Page 35 of Ruined
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I closed the door and, with my hand still on the handle, I paused. Right now, my heart was thundering wildly inside my chest; not because of the text I’d received, but because of the six-foot-something man in the room with me.
I’d never admit this out loud, the moment Eli said he was staying I’d almost sighed with relief. That text from John had scared me. I knew it was only a matter of time until he figured out where I was, that meant that I had to come up with a plan to get him out of my life once and for all.
And I had to do it fast.
As discreetly as I possibly could, I took a deep, steadying breath before I turned around. I’d known Eli had been watching me; still, it stole my breath when I found those dark eyes of his trained on me.
The cabin, which was rather spacious, suddenly felt small…and warm. Or maybe it was my insides melting under the heat of the sheriff’s stare. I couldn’t help but notice that his hair, which had been neatly combed back, looked a bit mussed. Almost as if he had dragged his fingers through it a couple of times.
“Uhm…” For some reason, I had no idea what to do which was very unlike me. The last time we’d been alone, I’d literally thrown myself at him. Now, I couldn’t even string a few words together. Yeah, I was winning, all right.
What I needed was a moment to compose myself, the only way I could think of doing that was to do something that would calm me. I knew just the thing, but I didn’t think Eli was the kind of man who’d appreciate chocolate comfort. “Would you like something to drink? Coffee, water…or maybe you’d prefer a beer? I think Brett has a few in the fridge.”
The more I rambled, the wider his smile grew. It was unsettling, to say the least. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans — jeans that were sinfully molded to his thick thighs and perfect butt. “What are you having?”
“Hot chocolate.” For as long as I could remember, a steaming mug of chocolatey goodness had been my mother’s answer to everything. When I’d moved out of the house, it had become my goto when my mom wasn’t close enough to wrap me up in her arms.
“Mmm, I think I’d like some, too.”
With a little nod, I started moving toward the kitchen, taking extra care not to suck in a lung full of Eli’s scent as I walked past him. I was amazed how easily he had managed to pull me out of meltdown mode back at Logan and Harper’s place. Try as I might, I couldn’t forget the concern I’d seen on his face or the way he’d held on to me.
“Hot chocolate, huh?” I was in the process of warming the milk when he casually leaned a hip against the counter next to me. Folding his arms over his chest, he mused, “I took you for a coffee and wine girl. You surprise me, Zoe.”
I kept my gaze on the saucepan while I spoke, “I need caffeine to wake up but whenever I need to unwind, hot chocolate is the only thing that’ll do. It’s like a hug in a mug.” I dared to glance up at the man beside me. He was studying me, a million questions seemed to be floating around in his eyes.
He didn’t voice any of them, though.
After adding a sprinkling of cinnamon, I handed him his drink. We made our way back to the living room and to my surprise, Eli chose to sit next to me instead of occupying his own couch. Even though I was a lot smaller than him, it was very difficult to not be aware of his close proximity.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him gently blow over the hot liquid before bringing the mug to his lips. A small groan escaped him the instant the chocolate hit his tongue. “This is good. I understand why you call it a hug in a mug.”
We sat there and sipped on our drinks in silence; it wasn’t the comfortable kind either. My entire body tingled with awareness. I had no clue what to do, what to say. After a few minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore. I set my mug down on the coffee table in front of me and shifted to face Eli. He looked so relaxed leaning back in his seat with his legs spread wide.
I had this crazy thought to simply crawl into his lap and forget everything that’d happened. It saddened me to think that six months ago that was exactly what I would have done, without any hesitation. Now, just thinking about doing it, filled me with trepidation.
I loathed how one event had the ability to rob so much from me.
“Thank you for bringing me back here,” I began. “But I am fine now and you’re missing out on your brother’s birthday celebrations.” My heart slammed against my ribs as I held his gaze. Eli’s eyes narrowed while he sat up straighter to place his mug next to mine.
I hoped that my disappointment wasn’t evident on my face, even though leaving was exactly what I wanted him to do.
Only he didn’t go.
Instead of pushing to his feet like I’d thought he would, he twisted and placed a bent knee on the cushioning. His arm stretched out over the top of the couch as he made himself comfortable. “I thought I’d made it clear that I wasn’t leaving.”
“What about Molly?”
“I’m picking her up later,” was his easy reply.
I swallowed the nerves that’d lodged in my throat. “And Logan’s birthday?”
“What about it?”
“Shouldn’t you be there…you know, celebrate with him?” My heart was racing even faster and when Eli leaned forward, I stopped breathing completely.
“It might be my imagination—,” he leaned closer still, “—but it sounds like you’re tryin’ to get rid of me?”
