17. Elliot
ELLIOT
Nerves assault me as I move closer to Abigail’s dorm room to pick her up for our date.
Tonight is a big deal, and I want it to be perfect.
I want to prove to her that what I feel for her is real, that despite the obstacles surrounding us, I want her. That she is the single most important person in my life.
That I want her to be mine.
Voices from the other end of the corridor float through the air, but I ignore them. I don’t give a shit if they see me picking my girl up for a date. If I had my way, I’d be screaming it from the rooftops.
Abigail Bancroft belongs to me, and any motherfucker stupid enough to go anywhere near her will feel every ounce of my wrath.
Shaking those thoughts from my head, I lift my hand to knock.
I told her to meet me at my car so that we could slip away unnoticed. But sitting down there behind the wheel felt wrong.
She shouldn’t have to walk to me alone, I should pick her up like a real gentleman. Like a man she can be proud to call hers.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
There is nothing but silence that follows, but I can’t say I’m surprised. She might have agreed to come out with me tonight, and things between us might have been incredible this week, but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to open up to the rest of the world just yet.
Our friends know that we’re busy tonight, so she knows it won’t be them knocking, and she’s not expecting me.
She’s hiding.
Pulling the key from my pocket, I unlock the door, hopefully clueing her in to who’s here.
I push the door open and I’m immediately hit with the sweet scent of her perfume. My body reacts instantly, my cock hardening and my mouth watering.
Later, I promise myself. You can have everything you want later.
My heart sinks when I discover that her room is empty, but then the bathroom door opens, and holy shit…
“Red,” I breathe, totally lost for fucking words at the vision before me.
Abigail stands before me in an emerald green cocktail dress. Her hair has been braided and rests over one shoulder and her make-up is light but flawless.
She’d told me that the girls were coming to help her get ready, but wow…
“Do… Do I look okay?”
“Are you kidding,” I ask, moving closer to her. “You look fucking incredible.”
She lifts her hand, smoothing down the hair that covers the scarred side of her face. No sooner do I come to a stop in front of her, do I wrap my fingers around her wrist and pull her hand away. Instead of using it to hide, I tuck the lock of hair behind her ear, showing off her beautiful face.
“Elliot,” she whispers, her eyes glistening with emotion as I lean closer and press my lips to the centre of her scar.
“Never hide your beauty, Red. You’re perfect just the way you are,” I say, my lips brushing against the soft skin of her cheek. “Are you ready for our date?”
“I thought I was meeting you at the car.”
“I couldn’t wait any longer, and I’m so glad I didn’t.”
“But the others,” she says in a panic.
“Fuck the others. Tonight, you’re mine. All mine.”
She’s smiling when I pull back.
Holding my hand out, I make a show of letting my eyes drop down the length of her.“Are you ready for the best night of your life?”
Her brows lift. “Very sure of yourself, Mr Eaton.”
“Girls like a guy with confidence, don’t they?”
“I guess you might find out tonight.”
Her eyes search mine. I know what she’s hunting for, but I told her everything about my date with Lauren last night.
There is nothing between me and Lauren Winrow. Not one single ounce of chemistry or interest.
Abigail doesn’t want to believe me. She’s struggling to accept that she’s the one I want, that she’s everything to me that Lauren isn’t. Sure, Lauren is beautiful, I’m not blind. But she isn’t Abi. Not by a long shot.
“Come on,” I say, tugging her towards the door.
I can tell her over and over again about last night, about how I feel but something tells me that actions will speak louder.
“This your bag?” I ask as we pass the holdall sitting on her bed.
“Yep,” she agrees, sounding nervous about the night to come.
Picking it up, I throw it over my shoulder.“You trust me, right?” I ask before opening her door and stepping into the outside world.
“Yes, Elliot. I do.”
With those words ringing in my ear, I pull the door open and tug her out.
Hand in hand, we make our way down to the car. It’s a risk, but there is no way I’m hiding her tonight. She looks way too good to be banished to shadows.
“Where are we going?” she asks when we’ve been driving for a little over thirty minutes.
“You’re not very good with surprises, are you?” I muse.
“Can’t say that I’ve had a lot of good ones,” she confesses sadly.
Reaching over, I squeeze her thigh.“From here on out, that’s going to change,” I promise her.
It’s another forty-five minutes before we pull off the main road. There is only one place on the map, so it’s no longer much of a surprise as to where we’re going.
“Oh wow,” Abi breathes as we pull into the luxury country club.
The sun has set leaving the sky a beautiful pink hue and the lights that are strung up around the old farmhouse and surrounding cabins are twinkling in the dimming light.
It’s really quite something.
“You approve?” I ask.
“I do. It’s incredible,” she says with a wide smile playing on her lips.
“I’ve managed to snag us the best suite in the place,” I announce as I kill the engine, ready to get out and get our night started.
“How have you done that at such late notice?”
I wink. “It’s always good to have friends in high places.”
The excitement on her face vanishes in a flash, replaced by fear.“Someone here knows us?” she whispers, nervously looking out the window.
“You said you trusted me, remember? I promise nothing bad is going to happen here. Someone owed me a favour.”
She sucks in a deep breath before looking me in the eyes.“Okay.”
Pushing the driver’s door open, I climb out before racing around to open hers. I want to make all of her sweet daydreams and dirty fantasies come true tonight, starting with helping her from the car and carrying her bag.
With her hand in mine, I lead her away from the main building and towards one of the smaller cabins looking out over the lake.
“Shouldn’t we be going over there?” she asks, looking at the lavish entrance.
“Nope. We don’t need to check-in like normal guests. Tonight we’re VIPs.”
She doesn’t say another word as I lead her towards our cabin, but she does slow down the second a figure comes into view.
“Elliot,” she whispers.
“Trust me, remember,” I remind her as we move closer to the woman waiting for us.
“Abigail,” I say as we come to a stop. “This is Lauren.”
Abi gasps, her grip on my hand tightening.
“It’s so lovely to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you,” Lauren says softly.
Abi looks between the two of us with her brows pinched together.
“You talk about me?” she asks quietly as if she’s hoping Lauren won’t hear her.
“Are you kidding?” Lauren laughs, making me instantly regret allowing her to do this for us. “Last night, you were all he talked about.”
Abigail’s cheeks redden.
“He’s smitten, girl. You don’t need to look so worried.”
“B-but… I don’t understand.”
“Trust me, I’m not going to be stealing your man, Abigail. I mean, he’s pretty and all, but not quite…” She thinks for a moment before gesturing to my body. “Hot enough for me.”
“Not hot enough. Are you blind?” Abigail blurts, making me smile like a lunatic.
Lauren chuckles before spinning around and opening the double doors to our cabin. “Come on, love birds,” she shoots over her shoulder.
“Oh my God,” Abi gasps as she steps inside ahead of me.
The cabin Lauren secured for us is self-contained. It has a small kitchen, a large living area that leads out to a deck that overlooks the lake. Then there is a massive master bedroom at the rear, again with a deck that showcases the lake. Huge beams run through the ceilings and there is exposed brickwork everywhere with heavy oak furniture and soft cream accents. It’s stunning and homely. The perfect place for us to take our relationship to the next level.
“Beautiful, isn’t it,” Lauren says. “Let me show you the bedroom, you’re going to love it.”
Her eyes lock on mine, silently demanding that I stay put and give her a minute with my girl.
I told her that she didn’t need to be here tonight, but she insisted that talking to Abi would help reassure her about our relationship.
All I can do now is hope that she’s right.
I watch them both disappear before spinning around and walking out to the deck.The heaters are already on and the small table has been set up for a romantic meal.
Making my way over to the railing, I rest my forearms on the chunky wood and look out over the glistening lake before us.
The moon and stars are reflected in the vast blackness making the place even more serene.
We’re totally secluded from the rest of the club and accommodation. We could hide out here for the longest time without anyone knowing about it. It’s exactly what we both need tonight.
We need to be just us, forgetting that the rest of the world exists.
My watch vibrates and I pull my sleeve up.I find a message in our guy’s group chat staring back at me.
Reese: Enjoy your night fucker. Please, try not to break Abs, my girl quite likes her.
It buzzes again.
Theo: We know it’s been a while, maybe go rub one out in the bathroom so you don’t embarrass yourself.
I smirk. My friends are fucking idiots.
Oak: If she can walk tomorrow, you haven’t done your job properly.
Shaking my head, I pull my phone from my pocket and open up our chat.
Elliot: Thanks for the invaluable advice. I’ll make sure to ignore all of it.
Elliot: See you on the other side.
Nervous energy courses through me as I power off my phone and slide it back into my pocket as footsteps move closer.
Spinning around, I find my girl walking towards me with a smile on her face.
“Where’s Lauren?” I ask, watching her approach.
“Gone. She said to let you know that dinner will arrive in thirty minutes and that there is champagne in the fridge.”
She doesn’t stop until she’s right in front of me. But it’s not close enough. Sliding hands over her waist, I grab her ass and tug her body up against mine.
“Hi,” she breathes, staring up into my eyes.
“Hey. Everything okay?”
Her smile grows and it totally settles me.“This is incredible, Elliot.”
I shake my head, ducking my head, my lips meet hers in a sweet yet all-consuming kiss.
“The only incredible thing here,” I breathe onto her lips, “is you.”