Page 50 of Ms Perfectly Fine
“Your wish is my command.” He sighed, easing off her to sit on the stairs, putting some distance between them to steady his own heartbeat. Being so close to her was dangerous.
“I’m sorry. This is happening too fast. I need to think—we live together, it could get messy.” She sat up, not meeting his eye.
Elijah knew she was right, but it wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“You should shower. We have all the time in the world to figure this out,” he said, helping her up. Autumn didn’t release his hand, and he could hear her doubts spinning in her mind. “You don’t need to be sorry for making the right decision for yourself, not for me. I’ll take only what you are willing to give.” He brushed her hair over her shoulder, unable to resist the urge to touch her, the fire within him still burning. She was right, he would need a cold shower.
Her eyebrows pulled together as though fighting an internal battle. “I wanted you to kiss me, I just—”
The last thing Elijah wanted was for her to think he was upset with her.
“It was a lot for one day, and I’m patient. Like I’ve said before, you won’t get rid of me easily,” he said, kissing her palm.
She surprised him by standing on the edge of the step and placing her lips against his.
“When I’m done, I can cook?” she offered, staring at him as though she were trying to gauge what he was thinking. He could see her mind going a mile a minute. He wanted to reassure her not to overthink what was happening between them, but he figured that giving her some space would be the right thing for now.
“Sounds great.” He winked, and she closed the bathroom door.
Alone, he ran his hands through his hair.What did you do, Elijah?He wished he hadn’t moved so quickly. She’d admitted so much to him at the beach, and he didn’t want to move too fast and scare her off.
However, he meant it when he said he’d be patient. She was worth waiting for.
Chapter Eighteen
Autumn
“WHAT HAPPENED TO you? You’re all smiley—it’s making me uncomfortable,” Nina said when Autumn greeted her at the car on Friday morning.
“I’m not,” she lied, sensing the interrogation coming. She was just surprised her best friend had resisted so long after Elijah’s phone call before asking her about her weekend.
Before either of them could say anything else, Elijah came out of the house behind her with Brinkley on her leash. Autumn was surprised he was up so early; she’d heard him working late into the night. She wondered if he had work to catch up on since he’d lost half the day taking her to the beach. Elijah was the only person she knew who had a worse sleep schedule than she did.
“Have a good day,” he called.
Autumn waved, feeling her stomach knot.
“Oh, we will!” Nina spoke in her place.
Autumn wished her friend could rein it in for five minutes. “You’re undressing him with your eyes,” she hissed as he came down the path towards them.
“I would have no problem doing it with my hands,” Nina teased, keeping her voice low, and Autumn stifled a laugh. If only she knew what had happened between them on the stairs.
“I’ll see you later,” Elijah said, kissing Autumn on the cheek. She froze, surprised by the gesture. She tried to tell herself that the butterflies in her tummy were just her anti-inflammatory pills and not her feelings for him.
“Nina, it’s a pleasure to finally put a face to the name.” He was all charming this morning, and though she wanted to make some smart retort, his lips against her skin had turned her brain to mush.
I’m a strong, independent woman! But his lips…
“The pleasure is mine,” Nina giggled.
“I’ll see you tonight?” he asked Autumn.
“Mmm…huh,” was all she got out.
Elijah stared at her in amusement. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
It being the second Fridayof May, Nina drove Autumn to see Tim. She would pay her rent while Nina got her nails done, as usual. The sense of routine gave Autumn some comfort.
