Chapter 7
CHAPTER
SEVEN
AGAIN, GEORGIA SAT next to him even though there was plenty of space for her to sit somewhere else. Anywhere else. It was like she was taunting him. Egging him on to make a move.
That wasn’t going to happen.
He shifted a few inches away from her.
“Do you think I should have gone out?” Georgia asked him as she leaned forward to grab a beer. “I got dressed up, but it was for no reason.”
He watched her take a sip of her drink as he debated how to answer her question. Perhaps if he stayed quiet, she’d stop talking. And if he was really lucky, she’d raid Roman’s closet for some sweats, so her soft, creamy skin wasn’t on display.
“They’re going to Pulsations, a club a few blocks from Lighthouse,” Georgia informed him like he gave a single shit about what everyone else was doing.
“That’s like, what? Ten minutes from here?
I’m sure Anna wouldn’t mind dropping me off, but that’s a lot of running around for her. I could just Uber.”
Elijah dropped his head back to stare at the ceiling.
“It’s not like the company is so riveting here.” Her voice held some irritation to it.
He heard her tapping away on her phone, which made him sit back up. “What are you doing?”
She rolled her eyes. “I drove here, but I want to meet Sofie and have a drink, so I need to get a ride to the bar.”
“Nope.” Elijah reached over and snatched the phone from her. He tucked her cell carefully into his back pocket. That was when the stare down started, and if Georgia thought he was changing his mind, she was sadly mistaken.
“What do you mean, nope?”
“Exactly what it sounded like.”
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
“Looks like I just did.”
“You’re an asshole,” Georgia barked, crossing her arms with her nose in the air.
She was pissed.
Good.
So was he.
He opened another beer and took a sip. At this rate, he would definitely need to sleep in a guest room. “I’m well aware. Glad you got the memo.”
“Well, if you’re going to hold me hostage, then you better entertain me. Unless you’re not equipped to do that.” Georgia lifted an eyebrow as if Elijah wasn’t able to keep her attention.
Which was bullshit.
Just a few weeks ago, he could have fucked her at the fire station. She was damn well entertained then.
Elijah put his drink back on the table and moved closer to Georgia.
She bit her lip, and fuck if it didn’t remind him of how soft her mouth was.
He slid his hand up her arm, slowly chasing the goose bumps across her collarbone.
Georgia licked the spot where her teeth left indentations on her lips, making him out of control with need.
Elijah’s hand went around her throat, and he husked, “Do you think I can’t entertain you?”
Her pulse raced underneath his touch. “That’s still up in the air,” Georgia murmured.
“You don’t want to play this game,” he warned, tightening his grip around her neck.
“I’m not scared of you,” his vixen sassed back. It was like her goal for the night was to drive him crazy until he snapped and gave in. Unfortunately, it was working.
He leaned closer. His mouth hovered by her ear, his hand still squeezing her throat. “You should be.”
Elijah kissed the patch of available skin on her neck, right below his thumb. She softly moaned, and fuck, his cock got hard just from the damn noises she made. He was pissed about how he was spiraling over her. His tongue licked the skin he kissed, right before his teeth nipped it.
The front door opened, breaking them apart.
“We stopped at the liquor store for some vodka,” Anna said with the bottle held high in the air as she walked past them to get to the kitchen. “Roman, where are your shot glasses?”
Roman followed her, and Elijah watched Georgia try to catch her breath.
“You won’t win this game,” he reminded her before she shot off the couch to join their friends in the kitchen.
He groaned, sinking back into the couch.
The thing was he wasn’t sure either of them would survive this game if they ever tried to play.
GEORGIA NUDGED HER head to the side while she fake coughed, frantically trying to get Anna’s attention. But her friend was oblivious. Ugh, what was she supposed to do?
She and her friends decided she would wear her most risquè outfit, doll herself up, and drive Elijah to the breaking point. Instead, he barely acknowledged her. When he did, it was only to turn her on and make her needy as hell, and then promptly tell her to be afraid of him.
Which was more of a turn-on, not a turn-off.
Granted, she was way in over her head. The man made her panties damp, and all he had to do was talk. Then he put his mouth on her, and she was like a water faucet down there. It was embarrassing.
All she wanted to do was go home.
She wasn’t running from him but instead giving herself a time-out.
Because the truth of it was, maybe she couldn’t handle him after all.
“You alright?” Roman asked Georgia.
Anna finally looked at her, and her eyes widened. “Oh yeah. Okay.”
Roman looked between the two of them. “What’s going on?”
Anna pushed him toward the living room where Elijah was. “I need to have a quick chat with Georgia. Alone. Go sit with Lou.”
“You’re acting suspect,” Roman told her. But at least the man followed.
“You are the worst at reading the room!” Georgia complained, doing her best to pull the short dress down.
Anna pointed at the shot glasses. “I was prepping for our game.”
She cringed at the memory of Elijah banning her from playing games with him. It was still fresh.
“When you were gone, he basically told me to leave him alone.” She left out the piece where he bit her neck. Elijah did that to prove she wasn’t ready for him.
And he was right.
Anna put her hands on Georgia’s shoulders.
“You mastered med school, so you can master Elijah. If that’s who you want, you can’t back down.
Girl, that man tracks every step you take.
The tension between you two is thick enough to cut.
This isn’t a matter of him not wanting you.
He has such a stick up his ass about hooking up with locals. ”
“Which is a disturbing red flag,” Georgia said while standing up straighter. Anna was right. She could handle anything.
Anna tilted her head to the side. “Maybe, but I think there’s more to it. But if you don’t want him, it’s no big deal. Move on.”
“Do you care if I leave? After Elijah tried to boss me around and then bit my neck, I’ve had—”
“Wait, what?” Anna jumped up.
“Shhh!” Georgia put a finger over her mouth.
“Do you still want to sleep with Elijah?”
“Yes.” She didn’t even have to think twice. The bigger problem was whether she’d survive it.
Anna grabbed a shot, took Georgia’s hand, and dragged her along. “Follow my lead.”
They stepped back into the living room, where the guys had their attention on the game.
“Georgia is heading home, but Roman, you promised me truth or dare,” Anna said, handing him a shot.
“Elijah, are you playing, or can Georgia give you a ride home? Honest, you should probably let her drive you home because she’s still getting used to being back in Landmere.
Call me an overprotective friend, but I don’t want anything to happen to her. ”
That was a crap reason.
Landmere was relatively safe, and just because Georgia had been away for a decade didn’t mean she had forgotten how to drive. Besides, even if she was attracted to Elijah didn’t mean she wanted him to go home with her. Not after he was a complete ass to her.
Georgia yanked her hand from her friend. “I can handle the fifteen-minute drive home without some egotistical firefighter being a back seat driver.”
Roman laughed. “Ha, she already knows what it’s like driving with you.”
“Fuck off,” Elijah responded, putting his full drink on the table before standing. “I’m ready to go home anyway. I don’t need to know what truths either of you have to share.”
Anna’s eyes gleamed. “Probably better off that way. Last time we played, Roman had to share his favorite sex position, and it’s missionary!”
“Because it’s the easiest way to get my partner off,” Roman defended himself. “I won’t apologize for being a giver in bed.”
This was going downhill. What if he asked everyone what their favorite position was? She would have nothing to say. Georgia grabbed her purse.
“Well, you two can have fun comparing notes. Elijah, let’s go.”
She marched off to the door, hoping he didn’t follow.
Georgia had enough of Elijah for one night.
OF COURSE HE followed her.
And for a man who wasn’t known for saying too much, he was quick to talk tonight.
“What was your goal tonight?” Elijah asked as they both got comfortable and buckled their seat belts.
She turned her car on. “My goal was to find someone to go home with.”
Georgia went to turn the music up because this conversation was over, but Elijah turned the radio off.
“Then why didn’t you go out?”
“Because going out with my older brother to find someone to hook up with isn’t my idea of a good time. Now, tell me where you live. The faster I drop you off, the faster I can go home.”
“I’m on DuPont Street.”
Georgia drove in that direction, surprised by where he lived. DuPont Street was notoriously known as one of the best areas for families. For a man with commitment issues, his mailing address was contradictory.
“It’s two blocks from the station,” he reminded her as if she didn’t grow up in Landmere. “My house is number 8.”
Instead of answering him, she gave him a thumbs-up.
“Couldn’t you have asked your brother to hang back at Roman’s house?” Elijah pressed.
“Are you an only child?” It was the only explanation for his question.
He stretched his legs forward as best as he could in her Jetta. “Yeah, so what?”
Turning onto DuPont Street, she tapped on her steering wheel.
“Because if you had a sibling, you would understand. He wouldn’t have stayed at Roman’s, and if I asked him, it would only add more fuel to the fire.
Nash is great, but do you really think my big brother is the best wingman for me, his little sister? ”
“Good point. Since Nash isn’t here, I’ll tell you not to run around town, wearing basically no clothes, to find someone to fuck.”
And like the complete immature butthead he was, he crossed his arms.
Georgia pulled up to his house and parked her car. “That’s your sage advice, to stay at home and just hope a man I find attractive knocks on my door to hook up?”
Elijah unbuckled his seat belt. “You don’t need to sleep with anyone.”
“When was the last time you slept with someone?” Georgia asked, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder.
He was quiet for a minute.
“That’s not the point,” Elijah countered without actually answering her question.
“It’s exactly the point. If I want to sleep with someone, I will. No one else has a say in it, including you.”
Elijah ran his hands through his hair. “Why are you so eager to fuck someone?”
“Not that it’s your business, but I want to have an orgasm from someone who isn’t me or my vibrator.”
That was one way to shut Elijah up.
They both glared at each other, waiting for one of them to break the silence first. Georgia wasn’t going to cave.
“Fuck it,” Elijah grumbled.
He reached over and pressed the button to turn her car off. Then he got out of the Jetta and slammed the door shut.
What the hell was he doing?
Elijah yanked her door open. “Get out.”
“Right now?” She hated the quiver in her voice.
He leaned closer to her and unbuckled her seat belt. “Yes, Georgia.”
Patience wasn’t his virtue because before she had a chance to grab her purse, he dragged her out of the car. Elijah threw her over his shoulder, fireman style, and marched to the front door of his house.
“What are you doing!” She smacked his back.
He didn’t answer but held her tight as he opened the door and then kicked it shut. In lightning speed, she was in his bedroom and dropped onto his king-sized bed.
“You want an orgasm so badly, I’ll give you one.”
Georgia scrambled to sit up in his bed. “I thought you don’t date local girls.”
He grinned and pulled his T-shirt over his head. “We aren’t dating, and this is only for tonight.”
The alarm bells were ringing in her head, but she couldn’t deny her physical attraction to him. He said it was just one night, and truly, that was all she needed to have an introduction to sex.
This was it.
Her virginity was about to be a thing of the past.