Ten #3
Here she thought comics were just picture books and movies about people with supernatural powers. To think something so simple could have such a complicated impact, it gave her a new appreciation for the genre. “I’m envious.”
He blinked at her. “Why?”
“Nothing’s ever made such an impression on me. I’m sorry I teased you about it, Elliot. I see now that they’re much more than children’s books.”
He smiled and drew in a breath to say more, but the waitress suddenly returned, interrupting the moment. Though he never said whatever he was going to say, he seemed to forgive her for making light of something that carried substantial weight in his life.
The ride home was quiet and though she should have been planning what to pack, all she could think about was this sweet man overcoming some sort of childhood adversity. He’d managed to bury the pain and evolve into one of the gentlest souls she’d ever met.
Elliot parked by the front steps of the house. “Wait, I’ll get your door.”
As he jumped out of the car she laughed. He truly was a gentleman in every sense of the word.
As they walked up the steps he reached for the keypad and she caught his hand, her heart rattling in her chest as she went against all of her good advice to simply be his friend. But after their dinner, and the week she had, there was no disguising how much she wanted him.
“I believe it’s customary to kiss your date at the door,” she whispered.
She didn’t want to kiss him out of gratitude or any sense of indebtedness. She wanted to kiss him out of sheer attraction.
His head lowered, not turning toward her in any way, but she knew he heard her. Maybe he didn’t want to kiss her. Embarrassment made a slow crawl up her spine and her heart quivered.
It hurt, realizing he might not find her as attractive as she found him, but she accepted that might be the case. The more she learned about him, the more she realized he had a right to hold a high standard. He was, after all, a great guy.
“Elliot?”
His brow creased, an internal debate playing over his shadowed features. She shouldn’t have said anything.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to.”
The soft scuff of his shoes over the pavement had her sucking in a breath. Without saying a word, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and tipped up her chin. His gray eyes glistened under the porch light. “But I want to.”
Looking up at him, her body trembled. “Okay.”
Soft lips brushed hers and an uproarious wave of pleasure swelled in her belly.
She rose on her toes and slowly wreathed her arms around his shoulders, her chest tightening with the thrill of having his lips on her once more.
As he deepened the kiss, his palm dragged low, stopping just above her hips and he pulled her closer.
She loved the way he kissed, so focused on the actual act rather than what might come next.
Sliding a hand down his arm, she followed to his wrist and nudged his fingers lower. His body tensed for a moment and then his grip tightened on her ass as the kiss doubled in intensity. His other hand sifted through her hair, tightening and holding her to him as he squeezed her close.
When he broke away he was panting. She licked her lips and pressed her cheek to his chest. “You’re very good at that,” she whispered, wishing they could do more, but enjoying the anticipation he was so skilled at dragging out.
“So are you.”
His grip on her body loosened as he stepped back, clearing his throat. Her front chilled the moment he pulled completely away. The lock buttons beeped and the door opened.
“Do you need anything? Luggage or…?”
She’d never met a man who could slam on the brakes so abruptly and show no signs of distress. His ability to hide any signs of arousal or discomfort left her off balance and unsure. “No, I should have everything I need. What time do we have to leave?”
“A car will be here at two-fifteen.”
That was in a few hours. “Will you go to sleep?”
“For a little bit. I don’t sleep well on planes. I try to get what I can while I’m home.”
She nodded, figuring she’d likely wrap up packing around two-fourteen. “Well then, I guess I’ll see you here in a few hours.”
They took the stairs in silence. The entire journey she wordlessly begged for him to take her hand, but he kept his distance. When he stopped at his bedroom door a pinching ache formed in her chest. She deeply wished he’d kiss her one last time. But he didn’t.
“Goodnight, Nadia.”
She stuffed away her disappointment and tried to smile. “Thank you for dinner.”
When she reached her room at the end of the hall, he was gone. This time he didn’t watch her go and she didn’t know what that meant. His restraint made her desire seem imbalanced. She shouldn’t be so forward with him in the future.
She didn’t want to be some wanton woman, too eager for a good man to appreciate, too easy for any man to turn down.
She wanted it to be real with him. Elliot definitely had control over their situation and she wasn’t even sure he’d call it a “situation”—romantically speaking. To him, it could be a dilemma.