Page 16 of The Storms Between Us
fourteen
I’ve never beenan expert in fine art, but I know what I think looks good and what I don’t like. I can honestly say Elijah’s ass in those grey sweats he has hung low on his hips is truly a work of art. I watch him as he moves effortlessly around my space, assembling the furniture he convinced me I needed yesterday. I have to admit he was right, though. I can’t live out of a duffle bag or a pile of clothes on the floor forever. And the front-row seat to this show is worth every penny I spent today.
“I know you’re lookin’ at my ass, Sunshine. I have to say it's pretty objectifying,” he says without turning around.
“Hey, I’m just making sure I’m giving my supervisor role everything I’ve got,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “I mean, what kind of woman would I be if I didn’t give such fine artwork a thorough inspection?” I shoot him a wink and he laughs it off. I know Elijah is built like a god. I mean, I have eyes. What I didn’t expect was for every other woman within a hundred miles to notice as well. I’ve never considered myself a jealous person. I’m confident enough in myself to know jealousy can be a toxic trait. But walking through the stores today with Eli, I found myself wanting to claw the eyes out of every woman who drooled over him. No matter where we went, women took notice. I can’t blame them really, the man is obviously easy on the eyes. But for my eyes only would be nice.
“What’s got you thinking so hard over there, Em?” He asks, dragging me from my thoughts. I quickly school my features, not wanting to sound clingy or crazy. I don’t have any kind of claim over this man, and I don’t want to scare him off.
“Nothing. Just thinking about how I’m gonna fill that sturdy dresser you’ve built. I think I’ll have to go shopping,” I say, wrinkling my nose. I’ve never been the girly type who enjoys shopping or hair and makeup shit. I preferred books and if a guy doesn’t like me that way, then he doesn’t deserve me.
“I don’t know about that. Seems like something else is on your mind,” he sees right through me, and it’s honestly annoying. I fall back onto my bed and stare blankly at the ceiling. Suddenly, my view is obstructed by Eli hovering over me. He looks like he’s doing pushups on top of me as his biceps flex, supporting his weight. “Tell me,” he says, his lips slowly drawing closer to mine. I push up, trying to reach him, but he pulls back and holds himself just out of my reach. “Nope, not until you tell me what’s on that beautiful mind,“ he smirks, playing on my weakness for those lips.
I huff out a breath, closing my eyes and throwing my arm over my face. “Fine! I was just thinking that I didn’t really care much for theextraordinaryamount of attention you attract from the ladies. They couldn’t keep their eyes off you everywhere we went yesterday. It must get quite exhausting for you.” I know I’m sporting a wonderful shade of red by now, but there’s no hiding it. I feel him grab my arm gently and pull it off of my face, but I don’t open my eyes.
“Look at me, Ember” he says. I crack one eye open and look up at his charming face. I can’t help but smile when I see his saucy grin. “You telling me you’re feeling a little jealous, Sunshine?” He says, humor lacing his tone. I can tell he finds this hilarious. Meanwhile, I’m just doing my best not to die from embarrassment.
“Fine! Yes! It that what you want to hear? I’m jealous. I don’t like other women looking at you like they want to eat you for lunch. It makes me feel slightly stabby which I know sounds ridiculous because you don’t belong to me and we haven’t even discussed what this is or if this is like an exclusive thing and I don’t -” my rambling is cut short by the feeling of his lips on mine. He slowly lowers his body, resting some of his weight on top of me, and it feels amazing. The pressure of his skin pressed against mine is comforting and arousing all at once. He kisses me softly at first, then deeper and harder, nipping at my bottom lip. I'm so lost in the feeling of contentment in his arms. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this safe or wanted before. He slows his kisses, lazily teasing my lips.
“There’s nothing wrong with feeling a little ‘stabby’, as you put it. What if I said I do belong to you, Ember?” he whispers. My eyes snap open and my brows knit together.
“You do?” I ask, surprised at his question. We haven’t really put a label on what we're doing here. It's still so new and we’ve only spent a few days together. But I have to admit, when I’m with Elijah, it feels like I've known him for an entire lifetime. I’ve never felt such an intense passion or connection with anyone before, but he seems to have made up his mind already.
“Yeah, I think I do. I know we haven’t really talked much about what’s going on between us, but I want you to know I’m all in here. The first time I saw these beautiful green eyes, I knew I was done for. The way you say exactly what’s on your mind, rambling when you’re nervous, but speaking with conviction when you’re passionate, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I think you try to hide the parts of you that you think are weak from the world. But I see them, and they’re just as beautiful as the rest of you. When I’m with you it’s likes like my skin’s on fire, burning to touch you. I look at you and I let myself have hope, which is something new for me. I never gave much thought to my future. I’ve been fine living day by day. But if there’s a future for me, I hope to see you in it,” he says, sounding completely sure of himself. I’m stunned by his openness to share his feelings with me. It's a rarity in any relationship. I take a deep breath, processing everything he’s just told me and deciding where to go from here.
I place my hand softly on his cheek, loving the abrasive feeling of his stubble under my palm. “Well, that’s good. Because I think I’ve belonged to you since the moment we met,” I say with a wide smile. There’s so much more I want to say to him, but my thoughts are an emotional, jumbled mess. I’ll wait until I can tell him very clearly how I feel before I say anything. For now, I’m just happy to know we’re in this together.
He runs his hand slowly from my hip up the side of my waist and back down again, causing a shiver to run down my spine. “So, it's settled then? You’re my woman?” He growls into my ear, his thumb rubbing circles on my hipbone, driving me wild. I can’t say I’ve ever been attracted to the alpha type. I’ve read about plenty of them in novels and always imagined how it would feel to be claimed by such a man. The desire in his eyes tells me he heard the small moan that escaped my throat.
“Yes,” I say, feeling more sure of this decision than almost any other I’ve made in my life. “As long as you’re mine,” I say with a sexy grin, my hands threading through his long hair, hanging loose like a curtain around us. He smiles that perfect smile and I know I’m going to be ruined for anyone else.
“Of course, Sunshine. I’m all yours,” he replies. I pull him down and crash my lips against his. He holds on tightly to my hips and rolls us over so I’m lying on top of him. Every nerve in my body is on fire as I raise up to straddle his hips. I grind my pelvic bone down onto his growing erection and I hear him growl. His left hand slides to the nape of my neck and he pulls me back down, attacking my lips in a frenzy. When he kisses me this way, I wonder if I’ve ever been properly kissed in my life. Elijah pours everything he has into these kisses and it leaves me breathless. I feel his hands slip under my shirt and burn a path across my skin. I raise up again quickly, pulling my shirt over my head, and he freezes. His eyes are roaming every inch of me like he’s committing me to memory.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” he says, running his hands down my body. Goosebumps raise up on my skin under his scrutiny and I feel the heat rising up my neck. He runs one hand across my collarbone, down the swell of my breasts, and plucks my nipple through the thin lace covering it. I gasp at the shot of liquid heat that soars through me like a bolt of lightning. My core clenches at the thought of all the devilish things I want him to do with me. I feel my skin heat as he peruses by body and I reach behind me, unclasping my bra. I slide it down my arms and toss it on top of my new dresser. Under his gaze, I can already feel my nipples hardening into tight buds. He slides his rough, callused hands up my stomach and cups them gently, rolling my nipples between his fingers. I can’t suppress the moan that rises from within me. I don’t want to. He rolls us over again, lying me flat on my back. Slowly, he kisses down my jaw, across my neck, and down my chest, drawing my nipple into his mouth and sucking hard. My hands thread through his hair and hold him tightly in place. He nips and sucks, giving each side equal attention. My hips buck off the bed as he lavishes my overly sensitive breasts with attention. Wetness pools between my legs and I squeeze my thighs together to ease some of the ache. He kisses his way down my body, coming to a stop right above the waistband of my leggings. I lift my butt off the bed, giving him access to pull them down and off me. Before I can process the fact that I’m laying here under Elijah in nothing but my underwear, he hefts my leg up over his shoulder and his tongue darts out, sliding from my knee down to my center. The way he takes control of my body is driving me mad. I've never felt owned this way, but I love the heady feeling.
He stops his descent right above my panties and takes a deep breath. I watch his pupils dilate and I know he can smell my arousal. That is probably the most sensual thing I've ever seen and I’m surprisingly not the least bit embarrassed. I’m actually kinda turned on by it. I want him to know every inch of me intimately. I want him to crave me the way I do him. He kisses me softly over the lace of my panties and I heave a frustrated sigh. He’s toying with me, and I know it. He slides my underwear down over my hips and parts my legs. I can feel my wetness dripping down my folds and I’m sure I’ll be washing this comforter later.
“Every inch of you is perfection, Ember. I’ll never get enough,“ he says, closing his eyes and breathing me in. “If you don’t want this, if you’re not ready, tell me to stop now, Sunshine. My control is hanging by a thread here.” His gaze locks onto mine and I’m consumed by the fire burning there.
I smile lazily, enjoying the lust-filled high I’m riding right now. “Don’t stop, Eli, please,” I say, my voice trembling with need and desperation.
He takes my invitation greedily and lowers his mouth to my clit, sucking hard. I let out a loud moan as electricity floods every inch of my body. He feasts on me like a starving man and I can feel my climax already building like the waves in a hurricane. He groans against my skin and I arch my back, seeking more of his skillful tongue. “Sweet as fucking honey, baby. I knew you would taste incredible,” he says, coming up for air before diving back in. He laps at me quickly, thrusting his tongue as deep inside me as he can before focusing his attention back on my clit. He pulls the bundle of nerves between his teeth and I cry out, coming so hard I see stars. My body falls back down to the bed, my heart racing in my chest as I come down from the sweetest high I’ve ever felt. Eli kisses his way back up my body before covering my mouth with his. I taste myself on his tongue and it's a spicy-sweet mixture of the two of us, delicious. He breaks our kiss, falling over onto the bed next to me with a wicked smile on his face.
“What are you smiling about over there?” I ask, my head still cloudy with adrenaline and lust.
“I’m doing that every fucking night, Ember. I’ve never tasted anything as sweet as your pussy. Damn, you pulled my hair so fucking hard I’m sure you drew blood,” He says with a smirk and I’m flooded with embarrassment.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I hope I didn’t hurt you. I don’t know what that was. You just made me feel so incredible I couldn’t help it.” I say, covering my face with my hands. I’ve never been aggressive in bed, but with Elijah, it’s like I can’t control myself. He plays my body like a skilled musician.
“Hey, stop. Don’t overthink this, Sunshine,” he pulls my hands into his and looks into my eyes, “You never have to be ashamed of anything that happens between us, Ember. It was sexy as fuck to watch you fall apart, knowing I’m the one who took you there.” He pulls my hand to his lips and kisses my palm.
We lay in comfortable silence for a few long moments before the front door opens and closes, signaling Everetts return. I jump up from the bed and quickly pull my leggings back on. I feel like a teenager about to get caught by her parents. I throw my Duke University hoodie on, not bothering with my bra. My hands comb through my wild hair and pull it into a messy bun on top of my head. Elijah watches me intently from the bed with his head propped up on his hand. “What?” I ask, wondering what’s running through his mind as he stares at me.
“Nothing, just glad you got that new dresser, babe,” he says with a grin and I roll my eyes, pulling him up off the bed and dragging him downstairs for dinner.
