Page 67 of Shut Up and Jingle Me
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he curls his lower lip out in the most obnoxious, deliberate pout I’ve ever seen. Innocent. Except nothing about him is. And God help me, it cracks something in me.
“You didn’t miss me?” His voice is all sugar, soft edges hiding sharp teeth.
I shut my eyes, drag in a deep breath that does absolutely nothing to steady me. He smells like soap and peppermint andsomething only him—something I can’t fucking shake no matter how hard I try.
I snag his foot, tug his first shoe off, and let it drop to the floor with a wet slap. He wiggles his toes, brushing them along my thigh like he’s testing me. Like he knows I won’t push him away. I rotate his left ankle, then do the same to his right. Steady. Professional. My hands don’t even tremble.
“Feels fine, Starling.”
“Princess,” he corrects, grinning, eyes dancing.
My lips twitch before I can stop them. I shake my head, hoping he doesn’t see the way it slips past my walls. But he does. Of course he does.
And then he bites his bottom lip, slow and obscene, tugging it free until it’s pink and swollen, until my pulse stutters and heat slams low in my gut.
“What about your shoulder? How’s that feel today?”
He ignores my question, but I move my hands to his shoulder, testing the range of motion while I attempt to push away my impulse to kiss him. He goes with it, his eyes alight with mischief.
“Shoulders fine, Calder. And before you ask me to drop my pants, although I’d be up for that, my groin is also good. But what about my lips?” he asks, voice dropping. “Think they need attention too.”
My pulse spikes traitorously as his words hang between us.What about my lips?Jesus Christ.
For half a second, I almost do it. Almost grab him, haul him closer, taste the smug curve of his mouth until he’s gasping my name again. The only thing stopping me is the unlocked door at my back. Anyone could walk in, and Eli deserves more than being caught like some dirty secret.
So I step closer instead. Close enough that his breath mingles with mine, peppermint and sugar and sin. His eyes go wide, lips parting like he’s already won.
“Careful,” I murmur, my mouth a breath from his. “You keep asking, I might not stop.”
He swallows hard, pupils blown, waiting—waiting for me to cave.
But I don’t. Not here. Not now.
I tilt even closer, let my lips brush the air above his, and then—slowly, deliberately—pull back just enough to make him curse under his breath.
“Be a good little princess,” I rasp, “and wait for me in your dorm. I’ll finish the check-up there.”
The sound he makes—half groan, half laugh—punches heat straight through me. He wants me to snap. He wants me ruined. And God help me, I want it too.
Just not with that door still unlocked.
He smirks like he just scored a hat trick and slides his shoes back on, tugging the laces tight with an exaggerated flourish. “Guess I’m all better,” he says, hopping off the table like he didn’t just fake an injury to get my hands on him.
I bite back a groan as he smooths down his shirt and tosses me that look—blue eyes sparking with mischief. “Don’t work too hard, Calder. Wouldn’t want you too tired for my…check-uplater.”
Then he swings the door open like he owns the place.
“Starling!” one of the guys in line complains, but Eli just prances past them, waving over his shoulder. “What? Trainer says I’m good to go. He is the expert.”
There’s grumbling, sure, but the thing about Eli is—they can’t help loving him anyway. Even when he’s a menace.
Me? I stand frozen in the center of the room, gloves still on, pulse pounding, pretending like my world isn’t spinning out justbecause of one stupid sunshine grin and a promise IknowI’ll keep the second I’m free.
TWENTY-FIVE
ELI
I practically skipdown the hallway, ignoring the side-eye from the guys I passed in line outside the trainer’s office. Let them grumble. I won. I got my check-up, my fix of Calder’s green-eyed scowl, and the promise of more later.
