CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ELIAS
Cadi shifted next to him, and Elias grunted, failing to muffle the sound of pain when her elbow dug into his hip.
“Oh! Sorry!” she said, tipping her head up with a look that would have taken him to his knees.
Good thing he was already sitting down. He smiled at her, letting her soft curls flow over his fingers.
They were so effortless, so perfectly her.
He didn’t think he would ever grow tired of touching them. Or her.
“It’s okay, you didn’t hit anything important.”
She let out a quiet laugh, a playfulness creeping into her eyes before she settled her head against him, the faint smell of jasmine following in the wake of her movement. He let his fingers drift over the bare skin of her arm and smiled to himself when he felt a layer of goosebumps chase his touch.
It had barely been a month since she walked into his life, but even in that short time the reality of her was better than anything he could have dreamed. Nothing could have prepared him for the way her voice landed in his chest, or the way it felt to kiss her.
It was a miracle he had been able to cling to any semblance of control, especially after the way she had moved her hips against him …
Fuck. He had nearly shattered for her right there.
But he couldn’t lose control. Not with her. She deserved so much more than a single night of fire.
The screen of his phone lit up on the coffee table with a call. Elias shifted forward to grab it, trying his best not to disturb Cadi, and he let out a low chuckle when he read the name that flashed across the screen.
Cadi angled her face toward him, her eyes still glued to the television. “What’s so funny?”
“It’s Sera …”
Cadi snorted, pushing up to tuck her feet beneath herself. “So now her phone is on? How convenient.”
Elias’s eyes flicked up to hers, their crystalline blue briefly making him forget what he was doing. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said, leaning closer to her and smirking when he heard the way her breath hitched. “I think things worked out.”
She gave him a shy smile, which he claimed with his own lips before he forced himself to pull away from her to take the call.
“I’ll be right back.”
Cadi nodded as he stood, the skin at her chest flushed in response to his kiss. He could already tell that would never get old.
“Hello, Sera,” he said sarcastically into the receiver as he climbed the stairs to the bedroom.
“Hey!” Sera’s cheery voice replied from the other end of the line. “How’s Cuba?”
Elias breathed a laugh. “Oh, Cuba’s great. Of course, she would be with two people looking after her.”
A dramatic gasp sounded, followed by the worst attempt at false contrition Elias had ever heard.
“Oh dear. Did I forget that I got Cadi to dog sit for me? Darn. Sometimes I’m just so spacey.”
Elias rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall next to the bathroom. “Mmmhm. I suppose you think you’re pretty slick, don’t you?”
“Hmmm, I’d say it’s less something I think and more something I know. And don’t even try pretending to be mad. We both knew from the second she showed up that this was the only way this would go, even with your half-hearted declaration to “stay away”. I just helped things along a little bit.”
Elias turned so his shoulder rested against the wall, peering down at the lower level where Cadi was still seated on the couch, fully engrossed in the movie.
The tiny flutter in his chest stirred, shifting to more of a pull as he watched her.
His smile grew when she reached her arms over her head and bent back over the sofa into a stretch before letting out an adorable squeak.
He was in so much trouble.
“I know …” he whispered.
The end of the line was silent for a moment, and Elias began to wonder if the call had dropped until Sera spoke, her words sending ice into his veins.
“You know you have to tell her …”
Elias pushed off the wall and stepped farther into the bedroom, his voice dipping low. “You know I can’t, Sera. And I don’t want you—”
“That’s not what I’m talking about, E …”
His entire body tensed as anger began to simmer in his chest. There was no question Sera had orchestrated this entire set up, but until that moment he had never thought to question her motivation.
Sera was one of the most genuine people he’d ever met, but he couldn’t deny that she stood to gain a lot from Cadi’s presence in his life.
He had to be sure. “Sera,” he said, trying to hide the way his voice had started to shake.
“Please tell me this wasn’t all some play to help you find—”
“Elias—babe—no,” she replied calmly, “I did this because I love you both … and because I saw the way you look at her.”
His fingers dug into his hair as a low breath slipped from his chest. Thank the gods. That was one battle he didn’t think he would have had the energy to fight, especially not with Sera.
“But she’s involved in this whether you want her to be or not,” she continued, “she always has been. Keeping her blind now won’t keep her safe. She deserves to know.”
Elias stood from the bed and began to pace. His stomach twisted at the idea of dragging Cadi into the mess they were in. He’d thought he’d have more time, that he’d be done with this before she—
That didn’t matter. She was in his life now, and he would do anything to keep her safe.
Whatever it took.
“Okay,” he said, “I’ll tell her, but … not yet. I just want to be with her for a little while.”
Sera was quiet for a long moment, and Elias could almost feel her disappointment bleeding through the line. “Okay. I won’t say anything as long as you promise me you will. You can’t keep this from her, E.”
“I know. I promise.”
Elias ended the call and slipped his phone into his back pocket before he descended the metal steps.
“What did Sera want?” Cadi asked, her eyes tracking him as he lowered himself down next to her.
“Just calling to gloat,” he replied.
Cadi let out a full laugh as she rolled her eyes. “Of course she was.”
Something in Elias’s chest tightened at the sound of her joy. “I can’t wait to hear more of that,” he said, tracing his thumb against her cheek.
Cadi’s brows drew together in silent question, and her head tilted slightly in a move that drew him even further into her.
“Your laugh,” he said.
A shy smile pulled at her lips again as the most captivating shade of crimson spilled across her cheeks. She looked down at her hands, but he caught her chin, refusing to let her retreat.
“You don’t have to hide with me.”
And he meant it. He wanted every piece of her. The sharp edges, the stubborn pride, the parts she kept locked away. He wanted it all.
She stared at him for a moment, like she was fully letting herself hear his words. Then, she nodded.
Elias leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.
He let his hand drift, trailing the tips of his fingers against her neck until they reached her collarbone.
He held back a groan at the soft sound she made in response to his touch, his mind filling in the blanks to imagine all the other sounds she might make for him.
But not tonight. She was still just learning to let him in.
He pulled back, smiling when Cadi fell forward against his chest like she was barely able to let go of his kiss.
Shifting his body, he lifted his arm again so she could rest against his side, then let his fingers resume their lazy circles over her skin.
He wondered if she could hear the way his heart was pounding, if she had any idea how precious she already was to him.
Whatever happened, he had to keep her safe.
Even from himself.