Page 50 of One More Shot
Gorgeous girl, if we’re being honest.
And maybe we’re not in my bedroom and maybe it’s not my usual kind offun, but I guess things aren’t all that different from my typical weekend plans.
The thought makes me smile. I could get used to spending my weekends with Eliott.
Gloria pops her head back through the kitchen door. Her eyes scan the room and she gives the both of us an appreciative nod. ‘I’m going to head up to bed now.’
‘Do you need me to walk you up?’ Eliott asks, already pushing herself away from the counter.
Gloria hesitates, then gives her granddaughter a reluctant nod. Eliott crosses the room and loops her arm around Gloria’s. The action is smooth and well practised, something they’ve probably done hundreds of times before.
I wonder how often things like this happen. Mini crises that Eliott has to drop everything for because the rest of her family never pick up their phones. It’s a lot to put on one person’s shoulders, and I can’t imagine that being forced to rely on Eliott for everything is pleasant for Gloria either.
‘Back in a sec,’ Eliott says as she leads Gloria out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Their conversation gets more and more muffled the further away they get from the kitchen, but I manage to catch snippets of it.
‘… Saturday night?’
‘I told you…’ Eliott sighs loudly. ‘… nothing… just friends.’
‘You know, your grandfather and I were just…’
‘Nan! Can you…’
Gloria’s surprisingly loud cackle drowns out whatever plea Eliott sends her way, and that’s all I manage to hear. By the time Eliott makes her way downstairs again, I’ve already dried myself off as best I can and I’m waiting by the front door for her.
I wonder if I’m imagining the slightly disappointed look on her face when she spots me by the door, but it’s gone and replaced with a smile before I can dwell on it for too long.
‘You heading out?’
I nod. ‘I think that’s as good as we’re gonna get it. Unless you need me for anything else?’
‘No, no.’ She jumps off the last two steps and comes to a halt directly in front of me. We’re as close as we were back in the club, and my arms itch to wrap themselves around her waist again. ‘You should probably—’ She clears her throat, shakes her head, and then starts again. ‘Sorry I ruined your night.’
‘There’s nothingruinedabout tonight, baby,’ I scoff. I’ve never been one for pet names or nicknames – have never been with anyone long enough for it to happen naturally – but with Eliott, the word slips out without me even thinking twice about it.
She quirks a brow, but otherwise doesn’t comment on the impromptu name. ‘I didn’t do a great job at being your wingman.’
‘Like I said, there was only one person in that room whoI was interested in going home with.’ I inch forward, closing the minuscule gap between us. ‘And look where I am now. I’d say that’s a pretty good end to the night.’
Her breath hitches, her eyes widen, and her tongue darts out to run over her lips. We stand there in a charged sort of silence for several seconds too long. She’s staring at me, head slightly cocked to the side, her brows pinched together in the middle like I’m a particularly difficult puzzle she can’t quite figure out.
I lift a brow. ‘What?’
She hums contemplatively and then breaks out into a quiet laugh. ‘I could ask you the same thing.’ She shifts slightly, pressing her chest up against mine as she looks up at me through hooded eyes. ‘What’s on your mind?’
I let my arms loop around her waist. I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of this – holding Eliott in my arms. Every time I do it, every time I give in to the urge and pull her into my arms, it’s just feels right. Like this is where she’s meant to be.
‘At this moment?’ I ask.
She nods without breaking eye contact.
‘I’m trying to figure out how much of a gentleman I want to be right now.’
Ifeelrather than see the blush creep along Eliott’s skin. Even under the fabric of her clothes, I can feel the heat spreading through her. You’d never be able to tell by her expression, though.
Her face is a mask of neutrality.Casual. Like I’m not really affecting her at all. Except for her eyes. Her eyes are real heavy right now. ‘Anything I could help with?’
I can map the path her eyes take from my lips and back up to meet mine again. Heat flashes in them, and I barely have a moment to acknowledge how truly beautiful they are – like little molten orbs of chocolate specked with gold flakes – before I’m leaning in and her lips are finally,finally, caressing mine.
