Chapter 3
Chapter Three
The next morning, I woke up sweaty and surrounded by a naked man. My mouth was so dry that my tongue felt like jerky. Oh, and my bladder was screaming at me to get the hell up right that second before I made a mess in the bed.
It was difficult to slither from beneath Elijah’s arm with my thighs clenched together, but I managed it.
He grunted and buried his face in the pillows as I scurried into the bathroom.
Once I took care of my desperate need, I washed my hands.
My head ached a bit, but, overall, I felt a lot better than I had any right to feel considering how much tequila I drank the night before.
I glanced at the bed as I reached out the bathroom door to grab one of the complimentary bottles of water next to the coffee maker.
I couldn’t believe Elijah had stayed the night.
I’d honestly expected him to sneak out as soon as I fell asleep.
We hadn’t talked about it before we passed out, but the impression I got from his attitude was that it would be a one-time thing.
And I was okay with that.
He was incredibly attractive, but I knew he was at least a decade older than me.
He radiated confidence and competence. I had no idea what he did for work, but the clothes he wore were obviously custom made, and his watch was an Omega.
Whatever he did, he made good money. He commanded attention wherever he went.
Meanwhile, I worked in human resources at a smaller company.
I’d stayed for as long as I had because all my friends worked in the same building and I got to have lunch with them several times a week.
That didn’t happen much now that Lucy no longer worked there.
I didn’t hate my job, but I didn’t love it either.
It paid the bills and gave me some disposable income.
Other than that, it wasn’t that spectacular.
I had no major career goals. Most of my aspirations were centered around building the family I’d never had.
I spent several years in foster care after my grandparents died.
My mother dropped me off with them one summer day when I was five and I never saw her again.
I didn’t remember much from my life with her, but I did recall enough now to understand that she had mental health problems and that she’d likely been self-medicating with alcohol and drugs.
When I’d gone into foster care at twelve, I knew I was lucky because the family I lived with wasn’t much different than my grandparents.
They were sweet, caring older people who’d lost their only child years ago.
They were long gone now, too. Other than the family I’d created with friends I’d collected over the years, I had no one left.
Elijah and I weren’t just in different places in our lives, we came from different planets.
This could never be anything more than a one-night stand.
If we were in his room, I would have gathered my clothes and done the walk of shame while he slept.
Unfortunately, we’d come to my room last night so I had no idea how to handle this situation.
I decided to do the basics in the bathroom before I even tried to figure out what to do the morning after.
This wasn’t some guy I hooked up with in college.
We had mutual friends, and we saw each other regularly.
I didn’t want to make things weird so it was important to be composed rather than my usual awkward self.
Before I did anything, I needed to drink something.
My mouth was gritty and dry. I cracked open the bottle of water I’d grabbed and drained half of it.
After I showered, I took sips from the bottle between brushing my teeth, drying my hair, and patting on my usual tinted moisturize.
I kept the rest of the make-up to my usual minimal with brow gel, blush, and mascara.
I didn’t bother to cover the hickey on my neck.
I wasn’t sure why, but the idea of hiding it made my stomach tight.
Since Elijah was sleeping, I hadn’t bothered to dig through my suitcase for clothes, so I settled on slipping into the robe that hung on the back of the bathroom door. I took a moment to study myself in the mirror before I cracked open the door.
I half-expected Elijah to be gone, taking advantage of my time in the bathroom to sneak out. Instead, I was greeted by the sight of a shirtless man lounging beneath the blankets on the bed with one hand behind his head and a cup of coffee in the other. My feet stopped moving as I took him in.
God, he looked the cover of a romance novel. A really steamy one. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the muscles of his arms and chest as he moved to set the cup on the nightstand.
“I ordered a pot of coffee and some breakfast,” he said as he threw the blankets back.
I blinked as he walked toward me, the thick muscles of his thighs flexing. They almost distracted me from the fact that he was still completely naked. Almost.
He stopped right in front of me, and I tipped my head back to look at his face.
“You need to quit looking at me like that because I don’t want the room service guy to hear me fucking you when he brings everything up here.”
I froze, completely unable to breathe or move as he tugged the neck of my robe aside and ran his lips down the side of my throat, stopping directly over the hickey I’d been staring at in the mirror a few moments before.
I shivered when I felt the brush of his tongue against that spot.
When he lifted his head, his expression said he liked seeing his mark on my skin.
“I made you a cup of coffee. It’s on the counter,” he said before he stepped around me and disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
I turned to watch him, blinking rapidly as I tried to handle the sensations careening through me.
I fought to ignore the tendril of hope that curled through my belly. Hope that I was wrong about last night and that rather than a one-time hook-up, it was the start of something special.
Something that would give me the family I’d so desperately wanted since I lost my grandparents and then my foster parents—a chance to feel something other than incredibly alone.
I heard the shower turn on in the bathroom and knew I’d have a few moments to gather myself. I needed them.
I’d just picked up my cup of coffee when there was a knock on the door. I wandered over and put my eye to the peephole, hoping it was room service and not one of my friends. I released a quiet breath when I saw a man holding a tray of covered dishes and an insulated pot with two cups.
I opened the door and stepped back, smiling at him. “Good morning.”
“Good morning. Where would you like this, ma’am?” he asked as he came through the door.
“The coffee table in front of the sofa is fine.” I grabbed my wallet out of my purse and pulled out some cash to tip him. “Thank you.”
He took the money with a smile and left the room. I decided to put the “do not disturb” sign on the doorknob before I went to see what Elijah had ordered.
I hoped it wasn’t too expensive because Lucy and Chris insisted on paying for my room since I was in the bridal party. I’d have to figure out how much it was so I could Venmo the money to her.
I lifted the lid off one of the covered plates and found a mound of croissants and pastries.
My mouth watered at the smell of the warm bread, but I replaced the cover.
I wasn’t going to eat until Elijah was out of the shower.
The other covered plate held bacon, sausage links, and a fluffy pile of scrambled eggs.
As I replaced the lid, I heard the water shut off in the bathroom. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself, so I just stood by the couch and brought my coffee cup to my mouth.
I was glad I had a cup to hide behind when the bathroom door opened.
A swirl of steam escaped as Elijah sauntered out wearing nothing but a small, white towel.
Jesus, I’d had sex with this man three times last night.
I should not be so affected by the way his body looked in that brief towel.
I’d put my hands and mouth all over him, but I wanted to do it again. Right now.
Hiding my hungry expression behind my cup, I couldn’t stop my eyes from following him across the room to the pile of his clothes on the floor.
Completely at ease, he bent down and grabbed his black briefs.
Tossing the towel on the end of the bed, he pulled them on and slid his legs into his suit pants.
The coffee I sipped did nothing to wet my mouth as he slipped them on and zipped them but left the hook at the top undone.
“What did I tell you about looking at me like that?” he asked when he faced me.
There was no way I could play it cool so I merely said, “Then you should quit walking around here like an advertisement for sex.”
He threw his head back and laughed before heading toward me.
He took the cup out of my hands, setting it on the side table behind me.
His hands found my hips, tugging me closer.
I laid my palms on his pecs, feeling the heat of his skin and crisp chest hair.
When he leaned down to kiss me, I tasted the sharp mint of my mouthwash and him.
The kiss ended too quickly, but he kept his hold on my hips and guided me to the couch until I sat on one end. He sat next to me and poured coffee into our cups. Mine was nearly cold anyway. I watched as he added sugar and milk to mine before handing it to me.
Though we didn’t know each other well, we had spent time around each other over the past year. Enough that it seemed he remembered how I took my coffee. I hadn’t given it a thought earlier when I’d taken a sip from the cup he’d made me. Watching him now, it hit me that he paid attention.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
After taking a sip from his fresh coffee and placing it on the table, Elijah lifted the lid on the plate of pastries and set it to the side. Then he did the same with the other plate.
To my surprise, he picked up a fork and offered me a bite of the eggs. I studied him as I took the bite, slowly chewing.
“Good?” he asked.
I nodded. He took a bite also before offering me a piece of bacon.
The rest of our breakfast went like that until all the eggs were gone and I was nibbling on the last bit of my croissant. I never even touched a fork. He fed me in between his own bites, and we both sipped our coffee.
It was peaceful. And intimate. Maybe too intimate. My foolish heart yearned to do this again. Every weekend if I could. The tranquil bubble surrounding us popped when he finally set the plate aside and sat back in the couch, putting one hand behind his head.
“I had a lot of fun last night,” he murmured, his bright blue eyes locked on me.
“I did, too.”
“I’m glad.” He got to his feet and pulled me to mine, wrapping me in a warm hug. “It’s good things won’t be weird between us the next time we’re all together again.”
Just like that, the tender sprout of hope in my soul withered. It shouldn’t have hurt because this was exactly what I’d expected. I’d walked into the situation with my eyes open. And it was my own fault if I’d read his intentions incorrectly.
I squeezed him gently with my arms, letting the disappointment rise within me and slide away.
I’d learned through experience and therapy to let those emotions move through me and release them.
It was the only way to cope with the things that had happened in my life.
The only way I could endure people and situations beyond my control.
I couldn’t hold on to them and let them eat away at me.
The only way I could survive was to let them go. Even if it hurt.
That was how I’d survived the loss of my grandparents, then the loss of my foster parents.
I still struggled with the feeling that I would always lose everyone I cared about.
Abandonment issues had nothing on the voice in my head that whispered I was always destined to be alone.
I knew the thoughts weren’t true, but there were times I had to fight just to ignore them.
I released Elijah and stepped back. “I probably need to get dressed and get checked out. I’m sure it’s getting close to noon.”
His eyes moved over my face for a long moment before he finally nodded. “I’ll let you get to it, then.”
I drained the last of my coffee cup as he shrugged on his shirt and slipped into his socks and shoes. He stuffed his tie into his pocket and slung his suit jacket over his arm.
In less than two minutes he was ready to walk out of my hotel room and out of my life, except for the occasional event where we might bump into each other.
I followed him to door, my tightly clenched hands hidden in the pockets of my robe. Elijah paused, his hand on the knob.
“You’re an amazing woman, Brown Eyes.”
“And you’re an amazing man, Eli,” I replied.
I don’t know why I shortened his name like that. It was as if my tongue tripped over the syllables, and it came out as those three letters.
His eyes twinkled down at me. “Nice nickname,” he teased.
I didn’t get a chance to respond because he leaned down and pressed his mouth to mine, ending the brief kiss with the light touch of his tongue to my top lip.
“I like the idea of you being the only one to call me that.”
As he opened the door, I stepped forward, keeping it from closing. “Good-bye, Elijah. Take care of yourself.”
I forced myself to use his full name, a reminder that I wouldn’t be the only one to call him Eli because I was only going to see him occasionally in the future. Last night and this morning were all just a brief moment, never to be revisited.
“I always do, Grier.”