It had been several days since Meredith and Elijah had attended the funeral. Elijah had stayed busy since then, meeting with donors and campaign strategists. Meredith missed him so much. She was starting to feel like he'd completely forgotten about her.

He's worked so hard to get to this point. He can't give up now, she thought while staring blankly at the screen of her phone, wishing Lily would call her.

She was feeling restless and bored, but she couldn't find the motivation to be productive. And all she could think about was Elijah – wishing she could be with him right now, wishing he were here so they could kiss and hug and have amazing makeup sex.

She missed his touch so much. It hadn't even been a week, and she felt like she was dying without him. How was that even possible?

I’m getting more and more pathetic, she winced.

Meredith thought about how special Elijah was to her. With him, she'd done things she never thought she could do – particularly in bed. Having him around made her feel secure. He reminded her constantly how beautiful he found her.

Being with him made her feel perfect – and complete.

A knock at her door brought her back to reality. Her heart skipped a beat, hoping it would be Elijah. She almost couldn't believe it when she saw him standing outside her door.

“Hi,” he said huskily.

God, how she'd missed him awkwardly saying that word!

“Hi,” she replied.

“Look, I just want to tell you that I’m so sorry,” he mumbled softly, looking at the floor.

Meredith's face fell.

“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.

Without saying anything else, Elijah stepped inside her room, locking the door behind him. He pulled her into a deep and long kiss. She was surprised at first, but she soon relaxed against him. She'd been longing for his touch for so long.

And now, she was finally back in his arms.

Elijah’s embrace was growing tighter, making her squirm uncomfortably. He was making it hard for her to breathe.

“You’re going to kill me, Eli,” she whispered, breaking their kiss, trying to pull away from his grasp.

“I’m so sorry for not spending time with you lately,” he whispered, his voice cracking.

And for the first time in a while, she felt like she was going to melt. She was totally aware of Eli’s responsibilities and plans. And she wasn't expecting him to apologize like he was afraid of losing her.

Speechless, Meredith found her mouth being devoured with intense softness. There was longing and sincerity with the way he moved, making her respond with the same intensity.She was growing hot as he brushed a hand down her hair. But he stopped kissing her, pulling away.

“What is it?” she blurted, annoyed.

A mischievous smile flashed on Elijah’s gorgeous face before walking away to pull down the blinds and close the curtains of her room.

Licking her lips, she walked toward him and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his body. She planted a kiss on the tip of his nose. She didn’t care about anything else, not now. All she knew was that she'd missed him terribly, and she wanted him to fuck her right here.

Meredith smiled when he pulled her body closer to his, squeezing her ass.

She broke contact for a moment, stripping naked and leaving her body free for his hands to explore. It didn’t take long before he started squeezing and cupping her breasts. His mouth moved from her collarbone to a pebbled nipple, making her gasp in pleasure.

“Oh, god!” she moaned, combing her fingers through his dark locks, tugging on his head.

Impatiently, she tried to unbuckle his belt so she could get him inside her as soon as possible.

“Someone’s missed me,” he teased, unfastening his belt when she struggled to remove it.

“Anyone would grow impatient after waiting for so long,” she answered with a frown.

She unzipped his pants and freed him from his boxers.

“Someone’s missed me,” she said sexily as she watched him grow in her hands while stroking him up and down. She moaned when she sat down on his lap, lining him up with her wet entrance.

But Elijah suddenly lifted her up, standing up and making her pout with frustration. She watched him remove the rest of his clothing, revealing his chiseled body.

She groaned as she moved to the bed.He crawled over her, his hands spreading her thighs wide as he placed his cock between her velvety wet folds.

“Oh, god…” she moaned against his mouth.

When she tried to wrap her arms around his neck, he caught her hands, intertwining his fingers with his, holding them above her head. She bit her lower lip in anticipation as her body hummed with excitement and need.

He teased her slowly and deliberately with the head of his cock, rubbing it back and forth over her hard clit, but refusing to enter her even as she bucked her hips. She thought she was going to go insane if he didn't fuck her soon.

She thrashed her head on the bed, begging him to continue but he rocked against her, sending shivers up her spine.

“Ohhhh…” she whispered as he kissed her roughly, biting her bottom lip and groaning into his mouth.

Meredith gasped as he filled her in one fluid thrust without warning her beforehand. She screamed with pleasure as he pounded her pussy.

She could already feel her walls quivering around him as he slid in and out of her faster and deeper. He kissed her and she began to feel the telltale flutters of her release.

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes,” she cried as her legs locked even tighter around his waist.

Elijah took her lips in a passionate kiss as he claimed her body, driving her to her climax before he himself reached his peak.

He moaned into her mouth as he shot his load, muscles tightening and heart racing.

Meredith stroked his back with one hand whilst the other played with his hair as they lay together, catching their breath – and maybe preparing for another round.

After a couple of minutes, her phone started ringing. She silenced it without looking at the caller ID, wanting to enjoy more time with Elijah. She wanted to make the best of it while she still could. She wouldn’t know when they’d be together next.

She wouldn't let anyone disturb them.

“It's okay. Take it,” Elijah whispered before planting a kiss on her temple.

Obligingly, she answered the call with a furrowed brow. It was an unregistered caller.

“Hello?” she spoke, glancing at Elijah who was also curious who was calling.

“This is Vernice from Marie Claire. Is this Meredith Fields?” Her heart skipped a beat.

Someone from Marie Claire was calling her!

Eyeing Elijah, she grabbed her robe and went out onto the terrace. She wasn't expecting to get a call from someone as big as Marie Claire.

“Speaking. What made you call?” she asked, wincing when she realized she sounded too casual.

“I’m an editor from Marie Claire, and I’ve been enjoying the stuff you’ve been writing for the paper. I'm very interested in sitting down with you and talking about your next move,” Vernice said.

Meredith blinked in surprise. Had she just gotten an offer from one of the biggest fashion and lifestyle magazines in the world?

She swallowed, struggling for words.

“I’ll be on the road for the next three weeks, at least… or maybe more,” she answered, stealing glances at Elijah who was starting to get dressed.

Vernice chuckled.

“Yeah, I know. I’d be very delighted to see you when you get back to New York.”

Biting her lip, she looked at Eli who was already standing in front of her, fully dressed. He looked pensive.

“Sure. I’ll get in touch once I’m off the road,” she said, which Vernice gladly agreed to.

When the phone call ended, Eli asked her who it was, looking curious more than ever when she averted her gaze. She didn’t want him to think that she was leaving the campaign.

No. She didn’t want to leave the campaign.

She wanted to stay with him until the election.

“Someone from Marie Claire,” she answered softly, walking past him and sitting at the foot of the bed. “But I don’t think I’m going to call them back,” she added, fidgeting with her fingernails.

She sighed.

It was a huge opportunity. But she felt like things were going too fast for her career. She wanted to take things easy. And enjoy what she currently had… Elijah.

Meredith raised her head when she saw Elijah’s feet in front of hers. He wasn't stupid, and telling him that it was nothing would be ridiculous.

“Why not?” he asked with narrowed eyes, unconvinced.

“It’s just… nothing.”

“They called you for nothing?”

“It’s nothing important, okay? I’m going to the gym,” she snapped. Her thoughts were still a jumbled mess.

She didn't mean to sound so bitchy. But she didn't know how to handle the situation. And she didn't want Eli to think she was turning down a brilliant opportunity just because of him.

“I trust you can see yourself out,” she said quietly, gathering her gym clothes, locking herself in the bathroom.

She needed some time alone to clear her head and organize her thoughts.

She needed to think.