Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Hadley

“Why are you wearing a dress?” Lucy blinked up at me as I fiddled with the straps of my yellow sundress.

I glanced down at her before checking my reflection again. “Is something wrong with a dress?”

“You never wear one,” she said and mortification set in.

Oh, fudge. If my four-year-old took notice of my change of clothes after getting off work and thought it was weird, would Elijah think so too? I wanted to look pretty, but I didn’t want it to be obvious. I was already self-conscious about my breasts. I couldn’t wear a bra with the dress and since breastfeeding, I’d felt oddly off-balance, considering my breasts were larger than the rest of my body.

“Are we not going to Elijah’s now?” she asked with a frown.

“Yes, we’re still going over to Elijah’s.” I fussed with the hem. “You’re right. It would be silly to wear this when it’s getting dark.”

Lucy bounced up and down with a grin. “No, it’s pretty. You’re pretty, Mommy! I think Elijah will like it.”

My eyes widened like saucers. Whoa. Where did that come from? My daughter scared me. I wondered if maybe she listened in on a lot more to Olivia and my conversations than I realized.

“Why would Elijah like it?” I asked her cautiously, wanting to know my daughter’s train of thought.

“Mamaw said he likes you.”

“Did she now?”

A firm nod. “Said he likes me and Eli too, that’s why he spends time with us. Is that why we don’t hang out with Daddy anymore because you don’t like him no more?”

My heart fell to the floor as I bent down. “Lucy, you can see your dad anytime you want to. Mommy and Daddy just can’t be together, anymore. It’s too hard, and it makes me sad. I’ll explain this to you when you’re older.”

“Daddy makes you cry a lot. I don’t want you to cry, anymore.” Tears pricked at my eyes, so I wrapped my arms around Lucy and held her. “Mom?”

“Yeah, Lucy?”

“Daddy said Elijah wouldn’t be our friend one day. Why?”

“I hope that never happens,” I murmured.

“Me too. I don’t want him to stop bringing me stuff.”

I chuckled. “Lucy!”

“I want to bring my chocolate milk to share with Elijah.” She pushed away from me, and I smiled.

“Okay. That’s fine.”

“Can I bring my pony coloring book to show him?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I ask him to buy me another car?”

“No.”

_______

“You’re wearing a dress,” Elijah stated the second he opened his door. He ogled me for a moment before stepping to the side so we could enter. As we walked past him, his hot gaze seared into me.

“Mommy looks pretty, doesn’t she?” Lucy said, carrying the diaper bag. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she dropped it in the hallway with a huff like her work was done. “I should wear one, too!”

“Did you wear that for me?” There was a gruffness to his tone. His question and the way he said it made me tremble.

Turning around with Eli in my arms, I pretended not to know what he was talking about. “Olivia made me buy it…” I glimpsed down at myself. “Does it not suit me? Oh, fudge, it looks awful, doesn’t it? I just don’t look good in dresses.”

“Lucy, your mother is blind,” Elijah told Lucy then turned to me. “You’re absolutely gorgeous.” He leaned forward, grabbing a strand of blonde hair hanging between my breasts, letting it slide between his long fingers. I held my breath until he stepped away.

Lucy trailed through the hallway, peeking her head into the living room. “What happened to all the drawings?”

“I put them upstairs,” Elijah said. “I ordered pizza. Is that okay with you?” He looked at me again. I nodded, grabbing Eli’s hand when he pulled at my dress strap. “Um, I have a box of brownies at my apartment. If you want, I can go back and get them…”

“Yes! I want brownies!” Lucy answered.

“Do you have a mixer?” I asked Elijah.

He scratched his chin. “I think so.”

I walked into his kitchen and checked to make sure he had one before I said, “I’ll be right back.”

Elijah stopped me as I stepped into the hallway. I gaped at him like he was a stranger when he held out his hands for Eli. My gaze went from his hands to his face.

“I can hold him.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yeah. You’ll only take a minute. I can watch Eli while Lucy supervises me, right Luce?”

Lucy giggled. “Right.”

“She can tell me what to do,” he went on, putting a smile on Lucy’s face.

“I can do it!”

Grinning at them, I handed Eli over. Elijah placed one hand on Eli’s bottom and wrapped an arm around his back, holding my son against his chest. Eli stared at Elijah and then laughed. “This isn’t so bad,” Elijah admitted.

The two of them together. A giant, tattooed man holding my baby? Said man being Elijah. Ovaries exploded.

_____

“Are you sure you don’t want me to get him?” I asked Elijah as I placed the brownies in the oven. He was propped against the counter watching me with Eli in his arms facing forward so that he could watch me too. Lucy was in the living room drawing.

“He’s fine until he needs a tit,” was Elijah’s crass reply.

“Don’t say it like that.” I laughed, moving toward the sink to clean the dishes.

“He needs to learn to share, hogging them all to himself,” said Elijah.

What?

I froze. Heat lit up my body. Thankfully, my back was turned, so he couldn’t see my red face. Not seeing his expression, though, was torturous. Was he joking or hinting at something totally different?

The wooden counter creaked as he pushed himself off of it. God bless…Elijah was behind me, and the heat from him seeped through me. Eli’s little fingers grabbed at my hair and pulled. I felt nothing. My attention was focused on how Elijah leaned over me.

“You really are a pretty little thing, Hadley,” his voice was deeper, husky—purely sexual. “Instead of gorgeous, I was thinking more along the lines of how fucking edible you look in that dress.”

Damn, I thought. I meant, fudge!

Hiswords spoke to a spot much lower than my stomach. I was speechless, but were words necessary? Suddenly, I didn’t know what to say or how to react. Scott had been the only man I slept with. The idea of sex with Elijah left me shaky. “Elijah…?”

I didn’t have to worry about doing anything though, now that Eli was touching my hair, it wasn’t enough for my little boy. He cried and jerked me out of the sexual trance Elijah put me in. “I think he wants his momma,” Elijah murmured, his voice still raw.

When I faced them, Elijah was right there. He had me pressed against the counter. He handed Eli over with barely an inch separating us. Eli was rooting around for a nipple, and Elijah did something even more brazen. Hooking his finger underneath one of my dress straps, with a slight tug, Elijah revealed one of my boobs, nipple and all. I helped Eli find it, and he nursed. Elijah watched him, then he was watching me, and I was breathing hard.

He leaned forward, having to lower himself to reach the side of my face with his own. “The things I want to do to you…” he rumbled in my ear. I closed my eyes. I could hear my own panting. “If you’ll let me… You, Lucy, and Eli stay instead of leaving tonight.” I gasped silently as a heavy hand slipped up my dress, sliding along my thigh. He found the edge of my panties and paused. He leaned away, his dark, sinful gaze staring down at me as he did. “You’re not making me stop,” he murmured lowly. “Hadley, are you with me?” He traced the edge of my chin with his index finger.

I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know what to say or do, all I knew was that I’d let him do anything to me the second we were alone. The doorbell rang, and I jumped. The smallest smile touched Elijah’s lips. “Pizza’s here.” His hand fell off my thigh but the other remained at my chin. When my gaze fell to the floor, he grabbed my arm. “Am I scaring you?” he asked softly. “I’ll stop if I am, but I want this. I want you.”

Oh, fudge. I was far from afraid. He turned my body into a noodle.

“I’m not afraid of you,” I whispered.

“Is that the pizza?” Lucy’s bare feet padded over the wooden floor as Elijah stepped away from me. I sucked in some much-needed air.

I kept thinking about what he said as we ate and watched the movie Lucy picked out. Stay… As tempting as those words were, I couldn’t. I had no reasonable explanation for Lucy. I had no idea what was going on between Elijah and me, but I wanted…

It wasn’t fear I felt —although I might feel it tomorrow—despite Elijah’s deliberate gaze that stayed with me the entire movie. The only emotion coursing through me was my heady desire for him.

Lucy rubbed her eyes. It was a little after ten, and I knew she would’ve crashed already if we weren’t at Elijah’s. “Tell Elijah goodbye,” I told Lucy as we walked into the hallway and put on our shoes.

Elijah hung his head but remained quiet.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” Lucy asked as he bent down so she could hug him.

He watched me nervously for an answer. I realized he might think he screwed up earlier, but there was no way I could tell him he didn’t so I said, “I want to see him tomorrow so, maybe he’ll come to see us.”

Elijah visibly perked up at my words. That made me feel special like I had power over his emotions because he liked me. “Yeah, you will.”

He walked us to our apartment despite me telling him he didn’t need to. We said our goodbyes. Elijah was reluctant and made sure I could hear it in his voice. It took thirty minutes to give Lucy a bath and put her in bed. Eli was easier, going to sleep after his bath and boob time. The moment they were asleep, I found my phone and sent Elijah the text I’d been wanting to ever since he had me in his kitchen melting from his touch.

Hadley: Do you want to come up? Lucy and Eli are asleep.

To make sure he knew what I meant, I added:

Hadley: We have to be quiet.

Two minutes later, there was a soft rap on my apartment door. Tiptoeing across the kitchen, I opened the door and there he was, dressed in the same dark jeans and shirt from earlier. The same raw hunger shone in his eyes.

Elijah invaded my space and forced me back a step as he came close. He shut the door behind him, locking the deadbolt while never taking his eyes off of me. “I thought I fucked-up earlier with you.” His voice was low, dark, and sweet all wrapped into one perfect man.

I shook my head and let my eyes trace the planes of his wide chest, remembering how he looked shirtless. His hand wrapped around me and gripped my butt before pulling me flush against me. For a moment, I was on my tiptoes, and then Elijah lifted me higher. My palms flattened on his chest as he carried me across the room. Elijah was so powerful that he did it with one arm as his other hand was occupied caressing my butt. His touch dampened my panties and ignited a fire within me. Everything about Elijah’s actions was purely sexual already pushing me to the edge.

He placed me on my feet long enough to wrench my dress over my hips. Then he carried me over to the kitchen table. The wood creaked beneath me but it didn’t collapse.

One minute with Elijah and everything I knew about sex seemed dull and wrong. I’d never been manhandled and that was all Elijah seemed to like doing. What had I been missing?

Elijah rubbed his palms against the sides of my legs like it was a battle between gentle and rough. In the dimly lit room I could see Elijah’s hesitation. His eyes roved over me, unsure what he should do next.

He snaked his hand behind my neck. My heart beat wild in anticipation of our first kiss. Panting heavily, Elijah’s eyes clouded with a fierce sexual haze before he leaned in, and captured my lips—his five o’clock shadow scraped along my nose and chin. His tongue swept along my seam, seeking permission. He pulled it back and tried again. That time I parted for him, the dark mocha taste of him stealing all senses as our tongues met. My core throbbed as he gripped my neck more firmly and devoured my mouth like he was starved for me. Our heavy breathing, like a beautifully scripted love song, filled the room.

Elijah’s hand slid over my shoulder and grabbed my strap and it fell from my shoulder. He tugged at the fabric until my breast came free. As he cupped my boob—handling it rougher than I was used to—I moaned. Elijah continued kissing, flicking his tongue over mine before he dragged his mouth away. He placed his forehead against mine and then glanced down at my breast. When he slid his thumb and forefinger over my puckered nipple and pinched, I cried out. He tugged harder and squeezed. Milked spilled out. I raked my fingers through his hair.

“Holy fuck, you’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

I felt my face burning, not out of embarrassment. I was just so turned on.

He pulled at my other strap, not satisfied until he had both my breasts on display. He stepped away and admired me. “I’ve never seen anyone more perfect. You’re perfect. And I’m going to spend the rest of the night worshipping every inch of you.”

He bent down taking each of my breasts into his hands. Suddenly his lips were on my nipples. I sighed and gripped the edge of the table. His tongue flicked out, teeth caught and tugged just enough…Panting, I grabbed his hair again.  He sucked and lapped giving each nipple attention. When I heard Elijah swallowing, it registered. He was drinking my milk!

I didn’t know whether to be disgusted or flattered. It should have been strange at the least, but it wasn’t. I was too into Elijah and how good he made me feel to be self-conscious.

I started to fall backward, unaccustomed to feeling so much at once. He lifted his head and dark animalistic eyes swept over me. Elijah kissed along my neck easing me onto my back. The joy my soul felt turned into an aching anticipation between my thighs. I was a trembling mess as Elijah’s palm splayed on my stomach. He gazed at me with so much admiration before moving on to my thighs. He spread them further apart and bent my legs until my feet were on the table’s edge. My dress was bunched up around my waist. Elijah tugged at my panties until they were off. The next thing I knew, Elijah buried his face between my legs catching me by surprise.

“Ah!” I moaned.

He rubbed his finger over my clit, and my back arched. My body shook as I started to come in his mouth. Elijah gave a satisfying groan and drank his fill. While his mouth sucked, he shoved his thick fingers inside me. The man worked magic leaving me writhing and crying out. When I thought I could take no more, he slipped in another finger. Then he gently bit along the inside of my thigh working back to my clit.

“Elijahhhh,” I cried out as I came like a tsunami all over his face. He didn’t relent, even when my body convulsed and shuddered against him. He kissed along my thigh softly, quietly, his fingers slowing as if to give me a second.

Just when my body started to relax, Elijah did it all over again. Minutes later, I reached my peak again. That was a first for me—multiple orgasms.

My body was limp as he stood and leaned over me, his digits still pressed inside me. He dragged his teeth over my bottom lip allowing me to taste myself. Elijah whispered, “Baby, you’ll have to be quiet, or you’ll wake them. I’m far from finished with you.”

I trembled and nodded as he curved his fingers inside me. My back arched again, and Elijah kissed me deeply, but softly this time. I placed my hand over his and raised my pelvis, urging him to a quicker pace. He groaned. “Jesus fuck, you’re so precious. I don’t deserve to touch you.” I kissed his neck. “Is Eli in your room?” I nodded. “The sofa then. I don’t trust you not to be loud.”

I whimpered my protest as his fingers left my body. Elijah scooped me up with him. He placed me on my feet, pushing the sundress down over my hips until it pooled at my feet. My skin prickled with the awareness that I was completely naked in front of that man. The thought was as thrilling as it was terrifying. Stretch marks lined my breasts, but I saw nothing but desire in his dark eyes. The hard, long length of his erection trapped inside his jeans was another reminder that despite all the changes to my body after becoming a mom, Elijah was completely into whatever he saw when he looked at me.

But I couldn’t be the only naked person in the room. I grabbed the bottom of his shirt, and he helped me lift it over his head, tossing it to the floor. I took him in. His muscled chest was peppered with dark hair. It was sparse—only noticeable up close as I traced his tattoos with my fingers. I dug my toes into the carpet.

I loved everything about him.

Feeling bold, I stepped closer and placed a kiss above his right nipple. I felt more than saw his hand move to his back pockets. He tossed his wallet on the couch before grabbing me by the waist and turning me around as he flopped down on the couch with me on his lap. My knees were at his sides, his giant erection pressed between my thighs. Heat soared low in my belly despite his jeans separating us.

I ran my hands over his broad chest as I leaned forward and kissed him. He rubbed my arms up and down, then he cupped my butt, rocking me back and forth along his erection. Animalistic sounds came from deep down in Elijah’s throat. The guttural noise went straight to my pussy. He pinched and pulled at my nipples.

“Elijah,” I whimpered. “Please.” I needed to know how he felt inside me before I drowned in all these incredible sensations I experienced.

I placed my hand over the tent in his jeans and gripped him, sliding my fingers along his length. He was big. Suddenly I wanted to see every inch of him. Elijah started to unzip his jeans, and I moved back to give him room. Seconds later, Elijah’s jeans were around his knees. I gasped. The man went commando, and I got my first look at his dark, veiny cock, bobbing forward. He was so hard and thick, almost painfully so. How was he holding back? I wanted him to get his release more than I wanted my third one.

As I reached out, he placed his hand on mine and brought it over his hard, straining erection and fisted it, dragging my palm up and down roughly. I moaned at the feel of him while his other hand opened his wallet and pulled out a condom. I removed our hands and watched in silent anticipation as he tore open the packet and sheathed himself. I moved toward him, and Elijah gripped my hips, aligning our bodies until I felt his head nudge my entrance. He paused and waited until the moment our eyes met. Nothing else mattered when I caught his eyes. It didn’t matter that everything was so perfect, shiny, and new between us. More than perfect, there was a sense of rightness in that moment. I felt like our souls had done this a million times before even if our bodies hadn’t. His hand left my hip and snaked around to the nape of my neck. He brought our foreheads together while maintaining a unified, carnal eye contact. This feeling would define me, would live inside me when I was eighty. For his soul bled through his gaze and seeped into mine before he entered me. A fleeting heartbeat later, he guided me down over him.

My body ignited and bloomed for him. Nothing I’d known or felt before could have prepared me for that time with Elijah. We never blinked as he entered me. The heat that rolled through me was so much more intense because of it. That wasn’t sex. I didn’t know what it was. It was indescribable, and I came before he was all the way in.

One thrust and Elijah was deep, stretching me perfectly as I slowly throbbed around him. The orgasm was torturously slow. It was never-ending. I was almost afraid. I’d never felt anything so incredible. He felt me coming and dragged me up leisurely and back down over him to guide it along. He knew exactly what to do, totally shattering me.

Waves of ecstasy hit, and I had to fight to keep my eyes open. All I wanted to do was toss my head back and cry out. I was whimpering and on the verge of doing just that when he whispered, “Don’t, don’t close your eyes.” Something in my chest cracked open, and the fire burning my body settled within it. Elijah felt our connection too. There was no way he couldn’t. Pain and ecstasy crossed his face as he groaned. “Oh, fuck, Hadley.” He kept his pace slow, barely moving as he came right after me. His seemed to go on just as long as mine had.

Afterward, still inside me, he placed a kiss on my jaw. “You’re perfect.” He kissed my other side. “Are you tired?”

I was, but I also wasn’t since he was right there so I shook my head.

“You’re lying.” He grinned, so I shrugged and smiled. “Just so you know, I normally last longer than that but between you coming on my face and that tight pussy I didn’t stand a chance.” I rolled my eyes playfully, and he pulled me off of him, discarded the condom, and wrapped an arm around my back as he switched our positions, tossing me onto the cushions like I was nothing. He had a good struggle with his jeans before he descended over me. “Since you say you’re not sleepy, I’ll make sure I do my job right this—”

Eli cried, cutting him off. I sat up and Elijah scooted over. “Did we wake him?” he asked softly, worry stamped on his face. Elijah was still adorable when it came to Eli. He freaked out and got nervous every time Eli cried.

Rushing to the bathroom, I quickly washed my hands and grabbed the robe hanging on the back of the door. Eli settled as soon as I picked him up. I had a small nightlight plugged into the wall in my bedroom, and I could make out his round eyes perfectly. I mentally groaned. He was wide awake. This would be one of his rare all-nighters. He slept most nights unlike Lucy did at his age, but sometimes he didn’t. I felt his diaper, and he was dry. I offered him a boob, but he wasn’t interested.

Yep. His eyes darted all over the darkened room. Completely alert. A shadow fell over the doorway, and I glimpsed over to see Elijah in his jeans, still shirtless. “He’s wide awake,” I said.

Elijah smiled and came in, his eyes skimming over my room. “His mom is loud,” he teased. I felt my flushed cheeks grow redder.

I scoffed, dropping down on the bed with Eli. “He’ll be up a bit. You should probably head on home.”

Instead of doing that, he sat beside me. “You work tomorrow, don’t you?”

I nodded.

“I’ll head out and change while you guys are getting ready in the morning.”              He stroked the top of Eli’s head. My heart stopped. I studied Elijah’s face. He was staring at Eli with a peaceful smile. He wasn’t irritated nor did he leave the second Eli woke.

He was still there. That moment was real.

Did I dare trust my heart again?

But most importantly, the mother in me said, “You should probably wash those,” I eyed his fingers, “and I have an extra toothbrush in the bathroom.”