Page 22 of Carved in Ice (Made of Steel 3)

But instead of the feeling that I was craving, his fingers slowly traced my wetness.

“Please, Eli. I need you.”

“You just told me that you loved me, Summer. Let me cherish you.” His eyes wandered to my breasts. “Every inch of you.”

“I know how you feel. But right now I just need to feel you.”

He placed the tip of his cock against me. “Is that so?”

“Stop teasing me,” I said with a laugh. “Please.”

“Hmm.” He shifted slightly forward, driving me crazy.

I tightened my legs around his waist, forcing him to thrust into me harder than I think we both expected. God.

“Fuck,” he groaned into my mouth.

I grabbed the back of his neck, ensuring that his lips wouldn’t leave mine. I never wanted to stop tasting him. Or feeling him. Or loving him. “I love you.”

He unwrapped my hands from his body and pressed them against the door. “I love you too.” He moved his hips faster, hitting me in all the right places.

I believed his words even though what we were doing screamed fucking not making love. It’s what I wanted. The roughness of the door and the soft silk somehow made it even better. It was raw and real. This was the best way to feel.

And the longer I spent with him, the more I realized that he was able to take away my pain. Love was so much stronger than hate.

He titled his hips at just the right angle.

“Yes, Eli!”

He kissed the side of my jaw and tightened his hands around mine. “Say my name again.”

“Eli!”

I felt his cock pulse just as I exploded into a million pieces. And for the first time in years, it actually felt like someone loved every single one of those pieces of me.

***

Eli reached forward and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. “Can I ask you something?”

I stared into his brown eyes and willed him not to ruin the moment. “Anything.”

“Last night you said that you hated both V and Miles. But that wasn’t always the case. Did something happen? That made you change your mind?”

I thought about my conversation with V from the other day. Where he said he never meant to say he loved me. I thought about Miles laughing with the blonde girl outside my old dorm building. “Honestly? I think I finally saw both of them for what they were: memories. And I needed to move on.”

He searched my face. “I don’t want to be your third choice.”

I put my hand on the center of his chest. “Eli, you couldn’t be a consolation prize even if you tried.”

He smiled.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I can’t even express how happy I am right now. I don’t even remember the last time I smiled this much. And I know I changed my mind about them. But I don’t intend to change my mind about you, Eli Serrano.” His last name sounded strange out loud. I think it was the first time I had ever said it.

He raised his eyebrow. “Still getting used to my real last name?”

“I’m just so used to thinking of you as Eli Hayes. But Serrano has a nice ring to it. Summer Serrano.” As soon as I said it, I pressed my lips together. Crap, had I really just said that out loud?

He laughed.

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