Chapter 10
ten
VI
Eli tucked his arm beneath my head again, and I leaned against his side as he turned the TV on. “Want to watch another movie?”
“Sure.”
He turned something on, his fingers brushing my arm lightly as the movie started to play.
I tried to focus on the characters on the screen, despite the warmth in my veins and the constant pain. My body needed us together. Again.
“What’s your ex’s name?” Eli asked, a few minutes in.
My eyebrows lifted. “Seriously?”
“Yep.” He continued moving his fingers. Somehow, the touch to my arm just made me want him more.
I was quiet for a moment before finally answering. “Gavin.”
Eli made a noncommittal noise.
My lips quirked upward. “It’s a pretty normal name.”
“Never said it wasn’t.”
“Alright.”
We were both quiet for a few more minutes.
He spoke up again. “How long ago did it end?”
“About three years ago.”
Eli didn’t give away how he felt about that response.
He also didn’t stay quiet for too long afterward. “How did you find out about the cheating?”
My amusement faded. Quickly. “He got a text from his affair partner while he was in the shower after we hooked up one afternoon. She wanted to know if he was still coming over at 5. I asked him what he was doing that night, and he told me he had to be back to work at 5. I confronted him while he was still in the shower, and he admitted he’d been seeing her for over a year.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.” I studied the ceiling. “I should’ve known. There were so many red flags, even Randa tried to point them out. I was just so in love, I refused to see them. It never occurred to me that I might love him more than he loved me. Cheating wasn’t even a possibility in my mind.”
“Well, it was his loss.”
I shook my head, my eyes stinging. “He didn’t try to win me back. He didn’t even apologize . My entire reality was shattered, and he barely blinked. He even proposed to his affair partner a few months later. Love is screwed up.”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
I scoffed. “Of course it does. Someone’s always going to love more, and be more at risk in a relationship. How could it possibly be balanced? Look at Randa and Jasper, and August and Elodie. When August left her, Elodie was destroyed . She was so upset, she literally vomited when another guy touched her. And Randa? If Jasper ever changes his mind about being with her, what the hell is she going to do? She has no money, and no way to get back to Scale Ridge. Their bank accounts are joint; she would have to move in with me, or with our parents, assuming she even manages to stay sane without him anymore. She told me how much she relies on him.”
“That doesn’t take into account the way August and Jasper would be affected by the relationship ending,” Eli countered. “Neither of them could fly without their mates, which is a deal breaker for a dragon. He would stay in an unhappy relationship his entire life for the sake of his wings.”
“Exactly! Everything is such a tangled mess for everyone involved. I can’t imagine a way it doesn’t end in heartbreak for whoever cares more. And knowing my friends, they’re the ones who’ll end up hurting.”
“August could barely function when he left Elodie behind. And Jasper would sooner sever his own limbs from his body than hurt Randa in any way.”
“August still left. And Jasper doesn’t rely on Randa like she does him. She told me herself that he’s the steady one.”
“But that doesn’t mean the guys aren’t the ones who love more,” Eli countered.
“We’re never going to agree on this,” I said, done with the conversation.
Eli let out a breath of frustration, but stopped arguing with me.
It felt much different than the playful fighting we’d done in the past. More serious. And more real.
The movie played all the way through.
I barely followed along with the plot. My body hurt, and I was sweating more and more by the minute.
Eli’s touch on my arm remained light, and halfway through, he rolled onto his side to put his hand on my abdomen. He didn’t bother asking before slipping his palm beneath my sleep top, either.
When the credits started playing. I turned on a new movie.
“You’re in pain, Spaghetti,” Eli said, his voice unhappy.
“I’m fine.” I gritted the words out. After our conversation, I really had no desire to be with him again, outside of my body’s insistence.
“I can smell it on your skin.” He lowered his nose to my neck, and my body flushed further with his light brush to the place he’d bitten me. “Forget what we were talking about earlier. Let me make you feel good. We already agreed to be nothing more than roommates with benefits.”
He wasn’t wrong.
And I hurt everywhere .
It wouldn’t be risking my heart to have more crazy hot sex with my permanent roommate, would it?
Maybe it would be.
But there really wasn’t an alternative.
“Don’t make me seduce you, woman,” Eli finally rumbled, his lips brushing his healed bite once again. The touch made me shiver.
“Go ahead and try,” I whispered.
His hand slid lower, his fingers slipping beneath the waistband of my shorts while a mental image appeared in my mind.
His face was between my thighs again.
A moan escaped me.
My head tipped back, my eyes closing. His fingers dragged over my clit, and I swore.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” His lips moved down my shoulder, finding my breast. He sucked my nipple lightly through the fabric of my top, and my body arched. “Heat’s going to be too strong to fight anymore after you’ve taken my cock again.”
“Then let’s stop fighting it.” I rocked as his thick finger entered me, his thumb still on my clit. “I don’t want to hurt anymore.”
“Good.” He dragged his teeth over my nipple before releasing it, then freed his hand from my shorts. I started to protest, but he got my top over my head, and my shorts to my feet so fast, the sound died in my throat.
A cry of pleasure replaced it when his tongue found my core, his hands opening my thighs wider.
And I was lost to the lust of heat.
Days passed quickly after that.
Hell, weeks passed quickly.
Two weeks, to be exact.
We only stopped screwing when we needed to eat or sleep. Even that didn’t last long, because the pain returned whenever we weren’t having sex. And neither of us wanted me to be in pain.
Especially not when the alternative was so, so good.
Our room was a wreck and our bodies reeked of pleasure when the last climaxes finally tore through us, leaving me breathless beneath Eli’s delicious body.
He groaned as heat’s intense pressure finally started to fade, and he dropped his forehead to rest against mine.
My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath, my legs quivering after so many mind-blowing orgasms.
But the pain was finally disappearing, and the fire in my veins along with it.
Our breathing evened out together, and my body relaxed in a way I wasn’t sure it ever had before. Heat had been exhausting, but in an awesome way.
And it was a good thing birth control existed. A great thing. Because whew, that was a lot of sex.
I didn’t even want to look at the bed’s sheets.
Or the couch.
Shudder.
Though I was wiped out, I was itching to leave the hotel room. We’d been inside for a really long time, and there was a lot to explore before we headed home in a few days.
“How do you feel about wandering around the town today?” I mumbled against Eli’s lips. The brush of them was intimate, but physical intimacy wasn’t new for us after the way the last two weeks had gone. “I think I saw the sun peeking out above the curtains an hour or two ago.”
Eli’s head lifted for a moment before his forehead pressed against mine again. “Yep, looks like the middle of the day. I could go for lunch and some walking around, as long as you agree on an afternoon nap.”
“Deal.”
He nodded against me.
“Mind letting me shower first?” I asked. “Might be nice to have a few minutes of privacy.”
“Sure.” He brushed a light kiss to my lips before pausing and retreating. “Sorry. Roommates.”
“It’s fine. It’ll take us both a few days to get used to touching less.”
He made a noise of agreement, then finally rolled off of me.
I padded across the room, bare-assed and feeling his eyes on my backside as I went. I had to have been imagining it, though, because the man had certainly gotten more than his fill in the last two weeks. He had no need to check me out anymore.
We’d go back to being platonic until heat struck again, in another month.
Or I guess, we wouldn’t go back to it.
We’d never really been friends.
So… we’d figure out how to be platonic until heat struck again.
Yep, that sounded better.
The shower was so nice, I stayed in longer than I should’ve. When my stomach’s growling got too loud, I finally forced myself to shut off the water and get out.
The bathroom door was propped open; I hadn’t bothered closing it. When I noticed a clean pair of my clothes on the countertop, my eyebrows lifted.
“You got clothes for me?” I called out.
“Yup. Found them while I was cleaning up.”
"You don’t need to clean without me,” I protested, getting dressed quickly. “I can help.”
“No need. I got it ready enough for housekeeping. I’ll leave a big tip on the dresser, too.”
“I can handle the tip.” I finally stumbled out of the bathroom, drying my hair with my damp towel as I went. My gaze landed on Eli’s bare body, his cock still hard, and I couldn’t help but be just the tiniest bit turned on. I didn’t have a reason for it, “We’re equals in this, right?”
“Sure. You’re not paying, though. My income outweighs yours too much, and I’m the one funding the heat trip. Remember?”
That had been the agreement.
I was just maybe regretting it a little, now that guilt was setting in.
“No feeling bad,” Eli warned. “It was my idea. I’m footing the bill whether you like it or not.”
“Did you just figure out my emotions from my scent?”
“Nah. They’re written all over your face.” He gestured to his own face. “Mind if I take a shower now?”
“It’s all yours.” I crossed the room, looking for something to clean in an attempt to pull my own weight.
But, I didn’t find anything.
Dammit.
Eli had unburied my phone from wherever it went during heat, and set it on my nightstand, charging. I turned it on, sitting down on the chair nearest to it.
I bit my lip while I waited for it to start up, then read all the messages I’d missed while we were getting busy.
Brynn
OMG
YOU’RE MATED TO ELI?!
AND ON VACATION IN SWITZERLAND?!
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!
I NEED ALL THE DETAILS!
I WILL SHAMELESSLY OFFER BABY CUDDLES IN EXCHANGE FOR INFORMATION
TEXT ME WHEN HEAT IS OVER!!!
I bit my lip harder and sent a message.
Me
Heat just ended, we’re spending a few more days sightseeing before flying home
I’ll text you when I’m back in town?
Brynn answered immediately.
Brynn
YESSSS
I’M DYING FOR INFO, AND ELODIE AND RANDA AREN’T TELLING ME ANYTHING
I couldn’t fight my smile.
Randa and Elodie were the best. They’d tell each other everything, but they’d let me tell other people my own story. Especially when other people were my new sister-in-law and her mate.
Me
Alright, it’s a plan
Brynn sent me a gif of someone cheering, and I laughed to myself as I opened up my next text thread.
Randa
I assume you’re consumed by heat, so have fun! Text me when it’s over!
Me
Heat finally ended, we’re about to head out for some adventuring
Gotta enjoy the last few days of vacation
Randa
Was it good??
Me
Ridiculously so
Randa
YAY!
I didn’t think you’d ever let yourself fall for anyone after Gavin
Me
Oh, we’re not together like that
Randa
??
How?
What do you mean?
You guys are mates
Aren’t you?
Me
Technically, yes
But we agreed to be just ROOMmates
Randa
Tell me you’re joking
Me
I’m not
Randa
You’re insane
Eli can’t be on board with that
Me
He is
My defenses started rising.
Me
I’ve gotta go, but we can talk when I’m back in town
Randa
Alright
Be safe
And keep an open mind
I hearted her message, since I wasn’t about to agree that my mind was open.
It wasn’t open.
I wasn’t doing a relationship again.
Elodie had left a few similar messages, telling me to have fun and be safe, so I let her know heat was over and we’d be back in town soon too.
The final texts were from my mom.
I stared at the preview for a moment before shaking my head and shutting my phone off again.
I wasn’t dealing with that.
Not yet.
Letting out an unsteady breath, I finally leaned my head back and relaxed in the chair.
Maybe I didn’t want to go exploring.
Maybe I just wanted to curl up in our bed and sleep.
Eli stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, slicking his hair out of his face as he pulled his change of clothes off the dresser.
I watched the muscles on his back move as he disappeared into the bathroom.
I was still way too attracted to the guy to stay in the room with him. We’d end up having sex again.
So…
We’d have to explore a lot .