,” Grace said, looking closer at the picture as Jenna just shook her head.
“Little hussy.”
Elli looked over at Grace, “Episode?”
“Oh yeah, it was bad. I was in love with the Backstreet Boys, hell I still am, but anyways,” she took a sip of her coke, or as she called it pop, and continued with her story, “I listened to their music nonstop and well when Alyson broke up with Shea, I went into the room to check on him and he was laying on the floor, bawling his eyes out, singing all the sad love songs by them. I didn’t know what to do so I ran for my mom and she went in there doing her mom thing, it was crazy.”
Elli wanted to laugh so hard. Shea? Crying over some female? Please. Elli contained her laughter since Jenna and Grace were just shaking their heads. Jenna looked across the table at Elli, a small smile on her face.
“The thing is Elli, Shea is emotion, extremely. All these different women he has been through was because the first and only time he ever loved someone, he was found in a ball on the floor crying his eyes out. So it didn’t surprise me the line of women that I have seen him go through,” she paused for a moment, taking a sip of her coffee, “With Grace it was totally different, she never loved guys or had that puppy love. When she came up pregnant, I was totally shocked, not that I didn’t think she was having sex, but to be so careless with a man, she must have cared for him.”
“Yeah, I knew James was different, but even so, I didn’t tell him I loved him until after I had Ryan. I swear I have never seen a man leave so quickly to get a ring, it was crazy.” Grace said with a grin.
“It always has blown my mind how in sync they are about everything else but love. People used to think they were the same, but I knew differently. Shea could fall in love if he let himself while Grace had to be pushed into it.”
“I wasn’t pushed.”
“Grace Caroline, you had a child before you even admitted to it,” Jenna pointed out.
“Okay, maybe it was a little push,” Grace agreed with a nod, “But like she said, Elli, Shea hasn’t loved anyone but Alyson, that’s why it’s hard for me. I’ve always been the other half of him and then you come along.”
“I could never replace you Grace, you know that.” Elli said sincerely, Grace smiled, taking her hand in hers.
“I know that, but you have his heart, he will always love me, we chilled in the same space for nine months and we were inseparable growing up, but I can’t even compete with the love he feels for you. We all see it.” Elli watched as the tears welled up in Grace’s eyes. “It’s taken a lot for me to accept the change, but change is good and if I have to give my brother away to anyone, it would be you.”
Elli and Grace stared into each other’s eyes, complete understanding passing through them before they were irrupted by Jenna bawling.
“Oh, my God, mom! You are so damn emotional! That’s where Shea gets it; I’m like dad, thank God!” Grace said with a grin for Elli before standing up and leaving the kitchen.
“Grace! Shut your mouth, I swear she should have been the guy, while Shea should have been the girl.” Jenna said as she dried her tears.
Thank God that didn’t happen. Elli loved Shea the way he was, didn’t want him to change at all.
When Elli reached the bedroom, Shea was laying on his back, watching TV. He smiled at her, turning it down as she crawled into bed beside him. “Why didn’t you come down if you were awake?”
Shea smiled, wrapping his arm around her, “I didn’t want to interrupt your time with my mom and sister.”
“Oh, I’m glad, I learned a lot about you.”
He laughed, “Should I be scared?”
“I don’t know. Does the fact that they told me about Alyson Jacobs scare you?”
When Shea’s face went white, Elli had to bite her lip from laughing, “What did they say?”
Elli couldn’t help it, she had too, so she smiled before saying, “Nothing much, but Shea,”
“Yeah?” he asked wearily as she smirked up at him.
“I’ll never break your heart. I’ll never make you cry,” she continued to sing the chorus of the well known Backstreet Boys song as Shea turned beet red with embarrassment.
“Grace, I swear I’m going to kill you!” Shea yelled.
When Elli heard Grace giggle, she smiled.
“Leave her alone,” Elli said nuzzling her nose against his jaw.
“I can’t believe they told you about that.”
“It was good to know, you know about all my stuff.”
“Whatever.”
Shea turned the TV back on, watching the highlights from the Assassins game. They guys had won, which was great. The guys were having a gr
eat season, and Elli couldn’t wait to see Shea out there again. They finished watching all the highlights before turning off the TV and getting ready for bed. They would be leaving in the next couple days, which saddened Elli. But she was ready to get back, start looking for houses and she needed to go to the office. She hadn’t been in weeks.
With the lights off, cuddled up against Shea, Elli felt complete. Shea moved his hand along her hip, up her back to her hair, where he moved his fingers through her hair. Elli sat up slowly, to look down at him. With only the moon as the light, she slowly blinked as she brought her hand up to his face. Shea gave her a small smile, squeezing her hip in his hand.
“I’m so glad I met you, Shea.”
His smiled remained as he said, “I’m glad I met you too, baby.”
She smiled shyly, moving her thumb up and down his cheek; he leaned into her hand closing his eyes as she continued to move her fingers along his exquisite jaw.
“Shea.”
“Yeah?” he asked opening his eyes; she took a deep breath, swallowing hard as her eyes watered with tears.
“I love you.”
His eyes went wide before a slow grin went across his face.
“You do?”
“I do, so much.”
His hand came up here back, along her neck bring her down for a long lengthy kiss, when they parted he was smiling so big, that it took Elli’s breath away.
“Say it again.”
She giggled before she said, “I love you.”
“Oh, baby, I love you, more than you’ll ever know.”
Shea wrapped her up in his one arm, kissing her senseless. Nothing could ever top the way she felt at that moment, they were in love and nothing would ever come between them.
Chapter 29
Elli stood by the player’s bench in the arena thinking what the hell was Shea doing?
It had only been a week since he had gotten the tape taken off, and he thought it was a good idea to come out and shoot some pucks? Elli watched as he would swing the stick back then release, the crack of the stick filling the area as he made contact with the punk, shooting it straight into the net.