10. Elijah
10
ELIJAH
S on of a bitch, it was a mistake, but I couldn’t help myself.
Not when every inch of her body calls to mine. When I’m attuned to the smallest noise she makes and her every smile. The real ones and the fake ones, because to me, she’s an open book with a never-ending story I want to read.
Today and tomorrow.
Ava Perry calls to me in a way no woman ever has, and I fear that once this case is closed, no one will captivate me as she does. We met under the worst circumstances, and yet, I wouldn’t change it.
Even if I can’t have her the way I need her.
“I’m truly fucked over this sweet little morsel,” I whisper against the crown of her head, nuzzling her soft skin while she sleeps in my arms. I haven’t left her room, and I won’t, no matter how hard I am—the way my cock throbs with every rise and fall of her chest—because right now, it’s not about me. What matters is her comfort, not the aching of my balls.
I never want to hear her cry out like that again.
The way she whimpered out a “ no” and “ this can’t be real” earlier tonight broke my iron-clad restraint. I couldn’t sit in the living room, a repeat of an earlier basketball game playing on the TV, and not react to her distress.
I moved toward her room without a second thought, my body thrumming with anger at the asshole who caused her nightmare. My fingers turned the knob, pushing open her door before I could stop myself, and the thrashing sight before me ignited every protective instinct within my DNA.
Fuck not crossing the line. Nothing but soothing her mattered when Ava’s sweet face was pinched tight in distress, her comforter pushed down past her knees, and tears slipped from beneath closed lids.
“He’ll pay for your tears with his life.” Her head turns in my direction as if she heard me, and those luscious lips part on another whimper. The sound causes my chest to ache, and before second-guessing myself, I’m lying on the bed and tucking her close. We’re both fully clothed—this isn’t meant to be sexual—and I’m ignoring every carnal need she evokes in me, especially when she fits perfectly against my harsher planes.
Her being in my arms feels right.
Truths I ignore while coaxing her into fully relaxing. I’m running my hand up and down her back in soothing strokes, placing tiny kisses across her forehead and taking her decadent scent into my lungs. She smells like my favorite dessert: raspberry crème brulé. It’s caramelized sugar with vanilla custard and a touch of brightness in the raspberry that’s simply perfection on her. Mouthwatering.
I also feel a hundred feet tall when she trusts that I’ll protect her.
My heart thumps harshly inside my chest when she asks me to stay until she’s asleep. It doesn’t take her body long to give in to the exhaustion, melting into my comfort, but I make one more promise before she’s completely under.
The words are honest. I don’t regret them, either.
Much like she took care of me earlier today when I napped on the couch, the feel of her soft lips pulling me awake without her noticing, I’ll watch over her. I’m giving her a piece of me, even if I know we’ll never have more than this. Ava Perry will always have my loyalty.
Without trying, in a short amount of time, she’s burrowed herself under my skin.
I’m constantly thinking of her. Wanting her close.
“Sleep knowing I’ll watch over your dreams. I protect what’s mine.”