Page 50 of Into the Mountains (Blue Grove Mountain #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

ELIAS

PRESENT DAY

“ A re you okay?” I ask Charlotte. She’s been quiet since we got into the car and started driving back to town.

“You know, if this were a few weeks ago, I’d lie to you and say I was perfectly fine.”

I don’t interject and decide to let her continue when she’s ready. She does after a few more moments of silence.

“But it’s not a few weeks ago and it’s not me coming to Blue Grove for the first time either and seeing who I thought was my arch nemesis.”

“A little bit of enemies, sure, but arch nemesis seems a little harsh,” I joke.

We’ve had plenty of differences in the past and our blood has run more than hot around each other for a variety of different reasons, but I never thought of her as the Lex Luther to my Superman, though maybe I’d be the Lex Luther in this situation.

“You know what I mean.”

“This isn’t a few weeks ago or even a year ago,” I say, bringing the conversation back around to whatever was on her mind before.

“No, it’s not. So, I guess I’ll be honest and say I’m not okay.

Some memories rushed back that I’ve kept buried for a while.

It’s not like I haven’t thought of them over the years, but in this moment, one word was all it took to bring it back with a clarity I haven’t had or wanted to have in a long time. ”

I hesitate to ask my next question, but there’s something in my gut telling me that she’s ready to talk about this particular memory. “Do you mind sharing it with me?”

“Did I ever tell you about the day my mom died?” From the corner of my eye, I see her head turn toward me.

“No,” I respond, shaking my head.

She inhales deeply and lets it out in one shaky breath. “It was that same night. I went home after we broke up and she was lucid. She had been for a bit and I wasn’t there. She comforted me and called you an idiot.” She chuckles through the tears now slipping down her cheeks.

“And then she forgot again, disappeared back into the maze that was her mind and after a few minutes, she was gone…heart attack.”

I reach over the center console and place a hand on her thigh. Her hand comes to rest over mine, fingers interlacing. A few minutes later we pull up to her apartment, the night seemingly coming to life when the headlights flick off. I make my way around the hood to open her door with a creak.

When her feet hit the pavement, she wastes no time wrapping her arms around me, resting her head on my chest as the sobs course through her body. The breath shudders out of her as her shoulders shake and I wish I could do more than just wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head.

I’m not sure how long we stay like this, but after her body has stilled, she takes a final calming breath before stepping back, her hands resting at my waist.

“Thank you,” she says, her voice hoarse and tired from crying.

My fingers intertwine with strands of her hair as I push it back from her face. “You don’t ever have to thank me for being here for you. I want to be here for you. Now and in the future if you’ll let me.”

She leans her cheek into my hand, closing her eyes as she does. “Yes,” is all she says as she takes the hand holding her face and starts guiding me inside.

We make our way up the stairs and it brings me to the last time I was here. “Are there any killer birds inside this time?”

“Oh God, I fucking hope not. You probably jinxed it now though and need to do a sweep of the apartment before I go in.”

I laugh it off, but she turns around with a serious expression.

She clearly wasn’t joking. When we get to the landing in front of her apartment, she squeals as I lift her up to move her around me so she’s right behind me.

Dramatically, I open the door and start to step inside before I realize.

“Did you really leave your door unlocked?”

“Oh please. Like your house isn’t unlocked right now?” She has a point, however, I still don’t like the idea of her home not being fully secure. We live in a fairly safe town, but you still never know. Being cautious is never bad.

“A bird is one thing, but an intruder is a completely different story.”

“I’d take the intruder over the bird.”

I turn around to face her. “Seriously?”

“It’s a bigger target for a baseball bat. Less likely I’d miss,” she shrugs.

“Remind me to knock before I enter your apartment the next time I come over.” I step inside and listen for a minute before doing a quick sweep like I said I would.

“All clear. No avian friends here.” She follows me in and takes her shoes off, letting them fall to the floor all the while looking around the apartment like she’s double checking my all clear.

“I promise, there are no birds. I checked thoroughly.”

“If your idea of being thorough is briefly scanning the room you’re currently in, remind me to never recommend you for any kind of security position.”

“I think I’d make a fantastic security guard actually,” I try to argue even though I know it’s futile.

She has this argument fully in the winner’s circle already.

In fact, I should step out and see if I can snag some flowers from Marygold’s to congratulate her on her win.

Present her with flowers and some kind of medal.

“Hah, you’d be distracted by a stray kitten and Ethan would end up with yet another feline friend.”

“Low blow.” I don’t even bother denying it, because we both know she’s right. For someone who never had or knew he liked cats his whole life, these kittens have me in a chokehold. Then again, it’s not like I’m trying all that hard to resist.

“Just speaking the truth, Eli.” The smirk on her face appears and I want to trace it with the tip of my fingers.

If I saw it when she first arrived in Blue Grove I would have wanted to wipe the damn thing off, but this is different.

This time, I want to feel it. I want to feel her smile on my skin.

So I let urge take over and close the distance between us, my fingers leading me straight to where they’re itching to go.

They start on her chin where her skin is smooth and sweep over to the corner of her mouth. The side of her bottom lip is red like she’s been biting at it, pulling the skin between her teeth with the anxiety she felt when telling me about her mother.

Her smile widens and I do what I imagined, running my thumb across her smile, feeling all of it from one side to the other. When I get to the other side, I don’t stop and keep feeling the soft skin on her jaw, then her cheek until I reach her ear where I bury my hand in her hair behind her head.

A small moan leaves her lips as they stay in a genuine smile. One that reminds me of her when we were in the cave together, or riding on the boat that summer, laying under the stars one night. Of hearing her laughter around her family… around me until Ash—no, until I ruined it.

“Touch me,” she sighs.

I chuckle because I can’t help myself. “In case you didn’t notice, honey, I am touching you.”

She throws me a look that says I am clearly the idiot here, and I am beginning to believe that I am. Some things change and some others don’t. But at least this time, I’m her idiot.

I’d be her idiot any day. Hell, I’d be her circus clown, her court jester, anything if it means I get to be in the same proximity as her on a daily basis.

“Touch me where I want it.”

I smirk and before I can say anything, she reacts with an annoyed groan.

I move my hand in her hair to the base of her neck cradling it with my thumb wrapped around the front in a light grasp.

Her heart rate speeds up against my chest as I push her up against the counter, her lower back coming into contact with the edge of it, just missing one of the barstools, thankfully.

That would have ruined the intensity that is now in her eyes.

The kind of tension that when it breaks, it’s going to shatter into a million pieces.

Ice shattering on top of a frozen lake. And it’s going to feel incredible.

Tracing the line of her jaw with my nose, I stop right at her ear and breathe into her, causing her body to coil even tighter. “And where exactly do you want me to touch you, honey?”

I nip at her earlobe and her hips start to move against me, begging for some kind of attention to the spot she needs it the most. I place my hands beneath her thighs and lift her up to the counter, my fingers digging into her skin.

Thank fuck she’s wearing a dress and neither of us have to deal with another layer of clothing between us.

Before I go down on her, she pulls my face up and kisses me deeply, her tongue tangling with mine.

It’s my turn to make noises, her hips responding in kind.

The tight shorts she has underneath her dress don’t last long as I peel them from her, our bodies briefly breaking apart from one another, revealing a black lace thong.

I waste no time stealing the space between us again.

Her knees spread open and I push her back onto the counter until she’s leaning onto her elbows.

“This angle is familiar.”

“It’s a little better than the cave, at least.”

“A little.” She reaches over and swats me on the shoulder, but the scolding doesn’t last long because I finally give her what she and her body have been begging for and press my tongue above the black fabric and suck on her clit.

She lets out a louder moan than before, not caring whether or not anyone can hear.

“Fuck, you’re so wet for me already. ”

“Eli, I need you.”

“Begging now, are we? I like it.” My cock likes it too and my pants feel too tight. I take them off, then my shirt, leaving myself fully naked in front of Charlie who is basically dressed.

“Take your dress off,” I try to demand, but I chicken out at the end and it comes out like more of a question. She liked me being bossy the last time, so I figured she’d like it again. I like it, too, but I need more practice.