by Romi Hart
“You’re jealous that I throw drunken assholes out of a club?” he asked, humor in his voice.
“You don’t know a damn thing about women, do you?” she asked in frustration, gazing back at him. The medication and the pain returning made her snappy, and she couldn’t control how she addressed him. “You’re surrounded by gorgeous women all day long. You’re dedicated to that job, too. And I had this idea that they spent all day throwing themselves at you with their loose morals. I couldn’t stand the idea of you running out on me all the time to take care of them, even though we’re not together. I imagined you going straight from my bed into the arms of one of those half naked women.”
He looked appalled at the idea, and she had to keep going, or he would get defensive. He didn’t need to be, not any more. She squeezed his hand and shook her head. “Let me finish.” He nodded, and she took as deep a breath as she could under the circumstances, plunging ahead. “I wanted to mean more to you, to be more than just friends with benefits, and I was jealous that they got more of your attention than I did,” she confessed.
“You have absolutely no reason to be jealous, Rory. Those women are a job. They deserve safety and respect, but I’m not interested in anything else with any of them,” he said, moving a strand of hair from her face with his knuckles.
“I get that now,” she told him honestly. “I came and I saw. And I talked to Skye. I understand that, and I only appreciate you more before of your dedication to take care of people who can’t take care of themselves.” Rory leaned in and pressed her lips to his, relishing the way they molded perfectly to her soft touch.
“I am so very in love with you,” Eli declared, kissing her again. “I was terrified, thought I was going to lose you, and I wouldn’t have been able to live through that again.”
Rory blinked, not quite sure she’d heard him correctly. The man she had wanted for so long was finally admitting that he loved her. She had waited for those words but had no idea how to react now that he had said them. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes, and she blinked again, trying to push them back. Her eyes betrayed her as one single tear slid slowly down her cheek.
Eli took a finger and brushed the tear away softly.
“Why are you crying? Are you in pain? Do I need to get the nurse?” he asked, his voice full of concern.
“No, I do not need the nurse. I am crying because I love you too,” she declared. “And I never thought I’d hear you say that.”
Eli smiled from ear to ear and pressed his lips against hers gently.
Sniffling and recovering slightly, she told him, “I promise I’ll stay out of club business if we can just be together. I won’t be jealous. I just need to be with you. I want the real thing, no more pretending. No more arrangements.”
Eli nodded and leaned in to kiss her again. “Anything you want, I’ll give it to you. We’re going to leave this hospital together. And we’re going to stay together, no matter what,” he promised as he stood and gently pulled her into his arms.
Her heart swelled with happiness. This was what she had always wanted, and she had started to think she would never get it. This was a gift, and she was grateful he had chosen to let her in, that she would have a chance to love him and feel his love in return.
18
A week later, Rory had recovered by leaps and bounds, her heartbeat and breathing stronger and her entire body reinvigorated. She seemed to have escaped the risk of infection without a hitch, and with some breath therapy, she appeared to feel almost back to herself.
She sat in the hospital bed, anxiously awaiting news from the doctor as to whether or not she would be released today, having proven she was strong enough to walk down the hall and back.
Eli watched her with a smile, contemplating the way life was going to change now that he’d swallowed his fears and admitted how much he loved this woman. She’d promised not to meddle in his business, and he was glad. He would have to work on trusting her to uphold that, because he couldn’t go through another experience like this. He’d lost one to his lifestyle, nearly lost a second, and he couldn’t let it happen again.
They were going to have to work on this one day at a time.
When the doctor returned with a smile and told her she was cleared, Eli watched her adoringly, all but dancing around the room with joy. He had to admit, nearly two weeks in a hospital would drive him insane. They discharged her just in time to see the sun set and wheeled her out of the hospital per regulations, despite her declaration that she could do it on her own.
She didn’t complain or make mention of the pain in her chest, though Eli knew it was still problematic. She winced from time to time, and he’d seen enough gunshot wounds to know that it didn’t go away in this short a period. But she was fierce and brave, and he admired that about her. She was definitely a survivor, and that was the type of woman he needed, if he was going to accept another ride or die.
He was anxious to get her home. If she could rest in her own bed, she be able to recover more quickly. At least, that was his hope. He wanted to do so much, test so many things about being with her, and the pain and injury hindered most of it.
Knowing she couldn’t ride in her condition, he’d borrowed Rocky’s beat up old truck, and he drove it around to meet the attendant, thanking him for wheeling her out as he helped her climb into the old beast. Settled in, she carefully buckled in while he rounded to the driver’s side, cursing at having to drive a vehicle that didn’t leave him in open air.
Eli watched Rory like she might explode. Even though the doctors had cleared her, he still had his reservations.
She smirked suddenly. “What do you do when it rains?”
Eli frowned. “What? What are you talking about?” He was ready to turn around right now, thinking her meds had addled her brain.
“When it rains. I mean, this is Rocky’s truck, right? When it rains, do you not have an alternative to your bike?”
Eli burst out laughing, shaking his head. “That was a random question.” Calming a bit but still smiling, he told her, “I’m hard core, babe. I ride in any weather.”
“Good thing I have a car,” she muttered, and he snorted in response.
But then, reality set back in, and he glanced sideways at her while she stared out the window in silence. “Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”
“Yeah, if you will,” she said as she looked at him. “Better yet, why don’t you stay every night? When you aren’t otherwise occupied,” she added at his frown.
“You mean until you feel better?” He wanted to make sure he wasn’t reading into her words before agreeing to anything.
“Or, until we decide we don’t need each other. Or want to be together,” she laughed a little, but he could see the pain in her eyes.
“You want me to move in?” he asked.
Rory shrugged and nodded. He reached out to take her hand, pulling it to his lips and kissing the back of her knuckles. No, he wasn’t ready. And yes, he was. This beautiful woman? She should be in his arms every night.
Rory adjusted in the seat, sliding across the bench to nuzzle against him, her head resting on his shoulder as he threw his arm around her. He had this immediate image of some cowboy, with his little woman, riding out to the farm. Close enough, he thought with satisfaction.
“I would love to live with you,” he whispered to her, kissing her hair.
“Good,” she replied, but he felt the rhythm of her breathing grow shallow and even, and he knew she’d fallen asleep.
Eli drove silently, and when he parked at the base of the staircase leading to her apartment, he bundled Rory in his arms and carried her up, as he had the first time he’d brought her here.
Inside, placed her gingerly on the bed, careful not to jostle her and cause pain or wake her.
He took his shirt off and relaxed for the first time since the gunfight and Rory’s near death experience. He walked into the living room and chuckled again at the odd array of décor and t
he blend of hard core and hippie. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get over it. But this was his woman, and he loved all the little nuances.
He finished undressing and tossed his things in the corner of the room, climbed up on the bed behind Rory, and began rubbing her shoulders where he could tell she was tense and in pain, even in her sleep.
“What are you doing?” she mumbled, half awake.
“You need to relax,” he said, as he moved from her shoulders to her neck.
“I will, I promise,” she sighed. “I just see everything in flashes all over again.”
Eli wanted to hold her, to comfort her and help her through this. He hated that she was constantly reliving the incident, that he’d caused her to go through it in the first place. And he did blame himself, no matter what she said. He helped her turn on her back, and she turned to face him.
“I am so sorry,” he said. “I could say that a thousand times over, and it won’t make any difference, but I won’t leave you, and you will never be put in that situation ever again.”
Rory nodded at him, and he moved in a bit closer. He reached down and took the hem of her shirt into his hands. Slowly Eli pulled it up and over her head. He looked at the wound that nearly took her life, still a bit raw but healing, just under her left breast. He touched it, careful and tender. He let his fingers run over it, and the love he had for her grew even more.
He bent his neck and kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in closer. He hardened, his groin aching as his cock begged to be buried inside her, but it wasn’t time. There was going to be plenty of time for that, and tonight was just for her, worshiping the body that kept her living.
Sitting up, he slowly and gently undressed her down to her bra and panties. He kissed every inch of her body, and then he laid next to her.
“If I am going to live here, we have to do something about how girly this place is,” he growled into her ear, half-serious.
He felt her chuckle and knew that was a conversation for later, but at least they had a ‘later’. Rory had come so close to death it had nearly broken him, and he was thankful for life. This was the first time he could remember since his loss that he’d looked forward to the future.
As he breathed her in, he fell asleep with his arms wrapped around Rory as he knew she was sound asleep.
* * *
Rory was making a miraculous recovery. Her wound had started to form a scar, which Eli somehow found sexy and fixated on frequently, simply admiring her strength of will to live.
He watched her scurry around the kitchen fixing supper. She was able to move without pain now, most of the time, and that was a huge improvement. He’d seen lesser wounds take longer to stop hurting.
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as she fretted over his favorite meal, and he smiled down at her. The pasta boiled in the pan, and took a moment to distract her. He spun her around and hit play on his phone.
A song rang out, and she giggled happily as she moved her hips against him. Eli set the phone on the table so the music could ring out, and they continued to bump and grind against each other.
Eli could feel his cock thicken in his jeans, and he needed to control himself, at least for a bit longer. He had refrained since they had left the hospital, but the chemistry was boiling over, and could sense that she was ready for him.
He reached over and shut the stove off. She gave him a strange look, ready to protest, but she must have seen his intentions in his eyes as a knowing smile crossed her face. That look made the blood rush to his erection, almost painfully, and he held back a groan.
As the music played, Eli was like a hunter stalking its prey. Rory looked at him expectantly, and he could see through her thin t-shirt that her nipples grew harder.
He pulled her back to his front and placed his hands on her breast from behind. She moaned as she leaned her head against his shoulder. He let his hands slide down her body, over her hips, her thighs, and back up to her chest. He eased a hand into the top of her shirt and let his fingers fall on her scar.
“I’m okay,” Rory pleaded to him, as he could tell she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
He spun her around and claimed her lips almost violently, driven by desperation. It felt like he hadn’t tasted her in years. The need was impossible to ignore as both of breathed harder and faster.
They spun around to the song, and as it changed, Rory tore his shirt off. It fell to the floor, and his belt was not that far behind. His cock thickened and pressed against his jeans, begging to be released.
“I love you, Eli,” Rory said. “You know that.”
“I love you, too,” Eli smiled.
Then he spun her around and with one swipe, shoved everything off the table. He lifted her and sat her on top, letting his lips explore her body. She moaned against his ear which sent a shockwave down his spine to the point his breath hitched. His balls ached as he breathed her in, every inch of her.
He stripped her of her clothes and exposed her breasts, leaning down to her pert nipple and pulling it between his lips. He sucked, then he switched to the other, paying it equal attention. His lips found her scar as his hand slipped between her legs, and she sighed in delight. He knew how to please her as he began to massage her clit with the pad of his thumb.
She moaned as she arched her back, and that fueled him to pick up his pace. He let two of his fingers slide deeper, intensifying her pleasure and reaction. She was close to climax, her pussy convulsing around his fingers as she rode his hand shamelessly, searching for release. With one swift move, he brought his mouth down to her parted legs and let his tongue join in.
He lapped up her juices as she drew in a breath and held it. He could feel her muscles spasm, and then she let go with a scream of satisfaction. Mid-orgasm, she wrapped her legs around his shoulders, and came off the table as Eli continued to please her.
He kept her coming, and when she finally relaxed, he was surprised as she stood and shoved Eli against the counter across the room. He watched as she knelt and unzipped his jeans, freeing his cock. He moaned at its release and felt the gentle grace of Rory’s lips on his erection.
He gripped the counter behind him on either side, hard enough to crush granite, as his muscles stiffened in pleasure. He threw his head back she slid his entire length into her wet mouth and down her throat.
“Oh, my fucking god,” Eli groaned as he weaved his fingers through Rory’s hair. “Don’t stop.”
Rory flicked her tongue around the tip his cock, making it stiffer and bringing him to the edge of insanity. He couldn’t remember ever being so hard.
He couldn’t let her continue, or he would never get inside her, so he pulled her away and drew her to her feet. They could save this sweet worship for another day. Eli knew right where he wanted to be. His eyes fixed on the large ball Rory used to teach yoga. He picked her up and carried her across the room with all the hunger inside him centered in the hard on that threatened to erupt all on its own.
As soon as Eli sat her down, he turned Rory and bent her over the ball with her ass in the air. He smacked it and then let three of his fingers sink into her dripping, hot folds. He couldn’t believe how good she felt over his fingers, and he couldn’t wait to feel her around his hardness.
He leaned into her and found her clit, circling it and teasing until she began to moan so loud, she had to grab a nearby snap towel and put it between her teeth. Eli grinned as she arched her back, nearly throwing her body into a reverse backbend. The ball bounced under her as she was struck with the most intense orgasm he’d seen from her.
He slipped his fingers away as she cried out, losing the towel she’d been biting, and thrust his cock deep inside her. She screamed out in absolute pleasure as she pulsed around him, hard and heavy.
“Holy hell Eli…harder!” Rory screamed. “Fuck me harder.”
She didn’t have to beg. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her up so her feet were no longer on the f
loor. And he gave her what she asked for. They slammed against one another and then he yanked her away, slamming her into the wall across the room as he continued to drive deep into her, the two of them landing right next to the calendar full of posers.
Eli reached up and ripped down the calendar, laughing. Backing out of her for an instant, he turned her around to face him, lifted her, and slammed her onto his cock. His balls tightened as they reached the apex of her slit, his shaft buried as deep as he could go.
And it still wasn’t enough.
He leaned against her with one hand around her back and the other against the wall. He pounded against her faster and faster until he could feel the heat leave his stomach and crawl up his shaft. Rory rolled her hips as she thrusted, using the wall for leverage.
Still inside her, Eli pulled them both away from the wall, and threw them down on a pile of mats in the middle of the floor where he moved in and out to the quickness of their heartbeats. Rory shattered around him, yet another wave of ecstasy taking her, and he couldn’t take it anymore, releasing through a euphoric orgasm that shot hot strands of his seed into her.
The food forgotten, they laid together, intertwined in each other’s arms until they fell asleep.
* * *
Eli didn’t think he could get enough of her as they spent the night making up for lost time. He thought he had lost her once; he was going to worship her until they took their last breath. He never wanted to separate himself from her, finding that her core felt like home in a way no other woman’s body ever had.
He hadn’t decided in what way they would be together, but he wrapped his arms around her yet again, wanting to spend the rest of his life connected to her like this. Time and space could have stood still, and they wouldn’t have known it. All Eli knew was that he loved Rory in every way a person could love another.