His fingers dip inside me and he grunts in satisfaction before he lines himself up with my opening—a thick, blunt press of his cock, a warning of what’s to come.
My eyes are already falling closed in anticipation. How am I going to live without this? How am I ever going to settle for anything less than Elijah—Elijah and those rough hands of his, that thick cock, the way he growls when he comes?
He slams inside me so fast and hard that I barely am able to catch myself against the mirror in time.
“Fuck,” I whisper. It’s already too much. He grabs my hips as he pulls back and then punches inside me again.
I have no breath for a moment. I’m lit up inside, clenching around him, thrusting backward, begging for more.
He pulls out and pushes in again just as hard, slapping my ass once and then a second time.
Oh my God. I think I’m already close.
“Please slow down,” I whisper.
“Why?” he demands, harsh against my ear. “Because you don’t want it to be over? Fucking think about that.”
He’s moving faster now, doing itintentionallyto push me over the edge.
“Why does it matter?” I demand, my hands wrapping around each faucet, trying to hold myself in place. “It’s not gonna be with you no matter what.”
“You. Deserve. More.” He times each word with a thrust.
My legs have begun to shake, and I can’t draw enough air into my lungs. “Please,” I beg. “Please slow down.”
“I want you to come,” he growls against my ear. “I want you to come and walk back out there knowing it’ll never be this good again if you stay with him.”
He is such an asshole, and yet...his words make my stomach twist, and my spine tighten, and I come with a quiet cry I couldn’t stop if my life depended on it.
“There,” he hisses, as he lets go inside me. “There it is.”
I glance at our reflection to watch his face. His eyes are barely open, but there’s something grimly satisfied in his expression as he lets my panties snap back into place.
His gaze meets mine in the mirror. “Now go back out there with my cum dripping down your thighs and try to pretend he’s who you want.”
“Is that why you did it?” I ask hoarsely. Was this not about desire or care at all? Was this just him being a jealous asshole, wanting to ruin what I might have with someone else?
“How could you have fucking invited him?” he counters, nostrils flaring. “That’s my question. You had to have known it would fuck me up all day long.”
I drag my dress down and turn to face him. “I didn’t invite him. Kelsey did. She thought she was surprising me. And if it bothers you so much—” I swallow hard when my voice cracks. “If it bothers you so much, why haven’t you even once suggested that you’d come see me? Or if you’re worried about your mom, ask me to visit you. I’ve got four days free at the start of September. Ask me.”
I’m basically begging him. I’m begging him to want me back, even a little bit. After the way he rejected me five years ago, I can’t believe we’re here, but we are. “I love you, Elijah. I havealwaysloved you. Tell me how to make this work. Pick a weekend, any weekend, and I’m there.”
His shoulders sag. He brushes a tear off my face and then his eyes fall shut. “Easton, I’m so sorry. It’s just not a good idea.”
I cover my face with my hands. “So you were just using me here? That’s all this was?”
“Of course not,” he says. “It just can’t be more.”
My laughter is more hysterical than happy. “I’d have given up anything for you, Elijah, and I’d have forgiven you for almost anything. But I’m not sure I’ll forgive you for this.”
I walk out. No one is in the hall, thank God. I stumble up to my room, crying. And swearing to myself that this will be the last time I cry over Elijah Cabot.
I’m done with trying to win anyone over. I’m done trying to impress the inhabitants of Oak Bluff. I’m done caring about what people think of me or my family.
I’m just fucking done.
35
