Chapter 20 #2
“Is there anything else I can get you guys?” the girl asks, her eyes not moving from Elliot. She’s staring a little too hard, if I were to give my opinion.
The man in question doesn’t seem to notice, though, because he doesn’t even look at her. He just looks at me. “Do you need anything?”
I shake my head and answer the waitress. “I’m good, thank you.”
She looks over at Elliot for a response, but the man is concentrating on the food in front of him and pays her no attention. Eventually, she leaves with a small scoff.
“Do women always try to get your attention?” I ask just as Elliot takes a bite of his burger.
He pulls the burger away from his mouth just a bit, his elbows resting on the table, and throws me a shrug. “More often than not.”
“Does it not bother you?”
Another shrug. “The only time I see a problem with it is when I’m with someone and they are uncomfortable with it.” He keeps his eyes on me, as if to ask if that is what’s happening here.
I grab my burger and move my eyes away. “I’m not uncomfortable.”
And I’m not. I just don’t like someone staring him down like he is a piece of meat. That’s all. Nothing to do with jealousy whatsoever. Nope, no jealousy here.
We eat in silence for a few minutes before I break it. “Random question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“You’re some millionaire hot shot from what the articles online say, so why don’t you have security with you at all times?”
It’s a question that has been in my head since Las Vegas.
In the movies, you either see the rich people with three or four security guards at all times or always trying to escape them.
Jack had them at the end of our relationship, and I can’t help but wonder what would make him special and not Elliot.
He snorts before he answers. “I should have security. It’s something my uncle and Henry lecture me about all the time, but unless the situation calls for it, I’m more than fine not having someone behind me at all times. Besides, I know how to handle myself if a situation were to arise.”
“A lot of people would agree with your uncle and Henry.”
“I’m not a lot of people.”
That, he isn’t. My time with him has been very limited, but it doesn’t take much to see he isn’t your run of the mill guy. From the second I laid eyes on him, he captivated me. He’s intriguing in a way most people aren’t.
I look down at my food as I whisper my next few words. “You really aren’t.”
As I take a bite, I feel his eyes on me, but I don’t look up to meet his gaze.
Keeping my eyes away from him doesn’t last long, though.
“I have a proposition for you,” Elliot states once his burger is completely gone.
I place the quarter I have left down and give him my attention. “I’m listening.”
His eyes meet mine, and they do not waver. “We are both interested in each other, correct?”
There is no reason to deny my attraction. “Correct.”
“You don’t do dating or relationships, and I travel too much because I have my own issues I don’t want to deal with if I stay within the city limits for too long.
” A question bubbles up on my tongue, but I keep it contained and let him continue without interruption.
“What would you say about a friend with benefits type of situation? One that has exclusivity between the two of us with no labels, no added pressure, just company and enjoyment when either of us wants. We can end it when we are no longer feeling it.”
No labels and no added pressure. That’s everything a commitment-phobe like me would want, and I do want it, so why is there a small part, a minuscule part, of me that is a little disappointed all I will ever be to Elliot Lane is a fuck buddy?
Because you know this arrangement, even if it’s ideal, will blur lines beyond measure.
It doesn’t matter. This is my perfect arrangement. There is nothing to overthink or be disappointed about.
Which is why I give the man sitting across from me a grin.
“I would say, or I would ask, if said situation can start tonight?”
The smirk on Elliot’s face should scare me, but it only fills my body with excitement.
“Are you done?” he asks, nodding toward the food in front of me.
Without thinking about it, I grab the last piece of my burger and shove it into my mouth, quickly followed by a drink of my soda. I try to push down my food as fast as I can, but I still end up speaking with my mouth full.
“I’m done.”
Elliot doesn’t give me a dirty look at my grossness or even roll his eyes at my eagerness. No, instead, he chuckles and extends a hand for me to take.
There is no hesitation as I slide my hand into his.
When we did this in Vegas, there was a rush to get back, a need to hurry to whatever bed we could land on because our time was limited. Right now, the need and hunger for each other is still very much there, but this time, there is no rushing. This time, we have all the time in the world.
The walk back to the apartment is as uneventful as the trip here, but this time, something flutters in my stomach as I wait to see what’s to come.
When we get into the elevator back at his apartment, I half-expected for it to be an uneventful trip up, but as soon as the doors are closed, Elliot proves me wrong.
His eyes meet mine as he pushes me back until I’m meeting the steel wall behind me, both his hands on my hips. His eyes are hooded, and there’s a darkness swimming through them that I like seeing.
“Can I tell you something?” he whispers, his mouth lowering toward mine.
“Anything,” I say, breathless with anticipation.
“You’ve never been far from my mind,” he admits, pressing his body closer to mine. “I’ve spent more nights than I can count going through every memory of you. Every sound, every moan, every damn inch of your body. It’s all been on constant replay.”
The more he presses against me, the more I can feel his hardness. I so desperately want to feel him in my hand, but I’m able to control the need for a few more minutes.
“Can I tell you something too?” I say, repeating his question, my words a whisper against his lips. He is so close but so far away at the same time.
“Always.” His lips brush against mine, and I want them there for a little while longer.
“You’ve also never been far from my mind.
” I place each of my hands on tops of his and start moving them, one up and the other down.
I think it might be time for a little show and tell.
“I thought about you touching my chest.” I bring his left hand up to my breast and silently urge him to cup me through my shirt.
“I thought about you touching my clit.” I slide his right hand down to the waistband of my leggings and drag it under the fabric until his fingertips meet my sensitive bud. “I thought about you everywhere.”
A small gasp leaves me when I feel him move my panties to the side and start to play with me. His fingers are cold and his touch is hard, but it all feels so damn good.
“Did you think about me when you touched yourself?” he asks, his forehead pressed against mine, his lips coming closer and closer.
I let out one of my other truths. “Yes.”
What I don’t tell him is that I even thought about him when I was with Jack. It’s something I have been ashamed of for so long, but given what that asshole put me through, I no longer care.
As his fingers brush against my clit one more time, our lips finally touch, and I lose track of everything.
My tongue slides against his, and I swear, when I feel one of his fingers at my entrance, I let out the loudest moan imaginable.
That doesn’t seem to faze Elliot, though. No, his fingers continue to work their magic on me, my legs widening ever so slightly to let him in, his mouth always within reach of mine.
The elevator is climbing, but that’s not the only thing. The orgasm building in me is moving right along with it.
I feel his thumb dance over my clit, a few feather-light strokes that become too much.
Everything is suddenly too much for me, and I have to pull my mouth away to catch my breath. His mouth just moves down my neck, almost in sync with his fingers.
It’s overwhelming and delicious.
“Elliot,” I pant, leaning my head back to give his mouth more access to my neck and pressing my body against his just a little tighter. “I’m right there.”
“I know you are. Come all over my hand, Aria.”
His thumb presses on my clit, and I grind against him.
It’s when the elevator comes to a stop that I reach the brink of my orgasm and give him everything I have.
Elliot is still kissing my neck, his hardness still very much pressed against me. If the elevators doors weren’t open, I will take care of him like he took care of me, but I do not want to risk Grayson walking by and seeing us.
Which reminds me…I should be working right about now. Not thinking of blowing my patient’s brother in the elevator.
So much for wanting to start our arrangement tonight.
As much as I don’t want to detach myself from Elliot right now, I have to. Controlling my breathing, my orgasm not forgotten, I slide one of my hands into his hair and bring his face up to mine. Not being able to resist, I place a chaste kiss on his lips.
“I think this arrangement has to wait a little bit longer. I’m still your brother’s nurse,” I say, giving him a knowing smile.
He lets out a combination of a grunt and a growl. “The bastard can take care of himself.”
I laugh. “He can, but until he goes to the doctor, he is still in my care, which means that fraternization rule is still in effect.”
Another sound leaves him. “Fine. But as soon as he’s cleared, you’re mine.”
His.
He doesn’t mean it in the way of me being his girlfriend, his person, but a part of me wishes he did. Those words don’t terrify me as much as they do coming from anyone else.
I like it coming from Elliot, but Jack ruined it for everyone.
“I’m yours,” I say, but as the words leave my mouth and reach my ears, I can’t help but wonder…
Why do I mean those words in more ways than one?