“Oh, I see,” Aliza said, suddenly feeling foolish for getting upset about the situation. She knew that Elias was older than her, and he probably had a past, even if she didn’t.
“If you’re asking if I’ve ever been in a relationship with a woman whom I’ve lived with, then the answer is no. I’ve always been a loner, and I’ve liked it that way.” Hearing him say that he liked being alone made her heart sink. What if he got sick of her being in his space and ended up resenting her for the entire situation? Was this all just a giant mistake that she was making?
“And don’t look at me that way,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “I was fine with being alone before because I didn’t know you then. But now that I’ve found you, I don’t plan on living alone—ever again. But that part is up to you, Aliza. I want you here, with me, but if this is all too much for you, just say the word, and I’ll help you find your own place. I won’t like doing that, but I will.”
She nuzzled into his hold, loving the way he felt like home for her. She hadn’t ever felt so safe and understood in her life, and she didn’t understand how a man she had just met a few days ago could make her feel that way. “If this gets to be too much for you, or you change your mind, you’ll tell me, right?” she asked.
“Of course, but don’t count on that happening,” he said. “You are right where you belong, Aliza,” he said, tightening his hold around her. Elias gently kissed her forehead, and she sighed—that deep, contented sigh that only came with feeling completely at peace. For the first time in days, she felt that way, and it had everything to do with the man who was holding her in his arms.
“I want you to consider my home to be yours,” he said. “Whatever you need, you don’t even have to ask.” She nodded, too overwhelmed to speak.
They spent the afternoon finding places for her things—hanging her clothes beside his, setting her books on his shelves, and placing her toothbrush next to his in the bathroom. Every tiny act made the situation more real, more frightening, and somehow more comforting.
“I swear I’m not trying to take over,” she murmured as she lined up her shoes in the closet.
He smiled softly. “I like the way my place looks with you and your stuff in it.” Hearing him say that did something dangerous to her heart. It gave her hope when she wasn’t sure that she should have that.
Later, curled up on the couch with Cat purring between them, Aliza finally let herself breathe. “This is just temporary,” she reminded him—and herself.
“I know,” Elias said, smiling at her, but the way he looked at her made it feel like he hoped it wouldn’t be, and she had to admit, she felt the same way, no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise.
Elias
The apartment had gone quiet in that gentle, end-of-day way Elias was starting to associate with Aliza being there. The thought of having to share his space—his bachelor pad, should scare the shit out of him, but it didn’t. He was being honest with her when he said that he wanted her to stay. He wanted Aliza to be a permanent fixture in his life, and if that didn’t shock the hell out of him, he didn’t know what would.
He set Cat’s food down in the kitchen and listened as the shower turned on down the hall. Elias thought that Aliza would still be sleeping after the day that she had. Finding her place completely empty with an eviction notice on the door had drained her. Heck, it had drained him, too, and he wasn’t the one losing his home.
He padded down the hallway to the master bathroom to find steam creeping beneath the bathroom door, carrying with it the faint sound of running water and the soft echo of her moving around inside. Something warm stirred low in his chest. Being with Aliza wasn’t just about being attracted to her. It was also about the steady awareness that she was there, in his space, trusting him with her life. Her trust did strange things to his heart—things that he wasn’t ready to think about yet.
He leaned against the door for a moment, debating whether to leave her to peacefully shower or join her. The thought of her naked and soapy in his shower kicked his libido into full gear, and he couldn’t seem to help himself as he knocked softly on the door. He waited for her to answer before pushing the door open. “Hey,” he called out. “I’m just checking on you.”
Aliza peeked out through the glass shower door, water glistening on her hair and skin. “You’re allowed to come in,” she said, her smile shy but inviting. That was all the permission he needed. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him as steam wrapped around them. The room felt small and intimate, the air warm and thick with the scent of her soap.
“You coming in or are you just going to stand there gawking?” she asked.
“I don’t gawk,” he mumbled to himself as he stripped out of his clothes and opened the shower door to step into the warm spray of water. She reached for him, her hands sliding up his chest as he kissed her, slow and deep. The world outside the tiled walls faded away as she wrapped her body around his. He practically consumed her with every lick of her lips, and he knew that he’d never get enough of her.
“Mine,” he growled, pushing her up against the tile wall. She hissed out her breath as her hot skin hit the cold wall.
“I need you, Elias,” she whimpered. He never wanted her to beg him for what she needed. He kissed his way down her body, giving each one of her taut nipples extra attention. When he bit one into his mouth, she cried out his name, rubbing her sex on his thigh. God, she was perfect for him.
They moved together beneath the spray of water, bodies warm and close, everything unhurried as they took their time to explore each other. It wasn’t about urgency—it was about connection, and about the way they kept finding each other, as crazy as that sounded.
Elias lifted her up his body, helping her to spread her legs around his waist. “You with me, baby?” he asked. She nodded as he sank into her body, filling her with one thrust. She cried out, and he stilled.
“I’m good,” she breathed, “don’t stop.” Elias took that as his green light, setting a punishing pace as he plunged in and out of her drenched pussy. When Aliza cried out his name, he knew that he wouldn’t last much longer. She was sure to wear his marks in the morning with the way that his fingers dug into her fleshy thighs and ass, holding her in place between himself and the wall. That thought had him coming in hot spurts into her willing body, and when she went limp in his arms, he felt like he was holding his whole fucking world.
They stood like that, letting the warm water wash over their bodies, and when they finally pulled free from each other, breathless and smiling, Elias rested his forehead against hers. “You okay?” he murmured.
She nodded, gifting him with her shy smile that he loved so much. “I’m more than okay. A girl could get used to this kind of treatment,” she teased.
Elias took his time soaping up her body and shampooing her hair, loving the way that she let him take care of her. As she rinsed off, he quickly washed, noting the way that Aliza watched him. He shut off the water and grabbed a towel to wrap her in, drying them both off before wandering back into the bedroom, still wrapped in that quiet closeness of what they had just shared. Aliza was perched on the edge of the bed with her towel tucked around her as Elias sat beside her.
“Listen,” he said, suddenly feeling very serious. “I know things with your dad are a mess right now, and I don’t want you worrying about school on top of everything else.” She looked at him a bit wary and he worried that she was going to completely shut his next idea down, but he had to try.
“I can cover your tuition,” he said gently. “At least until you’re settled. No strings attached, I swear.”
Aliza’s eyes softened, and for a second, he thought that she might accept his offer, but she shook her head. “This semester is already paid for. And for the rest of it, well, I want to figure it out myself. I only have one more year to pay for, and I think that I can work my way through. I can even take out a student loan, if I need to.”
