Southern Charmer (Charleston Heat 1)

I know I need to keep my cool until I know the facts. Maybe he made her keep the ring. Maybe it actually belongs to her family. An heirloom passed down from her grandmama or something.

I glance at the ring. It’s so brilliant and fiery I have to squint to look at it without being blinded.

Fuck that.

I cross the room in two strides and yank open the bathroom door, not bothering to knock. It bangs against the wall.

A voice in my head warns me to calm down. This is stupid this is stupid you are being so stupid right now.

I ignore it, and barge into the bathroom like a lunatic. Because that’s what this girl has turned me into.Chapter Thirty-TwoEliThrough the foggy shower door, I see Olivia whip around, her wet hair sending a spray of droplets flying against the glass.

“Jesus, Eli, you scared me.”

I hold up the open box. “What the hell is this?”

Olivia blinks. Then she goes still.

Panic grips my gut and squeezes.

The sound of the running water is enormous between us.

“You were digging through my drawers?” she says at last.

“I wanted to take a pair of your fucking panties. Repay you for stealing my shirt. I was being cute.”

“I didn’t know going through other peoples’ stuff was cute.”

My heart is really pounding now. “Olivia, tell me what the hell this ring is about.”

She hesitates. Just for a second. Just for a breath.

But she hesitates.

Which means—

Christ.

“It’s the ring Ted proposed with,” she says.

I don’t know if it’s the close, steamy air in the bathroom, or the enormity of what I’m feeling, or what, but I suddenly feel dizzy.

“But I thought you said you turned him down.”

Olivia turns off the water and steps out of the shower, knotting a towel around her torso.

“I did,” she replies. “Eli, I’m not going to marry Ted.”

“Then why’d you keep his ring?”

She swallows. Looks away.

“Because he told me to wear it when I went back to him.” She looks at me. “That’s why. But I’m not going back to him. I’m going to return the ring, and then I’m going to be with you, Eli.”

I search her eyes. “What if I don’t believe you?”

A look of surprise crosses her face. Surprise that morphs into hurt.

Shit. I’m letting my jealousy, my insecurity, get the better of me. But I can’t fucking stop. I feel helpless. Which makes me feel angry.

I’m struck by the wild idea that maybe she’s been using me this whole time. Maybe I’ve just been a rebound for her. Yeah, things got intense between us. She told me she loved me. But that doesn’t mean she won’t wake up one day and wish I were the guy she left. Not Ted.

Ted, who proposed to her with the fucking ring that’s a reminder of all the ways I’m falling short these days.

“Why wouldn’t you believe me?” she says, eyes welling with tears. “I’ve been nothing but honest with you this whole time. I’ve let you see parts of me no one else ever has. I’ve been intimate with you in a way I’ve never been with anyone else. I’m in love with you, Elijah. Not Ted. You.”

“I’m in love with you, too,” I say. Then I hold up the ring. “Which is why this bothers me so much.”

Olivia blinks. “Wait. Are you jealous of my ex?”

“Maybe I am.”

“You shouldn’t be.” She takes a step forward. “Ted’s a great guy, but I think I’ve made it pretty clear to you that he’s not the guy for me. You are. I’m done with Ted.”

I take a step forward, too.

“Then prove it. Move in with me.”* * *OliviaMy heart lurches. I don’t know what to make of this. One minute, Eli and I are having slow, lazy, quiet morning sex, and the next he’s charging into the bathroom, red faced and ready for a fight.

“Move in with you? Where did this idea come from?” I say, genuinely distraught. “Eli, I know we’re in love. And I know we’ve spent a lot of time together over the past month. But I still haven’t figured out what my situation is going to be. What if my department in Ithaca can’t find a replacement and I have to stay up there until after the holidays? And what if this new job at the College of Charleston doesn’t pan out? I need time to get my ducks in a row.”

His eyes are hard when they meet mine. “And I need an answer.”

“Eli,” I say, bewildered. “You’re being ridiculous. We have plenty of time to talk about moving in together. Let’s revisit it when I know more about my future.”

“I don’t want to revisit it,” I say. “I want to talk about it now.”

I blink, hard.

“But I don’t understand. You’ve never brought this up before.”

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while.” His gaze searches mine. “I like having you around. I need you around, Olivia.”