Forsaken (The Protectors 4)

“Morning,” he said quietly, a small smile gracing his beautiful lips.

“Morning,” I managed to return even though my insides were knotted so tight, I could barely breathe. A gentle brush off was a thousand times worse than a quick dismissal.

Eli kept his hand on my face and his thumb stroked back and forth over my cheek. There was a dreamy, contented look in his eyes that I both loved and hated. I didn’t want this to be fucking easy for him.

“I have to go let Baby out,” Eli finally said as he lowered his hand from my face and placed it alongside my body so he was hovering over me.

I was going to bite out a dismissive comment, but I held my tongue and merely nodded.

Eli leaned down and held his lips just above mine. “Will you come with me?” he whispered.

I couldn’t find my voice to respond to that because my brain was too busy telling me it was some kind of trick. He’d gotten what he wanted – we both had. Yeah, he’d begged me last night not to leave him, but that had been in the throes of passion. Things were different in the light of day.

They were always different.

“We could go have some breakfast,” Eli continued. He seemed to struggle for a moment before saying “Please Mav, I don’t want this to end yet.”

Yet.

Because it would have to sometime.

I knew I was only prolonging the inevitable, but I nodded anyway and as soon as Eli’s lips brushed mine, I felt the panic leave my body. When Eli tried to pull back, I snagged my hand around the back of his head and held him there while I plundered his mouth. The same neediness that had driven Eli the night before had now invaded me and I sat up, taking Eli with me. I dragged him against me as I kissed him over and over and he didn’t hesitate to kiss me back. I wasn’t sure if he sensed my internal struggle, but as my need for him grew, his hand slipped under the blanket and closed around my dick. I gasped against his mouth and held there as he began gently jerking me off. Emotion coursed through me as he stroked me over and over. He acted like we had all the time in the world and he never once reached for his own dick. At some point I grabbed his face with both my hands and for the life of me I couldn’t let him go as I pressed our foreheads together. My breathing began to grow heavy as Eli continued his sensual torment and as the orgasm slowly built, I closed my eyes. Neither of us spoke and Eli never once tried to escape the hold I had on him.

It was all about me.

For the first time in my whole goddamn life, I was being put first.

I let out a ragged moan as I came and I couldn’t contain the harsh sob that escaped me. I managed to keep the tears that threatened at bay, but as I loosened my hold on Eli, I felt his free hand close around the back of my head as his lips skimmed my forehead. His other hand was still gently stroking my dick, drawing out my pleasure as my body tingled with sensation. I had no idea how long he held me like that for before his lips gently pressed against mine. “Let’s take a shower,” he suggested.

I managed a nod and could only watch in satisfaction as he lifted his hand to his mouth and licked my cum off of it before grabbing my lax hand and pulling me to my feet. As we began walking towards the bathroom, Eli reached behind his neck with his free hand to pull his shirt off, but when it came time for me to release his other hand long enough so that he could get rid of the shirt, I actually struggled to loosen my fingers enough to let go of him even for a second.

God, I was so fucked.

* * *

“We’re finally sharing a meal together,” Eli said with a chuckle as he bit into the bagel that was loaded with generous amounts of cream cheese.

I smiled and took a sip of my coffee. “I was really looking forward to those enchiladas,” I said.

Eli’s eyes held mine as they turned serious. “Tonight,” he said. “I can make them at your place.”

My place.

Fuck, why did I like the sound of that so much? And why did the idea of spending another night with Eli – a date night no less – sound like the best fucking idea I’d ever heard?

My throat felt too tight to speak so I nodded. Eli’s wide smile was like a balm to my soul.

“I have a shift at the hospital this afternoon, but I can be at the hotel by six.”