Page 12 of Room 710 (The Scarlet Hotel #15)

Eli didn’t say anything right away, but I heard the creak of leather, and when I looked up, I saw his hands had tightened on the chair’s armrests, his knuckles white.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. This man had a dangerous streak to him, I could tell, but I wasn’t the least bit worried about him hurting me.

He was like a lion protecting his pride.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” he asked darkly.

“I… No. Never,” I said, shaking my head quickly, which sent a single tear down my cheek that I tried to wipe away with my hand.

Eli took a long slow breath, forcing his grip to loosen from the armrests. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” He cleared his throat and then reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a handkerchief, which he passed across to me. “It’s clean,” he told me.

I wiped my cheeks and eyes and then blew my nose into it. “Not anymore,” I said, offering it back to him, but he chuckled.

“Please, you keep it. I have others.”

Huffing, I tried to shake off the dark cloud and get back to the lighter mood of a few minutes ago. “I didn’t even know people used cloth handkerchiefs anymore. Isn’t that a little old-fashioned?” I teased, dabbing at my puffy eyes.

He shrugged. “Well, I guess I’m a little old-fashioned.” He didn’t sound the least bit apologetic about it either. I wondered what other quirks he might have.

“Hmm. I prefer the term ‘classic,’” I said simply, encompassing his whole zaddy vibe in one word.

“So, one last thing on a lighter note… I understand this is an important day,” Eli said, changing topics as he leaned down to grab something from beside his chair.

I shouldn’t have been surprised that he knew.

My birthday had been on the forms I filled in, but it was easy to lose track of time in here.

“Oh, yeah, my birthday. But maybe don’t tell anyone?

I don’t really want to celebrate without my mom, so I figured I would just put a pause on it this year, until whenever I get evicted. ”

Eli froze, small cardboard box in hand, a bright blue ribbon on top. “Oh. Pretend you didn’t see this then.” He went to put it back where he’d gotten it from, but I stopped him right quick.

“Wait! I didn’t say I wasn’t accepting presents.

Gimme!” I made exaggerated grabby hands, and he laughed.

Ohhh, the rich sound of his laugh was like dark chocolate, decadent and melty, good for the soul.

“Thank you,” I said more softly as he passed over the box, feeling strangely shy all of a sudden, as if I hadn’t just revealed a dark secret about my past. His gaze was so intent, it made me feel seen in a way I hadn’t known I needed.

Opening the box, I found a cupcake inside, piled high with icing and decorated with a single unlit candle.

“Ohmygods this looks amazing,” I said quickly, already reaching into the box.

“Do you have a—” I didn’t even have a chance to finish the question before Eli had pulled a pack of matches out of his pocket.

He lit the candle with a flourish then blew out the match, and the acrid scent floated in the air between us. “Don’t forget to make a wish.”

I bit my bottom lip and closed my eyes, thinking of what I wanted most in this world.

Immediately the picture of a family appeared in my mind, a husband and a baby, someone who loved my mom as much as I did, but instead of a nameless faceless alpha drawing me into his arms, it was Eli…

or someone just like him anyway. Someone big and strong and protective.

When I opened my eyes, Eli was watching me as if he could read my mind to see what I wished for.

I blew out the candle and begged the universe to listen just this once.

Leaning back, I wiggled my ass in the chair, the friction of the lace heating my skin and making my heart race. “Tell me, Eli. Do you work out?” I asked, teasing as I let my eyes roam down his body. I’d had enough of talking about me. Now it was his turn.

He chuckled but obliged me on the subject change.

I took my time peeling back the wrapper, and as I dug into the cupcake, Eli told me about himself, about his family, and what it’d been like growing up in the small town of North Salter and living on his dads’ farm.

That certainly explained that body of his.

All that lifting… and lassoing and… Okay, so I didn’t know all that much about farming, but there were probably horses, right?

Oh great, now I was imagining Eli in assless chaps, maybe with me riding him like a bronco. Yeehaw!

“What kind of farm?” I asked, slowly licking icing off my finger.

I might’ve made it slightly more erotic than necessary, because his lips popped open on a pant, his eyes laser-focused on my mouth, pupils blown.

“Huh? Oh, dairy cows.” Damn. Oh well, the fantasy would live on in my head forever.

“Would you like a bite?” I asked, holding out the last piece.

“I really shouldn’t…” he began, but while his words said one thing, his body said something very different. This man was hungry , though I wasn’t sure it was for the cupcake.

Instead of taking it from me, for a second, I thought he would eat it straight from my fingers. I anticipated the feel of his tongue laving the icing from my skin, but he paused at the last moment, and we both glanced over at the camera, entirely forgotten until now.

He wiped his thumb over his bottom lip and sat back, trying to discreetly adjust himself. “Thank you for the offer, but you’re the birthday boy. You deserve every bite.”

And for his sake, I made that last bite the sexiest thing I’d ever done, moaning like a porn star. I really, really hoped my mother wouldn’t see this.

Too soon, it was time to head back into the house. It was like waking from a dream. My legs felt shaky, and I almost didn’t trust them to hold my weight as I forced myself to walk away.

I couldn’t be imagining this, right? The connection between us, it had to be real. Was Eli the one I was meant to meet all along?