Taking Shots (Assassins, #1)(89)

“Never.”

He stopped, and then pulled her back to him, kissing her again. She savored it, not rushing him even though everyone was basically on the plane. He pulled back again, and this time he went, dropping her hand as he walked away from her. Elli watched every step he took, tears falling with every step, her heart pounding in her chest as she watched him board the plane, and the door shut. Since she was pretty sure watching the plane leave would break her, she turn and walked back to Shea’s car. She heard the plane start, and then she heard it take off.

And he was gone.





Shea had to fight the tears that were threatening to fall. Walking away from Elli was his undoing; he didn’t want to leave her, not even the thought of kicking some ass made him want to leave Elli. He wanted to be back in bed with her, her wrapped in his arms, giggling or moaning, whichever came first.

“Yo, Adler, who was that girl?” Shea looked up and over at Sergei, who was sitting next to Alex. Jakob was sitting next to him and what an ass he was; he hadn’t even greeted his best friend yet.

“My girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? Shit Shea, who am I supposed to pick up chicks with now?” Shea shook his head, shrugging his shoulders.

“Not me, I’m a taken man.”

“I thought I would never see this day. Shea Adler has a girlfriend, shit.” Sergei shook his head as he put his headphones on. Shea look back down at his hands, wishing Elli’s hands were in them.

“Sucks, huh?” Jakob finally said. Shea nodded his head.

“I didn’t think it was gonna be this hard.”

“Me neither, Harper cried all morning.”

“Elli didn’t start until we got here.” Shea shook his head, dropping his face in his hand. “I should have told her I loved her.” Jakob took in quick breath. Shea looked over at him, giving him a cocky smile, “Yeah, I love her.”

“So why haven’t you told her?”

Jakob was probably the only guy Shea would ever say what he was about to say, because he knew Jakob wouldn’t laugh, he would support Shea. “Because I’m scared she doesn’t love me.”

Jakob nodded, opening his computer, where a picture of him and Harper smiling looked back at him. Then he shrugged his shoulders as he said, “Well, maybe she’s waiting for you to say it, maybe she is scared too.”

“Maybe, but I’m too chicken shit to put myself out there.”

“Well then, you’ll never know my friend.”

That was the last thing that was said the whole trip to Phoenix, it seemed the whole plane was a little sullen, no one was talking like usual, everyone was focused on their computers, or eReaders. So Shea pulled out his computer, opening it, looking at his favorite picture of Elli in the park on their first date. He got his computer out to play a game, but all he could do was stare at Elli’s picture.

It was going to be a long two weeks.





Chapter 17


Having Shea back in Elli’s arms was heaven.

He was so warm, so thick, God she loved holding onto him. She nuzzled her nose in his back, he was a harrier than the last time they had been together, but she didn’t care, he was in her arms, and she had missed him so much. She took a deep breath in, and then woke up coughing her ass off.

“Adler!” Elli screamed as she pushed Adler out of Shea’s bed, “I’ve told you a billion times! Shea’s bed is not for you! He bought you a bed, now go on!”

Adler gave her a sad doggy look before running down the hall. Elli fell back into the bed, with her face in her hands.

She was losing it.

Dreaming of Shea, thinking he was Adler? Pathetic. Elli threw the blankets back and got out of the bed in a huff. After making the bed, she went into the bathroom, showering and doing her morning routine. She walked across the room to the closet, getting dress for the day in a pair of red tweed pants and a black blouse that had red flowers all over it. After strapping her red Jimmy Choo peep toe pumps, she went down the hall towards the kitchen.

She had been doing this for the past week.

In Shea’s condo.

Yup, she hadn’t left. She had went home after leaving Shea on Sunday, but after sitting in her house all alone for about ten minutes, she found herself packing a bag of clothes and grabbing Adler before high tailing it back to Nashville, to Shea’s condo. She felt so much better there with all Shea’s stuff surrounding her since she missed him so much. They talked every chance they got, which if Elli had it her way it would be all day, but she did have to work during the day, and he had to work at night, so they were stuck talking into the wee hours of the morning.

With the holidays coming up, Elli calendar wasn’t full with outside events like it had been the last couple months. Her weekends were booked solid but she had been home by seven every night since Shea had been gone. Which figures, now that she had a man that wants to spend time with her, and she actually has time to be with him, he’s gone.

Elli shook her head as she poured her coffee in one of Shea’s travel mugs; she hadn’t realized that it was gonna be this hard being away from him. They had only been together for two months but she was acting as if they had been together for ten years or something. Moping around, crying when things would remind her of him, wearing his shirts to bed, not cleaning up the messes he left just so she could feel like he was there just a few minutes before her. Whoever thought up the phrase ‘Absence makes the heart grow founder’ was an idiot.