Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
He watched as Lilly stirred in the bed, stretch out full length and then curled back into a ball. She seemed disorientated with the darkened room and looked around for a clock that sat on the bedside table.
“Good, you’re awake. I was wondering how long sleeping beauty was going to sleep for.” Elijah stood from the chair.
Padding barefoot over to her, he sat on the edge of the bed and gave her a cold drink.
Patiently waiting as she gulped down the drink and handed back the glass to him.
Her satisfied smile was adorable, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
He was running late for work and with Lilly there was no such thing as a quick kiss, so he resisted.
Taking her hand in his, he stroked his thumb over the back of her hand and said nothing for a few minutes.
He watched as Lilly closed her eyes and smiled gently at the comfortable silence they had.
“Sweetheart, I need to get to work, will you be ok here? You can come with me if you want to,” Elijah asked her.
“No,” she said not opening her eyes, “I think I’ll make some dinner and then go back to bed. You can go off to work, what time is it?”
“It’s just before midnight, why don’t you skip dinner and go back to sleep?” He said.
“I think I might, I feel so tired,” she said and snuggled down deeper into her duvet. “Thank you for staying, I’m sorry you have had to put up with me.”
“It’s not a problem, sweetheart, I’m so happy that you’re ok, and I’d never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you.”
“This wasn’t your fault, I shouldn’t have carried on talking to him,” she said.
Lilly opened her eyes, looked straight at Elijah and smiled.
“Let’s just leave it there shall we, as we’ll never agree,” Elijah said.
“Ok, are you seeing Jack tonight?” Lilly asked.
“No, I don’t think so, why do you ask?”
“Can you pass on my congratulations? I forgot to say at the hospital.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Olivia being pregnant, I forgot to say congratulations to them both.”
“I don’t think they’re having a baby, I’m sure Jack would’ve said something.”
“Oh, right, maybe I’m wrong, but it’s written all over her face, I thought it was common knowledge.”
“Well, I don’t know much about these things. Maybe they’re keeping it quiet so that no one thinks it’s a shotgun wedding.”
“Maybe, go off to work and charm all your customers,” Lilly said.
Elijah reached over, pushed a few strands of her hair out of her face and stroked her cheek.
“I’d much rather stay here and flirt with you but I have already had a call to come in.”
“Off you go charmer, let me sleep,” she said and smiled at her words.
Leaning over Elijah kissed her forehead, picked up his socks and shoes and left the room. Lilly was asleep before he closed the door. When he reached the sofa in the main room to put on his remaining clothes he jumped when he saw a shadow in the corner. There was someone here after all.
Leaping to his feet, he was ready to tackle whoever had broken into Lilly’s home. He was standing in front of the person in three strides and had his hand clamped around the man’s skinny arm.
“Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?” Elijah said, bellowing his question at the strange man.
“William Harrison.” There was a standoff, each glaring at the other. “Well, I know who I am, who are you and what are you doing in my sister’s apartment at midnight?” William said.
Elijah let William’s arm go and took a step back, he switched on the light nearest him so that he could take a look at the man claiming to be Lilly’s brother.
He looked thin and scrawny, his hair greasy and matted.
He didn’t look like a healthy person and Elijah wondered why he was skulking in the dark.
“My name is Elijah Geary and I am a friend of hers. Why are you hiding in the dark?”
“I’m not hiding. I just got here when you came out of her bedroom. Why are you running off and not saying goodbye to her? She deserves better than that Elijah. What kind of name is Elijah?”
“Oh, I see,” Elijah said, tapping his finger on his lips.
“You’re an arsehole, well as much as I would like to stand here talking to you, I have a job to get to.
Don’t think I don’t know what you do as a sideline either.
We’ll have this talk another time when I’m not as angry. ” Elijah turned to walk away.
William was wise enough to keep quiet and let Elijah leave the apartment. Elijah assumed that as William had not broken in, Lilly was ok with him being there and didn’t question him further. Closing the front door behind him, he drove to his bar to sort out the mess that had happened earlier.