Elite Metal-ARE-epub (76 page)

He shook his head. “If I did, I wouldn’t need to ask, would I?”

“Did you enjoy the show?”

His mouth twisted in an upward, sideways grin before he spoke. “That’s what you’re contemplating? Whether or not I enjoyed the show? Okay, you’re avoiding the question. I’ll play along. I enjoyed watching you like the show.”

“Why did you take me if you don’t want to watch musicals? Or did you simply not think tonight’s’ was any good?”

“You said you liked them.”

She had? “When did I tell you?”

“Second time we met on the bench.”

“Oh.” She’d forgotten she’d babbled on about Broadway. “You really listened.”

“To every word you say.”

Rose melted. Nothing he could have said in the world would have made her fall harder for him than the words he’d spoken.
Every word she said
.

“I’m nervous, Eli. What if I really don’t want any of the stuff you suggested?”

He bent over to whisper in her ear. “I know you, sweetheart.” She loved the way his warm breath made her shiver. “I shouldn’t have said anything to you about it. You make me forget the things I’ve learned. I lose all my good sense. Tell you what? Invite me in for the night. If you don’t like things between us, you’ll tell me to stop. We’ll figure out a safe word for you. And I’ll be totally vanilla. I don’t care about any of it as much as I want you, Rose.”

She fumbled with her keys using shaky hands. “Come in.”

“Thanks.” He took the keys from her hand and opened the door for her.

“I guess I’m…”

Whatever she would have said was immediately cut off. His mouth came down on hers and not in the light gentle joining of new lovers’ kind of a way. No, when Eli kissed her she held no doubt of what the rough conquering of her lips meant, he laid claim to her.

And she loved it.

“Eli.” She gasped when he let her breathe and he nuzzled her neck. Her knees buckled and he caught her.

“I think I’m a little worked up.”

“Good.”

He scooped her into his arms and they were in her bedroom in no time. She still wore her coat, her shoes, and her purse swung over her body. Rose didn’t care at all. Her whole body buzzed.

As if he only then realized how clothed she remained, he dropped her bag onto the ground. A grin crossed his face. “Guess I’m a little bit excited.”

“Me, too.” And nervous except she didn’t want to vocalize her concerns. He’d given her no reason not to trust his word. If she said no, she believed he’d back off whatever she didn’t enjoy. They could be together in the ways she was more accustomed to.

“Coat.” He stood, allowing her to strip. He did the same and when she’d removed her coat, he took it from her and placed it on top of her desk chair with his own.

Eli had a way about him, a steadiness, which made her feel, he could handle anything thrown at him. Testing her theory, she tossed her scarf. He caught it in one hand and she admired his biceps as he flexed.

“Rose,” he said her name and her insides melted. “Get on the bed, stretch out, and put your hands up on the headboard and hold onto it.”

It seemed simple enough. She could handle those instructions.

“Good girl.” He winked at her and her heart stuttered. “Here’s how tonight is going to work. You should think of our evening as the negotiation round. Usually, you wouldn’t be gripping the headboard except I want to look at you all spread out for me. You can let go if you feel you’re not in a position of power to have such a conversation.”

She wasn’t strapped down or tied up. Worst case scenario, she’d let go and send him on his way. He liked looking at her this way? Okay, for now, she’d remain where he directed her.

“I’m good here, I think.”

Elijah rubbed at his chin. He held the look of a satisfied man. It must be the glint in his eyes and the cocky upturn of his mouth.

She raised her eyebrows. “You like that I want to stay this way.”

“I do.”

“I can tell.”

He smiled. “Honey, if you could feel how hard I am there’d be no questions. Hard as a rock.”

“You’ve never been so chatty before. Talking about your erection makes you open up?”

He shrugged and walked toward her. “Guess the thought of getting you naked brings out the need to speak. Shall I continue?”

“By all means.” Rose never particularly longed to be naked. She didn’t love her nude form. Ten pounds too many made her hips too round, her breasts saggy and her waist rounder than she’d want. Okay, maybe it was fifteen pounds. Only the way Eli looked at her didn’t make her feel flawed in any way.

By contrast, he looked at her as if she was the most desirable thing he’d ever seen.

“You need a safe word. For tonight, however, I’m going to suggest we keep it simple. I want to understand what you enjoy, what you don’t, what you think you might desire even if you’re not sure.”

“Sounds easy. I’ll tell you to stop if I don’t want it.”

“Perhaps. Only maybe one of the things you crave is to say no. To feel as if you’re being forced. It’s a kink.”

When her ex flogged her back, hard, there had never been a discussion akin to the talk they were having. He’d suggested she would enjoy it and when she hadn’t protested, he’d gone for it. Hard.

Her crying and begging him to stop hadn’t made it cease either.

“I don’t think I have a kink.”

“Maybe not. I personally happen to think everyone has them, even if they’re small. Some people want to be spanked during sex or having their hair pulled. It’s all kink, albeit smaller than my own.”

The words he used should make her uncomfortable, only they didn’t. Eli never lost her eye contact. With his eyes holding hers, she’d answer anything he wanted to ask.

“I never thought of those things as being exactly…kink.”

He nodded. “I don’t know if most people do.”

“What’s your…kink?” Since he’d said his was more pronounced than simply pulling her hair. She suddenly saw the flogger in her minds’ eye and a sour pit formed in her stomach.

“Ties. The way you’re holding onto the bedpost, I’d enjoy roping you up the same way. Or maybe with silk scarves. I’m a Dom, honey. I want to give you what you need. If you have a kink, and it’s something I can give you and think you should have, which won’t harm you, I want to give it to you.”

Her mouth watered. Millions of women read
50 Shades of Grey
. She hadn’t. What was the point? She’d hated the flogging. Lying in the bed with Eli, she wished she’d read the book or something akin to it. Never had she felt so out of her depth.

Tonight was new…and she liked it.

“For tonight.” He kicked off his shoes. “We’re going to be really simple. Red. Yellow. Green. I’m going to ask you periodically if you’re okay and you’re going to give me a color. Green means go. You’re happy. Red…”

She nodded. “Not happy. Stop.”

“All stop.” He placed a hand on her thigh. “Yellow is you’re unsure. You can also call out at any time. Red. Yellow. Green. Whatever you want. Tonight you can speak without permission.”

Rose gulped. “There might come a time when I can’t?”

“Unless not talking turns out to be a red.”

“I don’t know. You remember how I enjoy speaking.”

Plat kneeled in front of her. He kissed the top of her clothed knee. “And you know how I enjoy listening.”

“So then the not talking bit…”

“Not for tonight.” He was a towering figure of male hotness.. “What are your words? What instructions did I give you?”

“Red for no, I hate what you’re doing. Green for good, let’s go on. And yellow for I’m not sure how I feel.”

Those hadn’t been his exact words except they would have to be good enough for their first time. This had to be the strangest conversation she’d ever engaged in. Yet, her heart beat rapidly in anticipation. She couldn’t deny her excitement.

“Great.” He moved over her and she guessed the conversation was over. His mouth met hers and although she longed to lower her arms and stroke the back of his neck, he told her to keep her hands on the headboard. She’d obeyed.

Rose lost herself in the heat of his mouth on hers. She squirmed from the need to do more than stay still and he raised his head to look at her.

“Color?”

He wanted to be told how she felt about kissing? “Green. Definitely green.”

“Good.” He rubbed his thumb over her lips. “Because I really enjoy having you like this.”

“Totally at your mercy?”

Eli shook his head, the side smile she’d come to think of as both happy and sad crossing his face. “As you’ll soon understand if you don’t already, I’m entirely at yours.”

He kissed her again. She had no idea how much time passed. Elijah seemed to have no interest in hurrying things alone and since her hands were holding the headboard, it left her with her legs free to run against him.

Over time, they seemed to find a rhythm where he would kiss her and grind his still clothed hips against her still wearing too much fabric pussy. Every time he did a jolt of pure pleasure travelled up and down her spine.

After a bit, he lifted his head again, his eyes heated. Not that she was surprised. She could feel how excited he was, his bulging cock pressed against her with each rub they made.

“Color?”

“Green and frustrated.”

Eli actually grinned, no sad smile to be seen on his face. “Frustrated is good. Green is better. I’m going to have you let go, only for as long as it takes you to remove your shirt. Okay?”

She nodded. Anything to put his hands on her. Besides, the longer they kissed the more comfortable she’d gotten with not having control over her hands. It was kind of…amazing. The way Eli kissed her with her hands on the headboard, it made her feel worshiped.

Rose got her shirt off and he took the garment from her before throwing it aside.

“Eli?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Yes, darling?”

“Green.” He hadn’t asked yet she’d wanted to tell him just the same.

* * * * *

Now

Rose sat up fast. Her heart raced. When was the last time she’d dreamed of Eli so vividly?

She rubbed at her eyes. It was still black outside and darker in the cabin except for the slight embers still burning low in the fireplace. Kent breathed deeply—the sleep of children.

Despite almost being killed, he trusted her enough to go deeply into dreamland. Kent expected her to take care of him the way kids did before they knew better.

It was why she decided to teach elementary school and not high school. In ten years, without the world being so unkind to him as to murder his grandmother and shoot at him, he’d learn better than to trust every person around him.

“Enough, Rose.” She spoke aloud and rose to her feet.

Dreaming of Elijah, something she managed to stop doing for about a month, had thrown her off more. Then again she’d holed up in her parents’ cabin with Kent. The last time she’d been here was with her vanished lover. In a weird way, Kent reminded her of Elijah.

There weren’t many people walking around with platinum blond hair they both possessed. Kent was too young to be bleaching his hair and Elijah would have scoffed at the idea.

He’d been very basic when it came to grooming. Soap, toothpaste, aftershave, razors, deodorant, shampoo plus conditioner. No dye anywhere in his bathroom.

They were both lucky when it came to hair color genetics. Very unusual, very beautiful. Although Eli always scoffed when she told him how attractive she found his hair. Silky, too. He’d told her once how much he hated the color. It made him stand out.

She sighed loudly, breaking the silence of the cabin. Once upon a time, she’d run her hands through his hair for hours while he’d slept on the same floor.

Until he’d woken up in a cold sweat, a bad dream darkening his eyes and his mood sour. For a fleeting moment, she tried to reach out to him, but as with any subject touching on his past he hadn’t wanted to talk about it.

Her ex possessed demons and wherever he disappeared to, she hoped he managed them. People should not have to suffer alone.

Or maybe her cabin simply brought out the worst. The walls were cursed. Her parents loved it and they were dead. She’d brought Eli here and then he’d vanished. She’d taken refuge with Kent and…

No. She refused to go down such a dreadful path in her thoughts. Nothing could happen to him. Rose would simply not allow it.

The sound startled her and she whirled around. Someone tapped on her door, then tried the doorknob.

Her heart rose into her throat. Oh hell what was she supposed to do? She had no weapons and no idea how to use them. Why oh why had she counted on the four walls of her parents’ old place to do anything at all?

If the person after them wanted to come in, they’d simply open the door and enter. Of course they would.

Well they’d have to go through her to Kent.

She rushed forward at the same time as the door opened. With her hands out in front of her as if she were some kind of banshee, she launched herself at whoever the lunatic after them turned out to be.

“No.” She shouted. If it woke Kent, so be it. He needed to run.

“Rose.” The man grabbed her hands before she could successfully claw at him. “Rose, stop. I knocked first. Someone here to hurt you wouldn’t.”

It took her a second to recognize the voice. Funny, because she’d been dreaming about him. Yet it did take a full second for her to realize she launched herself at Elijah.

“You.” She breathed out yet relief didn’t fill her at seeing him. What were the chances he’d show back up? Slim to none.

“Me.”

She pulled back and he let go of her hands. “You’re involved. I should have known. My crazy boyfriend who vanishes would be shooting at me on the street. Coming after my student. I’ll…stop you. I’ll kill you, Eli, before I let you hurt him. I swear I will.”

In the still way only Eli could pull off he didn’t move at all.

Finally, he spoke. “Few things. If I were going to shoot you, I wouldn’t have missed. I realize you don’t possess knowledge about this part of me, and for good reasons. You have no reason to trust me. I get it. More than you’ll ever imagine. I’ll tell you a single thing. I’m here to protect you and The Boy.”