Page 71 of Lone Wolf in Lights
Her eyes went even wider now. “You did. You went alone?”
“I needed to,” he explained. “I said what I needed to say, and I left what I needed to leave there.” He took a step, closing the distance and cupping her face. “From the very start, the fake relationship was never fake for me. It was safe. I could have you without having to face my own shit. But that’s over now. No more pretending.”
She leaned into his touch. “And Betty helped you see that?” Oh, Betty. Gosh, Willow loved her. She laughed quietly. “You know, Betty’s like Santa Claus for the emotionally stubborn. She sneaks into your life, delivers the gift of unsolicited advice, and just like that—you find what you didn’t even know you were missing.”
Eli chuckled, giving a small nod. He reached out, his fingers gently brushing a lock of hair from Willow’s face behind her ear. “Guess I was on her nice list this year,” he said, voice low and husky.
“Or maybe she knew who deserved a little Christmas magic this year,” Willow said softly.
“I think that’s very much true.” Eli hesitated, and his expression had never been so revealing. “What Betty did—it made me realize how much I want to be here. With you. Not running, not hiding, but facing everything head-on, together.”
Willow’s breath caught in her throat. “I want that too,” she said, pushing her voice out. “It wasn’t fake for me either, and it was safe for me too. But I want us, Eli. Whatever that looks like, whatever we have to face, I want to do it with you because you make me happy.” She took a step closer, pressing herself against him. “Betty talked to me too, and so did my therapist. I don’t want to shut down with you. I want to feel it all, the good, the bad and everything in between. I want to believe in that happily-ever-after that I once thought possible.”
He cupped her face, brushing his thumbs across her cheeks. “We’ve got this, don’t we?”
She nodded slowly. “Yeah, Eli, we got this.”
His brows drew together tight before he pressed his mouth to hers in a kiss that was as sweet as it was beautiful. “I should have said it before,” he said, pulling back for a moment. “I should have done a lot of things, but I’m not getting this wrong anymore. I’m falling in love with you, Willow. I can see a future together, one that I want.”
She placed her hands over his on her face, happy tears welling in her eyes. “I’m falling in love with you too. I’m still dealing with everything, and I know you are too. I know there is no magic fix, but I want to be dealing with it together.”
“Together,” he offered.
She smiled. “Together.” She stared into the weight of Eli’s stare, the intensity of his eyes like a physical touch that sent shivers down her spine. His presence was a comforting warmth, a silent promise. She wanted to get closer, as close as she could get.
“Come with me,” she whispered, reaching out and capturing his calloused hand in hers. His fingers were strong and sure, yet they yielded to her lead with a surprising gentleness.
She led him out behind the bar, flicking the lights off as she went, and the Christmas lights from the tree cast the bar in a kaleidoscope of colors. She brought him to a stool that couldn’t be seen from the window, far from prying eyes, giving the privacy she needed.
She reached for the edge of his sweater, pulling it up and over his head as he helped her. It landed on the floor with a soft thud. She then went for his jeans, but he took out his wallet and placed it on the bar before stripping off the rest of his clothes, his hard cock springing free.
“Stay there,” she whispered.
His eyes blazed, burning hot. “Yes, ma’am.”
She held his gaze as she knelt before him, her fingers tracing up his thighs. His low groan brushed across her as she took his cock in her hand. And his head fell back with a moan that shivered through her as she took him deep into her mouth.
To taste him...it waseverything.
The rise and fall of his chest quickened, his breath hitching as her lips slid up and down his rock-hard shaft, and her tongue swirled around the tip, tasting the salty moisture. She stroked him with her hand, following her mouth as she squeezed tight, using her mouth in all the ways she knew how to pleasure him.
Until she began bobbing on the tip, and Eli’s resolve crumbled under the onslaught of pleasure. His thighs trembled as he reached down to thread his fingers through her hair. The raw need in his eyes ignited urgency within, a blaze stoked by each caress, each slow swirl of her tongue.
She refused to look away, gliding her tongue over him with every bob of her head and stroke of her hand. Deep grunts filled the air as his jaw clenched and unclenched.
Then, without warning, Eli propelled upward, drawing Willow into his arms with a fierce urgency. Their bodies collided and his lips captured hers in a kiss that tasted of burning desire as he stripped her bare.
With a grunt, he bent her over the bar he’d meticulously built with his own hands. Pressed against the solid wood, Willow felt the heat of his body sear into her, as he squeezed her bottom, then smacked the other cheek.
He reached for his wallet, and she heard him ripping the foil packet open, leaving her shivering in anticipation.
Then he was behind her. His hands roamed over her curves, and she wiggled her bottom, needing him...desperate for him.
“We’re in this. Together,” he murmured into her ear, his voice rough with desire as his fingers slipped between her thighs. He stroked her, circling her clit, readying her. But it was pointless—she was drenched. Shivers cascaded down her spine and pooled warmth low in her belly as he murmured, “Tell me,” he murmured.
“It’s you and me—”
Her voice died on a moan as he entered her with one swift stroke, and she bowed against him. Her pulse hammered in her ears as Eli thrust from behind, gripping her hips tightly. The cool surface beneath her was a stark contrast to the feverish heat radiating within, sending shivers along her spine. His body heat seeped into her, and there was no room for thought, only sensation—the fullness of him, the brush of his breath on her neck, the hardness of his cock stretching and filling her, the strength encompassing her.
