I squish my eyes shut and open them again, wondering if there was a little something extra in that particular batch of cherry muffins. I wouldn’t put it passed Grandma Lola. But when Elliot makes a beeline for me, I can’t deny what I’m seeing.
“You…came?”
“I came. Is that…not alright?” He takes the empty seat next to mine and reaches for my hand. “I understand if you’re not ready for your family to meet me?—”
“Oh, they’re ready to meet you,” I say on a laugh.
“Do you still want this, Kayleigh?” For the first time since I met Elliot Bishop, I detect fear in his eyes. The only other time I’ve seen a trace of it was when he received the news of Misty acting unusual.
“You didn’t tell me you paid off my student loans.”
“Was I supposed to?”
“I was going to pay that with the auction money.”
“It seemed pointless when you could have avoided the whole auction had I just heard you out that first day. This was my way of making up for that. If I offended you in any way, I’m sorry. I was just trying to do the right thing by you.”
“It had nothing to do with you wanting to control me?” I ask, the last bit of fear lingering in that question.
“Control you?”
“You know, the whole owning me thing.”
He leans closer, lowering his voice, “You mean because I’ve come inside you?”
My entire body shivers at the many memories of him doing just that. If we weren’t stuck in a public airport, I’d beg him to do it again just to make sure the whole thing wasn’t one elaborate sex dream. “You said?—”
“What I meant, Kayleigh, is that there’ll never be another for me. I knew that the moment I met you all those months ago when you appeared in my hallway like a fucking fantasy. I knew if I gave in, there would be no turning back. Not for me. And am I a little possessive of you? Yes the fuck I am. But it’s because I appreciate the rare gem that you are, and I’ll be damned if I let another man take you for granted. I didn’t just claim you that night you came to my bedroom and rode me like a rodeo bull.”
I blush at that very accurate description.
“You claimedme. Heart, body, and soul.”
Be still my beating heart. If I live to be a hundred, no one could shock me more with such a heartfelt confession. These are not words I ever expected to hear from the ruthless, grumpy Elliot Bishop. But they are words I’ll cherish always.
“I love you, Elliot. I’m sorry I stayed away. I just needed time?—”
He brushes the hair back from my cheek, tucking it behind my ears. “I want you to be sure about us, Kayleigh. If you need more time?—”
“I don’t.” I reach for his cheek. “I’m sure about us.”
“You are?”
“Sure enough to cancel my flight and take you to meet my wildly overbearing family. If you’re brave enough, anyway.”
“For you, I’ll be as brave as you need me to be, Kay. I love you so fucking much it hurts.”
He presses a kiss to my lips, and I melt. My bones turn to liquid as his tongue slides across mine. His kiss tastes like coffee, cinnamon, and a promise of forever. Fuck, I’m such a goner.
“I want to meet your family,” he says, breaking apart the nearly indecent for public consumption kiss.
“But?”
“But first, I was wondering if there might be somewhere we could stop along the way.” He leans his cheek against mine, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as he adds, “So I can come inside that delicious pussy of yours again. Would that be okay?”
“Fuck it,” I say on a laugh. “I’m pretty sure I’m permanently on the naughty list anyway.”
“You and me both, Kayleigh.”
