Page 38 of Tangled Hearts (Mended Hearts #4)

Nic

“ C an I take you on a date tonight?” I ask Eli, stepping into the living room. There’s a lot to be said for spending most of our time wrapped up in each other in bed, but I don’t want to do just that.

Eli sits up, his eyes going wide. “A date?”

I shrug. “Yes?”

He turns his nose up. “I mean, I guess we can.”

My stomach sinks. Damn, I don’t want to force him into anything, but what’s so wrong with going on a date with me? “We don’t have to.” I mean, I’d like to, but we don’t have to. “I just thought it might be nice to have some time together.”

He narrows his eyes. “Is our time together not satisfactory?”

Considering he made me come so hard last night that I almost blacked out, he knows damn well it is. “Fucking brat.”

He shrugs. “It’s not that I don’t want to go out with you, but it doesn’t sound fun. What? We just sit around, not allowed to touch each other, pretending we’re ‘just friends’ while we could be at home together. Alone. Allowed to touch each other.”

I blink at him. “This is not the only town that exists, Eli.”

“What do you mean?”

I laugh, striding across the room and sitting down beside him on the couch. “We can go somewhere else. We both own vehicles. You do know that, right?”

His mouth gapes open, his eyes lighting up in understanding. “I think I see what you’re saying. Like we can go somewhere that no one knows us?”

I wink at him. “Now you’re getting it.”

He jumps up so quick he almost trips over the sweats he’s wearing— my sweats. I should have known he was going to steal them from me. With the amount of time he’s eyed them over the last couple of weeks, it should have been painfully obvious. “I’m gonna change. How do you want me to dress?”

“However you want, doll. You’re gonna look fucking stunning no matter what.”

His cheeks flush, but he nods and turns on his heel, rushing off to his bedroom.

While he’s changing, I do the same. I’m not sure that I own anything as fancy as some of Eli’s clothes, but I can at least put on a nice shirt and my best pair of jeans.

I finish it off with my combat boots before heading back to the living room to wait.

When Eli steps into the living room, all the air rushes from my lungs.

The jeans he’s wearing are indecent, hugging every inch of his legs.

His stomach is exposed, his tight shirt clinging to his lightly muscled frame.

The cherry on top, though, is my leather jacket, hanging off him in a way that looks indecent instead of oversized.

He didn’t go all out with his makeup, but his lashes are sky-high and the shimmer on his cheeks has him glowing .

“Wow,” I breathe.

He does a little spin. “Yeah? You like it?” he asks, all faux innocence and charm.

I roll my eyes. “You know I do, doll. I told you the jacket looks better on you than on me.”

His lips curve into a smirk before he bites down on the bottom one. “Where are we going?”

“About an hour away, there’s a restaurant right on a lake. The views look amazing. I figured we could grab dinner and go for a walk.”

Eli’s smile almost knocks me out. “Okay. Sounds perfect. Ready to go?”

Eli’s eyes are sparkling. It’s stunning. He’s stunning. And it hits me all over again how fucking much it sucks that we have to hide. He deserves more than this.

But for now, it’s all I can offer. All we can have. So I reach over and take his hand as we start walking. “It’s pretty, huh?” Eli asks, his gaze falling on the lake.

“Yeah,” I croak, not taking my eyes off him. “Gorgeous.”

He catches me staring and shoves at my side with a laugh. “Asshole.”

“Damn. Compliment a guy and he wants to beat you up.” I raise an eyebrow, smiling at him.

He rolls his eyes, then rests his head on my shoulder as we keep walking. “This was a really nice date. I’ve never been on a date, obviously. The food was a little fancy for me.”

I can’t help but laugh. “You got beef wellington. I’m not sure it counts as fancy.”

He shudders. “How was I supposed to know it had mushrooms in it? It looks so good in all the videos I’ve seen of it.” Eli makes a disgusted sound that has me grinning. “Note to self: Ask if food has mushrooms.”

“Mine was good,” I muse, pressing a kiss to Eli’s head. “Before someone stole it from me.”

“Sacrifices had to be made, Nicolas.”

I’d sacrifice everything for him. Every single thing in my life. I drop my hand to loop my arm around his waist and pull him against my side. It slows us down a little, but that’s alright.

We walk along the path in silence. It’s not a bad silence. It’s quiet and comfortable. Settled. It feels lived in. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt this way in my entire life.

There’s a bench up ahead, nestled between some trees, so I gesture to it. “Wanna sit with me for a while?”

“Sounds good.”

We make our way over to it, and I sit down, pulling Eli into my lap. He buries his face against my throat and exhales deeply. I slide a hand up his back. His skin is warm and soft beneath my fingertips.

“I’ll be happy when we don’t have to hide anymore,” he whispers.

“Yeah.” My throat tightens. “Me too, baby.”

We sit for a while, and I look out over the lake while Eli molds himself to my body. I let my fingers explore his skin, soaking him in.

There’s someone walking down the path toward us, and for a second, panic rushes through me. But then I remember we can do this. We don’t have to hide here. When the older couple walks past us, Eli pops his head out of his hiding place and offers them a smile. “Nice night for a walk, huh? ”

The man smiles, slowing his pace a little. “Sure is. We’ve been making this walk for forty years. Even before the restaurant was built.”

“Wow,” Eli breathes, tone reverent. “That’s a long time.”

The woman chuckles. “How long have you been together?”

“Not long,” I answer.

Her eyes crinkle at the corners as she smiles. “Just you wait. This’ll be the two of you, all old and wrinkly like us.”

That makes my heart pound heavily in my chest. “I sure hope so,” Eli says, sighing wistfully, and my heart pounds even harder. God. Me fucking too.

She reaches a gnarled hand out to pat his face. “You will. It won’t always be easy, but nothing worth having is. You boys have a good night.”

The gentleman gives us a nod, and the two of them continue their walk down the dimly lit path.

Eli sighs, tucking his face back into my throat. “I wish I was yours.”

His words nearly stop my heart. How can he not see that he is?

How does he not feel it? “Look at me.” He sits back, staring at me with soft, vulnerable eyes.

“You are mine. You’re mine here. You’re mine at home.

You’re mine quietly and out loud, and you’re always going to be mine.

” I press my lips to his. “You’re mine in every way that matters.

And in two weeks, everyone will know you’re mine.

And even if they don’t like it, not a single fucking thing will change for me.

Not one. It doesn’t matter what anyone says or thinks.

I’ll fucking kidnap you and run away with you, Eli. Period. You’re mine. ”

His bottom lip trembles, and my heart’s damn near pounding out of my chest. “Really? Even if no one accepts us? What happens then?”

I shrug, abject horror at the thought clawing at my heart. I hope that doesn’t happen. I really fucking hope that doesn’t happen. “Like I said, nothing changes. You’d better be ready to be kidnapped. I’m not giving you up for anyone. Or anything.”

He blinks at me slowly, his chin quivering a bit, then his lips tilt into a sly smile. “Can we stop for ice cream?”

“What?” I ask, confused.

He laughs. “In this kidnapping scenario? Can we stop for ice cream?”

My heart nearly explodes with joy. “We can stop for anything you want.”

“Perfect.” He settles his head back against me. “I don’t think they’re going to be mad, you know? They may be worried, but I think they’ll want us to be happy.”

“I hope you’re right.” I squeeze him a little tighter to me. “But even if they don’t, it’s you and me. That’s it. I’ll still choose you. I’ll still want you.”

Eli nuzzles my throat, nodding. “Me too. Always.”

Silence settles over us again and we sit together for a while longer, listening to the sounds of the lake. We’ll have to head home soon, but for now, I’m going to take every second of this I can get.

On our way home from our date, Eli has his hand tucked into mine, and he’s singing along to the radio. It’s adorable, and I’m happy all over again that I could take him out and show him off. Even if he did eat my dinner.

I let my thumb brush the back of his hand as we speed down the highway.

This night has only solidified how badly I want to tell everyone.

I know logically why we put the timeline in place, but the deeper we get into this, the more I question why we’re even waiting.

Two weeks or tomorrow, what does it matter?

“Why haven’t you let me give you a blowjob?”

Eli’s question comes out of left field, and I swerve so hard I almost put the Jeep in a ditch. He laughs like the menace to society that he is. “What?”

He gives my fingers a squeeze. “Do you just not like it? I really want to try it.”

Who doesn’t like getting their dick sucked? “Of course I like it.”

I glance at Eli, catching his pout. “So why haven’t we done it?”

“I just don’t want to rush you.”

“It’s not rushing me, though,” Eli says. “I really want to try it. I bet you’d taste so good. You smell good. And sometimes when you come on me, I taste it.”

My cock jerks, my hand tightening on the steering wheel. Holy fuck. “We can try it,” I choke out.

“Now?”

I glance at Eli. “Now? I’m driving.”

His eyes flash with mischief. “It could be fun.”

God, he has no idea what he does to me. How he affects me. How he consumes my every waking thought. “It could also be dangerous.”

He tsks. “That’s no fun. You’ll keep us safe.”

I’m not going to be bullied into getting road head by a brat. “It’s dangerous,” I repeat.