It took someone breaking in.
Eli returns to the bed, his expression probing again. “You okay?” he asks, running his fingers along my cheek. “We don’t have to do this.”
I grasp his fingers and bring them to my lips.
“Oh, yes we do,” I say with a smile. He returns it, and I thread my hands in his hair to pull him back to me. Our kiss is slow and deep, fueling the internal heat with each languid suck and thrust of the tongue. I hook my leg around the back of his again, encouraging him toward me. I want to feel full. To explode with life and human contact. I want to experience this exasperating, enigmatic stranger who has the body of an athlete and the soul of an artist. He’s captured my fascination, and now I want to capture him, even if it’s just for a fleeting moment of connection. I already know this flash of time will have a lasting impact. I’ll carry this strange encounter with me long after we move on with our lives.
For now, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the present. I gasp as he pushes into me, surprised at how good it feels. It’s been a while since I’ve had sex. Not since Evan, and longer since I’ve wanted it so badly. Evan and I made it work. We didn’t need each other in a rush of animalistic desire that sent two strangers into an insatiable longing to own and be owned. My limbs are already stiffening with tiny explosions of lust. Building. Climbing. My breaths turn to moans, and I grip his shoulders, lifting my hips to take more of him.
“Eli,” I breathe out.
Sweat covers his body as he pushes harder, reading me perfectly. I cling to him, loving how we connect in the perfect blend of molten friction. Deeper, heavier, longer we collide until… I gasp his name again. A plea? An exclamation? A victory? I don’t even know. I just need to hear it while I feel, taste, and smell every other aspect of that explosive exhilaration. I want to capture it and hold on. To tuck it away so that after this man returns to the dream world from which he came, I can remember what it was like to experience living again. I can hold up this moment as a banner upon which to build my search for more of it.
A few seconds later, Eli exhales his own release, and collapses on top of me, supporting his weight on one arm as much possible. The crooked smile on his face is almost shy when his gaze ventures to mine.
“You okay?” he asks.
“More than okay,” I say, tracing the stubble on his chin. His smile spreads into a grin I feel throughout my entire body.
“Good.” He sighs and pushes off with his other arm to roll to the mattress beside me. Releasing a long breath, he twists his head to look back over. “Fuck, it’s like a thousand degrees in here. You want to continue this in that weird-ass tub you’ve got?”
Eli
She’s up for some tub action. And more bed action. And pretty much anything else we can think of over the next few hours. Not once do I worry about the walls closing in the entire time we’re together, and honestly, there are several moments I find myself selfishly hoping her boss takes his time coming in to work today. The thing is, she’s fun to talk to as well. It turns out, she really loves music. This theater isn’t just a job to her, but a passion. I love the way her face lights up when she talks about the acts that have come through here over the years, including many that were well-before her time.
“I can’t wait for tomorrow,” she says, tucked in my arms, still naked as we stare up from her bed at the thick ceiling beams.
“Yeah?”
She nods. “I mean, Night Shifts Black. Can you imagine? Luke Craven, Casey Barrett. Damn. I’ve heard they’re super cool guys. Like really down-to-earth, you know?”
“Yeah, they are.”
She glances over in surprise, and I wince at my slip. “They are? How do you know?”
“Um…” Shit. Do I tell her? I want to, but then, things have been going so well. We might still have hours stuck in this hole. Do I want to spend it with her hating me again? “I just mean, I’ve heard that.”
She relaxes a bit, but now I feel worse. Up until now I haven’t lied. It never came up who I was. That’s not my fault. But now I’ve essentially deceived her when I had a chance to come clean. Sighing, I pull away and prop myself up to face her. I’ve never been that guy and I’m not going to start now.
Drawing in a deep breath, I brace myself for war. “Marina, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Her eyes widen for a second and then soften with sympathy. She reaches up and brushes my cheek. “I already know. And it’s okay.”
Surprised, I blink at her a few times. “You do?”
“Yes. I suspected it from the beginning. But I don’t believe in judging people.”
“Oh. Um. Okay?” I drop back to the sheets, staring at the ceiling again. “How did you know?” I mean, it’s pretty obvious, I guess.
“The backpack.”
“My overnight bag?”
She nods. “Sure, whatever you want to call it. You’re not the first to sneak in here, believe me. I’ll admit, I was nervous and upset at first, but I know you didn’t realize this was my home.”
“No. I definitely didn’t. Like I said, I just needed to make a phone call.”
She stiffens, shifting to face me. “That’s right. I hope it wasn’t urgent.”
I sigh and pick at the edge of the sheet. “I guess it kind of was, but my cousin will have to understand.”
“Your cousin?”
“Yeah, she called with some problem with her bandmate and boyfriend.”
Marina’s expression lifts with excitement entirely inappropriate for most of that sentence. “Oh my gosh, your cousin is in a band? How cool!”
I laugh and shrug. “I guess. Technically, two of my cousins are in a band since they’re twins. Aaron plays drums, and Liberty plays keys and writes the songs.”
“Aww, her name is Liberty? That’s so cute.”
I smirk and shake my head. “Okay. Sure. I guess.”
“But she’s having problems?”
I shrug again. “Apparently. That’s what I was trying to find out. I woke up to some frantic messages to call her. Something about Chris leaving.”
“Chris?”
“The lead singer… and her boyfriend.”
She gasps. “Oh my gosh! That’s terrible. Something like that would wreck a band.”
“Yeah, it would. And their careers if this gets out, so please don’t say anything.”
She rolls her eyes and swats my chest. “Please. Who would I even tell?” She waves her hand around the room.
“Well, not now, obviously. But when we get out of here. I’m sure her manager and publicist would want to handle this, not have her idiot cousin blowing the lid off early.”
By her reaction, I’ve said something shocking, but I can’t tell which part. “Wait, she’s big enough to have a manager and a publicist?”
I laugh and squint over at her. I thought she said she knew who I was. Is she really so surprised I’d have successful relatives too? “Um… yeah. I mean, it’s not uncommon to have a manager and a publicist who works with the agency. Lots of bigger bands do.”
“What’s her band?” she asks, eyes wide.