Chapter 26 Trust #2
Johanna nodded and returned to the reception area.
I figured he’d address me about my little outburst, but here? At my place of business? He wasn’t that crazy.
Jo appeared in the doorway again. “He said if you don’t come out here, he’ll come to you.”
My eyes widened.
A few amused gasps rang out before Esther chimed in from her nail desk. “Ouuu, you in troubleeee.”
Laughter rippled through the salon.
“Shut up, Es,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.
My client raised an eyebrow. “You need a break to handle that?”
“No, no.” I picked up my needle again. “He ain’t stupid. He knows I’m working.”
London snorted. “Girl, you know Elliot doesn’t care about nothing else when it comes to you.”
“Exactly,” Esther agreed.
I ignored them both, turning back to Johanna. “Jo. Tell him I’m busy. I’ll talk to him later.”
Before she could even move, Elliot rounded the corner and stalked toward me.
“Ouuu,” Esther sang again, stirring up a few more giggles from the clients and the girls servicing them.
The salon fell silent as he reached me, and all eyes were on us.
He made it his business to invade my space, using his broad, muscular frame to cage me in, making sure I had nowhere to go as he looked down at me.
His scent wrapped around me. I’d missed it all day, but now was not the time to think about it.
“We need to talk. Now,” he commanded. He used every bit of dominance in his tone, making it clear this was not up for discussion.
Still, I folded my arms defiantly. “I’m working, Elliot. You can’t just—”
He cut me off, leaning over my client’s chair with that effortless charm.
“I’m sorry, honey. I need to talk to her for a minute. Do you mind? I’ll pay for your hair.”
My client barely hesitated. “Baby, if you pay for this $250 install, you can do whatever you like.”
I shot her a look, and she just grinned.
Elliot smirked, but when he turned back to me, his expression darkened. He nodded toward the staff room door. “Let’s go.”
I stood firm in my stance, not moving an inch. In response, he got closer, swallowing up what little air had separated us as he leaned down, his breath warm against my ear. “You want me to make a scene?”
I stiffed at his words. He would do it, too.
Without much argument, I put the needle down. “I’ll be right back.”
My client waved me off. “Take your time.”
Snickers and whispers followed us as Elliot followed me toward the staff room. But he didn’t stop there—he pulled me into the supply closet, shutting the door behind us for extra privacy. Elliot’s jaw was tight, his eyes locked onto mine with frustration as he exhaled sharply.
“What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing, huh?” He folded his arms. “So what was that little stunt you pulled on the phone? Hanging up on me? Yelling at me? Since when have we treated each other like that?”
My heart sank. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry ain’t enough, Elliot. Explain yourself. What’s gotten into you?”
You. Last night.
I clenched my jaw, swallowing the thought like it tasted bitter. “I said nothing.”
“Are you mad I was busy?” His tone was controlled. “Because I told you I would be when I left this morning.”
“I know.”
“So what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
He stepped closer. The space between us shrank like it did in the salon. “You think I’m stupid? Tell me what the problem is.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. “The problem is you left.”
That stopped him.
His face shifted, brows knitting together like he didn’t quite hear me right. “What?”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. “Forget it.”
“No. No—talk to me.” He gently tilted my chin up with his hand. “Help me understand. You’re upset I left this morning?”
I let out a breath. “It’s not the fact that you left. It’s how you left. And how you’ve been treating me all day.”
His shoulders relaxed slightly, but the concern in his eyes only deepened. “How have I been treating you, Peanut?”
I hesitated. “Like last night didn’t matter.
Like it was just another night. Maybe that’s what it was for you, but for me.
.. it wasn’t. It was a big deal. A huge deal.
I haven’t been naked in front of a man in years, El.
I haven’t let myself be that vulnerable in.
.. I don’t even know how long. Last night meant something. ”
He exhaled sharply, his head falling for a second before he met my gaze again.
“Ellie,” he sighed, voice rough and quiet, “I thought you said you trusted me last night.”
I was visibly taken aback by his words, blinking and mouth ajar like a fool. “I-I do.”
“You trust me, but the minute you don’t hear from me you assume the worst?”
Oop.
“You trust me, but you think I’ve been playing you all this time to get what I want?”
“I shouldn’t have said that—”
“Last night meant a lot to me too, Elliot. I told you I was in love with you. We made love for the first time, not just had sex. You don’t think I felt that? Our souls connected. Your spirit intertwined with mine. You think I don’t understand the importance of that?”
“Then why are you acting like you don't understand the importance?” I whispered.
“I’m not. I swear, I’m not.” His hands found my waist and pulled me into him like it was the only place that made sense.
“Baby, if I had it my way, I’d still be in that bed with you, thanking God you chose me.
I’d spend the whole damn day kissing your thighs and worshipping every inch of you. But I can’t. Not every day.”
He leaned in, touching his forehead to mine. “I’m building something, Ellie. A legacy. And it’s not just mine—I want you in it. I see the way you work, the way you fight for this, for your girls, for your name. I love that about you. That’s what I’m doing too. For us.”
I blinked, hard. He wasn’t wrong. We were creators at heart. Passionate. Obsessive. Addicted to our crafts.
Elliot cupped my cheek, his thumb grazing my skin.
“I’m sorry about today. You’re right. I should have prioritized taking care of you after the night we had.
I got caught up in work, and I promise I’ll make it up to you.
But don’t ever question what you mean to me.
Your trust in me can’t fall apart so easily, Ellie.
I said I’m not going anywhere and I meant it. ”
I looked away, eyes stinging. I still had a long way to go when it came to this new chapter I was writing for myself. Last night had me thinking all my problems could be fixed with a little ‘TLC’, but evidently, there was more to it than that.
Maybe this was real healing. Messy. Slow. Unpredictable. Incomplete.
“I’m sorry too,” I whispered, voice barely there. “I’m still working on letting you all the way in.”
His gaze dipped to my lips.
“I know. I love you, Elliot. I’ll wait,” he breathed. His hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me in.
The moment our lips met, the tension broke. His hands roamed down my spine, slipping under the hem of my shirt, anchoring me to him. I clung to him tightly, like I could fuse our bodies together if I tried hard enough.
“Open your legs, Elliot,” he growled.
I obeyed without thinking.
He slid his hands down my back, into my pants, cupped me through my panties first with just enough pressure to make me gasp.
Then he forced them aside, fingers sliding into me like he already knew my spot.
He never looked away from my face—watching the way I unraveled under his touch, like it fed something primal in him.
“I missed this already,” he rasped. “I missed you.”
“Elli—”
“I’m right here,” he said, kissing the words off my tongue. “I’ve got you, baby.”
And then—of course.
“Ellie, we need you back up here!” Johanna’s voice cut through the haze like a damn fire alarm from the other side of the door.
“Fuck.” I groaned, pressing my palms into my eyes.
Elliot stepped back slowly, his breath ragged, hand flexing once at his side before he adjusted himself. His jaw was locked tight, his pupils dark and blown with need that hadn’t gone anywhere.
He stared at me like I was a meal. “Come over tonight.”
It wasn’t a question.
I swallowed hard. “I—”
“Elliot. If you’re not in my bed with me between your legs by nine o’clock,” he said lethally, “I’ll be in my car. Hunting. You. Down. And believe me, you don’t want that. Because wherever I find you, that’s where I’m having you. Do you understand me?”
My breath caught. “Y-yes.”
“Good.”
He pulled out his wallet, peeled off five crisp hundred-dollar bills, and pressed them into my hand.
“For the lady’s hair,” he said with a smirk, kissing the corner of my mouth before leaving the room like he hadn’t just ruined my entire ability to function for the rest of the day.