Finding Our Forever (Silver Springs #1)(45)
His nostrils flared as she stepped closer. “At least it’s going to end well,” she said and guided his head to her breast, stroking his cheek as he suckled her.
His hands slid to her waist, then moved over her hips and around to the back, at which point he lifted her easily onto the bed before removing his own clothes.
“Do we need a condom?” he asked.
She’d been on the pill for a week. “According to what I’ve read online, we should be safe.”
His teeth flashed in another smile. “I get to come inside you,” he said and, when they both reached that pinnacle, Cora couldn’t help but acknowledge that she’d never enjoyed making love to anyone more.
After an experience like that she wasn’t willing to have the talk they needed to have about Aiyana. That would ruin everything, destroy the memory. So she promised herself she’d tell him in the morning and faded off to sleep, her arms and legs entwined with his.
Chapter Fifteen
“What are you going to do about Matt?”
Cora pulled herself out of the last vestiges of sleep so that she could answer Eli’s question. He’d begun to stir several minutes ago, but she’d been reluctant to reach full consciousness, knew she’d have to face all that awaited her when she did. “I hope he got up and left,” she mumbled. “He was supposed to leave this morning.”
“What’s he been doing here?”
She heard the caution in Eli’s tone, could tell he was prepared for an answer he didn’t like. “Sleeping on the couch.”
“You didn’t get back together with him.”
“No.”
He seemed so relieved when he reached for her that she smoothed her hand over his bare chest in a comforting fashion as she rested her head on his shoulder.
“What did he want, then?” he asked.
“He wanted to reconcile, but I wasn’t interested.”
“So why didn’t he leave?”
“He asked if he could stay—to show me what I was missing, I suppose.”
Eli lifted his head. “And you let him?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I can’t imagine it would be that complicated to me.”
Because he didn’t know everything. She’d let Matt stay mostly to appease him. She’d been trying to end their relationship in such a way that he wouldn’t cause trouble. With what he and his mother were going through, she’d also wanted to be supportive and prove she was sincere about maintaining a friendship. “We were together for two years. He said he was having a hard time getting over me, so I figured I owed him a few days to come to terms with our new relationship.”
“Wouldn’t being around you only make getting over the breakup harder?”
“I told him that. He argued that he needed to get used to our new status, and I thought it might give him the closure he seemed to be missing if I didn’t rush him out the door.”
“He didn’t know about me.”
That had been apparent in Matt’s reaction last night. “Of course not. I haven’t told anyone.”
He dropped his head back. “Even your family at home?”
She understood what that would likely indicate to him—that she wasn’t taking the relationship seriously. But she wasn’t supposed to be taking the relationship seriously. “No. Why would I? You told me not to expect anything.”
“You’ve certainly taken that to heart,” he said wryly.
“I don’t want to get hurt any more than you do.”
“And now?”
“Has that changed?”
His fingers slipped through her hair. “You can’t tell?”
She could tell last night. But there were still a lot of blanks to be filled in. She leaned up on her elbow to be able to see into his face. “What is it you want from me, Eli?” she asked. “Specifically.”
He thought for a moment. Then he said, “I want to be with you while you’re here.”
“And what would that entail? A night together every once in a while?”
“I’m asking for a little more than that.”
“But more equals...what? Would we quit trying to hide the fact that we’re seeing each other?”
He sat up against the headboard. “Why not? That hasn’t been the best-kept secret in the first place.”
She pulled the sheet with her as she came into a sitting position, too. “What about dating other people?”
“We won’t date other people.” He spoke quickly enough to suggest he knew his mind on that matter without even having to think.
“We’d be exclusive.”
“Yes, and we’ll see each other a lot. Okay?” He lifted a hand to run a thumb down her jawline. “This past week just about killed me.”
She assumed he was joking, so she chuckled, but he didn’t laugh with her. He seemed serious. “You mean that,” she said, sobering.
“I hated every minute of it.”
“So...we’ll be exclusive and see each other a lot—and then?”
“We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
“No promises.”
His eyebrows came together. “I told you I’m not good at this. I’m hoping I’ll get better at it. But, either way, it’s too early to try and decide what might come later.”