“I run on them all the time,” he shouts back.
“That’s not comforting,” I mutter, praying they don’t buckle under my weight.
He opens the door. “Grandma! Guess what? We fixed Mom’s car. Coach Eli let me help. I pushed the battery into place and helped shut the hood.”
I step into a cozy space where mismatched floral covered cushions and curtains and quilts all somehow make sense.Where scraps of leftover material have turned into rugs, and crafty looking things adorn all the shelves. It’s eclectic but it works.
The older version of Stella stands before me, a slightly faded head of red hair, pinned back, eyes sharp as tacks. The way she looks at me isn’t hostile, more like assessing me.
“Hello, Mr. Lewis,” she greets warmly with a nod.
“Please, call me Eli. I don’t think we were properly introduced.”
“I’m Marjorie. And thanks for rescuing Stella tonight.”
“It was no trouble at all.”
“It’s so nice when a man knows how to take care of things, isn’t it?” Marjorie continues, sweet as pie, aiming her words like a weapon at Stella, who finally appears. She’s changed into dry jeans and—holy hell—my old Tigers sweatshirt. Damn, she kept that thing all these years?
“Nice outfit,” I comment.
She peers down at herself like she doesn’t clock what she grabbed out of her drawer. I can see right through her—she’s thrown it on a hundred times over the years when she needed comforting.
“Stella has a closet full of pretty clothes, yet often chooses to wear old things like this. Now why is that, do you think, Eli?”
“Mom,” Stella admonishes her with a look, and wraps a scarf around her neck.
“What?” Her shoulders come up to her ears.
My mouth twitches at their interaction. I change gears to save Stella from embarrassment. “So, how is the shop doing?”
Marjorie’s expression shifts to real excitement now. “Oh, it’s been strange. Two years ago, we set up a store on our website with hardly an order, but we’ve had more online sales the past two days than ever.”
“Nice.” I hide my grin by clearing my throat. “Ready to go get the car?”
“Bye, Coach.” Aiden waves from the door as we descend the stairs, and I pray it doesn’t buckle under my weight. My mind races. If I buy a house here, what would it take to get Stella to move into it? That’s a big gamble if I could ever get to the place where she’d fall for me again.
In my van, I detect the faint smell of a light perfume wafts in the air. She wasn’t wearing it before. Did she put on for me? Hell yeah, she did, and my sweatshirt, too—like her subconscious knows exactly what it’s doing.
Maybe I’m getting somewhere with her. A good slow burn has ignited; I can feel it. The thought goes right to my cock, which inconveniently twitches. Oh yeah, there’s more to come.
“What else of mine do you have? Some t-shirts? My old jersey? How often do you wearthat?Tell you what, if I let you keep my Aspens sweatshirt tonight, will you have coffee with me?” I quip. “You can add it to your Eli collection.”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” She gives me the side-eye.
“Of course. I always loved seeing you wear my things. Especially with nothing on underneath,” I mutter the last part.
“Eli…” she says it like a warning not to go there. But as soon as I have her in my arms again—and I’m determined I will—I’ll go where I please. Down on her. Thrusting up and into her tight walls. In her mouth… Yeah. Every hole in every way.
“Stella… have coffee with me. Please? I’ll keep asking until you say yes.”
“I forgot how annoying you are when you want something.”
“I call it persistence.”
A snort-laugh escapes her. “I didn’t exactly turn you down when you asked. It’s just that my life is incredibly busy.”
“Then I’ll bring coffee to you and drive you to class for a week so we can talk in the car. Or I’ll accompany you on grocery runs, or?—”
