"You've thought a lot about this..."
He looks down at me with so much love I choke up a little. "You're my love and my life, Violet. Of course I've thought about keeping you safe, happy, and healthy. If they aren't on board, I won't be throwing any buoys."
I laugh at the cheesy metaphor but am quickly shutup by a black squirrel cresting the hill in front of us. My gasp is loud enough for Jamie to release me. I feel his eyes on me the entire time I capture my images.
It would take something big to knock me off the happy cloud I've found myself on.
Thirty-Four
NATE
"Better?" Ellis asks, licking his lips and leaning back with his hands on my knees.
"Fuck," I groan, rubbing my face. After such a powerful orgasm down Ellis' throat, I should be feeling relaxed. But I'm not. "No. Shit, I'm sorry, darling."
Ellis rubs my legs a little. "Hey, it's okay. Nothing can compete with the feeling of urgency. Let's go."
When I pull my hands from my face, Ellis steals a kiss and pulls me to stand up. "What?"
He's already dragging me to the front door after pulling my jeans back up. "We're gonna go check on Violet. You really want to see her, make sure she's okay, so that's what we'll do. Plus, it's their birthday, so weshouldgo. Maybe this time we'll get her phone number," he grumbles and steps into his boots.
Not one to deny the opportunity to see Violet again, I shove my feet into my shoes, grab my jacket, and rush out the door after Ellis. The usual twenty-minute driveit takes us to get to Jamie's apartment is closer to a half hour as we're getting close to dinnertime and the snow is tripping people up.
I'm itching to get there, and the whole time Ellis drives, he peeks over at me with worry. "Nate, what's going on? You're restless."
I sigh so big it borders on rude. "We don't have birthday gifts and haven't seen them for a few days. We need to be around them more if we're going to solidify our place in their lives."
Ellis glances at me again. "So then why the hell have you locked yourself in your garage? And their gift will deliver next week, so it's fine."
"I have a lot of orders from Christmas, you know that." It's bullshit but also true.
"Bullshit. Why have you been avoiding everything? You've even pulled away from me, which we agreed years ago was never allowed."
Fuck fuck fuck.The guilt that has been eating me alive doubles because not only are we lying to Jamie and Violet, but I've also hurt Ellis.
Steeling myself, I turn in my seat to watch him as he navigates downtown Detroit. "I'm sorry. I just—there's so much I'm worried about. Like what if they find out what we did that set this all in motion? I'm battling that and being angry at both of us for doing something so immature."
Ellis swallows. "I know. Me too. But Ineedyou, Nate. We need each other to get through this and move on from it. The more you pull away, the longer it's going to linger."
Nerves have me reaching up and putting my shoulder-length blond hair into a bun. The last thing I need is to feel overstimulated with hair on my neck. "You're right," I acknowledge. "I'm sorry. I'll keep this in mind, darling."
Nodding, Ellis pulls into Jamie's parking garage. Once in a guest parking spot, I grab the front of his jacket and yank him toward me. "Forgive me?" I whisper, needingsomeoneto.
"Always," he murmurs.
Ellis melts into my hold, allowing me to give him a possessive kiss that tells him we'll always be a team, even when one of us is being a dumbass.
It's time to figure out hownotto be an idiot.
Walking into the fancy lobby of the apartment complex, I never thought I'd see Violet backing away from Jamie. In my mind, I figured that man could do no wrong when it came to her, but I guess I was wrong.
Ellis growls low in his throat when we get close enough to see the tears rolling down her cheeks. I have to grab the back of his jacket to keep him from attacking Jamie.
"El, wait. Let them work it out," I murmur in his ear and shuffle us forward so they both know we're here.
When Jamie glances over at us, his eyes showso much feeling my breath catches in my throat. Worry and desperation widen his gaze and turn his lips down.
"Violet, it's not a big deal, my love," he tries to reason once he turns back to her.
