Chapter 15 #2
He sighs and saunters closer to me, hands in his suit pockets.
His hair is still a little wet from the post-game shower, and he smells fresh like soap.
Aftershave must have been all but forgotten as he was in a hurry to get to us so that we could have a nice Thanksgiving dinner.
Even without it, he sets my pulse racing the nearer he gets.
“It’s more than my contract.” He takes me by the hand and tells me in all seriousness that he won the lottery. I’m speechless for a minute, and almost crack up, believing this to be some kind of joke.
“How much?” I croak.
“After taxes, about half a billion,” he mutters.
“With a b?” That kind of money is not a joke at all.
“Yeah.” He also tells me about Bunny and that whole situation of failing at marriage.
She made him feel unlovable because all she cared about was her status as an actress, and flashing the wealth around with expensive purchases.
Most importantly, he didn’t want me to know at first because money always seems to mess up a relationship from the start for him.
I’m still stuck on billion with a b.
“With you, I hoped we’d get a second chance to build something strong enough to last. I worried my money would only complicate things, so I waited to tell you.
Until then, I tried to show up in ways that mattered—for you and for Aiden.
I’d give you everything I have if I thought that’s what you wanted.
Because in the end, all I really want is you. ”
When he finishes, I stalk over to the Ferrari, gleaming black under the lamps overhead. “So I’m dating a very wealthy man? From rags to riches.? I never would have seen this coming.”
“Promise me you won’t let it change you, baby.”
“It won’t.” I rub my arms, but it’s not too cold in here, probably a heated garage. “These cars don’t seem like the Eli I know at all. I pegged you for more of a muscle car type.”
“Yeah. That might have been a smarter purchase. But you have to admit, the Ferrari is pretty sleek. I bought her after the divorce.”
“It’s not my type of car, but…” I flutter my lashes in a sly side-eye. “I wouldn’t mind sitting in it once to know what it feels like.”
A slow grin spreads across his face. He opens the door and holds his hand out for me to get in.
I inhale the rich, real leather combined with remnants of his cologne, the definition of luxury to me.
He gets in on the driver’s side, and we’re encapsulated within a tiny space.
The heat of his stare on me is dark and intense as he leans over the center, running a finger down my thigh.
“You look sexy here next to me, wearing my jersey. So, what do you think?” He asks, voice deep, hitting my core. I cross my ankles to bring my thighs together. Not saying the car turns me on, just him.
“Feels like a luxury, and maybe a waste of money. You should definitely sell it.” I run my hand over the shiny wood on the door.
“Okay, I will. It means nothing to me.”
“Just like that?”
“Yep. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about things right away.
But I hope you understand why. Now that it’s out there, I’m so relieved you know.
But I sometimes feel you’re holding things back, too, not fully letting me in.
You don’t have to protect me from your thoughts—or whatever’s going on in that head of yours.
You did that once before, remember? When you kept everything about your dad hidden from me.
When you pushed me away instead of letting me in. ”
I swallow, knowing that he’s right. “The WAGs talked about a world I don’t fit into—waiting lists for elite kindergartens, mansions, expensive trips around the world. Now I see all of this, and I wonder if… Maybe you’d rather have someone who fits into that world better than I do.”
“Are you kidding me? I just told you that had a wife like that before. Didn’t work out so well. ”
“But how do you know things will work out for us now?”
He laces our fingers together on top of my thigh.
“My sweet Stella… don’t you know how you completely undid me in college?
How can you even think I could walk away from you this time?
I don’t want a version of you that fits into someone else’s ideals.
I’ve fallen for you. A woman who worries about doing right by her child.
The woman who makes a home out of scraps of fabric and knows that as long as there is love, her boy will turn out okay. ”
“You fell for me?” I arch a brow at him, leaning my head back on the headrest.
“Yeah. Is that okay with you?”
I sputter. “More than okay.”
He reaches over in the tight space, behind my neck, bringing my lips to meet his. I savor the taste of him, warming to his touch, getting lost in the strength of him. I hold on to him through the kisses until we’re both panting.
“Now I can say I’ve been kissed in a Ferrari,” I tease.
“Good timing, because I’m calling Renae in the morning and selling them all.”
“Really? Then follow me.” I have an idea. I get out and we approach the next car—a red Porsche. “Get in.”
Once inside, I make no room for conversation.
I grab his shirt, balling it in both hands, making out there like two wild teens, rushing on a school night before curfew.
His hand goes up my jersey, to my breasts, needing the nipple to a peak.
My hand goes to his cock in his pants, palming it above the fabric.
He growls when I tear away and get out, running to the next, my laughter echoing through the garage.
“What is this one called?”
“That’s a Lambo, baby,” he shouts. “What exactly are we doing?”
“If you’re selling them, I want to know what it’s like to be in them with you. Just one time.”
We get in and he captures my mouth with his again as we settle into the softest leather seats yet, but it isn’t enough. We need to be closer still.
“Come here,” he growls, bringing me over the center and onto his lap. The space is confined, perfectly containing us as we grow more needy of each other.
His hand dips down into my leggings, under my panties, finding me slick and waiting for him. He strums my clit, growling more. “Fuck. Maybe I’ll keep one car just to have these passionate moments with you when we can steal away from Aiden.”
“Mm. Might be useful,” I breathe, and moan his name on a sharp inhale as he thrusts two fingers inside of me.
My back arches, my head supported on the driver’s window. He grazes on my neck, sucking at my pulse, driving me crazy until I’m squirming in his hold. The higher I climb, the more I push aside anything but this moment with him. No exes, no studying for my upcoming finals, no worries about money.
Just us. Eli and Stella… Not a mistake. Meant to be.
When I crash, it’s quick, my quaking body shaking the car. He holds me sweetly through the waves and then licks his fingers clean when I’m done.
“So beautiful for me, Stella. Life with you in it again is so right,” he whispers. “I have everything I want here in my arms. You need to believe me when I say you and Aiden are my world.”
We hold each other until we calm again, and the mood turns serious.
“All of this is too much for Aiden to grasp; the money and—” I begin.
“You don’t have to say another word. Aiden is perfect the way he is. We can keep my financial status away from him for now, however long you want.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Of course. You’re his mother, and I respect the way you want to raise him.
Now, since it’s a little too complicated to take care of my needs in this car…
” He wiggles his brows and his cock twitches in his lap beneath me.
But then he sighs. “And before Aiden wonders where we are, we should head in for some pumpkin pie. But if you’re offering a rain check for later tonight, I’ll take it. ”
“Happy to,” I confirm, laughing as we unfold ourselves from the vehicle.
I put myself back together the best I can, and he points me to where the bathroom is down the nearest hall once we’re inside.
Only when I get there, Mason and Michelle exit.
They stop like two caught deer in headlights.
Clearly she’s having fun with her brother’s best friend.
With a knowing smile, I don’t say a word, ducking into the room and closing the door.
I lock it and admire myself in the mirror as I try to refashion my hair so it doesn’t scream, “Guess what we just did in a Lambo?” Words I never thought I’d ever say.
Thinking back over the things Eli admitted to me, about his ex, about his money and worries, about falling for me—so vulnerable and open—I need to be the same and tell him about Jerrod.
My stomach ties in knots about it, but Eli deserves to know what’s coming, and this time, I’m brave enough to stay and face everything with him.