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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
EUPHORIA
ELLE
Now
“Whoa, these boxes are heavy,” Rhodes says as he brings the last few boxes from my office into his house.
All that’s left at my condo are the larger pieces of furniture—my couch, the dining table and chairs, my bedroom set, and my desk. Bowie said he knows someone who can move the rest of it, so I jumped on that. He said he’d take care of it, so it could stay quiet that I’m moving in here, which sounds ideal.
We offered to get the guys dinner to thank them for their help, but they all had other plans.
“You know me and my love for books,” I say, grinning.
“Would you like them in your room or what if we set up the room next to yours as a library or, I don’t know…an office? What do you think?”
“I feel bad taking up two rooms, but?—”
He shakes his head, lifting his hand. “Nope. Not hearing that anymore, roomie.”
I laugh. “Then yes, I’d love to set that room up as a library slash office.”
I have no idea how I’m going to keep him from seeing my books, but for now, I’m thrilled they’re hidden away in boxes. He moves them into that room while I go to the kitchen to find something for us to eat. He has the ingredients for a chicken cobb salad, so I work on that. When he walks into the kitchen, he’s carrying a bottle of wine, and I’m putting the huge wooden bowl of salad on the island in front of our plates.
“Should I open this? Feels like we need to celebrate.”
“Sure.” I grin.
He opens the bottle and fills two glasses, handing me one. I clink my glass to his and we both take a sip. He leans against the island and stares at me, lips quirked.
“What?” I ask.
He tries not to grin, but those dimples give him away. “So, what was in your office that was so secretive?”
I lift my eyebrows. “Wouldn’t you like to know!”
“I would.” He laughs and puts his hand on his hips, his muscles bulging .
It’s like a feast for the eyes at all times around him.
“I thought when I found your vibrator in Miami, I was inducted to the know all your secrets club.”
I put my hands on my flaming cheeks. “There’s no way I can let you in on all my secrets.”
“Why not? You don’t think I’m trustworthy as your secret keeper?” he teases, his dimples popping out.
“I trust you with my life,” I tell him, my voice getting husky.
He steps closer and pulls me closer to him by the belt loop on my jeans. My stomach flip-flops and my heartbeat skips ahead.
“I trust you with my life too,” he says. “What’s one secret about you that I don’t know?”
With him standing so close, it’s like I’m on a pheromone high.
“I’ve never admitted…to you…that you were right about the vibrator and the puny men in my life.”
He lets out a surprised sound—half-cough, half-laugh. “How so?”
“You said…if they were so good, I wouldn’t need one, and…you were right. Not necessarily that they’ve been puny, but maybe just didn’t know…”
“How to work with what they had,” he finishes, a husky laugh sending skitters down my arms.
He notices and runs his hands over my arms like he’s trying to warm me up.
“Do you need someone to love that body right, Elle?” His expression has turned serious now and I could swear we’re standing closer to each other than we were a second ago.
“What do you mean?” I laugh awkwardly and try to play dumb .
“You know what I mean. I think we should go there, Elle. Don't you know we’re gonna wonder if we don’t? You know what? No, I'm not gonna wonder. I already know we are going to be so fucking good. I'm just ready for you to realize it.”
“What are you saying, Rhodes? This is…this is crazy. I can’t…we can’t...I can't stay here if that's what you think this is going to be.”
I don’t think I can survive it if I experience sex with Rhodes and he realizes he doesn’t really want more than a one-night stand. But at the same time, do I want to go my whole life and not know what it’s like to be with him like that?
No, I don’t.
He puts his hand on my face and leans in until his forehead touches mine.
“Baby, when are you gonna see it? I'm tired of waiting for you to see me standing here, only wanting you. I've been patient for so long. I don't think I can wait another day to—fuck, yes, I can. I’ve waited for thirteen years.” His lips lift and I want to lean in and kiss them. “I’ll wait however long it takes for you to know how I feel about you. I just don’t want to wait anymore.” His eyes don’t leave mine.
“What do you mean ?” I whisper. “How do you feel?”
I back away slightly so I can read his expression better. A flash of fear crosses his face, but it’s gone so fast and replaced with something more like determination.
“I don't care how we phrase it, whether you want to pretend this is a fake relationship for your parents and Bernard, or…if it’s more than that and you’re ready to give us a real chance. That’s what I really want, a life with you, a relationship with you. I’m afraid I’d scare you off if you knew how much I want that. But I’ll take whatever you want to give me. We can test the waters slowly. For now, just let me show you how good it can be between us.”
“Things never line up for us, Rhodes,” I say. “There’s a reason we’ve gone this long without going there. We’re friends and we don’t want to wreck that.”
“They’re lining up now.”
“But—”
“No buts,” he says. “I know you want more. You’re scared, and I am too, but you will never lose me. We will always be friends. I hope to change your mind, and convince you that we can be more than that, but we can focus on the physical for now.” He reaches out and slides his thumb over my lips, staring at my mouth. “You came so fast before—I’d barely even touched you. Your body is begging for me. We’ve always been able to talk about everything else. Why can’t we talk about this? You don’t have to decide what you want with me long-term. It's okay. But I’m in this. I love you, Elle. I’ll take whatever I can get. We’re perfect in every way.”
Somehow while he’s been talking, our bodies have moved together as if they’ve got a mind of their own. A mind that’s giving the middle finger to any resistance I might have left. He’s saying all I’ve ever wanted him to say. Is this really happening? Our lips are barely a breath apart. My hands are around his neck and his body is flush against mine. I can feel how much he wants me, and I let out a whimper.
His lips are on mine in the next second and it’s like the most perfect choreography, the way everything falls into place while simultaneously exploding. We fit. The way our lips and tongues and teeth and hands and bodies come alive when we touch is the most beautiful dance. I kiss him with every ounce of longing I’ve been holding back. The years of wishing I could do this and it coming true are almost too much. He picks me up and my legs wrap around his waist, my head falling back for a second when I feel him against my core.
“Rhodes,” I whimper before my mouth finds his again.
We kiss and kiss and kiss and my hips buck against him. His hands grip my ass and he rubs me against him until we’re moving with a steady rhythm.
“Take what you want, Elle. I’ve got more. I’m gonna do this all night?—”
He slides his fingers under my yoga pants and dips into me once before sliding back to my clit and staying there with the perfect amount of pressure. Oh, he’s so good at this.
I cry out, coming embarrassingly fast like I did the first time he touched me.
“You’re perfect. So ready for me,” he says. “I can’t wait to?—”
Despite the euphoric state I’m in, I think I hear the doorbell, but he doesn’t seem to. When it rings again, I pull back and he looks at me, eyes dazed. Then his focus clears and he curses and sets me down.
“I’m so sorry. That’s Levi. I—I’m off because we changed days. I?—”
“It’s okay. Go. I’m good.”
He smirks when I let out a shaky breath. “You’re so good.”
I shoot him a look, and he just laughs.
“Not funny. Carrie is right outside with your son and we were just?—”
“Hold that thought,” he says, holding up his finger when the doorbell rings a third time. He turns around, eyes on me as he walks backwards. “We are not finished.”
“Yes, we are,” I hiss.
He just grins and shakes his head. “You look so fucking beautiful when you come.”
My cheeks flame and I’m glad when he finally turns and jogs toward the door.
I try to sneak into the mudroom off of the garage, so I won't have to see Carrie, but just as I’m rounding the corner, Levi comes running into the kitchen and spots me.
“Elle!” he yells.
He comes barreling into me. I bend down and hug him.
“Hi, little man.”
“What the hell?” Carrie says from the other room.
Rhodes doesn't say anything. I know I'm putting him in a bad position. It would be normal for him to let the mother of his child know when a woman is moving into his house, especially the woman she's always hated.
Rhodes calls Levi into the other room.
“Go say bye to your mama,” I whisper.
“I want to stay heah,” he says.
“I’ll be here when you come back. Just go say bye to your mom.”
He shakes his head and buries his face in my stomach when I stand up.
“I stay wif you,” he says.
Carrie comes into the kitchen and Rhodes is right behind her, shooting me an apologetic look.
“I thought it must be you,” she says, coldly.
“Yep. How are you doing, Carrie?”
“Fabulous, Elle,” she says.
The snark in her voice is impossible to ignore.
“Come say bye to Mommy,” she says to Levi when he holds on to me.
I pat his back and kind of push him gently forward, encouraging him to go to her. When he doesn't, she huffs and walks over, bending down to kiss him.
“Love you,” she says.
“Love you too,” he says. “Bye, Mommy.”
She shoots me a hateful look and stands straight, walking stiffly toward the door.
“It’s looking real cozy in here,” she says over her shoulder.
“I’ll call before I bring him in a couple of days,” Rhodes tells Carrie.
When she leaves, I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. This is not going to go well. None of it is.
Rhodes looks at me and says under his breath, “Please don't freak out.”
I don't say anything and when Levi comes over with a book, I take it and sit with him on the couch and read. Rhodes sits by us and Levi happily brings over more books and toys. I read him a few more stories before it's time for bed. When Rhodes picks him up and leans Levi over me to get kisses, I kiss all over his face and we laugh at the way Levi cackles.
When they walk out, I go to my room and shut the door.
Table of Contents
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- Page 22 (Reading here)
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