He nodded. “Yeah, it’s just around the corner. It won’t take long, and then we can go for that drink. What do you say?”
My body buzzed to life. “Y-yeah, OK,” I agreed, confused about what he’d have for me.
“This way,” he said, turning around and leading me in the same direction I’d been going.
He must have just left his place because it was around the corner and half a block down. He led me up some stone stairs, and then he stopped at the door where he pulled out his keys. He slid the key into the lock, and my heart pounded against my chest as I waited.
What could he possibly have for me?
“Come in out of the cold,” he said once he stepped inside. “Wait here.” He left me in the entryway before turning and rushing down the hallway.
His place was mostly dark, but small lamps were scattered throughout, providing enough light to see. I peeked into his living room and found it similar to the way he had set up the living area in his Chicago apartment. The same brown leather sofa and recliner, along with a similar wooden coffee table and matching end tables. There was a roll top desk in the corner, and one wall was nothing but built-in bookshelves, lined with books. The place was quite large for New York City and probably cost a fortune.
I heard some thumping coming from the stairs, and then the door creaked, drawing my attention to the dark hallway where he reappeared with something behind his back.
“I know I should have left this behind for you, but at the time, I couldn’t. It was the only piece of you that I had, and I’ve carried it with me every step along this journey I’ve been taking.” He showed me what he was hiding, and I gasped when my eyes landed on the teddy bear my dad had given me.
“This got me through these last two years without you, but it’s time I give it back. I know deep down that you’ll always own my heart, but I’ve learned how to live without it.”
“Eli?” I couldn’t take my eyes off the bear in his hands.
“Yeah?”
“A-Are you single?”
I could see the confusion on his face without even having to look up. “Yeah, why?”
“Because I’m about to do this,” I said, throwing my arms around his neck and smashing my mouth to his.
He didn’t hesitate.
He pulled me closer and deepened our kiss. His hands found my hips, and he picked me up against him. My legs wrapped around his waist as my tongue danced with his.
His heat, his smell, the taste of his mouth washed over me, drowning me in everything I’d been living without. I was mad at him for the mess he made between us, but it took those years without him to learn that it didn’t matter how big the mess was. It was just a mess, and messes could be cleaned. Lessons could be learned, even the hard ones.
I pushed his coat over his shoulders, and he pressed my back to the door to hold me in place as he ripped his arms out of the sleeves, letting it fall to the floor.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you.” He breathed against my lips as he started kissing his way up my jaw. He bit my earlobe, and I cried out. It had been a long time since the darkness inside of me had been met.
Every guy I’d dated since him wanted to be gentle and careful, like they were too scared to hurt me. I could never get myself to progress a relationship past a kiss.
Elliot wasn’t scared to hurt me. To be rough when I needed it and gentle when I needed the calm. He knew me like no other. He knew I could handle whatever he dished out. He had demons of his own, and they danced in the flames with mine.
I pulled at his t-shirt until he ripped it over his head. His hands moved up my sides until he grabbed each side of my white button-up shirt. He pulled in the opposite direction until it ripped open, causing buttons to go scattering throughout the room.
He kissed and nipped his way to the swell of my breast. His hands rushed over to squeeze them before pushing the cups out of his way. When I spilled over, he sucked my sensitive nipple into his hot mouth.
I fisted his hair, pulling him closer. “Fuck me, Professor West.”
He pulled back with a grin. “It’s Coach West now.”
I smiled, my cheeks flushing. “It’s been a while. I’m going to need some conditioning,Coach.”
“I like the sound of that.” His mouth found mine once again, and he pulled me away from the door and carried me down the hall to the bedroom. He set me on my feet in the middle of the room, where we both got to work on pulling away the rest of one another’s clothes.
“I know you’re a coach now, but a coach still needs a ruler, right?”
He grinned, breaking away from me, his lips swollen from my kisses. “Actually…”
