It wasn’t until we ended up in a busy ice cream shop that things changed.
Momentarily.
Since that was all I would allow.
It happened as soon as we entered. I’d dropped his hand long enough to open the door for him, but when I reached for it again with the intent of leading him to the end of the long line, he carefully eased his hand away. At my questioning look, he said, “It’s okay, you don’t have to.”
If I hadn’t seen the pain in his eyes, I’d have thought he was the one who had an issue with the public display of affection in the overly crowded shop. But clearly, he thought I was the one who’d have a problem with it.
I disabused him of that notion when I snagged his hand and then gently maneuvered his arm behind his back, forcing his body to press against mine to compensate for the move. Elliot’s eyes lit up with a mix of surprise and desire and if we’d been anywhere else, I would have taken things a step further to make sure he was getting my message loud and clear. “We good?” I asked as I pressed my hipsagainst his, not caring if we were putting on a show for the rest of the patrons.
Elliot managed a nod, but nothing more.
“Good,” I said before leading him to the back of the line. I put him in front of me and wrapped my arms around his chest. I let my mouth nuzzle the side of his neck, then his ear. “We’re going to talk about what just happened later.”
Another nod.
We didn’t speak again until we got up to the counter. Elliot eyed the dozens of flavors and asked to try several, but when he looked to me expectantly, I shook my head and laughed. I dropped my mouth to his ear and whispered, “You’re going to have to help me out on this one because your eyes have lit up more times than a fucking Christmas tree since we got up here.”
He grinned and then whispered his flavor choice in my ear. Then he discreetly pressed a kiss against it before drawing back. I managed to order for him and myself, and he didn’t argue with me when I paid for the ice cream and collected our cones. We walked along the length of the pier as we ate our ice cream.
By the time we’d reached the end of it, we’d finished the treats. Before I could ask Elliot my next question, he said, “You’ve got a little ice cream right here,” and then his finger came up to touch a spot on the corner of my mouth. Before I could reach up to take care of it, Elliot leaned forward and pressed the gentlest of kisses to the spot. “Thank you, Cruz,” he said right before he pulled back. “I really needed this tonight.”
I was too overwhelmed to speak. How had this man managed to tie me in knots so quickly?
Elliot turned and leaned against the end of the pier and I did the same. We didn’t speak as we watched a ferry cross the bay and dock. We didn’t talk, but we were still communicating in so many ways. Little touches, the occasional look, a soft smile.
It was during one of those emotion-filled looks Elliot sent my way that I held his gaze with mine and when I turned toward him, he did the same. I saw the moment he knew what I was going to do, because his eyes did that thing. But even then, I didn’t rush it. No, Ijust watched him for several beats, then used my fingers to tuck an errant lock of hair behind his ear. He was trembling, but he didn’t move otherwise.
Not to pull away.
Not to lean toward me.
He was letting me lead… giving me the trust that I craved. When I finally dipped my head and my lips were nearly brushing his, he whispered in a rush, “I’m not good at this part.”
His insecurity didn’t surprise me in the least, so I paused only long enough to say, “Yes, you are,” and then covered his mouth with mine. I swallowed his gasp of surprise and let my tongue slide into the deepest recesses of his mouth. He was stiff and unresponsive for all of two seconds, then he was kissing me back with all the passion I’d suspected was lying untapped inside of him. His arms curled around my neck at the same time I wrapped mine around his waist. I pulled him flush against me and, not caring who was watching, devoured his mouth as my hands roamed up and down his body.
Elliot was anything but passive during my sensual assault. No, he was returning every kiss with fervor and when I was forced to come up for air, his lips latched onto my neck. It was only when I heard a discreet cough that I remembered where we were and broke the kiss and forced some space between our bodies. I’d somehow managed to break my promise to myself to wait to taste him until we were some place where we wouldn’t be interrupted.
But holy fuck, had it been worth it.
Elliot was completely oblivious to our surroundings as he fought to catch his breath. His hands were pressed against my chest and I had no doubt he could feel the desperate pounding of my heart. “You said you weren’t going to do that tonight,” he managed to get out.
“It’s not tonight anymore, Elliot. It’s after midnight, which means it’s tomorrow.”
Elliot chuckled and dropped his forehead to my shoulder. I put my hand against the back of his neck and pressed a kiss against his temple. “What were you saying about not being good at that part?” He didn’t answer, just shook his head. But I wasn’t willing to simplylet it go, so I whispered into his ear, “If you get any better at that, you’re going to send me to an early grave.”
I could feel him smiling against me. When he pulled back, his eyes were bright with emotion. “Cruz,” he said softly.
Just my name, but it was enough. It was the same as when he’d said my name for the first time back at the hotel. I could hear the unspoken question just as surely as if he’d yelled it into my ear.
“Are you sure, Elliot?” I asked. As badly as Elliot needed me to take control, there were some things I just needed to hear him say. Once we’d been together longer, I knew that wouldn’t be the case…
The thought dropped off as cold reality intruded. There would be no together after he found out who I really was.
And he would find out.
Because I was going to tell him myself.
