If he truly believes what he just said, it’s no wonder his mind doesn’t work right. My heart goes out to him, feeling his pain. I want to kiss away every one of his insecurities.
“Elijah.” I breathe out his name in sympathy.
“Don’t tell me it’s not true because it is. Good things never last around me, they always leave.”
“Are you referring to Tia and your dad?” He must be.
An impatient reply that’s full of sternness and gravel is what follows: “I don’t want to… can’t… talk about my dad.”
“Why not?” Talking is the best kind of therapy.
Lifting his hand in the air, he gestures to the wedding tent that will still be erected outside. “You saw him at the wedding ceremony yesterday, Sapphire. He’s dying.”
“In one way or another, we all are, Eli.” It’s a fact of life—the circle of it. “That’s why we have to make the most of this one beautiful life we get.” My mom and dad may live a lifestyle that doesn’t suit everyone and sing a song in their own key, but they always taught me to make the most of every day, grab opportunities when they come your way, and to live without regret.
Those are the mottos I live by, and I think I’m doing okay by following them so far.
My only regret is not expressing my feelings to Eli earlier. I hesitated because if he didn’t feel the same, working with him could have become very awkward.
But he likes me, finds beauty in every part of me, and I’m not holding back anymore.
“That’s so depressing,” he whispers, rolling onto his back. “And this conversation is too deep for… whatever time of the day it is.”
I sense him emotionally pulling away from me, so I do what I do best: distract him to bring us back into the moment and move smoothly to straddle him, positioning my legs on either side of his narrowed hips, my pussy perfectly aligned with his flaccid cock that’s gone soft from the seriousness of our conversation.
“What are you doing?” he growls, gripping onto my hips to stop me from fidgeting.
“What you’re not brave enough to do.” From this angle, every inch of him looks irresistible. Tan, abs, broad shoulders, his muscles… I want him bad.
“And what’s that?”
“To take what I want.”
“What do you want, Sapphire?” His fingertips graze across the skin of my hips, much harder than before, his thumb pad absentmindedly stroking back and forth as he wrestles with his thoughts, his cock thickening in his boxers again.
“You.”
26
ELI
This is all too much.
Too much talking and feelings.
Just, too… everything.
I feel hot.
Wretched as my hands hold on to her hips to help ground me because as each second passes Sapphire is unscrambling me. Yet she’s not pushing; her line of questioning is subtle yet powerful, trying to weed out my vulnerabilities. It’s enough to have me pulling away yet again.
I’m jaded from the alcohol from last night, and my mouth is drier than I would like.
I don’t like not knowing exactly what I said last night. Hate it. I hate that I can’t remember how she reacted when I told her my intimate thoughts. Did her eyes light up? Was she smiling? It’s all a blur.
I’m also a little pissed at myself for telling her. Alcohol is not my friend; it never has been. I wish I hadn’t drunk so much, but I did, and I can’t undo it.
What I’m not annoyed at myself for is asking her to stay with me. I’m glad I did, but I am never drinking again because I can’t handle it. The proof: I don’t remember much after Nathan and Arianna’s first dance. I haven’t drank in years, and it’s the last time I will.
