30. Eloise
30
ELOISE
My heart pounds, the leftover adrenaline from the race still coursing through my veins like liquid lightning. I feel electric, every nerve ending alive and sparking. Beau's hands are steady on my thighs, his grip strong and sure as he holds me against him. The heat of his body seeps into mine, chasing away the evening chill.
I lean back just enough to look at him, my fingers still tangled in his hair. His eyes are dark, pupils blown wide in the beam of my headlights. Raindrops cling to his lashes, his cheeks, his lips.
Desire, hot and urgent, pulses through me. I want him, all of him, and right now, consequences be damned.
“Beau,” I murmur, leaning in and sinking my teeth around his bottom lip. I apply a little pressure, tearing a moan out of him.
He readjusts his grip on my thighs, his cock hardening beneath me. “Peach.” The nickname sounds like whiskey on the rocks.
I release his lip, dragging my tongue over the same spot. He captures my lips in a kiss, but before we get carried away, I pull back.
“Take a ride with me.”
His lips quirk into a smirk that makes my knees weak. “You stealin’ my lines, Peach?”
I roll my eyes, the adrenaline still thrumming in my veins. The road is silent now, the distant roar of engines fading into the night, leaving only the hum of our idling cars.
“Maybe you’re taking too long to use them,” I tease, sinking my fingertips into the hair at the nape of his neck.
“Feeling impatient tonight, aren’t we?” He hums, this low rumble in his chest as he looks at me through a half-lidded gaze.
“Not impatient.” Eager, desirous, excited .
I shift against him, feeling the hard press of him through his jeans.
“Fuck, Peach.” His voice is low and rough, sending a shiver down my spine. “Let’s get out of here, yeah?”
“Where?” When did my voice get that breathless?
“As much as I want you with me, I’m not gonna leave your car here. The vultures will pick it clean out of spite. They’ll be jealous you made it to the next round when half of ’em didn’t.”
Amusement floats inside of me. “You don’t even know if I made it, so there’s no way they do.”
He walks us toward my car, stopping when I’m next to the open door. “I know. You’re fucking incredible, Peach. And now those assholes know it.” His gaze bores into me, like he can impress his words on me by his gaze alone.
My breath hitches at his quiet confidence.
“Follow me, yeah?” he murmurs as he gently lowers me to my feet. His palms drag up the back of my thighs, over the curve of my ass, and settle on my hips.
The air between us hums, charged with more than just leftover adrenaline. My car’s engine purrs softly behind me, its warmth like a second heartbeat.
“Where are we going?” My hands feel reluctant to leave him, like they’re sentient beings and they’re not sure they’re going to get a chance to touch him so freely again.
“My brother has a little spot about forty-five minutes west of here,” he says, one palm leaving my hip to settle on the side of my neck. “Rental cabins. Hot tubs and a pool. Perfect way to celebrate your first Gauntlet race.”
I roll my eyes at his presumption again, even as heat flares in my chest. “Hot tub?”
“Ah, you gettin’ ideas now, aren’t you, baby?” His voice is softer now, more intimate.
“I’ve got lots of ideas, Beau.” I bite my lip, trying and failing to suppress a grin. I don’t know who this woman is, this brazen, flirty version of myself. But I love her. I love the way I feel right now, riding high on adrenaline and desire, emboldened by his heated gaze on me.
It’s like a switch has been flipped inside me, unleashing a side of myself I barely recognize. The Eloise who spent the last few years with her head down, just trying to survive, to keep her little family afloat—she’s a distant memory right now. In this moment, under the gleam of headlights, I feel alive in a way I haven’t in years. Bold. Powerful. Desired. Like anything is possible.
Beau leans in close, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as he murmurs, “I can’t wait to hear every single one of those ideas, Peach. In great detail.”
A shiver races down my spine at the promise in his voice. I turn my head, planting a soft kiss on the inside of his wrist. The rain picks up, fat droplets splattering against the roof of my car, the ground, our heated skin.
“We should get out of here,” I whisper, the words hanging in the charged air between us. “Before someone else shows up.”
He nods slowly. His thumb brushes over my jaw, and I shiver at the brief contact. “Stay close, yeah?”
I slide into my car, the familiar scent of leather and the peaches and cream air freshener wrapping around me like a familiar blanket. He closes my door, tapping on the hood twice, before jogging to his Hellcat.
I pull my phone from the cupholder and tap out a quick text to Margot.
Me: I finished. I feel pretty good, but no results yet. Going on an adventure. Don’t wait up.
My phone vibrates with an incoming text before I can even put it down. Damn, she must’ve been waiting by the phone.
Margot: it better be a sexadventure with Beau
I laugh, amusement drifting around inside me like floating bubbles.
Me: I don’t even know what to say to that
Margot: Less texting, more sexing.
Margot: Was that too far? I’ve been practicing one-liners all night.
Me: Gotta drive. I’ll text you when I’m on the way home.
Margot: *mimics Louie’s “parent voice” if you come home tonight, I’m going to be so disappointed in you, young lady.
I chuckle and toss my phone back in the cup holder without replying. My pulse kicks up again when I pull behind Beau, following him as we pull onto the main road.
The taillights of the Hellcat blaze like twin beacons, guiding me toward whatever comes next.
Beau’s hand is warm and solid in mine, his thumb brushing over my knuckles as he leads me down a gravel path lined with flickering solar lights. The air is cooler here, crisp and heavy with the scent of pine and damp earth. The glow of the cabin lights casts soft pools of yellow against the dark, the quiet hum of crickets filling the spaces between our footsteps.
It feels like a different world out here.
It’s close to eleven now, but the adrenaline from the race hasn’t left my system. If anything, it feels sharper here, under the glow of the moon and Beau’s steady presence at my side.
“You’re sure it’s okay for us to be here?” I ask, tilting my head to catch his expression in the faint light. The path curves toward a small clearing where a shared pool glistens under the moonlight. Off to the side, I spot the telltale shape of a hot tub, steam curling into the cool night air.
He looks over his shoulder, his mouth curving into a crooked smile. “Relax, Peach. We’re just borrowing the amenities. My brother won’t care.”
I glance around the property, taking in the neatly spaced rental cabins, their wooden exteriors blending into the surrounding trees. Each one has its own porch with rocking chairs, soft yellow light spilling out from the windows. It’s peaceful here, almost unnervingly so, like stepping into a postcard. “You’re awfully confident about what your brother won’t care about.”
“Call it years of experience,” he says, squeezing my hand as we step closer to the hot tub. The water ripples under the faint breeze, illuminated by soft underwater lights that cast shifting patterns on the deck. “Besides, if he finds out, I’ll take the heat,” he says with a wink.
I huff out a quiet laugh, rolling my eyes. “If we get caught, I’m throwing you under the bus.”
Beau grins, pulling me closer until our bodies are nearly flush. “Duly noted, Peach.” His free hand skims up my side, fingertips brushing the bare skin above the waistband of my jean shorts. “Hot tub or pool?”
My lips twist to the side as I weigh my options. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me until now, but I obviously don’t have a swimsuit. And I don’t know if I’m brave enough to jump into a pool with him in my birthday suit. Don’t ask me how wearing a red thong and bralette is any different from a swimsuit. I don’t understand the logic either, but it’s there.
“Pool,” I murmur, strolling toward the shallow end. I can’t remember the last time I was in a pool. Years and years, though.
Beau’s eyes gleam in the moonlight, his smile turning wicked as he nods toward the glimmering water. “Great choice. I forgot to mention that it’s heated.”
Without warning, he releases my hand and takes a step back, his fingers finding the back collar of his black t-shirt. In one fluid motion, he tugs it over his head, revealing the smooth expanse of his chest, the ripple of muscle across his abdomen, and the colorful tattoos cascading down one side of his torso. The moonlight plays over his skin like a caress, highlighting the dips and planes that my fingers itch to explore.
My breath catches in my throat as he reaches for the button of his jeans, popping it open with a flick of his fingers. The rasp of his zipper seems to echo in the quiet night, my pulse thudding in my ears as he slowly eases the denim down his hips. His boxer briefs sit low on his waist, hugging the hard lines of his thighs.
Heat floods my body as my gaze roams over him hungrily, taking in every inch of skin and hard muscle on display. He steps to the edge of the pool with a smirk, pausing for three breaths like he’s giving me time to appreciate him.
He sends me a flirty wink and jumps in.
The water splashes up in a glittering arc as Beau breaks the surface of the pool, sending ripples cascading across the moonlit water. Droplets cling to his skin, catching the soft glow of the underwater lights and turning his body into a living work of art.
He emerges like some mythical sea god rising from the depths, water sluicing down the hard planes and angles of his body in rivulets. His dark blond hair is slicked back from his face, accentuating the sharp cut of his cheekbones and jaw.
“Your turn, Peach,” he murmurs, his voice low and rough with desire.