“Jackson, what in the world is wrong with you?” she asks, exasperated.
I say nothing. Just clutch the steering wheel tighter, hitting the blinker and turning onto her street. I’m so close to getting rid of her. I need to. She’s fucking with my head. My thoughts. My libido. I’m an Ellie-induced mess.
By the time I’m pulling into her apartment parking lot, she’s undoing the seatbelt, eager to get the hell away from me. I park the car, ready to say something, but she’s already opening the door.
“Thanks, bye,” she says hurriedly as she climbs out of my Mercedes, shutting the door behind her.
I throw the car into park and cut the engine, ready to chase after her. Though I shouldn’t.
Yeah. I totally shouldn’t.
I do though. I exit the vehicle and make my way after her, calling her name.
She literally turns around and holds her finger to her lips, shushing me.
“My neighbors are sleeping,” she whisper-yells.
I can’t help it. I laugh.
And keep following her.
Ellie stops in front of a door on the ground level, which doesn’t thrill me. She should be on the second floor at least. I haven’t been to her apartment yet, so I had no idea. At least the complex is quiet. Gated. Newer, and in a decent part of town.
I still worry about her safety though.
“This your apartment?” I ask, already knowing that it is.
“You didn’t have to follow me to my door,” she says, sounding irritated.
“I wanted to.”
“Okay. Whatever. Thanks again for the ride, Jackson.” She sticks her key in the deadbolt at the same time that I approach her, stopping just behind her.
“Can I come in for a little bit?”
She shakes her head, keeping her back to me. “I have roommates. I don’t want you to wake them up.”
“I can be quiet. Do you have a room to yourself?”
She nods. “You can’t come in, Jackson.”
I press my hand against the door, crowding her from behind. “Why not?”
“I don’t want you to,” she admits.
We’re quiet. I can hear her breathe. There’s a warm breeze outside, and it stirs the wild strands of her hair. All I want to do is smooth them down. Run my fingers down her neck. Kiss her there. Pull her into my arms and not let her go for the rest of the night.
But I can’t. I can’t do it.
I’d fuck everything up.
“I never did tell you what’s bugging me,” I murmur, giving in to my urges and tucking a few strands of her silky soft hair behind her ear.
She goes completely stiff. “What is it?”
Leaning in, I whisper close to her ear, “It’s you.”
Ellie turns to face me so fast, I rear back a little, giving her the room she needs. She shoves at my chest, her face screwed up in anger, her eyes blazing with fury.