Chapter 25 Elliot #2
“Fine,” I agreed, because maybe I should enjoy this while it lasted. If not now, he’d change his mind soon. Tonight, tomorrow, or one week from now. Eventually, he’d panic and leave, and that would be it.
Grabbing me from behind, Daniel squeezed my arms as he leaned in to kiss my nape. “Good,” he murmured over my skin before he let go and walked out.
The places he touched still burned, and I hoped he’d change his mind soon, as I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold myself back from falling even deeper.
Daniel
Elliot was behaving in a particularly odd way.
While last night, he’d acted snarky to the point of being rebellious, now, he was introspective and obedient.
Watching him sip from his straw while looking around the bar, determined to avoid eye contact, put an uneasy feeling in my gut.
He was behaving strangely this morning, too, when he so vehemently tried to avoid meeting today.
Yet I pushed him into this, as we only had a few days left before he’d leave the city again.
I’d already wasted enough time, and I wasn’t about to repeat the same mistake.
Even if it meant cheating on my wife and risking everything I’d built thus far.
Wanting to grab his attention, I moved my leg under the table so my shoe nudged his.
He jerked in his seat, his eyes finally meeting mine, the frown on his adorable face making me smile with satisfaction.
Although if only he’d skipped the silly baseball cap he wore today, I could have seen more of it.
“How was your day?” I asked, hoping to ease the tense mood.
“Good.”
I raised a questioning brow his way. “Care to elaborate?”
Pinching the tip of his straw, he brought it back to his lips and drank his sparkling water. Another alarming sign, considering that on a regular day, he’d order himself a glass—or a bottle—of wine. Suddenly, this Frenchman insisted on a nonalcoholic beverage?
Shrugging, Elliot placed his glass back on the table. “We took photos. They turned out great. That’s it.” He then twisted his lips, eyes dropping down. “How was your day?”
“Not as exciting as yours.” I smiled to myself. “I’m afraid the life of a lawyer is far less glamorous than that of a model.”
He huffed. “You’d be surprised.”
“Is it?” I challenged him with a lopsided grin.
Pulling his cap lower on his head, he nodded. “Yeah. Most days aren’t fun at all. It’s just standing and posing.”
“And yet so few are capable of doing it as successfully as you.” I tried flattering him, but it fell on deaf ears, and he went back to playing with his straw.
I guess even a plastic tube is more fascinating than me.
“Anyway, my day was rather typical. Some meetings with clients, a deposition regarding a case my firm is handling, followed by a boring lunch with my father.”
He lifted his gaze, brows drawing inward.
“Your dad?”
Reaching for my beer, I brought it to my lips. “If only you had taken me up on my offer for lunch, I could have avoided it,” I joked after sipping from it. “In case you’re wondering, it was as tedious as you could imagine.”
Reaching the bottom of the bottle, I examined it before signaling the waiter to bring me another, when I noticed Elliot was still staring at me with narrowed eyes.
“Is something wrong?”
“What did you talk about?”
“My father and I?” I looked at him, surprised that he cared.
“Yes.”
My new drink arrived, and I tapped the rim of the bottle while trying to think back on that lunch. “Mostly work. A bit about a property in Tribeca he has an eye for and a weird-looking mole on his right ass cheek.” I twisted my lips at that last one. “Surely not an appetizing topic, but—”
“You’re scared he’ll find out about you, right?” he cut me off, eyes locked with mine.
The suddenness of the question, as well as its content, made me move uncomfortably in my chair. But pausing to think about Elliot instead of myself for a change, I had a feeling I knew where this was coming from.
“Are you asking because of what happened last summer?”
Elliot’s stare hardened. “I’m asking because he’s a homophobic pig, and last night, you came with your dick balls-deep inside my ass.”
He sure had an interesting way of expressing himself, but thankfully, we were the only two speaking French in this bar. And while his question was rather intrusive, it was also fair.
Fixing my tie, I took a deep breath. “It would be a lie to say I’m not scared of him finding out, but not for the reasons you think.”
“You are thirty-four. Why does it matter what he thinks?” He tsked and scrunched up his nose as if the thought of my dad repulsed him.
I can’t blame him for that.
“It doesn’t. And to make it clear, I don’t agree with his bigoted beliefs, Elliot. I don’t think loving another man is a sin. But currently, my father has too much power over my life, which is why I need time to sort things out.”
I leaned closer to him, both hands placed on the table. Elliot briefly checked my movement before his eyes met my determined stare.
“Sort things out?”
“When I told you last night that I’d get a divorce, I meant it.
” To be honest, in the morning, I was even more sure of the idea.
“But before I do, I must ensure Claudia and Maya are financially secure. Not just that, but I’ll have to make sure my father will have no way of hurting them, as he’s the type to get vengeful. ”
Elliot jerked his head back as confusion grew on his face. “Vengeful? Why? You’re not divorcing him.”
That made me chuckle. “True. But in his eyes, everything I do has a direct effect on him and the family’s name. A divorce would create unnecessary drama. Not to mention that if he ever found out I did it for a man, all hell would break loose.”
His forehead creased. “How?”
“Well—” I leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms. “—he could do many things, from getting me fired to ruining my name, but I’m mostly scared about Maya. He could find a way to take her away from me.”
The possibility of losing my daughter scared me, but I already had a plan to avoid it.
For starters, no one needed to know the real reasons for my divorce, and once I made sure Claudia had everything she needed, we would both be free to live the lives we deserved.
Her with a man who would truly love her, and me…
I looked up to find Elliot was still staring at me, big blue eyes that would be the death of me.
“What if he does find out?” he asked.
I’d clearly managed to freak him out. Since I couldn’t just grab his hand and kiss it to calm him down, I slid my leg closer to his and pressed against it until a bit of comfort showed on his face.
“It’s not something you need to worry about.”
He swallowed hard before looking down so the cap completely hid his eyes.
“And what if you change your mind again?”
So that was why he’d been acting odd? He thought I’d panic again? Well, I’d sure given him every reason to doubt me. If only he knew how determined I was.
Looking around, I saw the coast was clear, so I reached forward and grabbed his hand. His eyes immediately snapped to mine as he stared at me, stunned.
“I’m not going to change my mind,” I promised him and myself. “So you have nothing to worry about.”
When he tried averting his stare, I laced my fingers with his.
“Did you hear me?”
Elliot’s lips slightly quivered before he bit on the bottom one and nodded.
“I did.”
I let go of his hand but didn’t remove it from the table, and instead, kept it close enough so I could still feel the warmth of his skin.
“Good.” I smiled, then nudged my pinkie with his. “So, how about we go for a jog tomorrow morning?”