“What about you? It's not like you're hurting for money these days,” she said.
Elijah smirked.
“I joined the military for a variety of reasons, one of the main ones being that they'd pay for college. After I got out, I worked as a military contractor. And then I became politically active, and the rest is history, or at least I'm hoping it'll be,” he said with a grin. She sensed he was holding something back though.
“What was the main reason you joined the Navy?” she asked out of curiosity.
He fell silent, his eyes looking at the far horizon.
“I lost several of my friends during 9/11, and I couldn't just do nothing,” he murmured.
She was speechless. She couldn't even imagine how hard it must have been for him. Her heart went out to him.
When Elijah noticed her silence, he prodded his horse, cantering off to the end of the stream where an old tree stood strong. He got off his horse to let it drink and she followed him, doing the same thing.
But being the clumsy girl that she was, she lost her balance as she tried to remove her feet from the saddle. She closed her eyes when she realized she was falling, uttering a silent prayer that she wouldn’t get heavily injured.
They were almost halfway through the campaign, and she couldn’t afford to back out at a time like this. As much as she hated to admit it, she was starting to enjoy the pressures of her job.
Meredith held her breath as she waited for her body to land on the hard ground. But she landed on something else. When she opened her eyes, she met Elijah’s gaze, looking down at her with a concerned expression.
He'd caught her.
“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.
She nodded in response, feeling like a thorn was stuck in her throat. Her eyes continued to look deep into his grey ones, where she found herself at peace. And the warmth coming from his embrace made her feel like she was at home.
She held her breath when his arms tightened around her waist, pulling her closer to his body.
When Elijah leaned in, she closed her eyes as their lips touched. It was a tender kiss – slow, soft and not at all demanding. They were taking their time, enjoying each other, as if they had all the time in the world.
Meredith felt lightheaded when he deepened the kiss, his tongue probing her mouth. And she obliged, letting their tongues dance together.
She moaned sexily, wanting far more than just a kiss.
But Elijah pulled away. He looked dazed as he helped her get back on her feet.
“I can’t do this,” he mumbled helplessly.
“I know,” she said and nodded. She understood his point, and she knew all too well it would be impossible.
Feeling ashamed of herself, she got back on her horse and made sure everything was fine. She nudged the stallion to turn about when Elijah spoke.
“I’m so sorry, Meredith. If it wasn’t for the election… Maybe…” he muttered softly.
Without a word, she maneuvered her horse and let it run back to the path they took earlier.
Maybe… Just maybe…
Chapter Twenty
The campaign bus was in the middle of the road. They were on the second leg of the campaign, and Eli was more distracted than ever. Lately it seemed like he was constantly angry or upset. And it wasn't a good thing.
Sosie had been nagging at him endlessly, and it was making him angrier each time she laid into him.
He was going mad.
After making a few calls to donors, he decided to call Henry. He wasn't sure if asking his friend for advice would be a good thing or not. But at least he'd be able to vent a little.
He was distracted and bothered because of her.
It was all because of her.He dialed Henry’s number, and it only took a few seconds before he answered.
“Hey, Eli. What’s up?” Henry greeted him, holding a slice of pizza in his left hand.
He sighed.
“I’m in trouble,” he grunted.
“What? Why?”
“There’s this woman–“
“Whoa! Woman! That’s big trouble, man,” Henry cut him off, then chuckled before biting his pizza.
“It is,” he agreed, rolling his eyes.
“So is she hot?” Henry asked.
“That’s not the point – but of course she is. So fucking hot, I can’t get her off my damned mind,” he murmured as pictures of Meredith flashed in his mind. And he groaned when the memory of them making out replayed in his brain.
Henry laughed heartily, annoying the hell out of him.
“You’re talking about the blonde from the party, right? Go on, tell me,” Henry urged him after taking gulping down some water.
Eli paused, not knowing where to start his story.
“Okay, we’ve talked and she was so different. The girls I’ve dated in the past were nothing like her. She was someone I never expected to meet. She was just… beautiful. Inside and out,” he stated. He didn’t even know if it made any sense. All he knew was that he was having a hard time to explain how and why he'd ended up like this.
“How far have you gone with her?” Henry asked, his tone serious. But his eyebrows wiggled mischievously.
“To bed,” he answered shortly.
“Oh, that’s fast. Why are you even telling me this? You already slept with her,” Henry grunted, rolling his eyes.
“I haven't. I mean, yes, we made out. But I stopped. Nothing happened. We did not have sex,” he spoke, emphasizing each word as it left his mouth.
“What?!”
“She’s a fucking virgin! How could I?” he retorted while gritting his teeth.
“And she was willing to give it to you?” Henry asked with amusement.
“Look, this isn’t funny.”
“I thought you were trying to stay single?” he questioned with a smirk on his face.
“I was! And I still am,” he answered in a low voice. “I have a lot of stuff going on. But it’s getting harder to focus with her around.”
Henry laughed again like he was watching a comedy.
“What’s so funny, you idiot?” he asked angrily.
“Man, you’re acting like a man who has found love, but is too stupid to know what to do with it.”
Elijah froze. What? Him? In love?
He shook his head. Yes, he was attracted to Meredith but falling in love with her was something else entirely. He wasn't even sure what falling in love meant. And it was just…
Impossible…
“I barely know her,” he found himself mumbling. Was he trying to convince himself? Or Henry?“I’m just calling it like the way I see it,” the man answered with a grin plastered on his face. He looked like he was about to say something more.
But Elijah was too flustered by his friend's offhand comment to continue the conversation. Maybe he just needed to organize his thoughts. And maybe...
Just maybe…
“I’ll see you the next time I'm home,” he said, pressing the end call button.
Maybe he really had fallen in love with Meredith Fields.
Chapter Twenty-One
During yet another press briefing, Meredith was finding it difficult, if not impossible to concentrate. Seeing her name on bylines had made this all worth it.