CHAPTER 25
ELI
Images of Sophia haunted my dreams. I woke up hard as a rock and feeling guilty as hell that I was so entranced by her. After taking a cold shower and getting dressed, I strolled to the hotel’s restaurant and had an early breakfast, doing my best to shake off these feelings for her.
Didn’t work.
Several hours later, we finally heard from her. Grace knocked on my door with a huge smile on her face.
“Four days!” she exclaimed, skipping a greeting. “Sophia just called and Snake and his men are leaving on Thursday.”
“That’s great,” I said. “What do we do in the meantime?”
“As much as I hate it, we do nothing. We wait.”
“That’s all?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” she said. “We’re going back to the clubhouse for a few days to regroup. We’ll come back early Thursday morning and get ready to rescue those women. I’m so happy this is working out without anyone getting hurt or killed.”
“Does that happen often?”
A shadow passed over her face and she grew serious.
“We lost a dear friend once. Doc. He was an amazing man and we all miss him very much.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
“Thank you,” she replied. “We just don’t want to go through that again. If we can do this peacefully, then that’s what we’ll do.”
“Did Sophia sound okay?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m glad she’s helping us. I’m glad we can help her in return.”
“Me, too,” I said.
Grace paused, cocking her head to the side and looking at me curiously.
“What’s going on with you two?”
“Nothing,” I replied, my heart skipping a beat. “I just feel bad for her.”
“Well, be careful,” she said. “It’s difficult not to let your feelings take over, but you have to keep a little distance in these situations.”
“I understand,” I said.
“Good,” she smiled. “So, let us know when you’re all packed up and we’ll head back together.”
“Is it okay if I stay?” I asked.
“Of course,” she replied.
“I have a few friends I want to catch up with,” I said. “Since we have a little time.”
“Absolutely,” she said. “I’ll give you a call if anything changes. Otherwise, we’ll see you Thursday.”
“Great,” I said, walking her to the door. She paused and turned.
“You did a great job, Eli,” she said, smiling up at me.
“Thanks, but I didn’t do much,” I said.
“You did exactly what we needed.”
“Well, I appreciate the opportunity. You guys are wonderful and I’m happy to help. Makes me feel good…”
She nodded and smiled again before patting my arm.
“See you in a few days.”
I closed the door to my room and sat on the bed, shaking my head, wondering why the hell I’d just lied to her. I didn’t have any friends to visit.
I just didn’t want to travel too far away from Sophia.
I laid back on the bed, my head swimming with thoughts of her while I closed my eyes and let myself drown in them.
****
After a late dinner, I fell into bed again. Everyone else had gone with Grace and Ryder. Even Nate and Fury went back to the clubhouse. I ignored the pointed looks Nate was slinging my way, and when he cornered me before leaving, I told him I just needed some time alone.
Which was half-true, at least.
Everything had happened so fast. All these changes. We’d gone from being a part of a club we’d known most of our lives to losing our father and joining up with the Gods — it was a lot to take in all at once, for sure.
Luckily, that was enough for him. He accepted it without any more questions and before I knew it, I was all alone at the hotel. The attached restaurant was decent enough and they poured a mean iced-tea. Times like these tested my sobriety, but I knew what that road led to, so I steered clear of the booze, no matter how much I was tempted to take the edge off a little. The little taste I’d been forced to endure at Snake’s clubhouse had been enough to remind me how easily I could slip back into that nightmare.
I fell asleep under the blue-grey tint of the television around midnight, the low hum of infomercials lulling me back to dreams of Sophia. Sophia’s smile, Sophia’s eyes, the sway of her hips as she walked, teetering on those high-heels that made her legs look endless. She sashayed through my mind like a tornado, all long hair and flashing eyes that left me breathlessly flailing around under the sheets in a sweaty fit.
When the knock sounded on my door, I bolted awake, my head clouded from the sudden burst from my fantasy world. I grabbed my gun, ignored the intense, hot, throbbing between my legs and crept to the door, staring through the peephole.
My heart stopped when I saw who it was.
After placing the gun back on the table, I unlatched the door, slowly opening it, forgetting that I was only wearing a pair of black boxer shorts and nothing else. My eyes crashed into hers as I stood in front of her.
Like a dream come to life, Sophia stood in front of me with wide, questioning eyes.
“Sophia,” I whispered, wondering if she knew. If she knew I’d done nothing but think of her since she’d walked out the door, if she knew I was dreaming of her, if she knew my body was consumed with yearning for her. She stared up at me silently. My fingertips itched to reach out for her, to pull her close, to show her the unexplainable obsession I was suffering from.
“Are you alone?” she whispered. The darkness of the night pooled together behind her, leaving only the two of us suspended alone in its inky blackness. I nodded slowly, my words caught in my throat.
“Can I come in?”
As if in a trance, I stepped back, pulling the door open. She walked in, her hips swaying softly in a short, black dress that flared at the hem. I stood frozen in place. Slowly, she turned and lifted her chin.
“Close the door,” she said. The door shut with a loud click, the lock falling into place firmly, locking us in together away from the cold, dark night. My cock was raging hard now, painfully protruding between us as I turned to face her.
Her hair fell around her shoulders in loose, black curls, an errant lock curling around her cheek. I smiled, reaching up and pushing it behind her ear as she stared up at me. I wanted to tell her how beautiful she was. I wanted to tell her I couldn’t stop thinking about her. But somehow, I was sure she already knew these things.
She looked through me as if she knew every thought I’d ever possessed.
I felt raw in front of her, naked, exposed — and I was. Bare-chested, barefoot, my soul pouring from my eyes as I raked my gaze over her. If my eyes didn’t tell her how much I wanted her, my obvious erection would.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“It is now,” she said, lifting her chin boldly, a slow smile spreading across her face as her eyes lit up with desire.
It was too much.
Way too much.
Slowly, I shook my head, determined to keep my strength, to avoid doing anything I shouldn’t. I had too many regrets already. Disappointing Grace and Ryder was the last thing I wanted to do. Staying professional was the ultimate goal here.
But I knew.
I knew before the thought even formed in my head.
I am only a man.
How could I ignore this feeling? How could I possibly ignore the look in her eyes? I knew what she meant. I knew what she wanted. What kind of man would I be if I made her say the words out loud? What kind of man would I be to turn away from a woman like her?
The spark was there all along and the moment she walked in this room and turned those eyes up to mine, the flame had been ignited. The heat rolled between us like a wall of flames now.
“Sophia,” I murmured, a last-ditch, weak attempt at dissolving the tsunami of energy between us.
“Eli. Please…”
Her words pushed me over the edge.
Her lips were white-hot.
I crushed her into my chest, my arms wrapping around her like hungry pythons as we crashed into each other. The soft whimper that escaped from her only stoked my desire and I slipped between her lips, searching for the deepest parts of her. Her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer as all thoughts of resistance melted away with our clothes.
Her dress was on the floor in a crumpled pile in seconds. My boxers joined them, her heels landing on the floor in two soft thumps as we fell onto the bed together, our limbs tangled together, our hands flying over each other’s skin, the feeling ten times better than I’d dreamed it would be.
She was velvet.
Her body was a study in curves that my mouth traveled every inch of with slow, determined concentration. Gasps and moans echoed through the room, the soft bluish grey of the television flashing on her bare skin. Kissing my way down her neck, over her collarbone, I paused, tasting each hard, pulsing nipple before slowly ribboning soft kisses over her belly. I inhaled deeply, memorizing the sweet, earthy scent of her skin. Her hips flailed as I teased her slowly, planting tiny wet kisses along her hip bone and down to her inner thigh.
I slowed down even more, determined to draw this out, enjoy every second of whatever blessings I was receiving. I was certain death was waiting on the other side of that door and if she was to be my last meal, I was planning on savoring every morsel of her.
She tasted like heaven. A sweet, tangy ambrosia of pure woman. Slick and wet, I delved my tongue deep inside, the sound of her moans almost more pleasurable than the delicious taste of her warm center. She reached down, her fingers tangling in my hair as she pulled me in closer.
“That’s it, please, please,” she murmured. I looked up, marveling at the beauty splayed out in front of me, her head thrown back, her hair framing her beautiful face, her eyes closed.
Suddenly, everything inside of me wanted nothing but to please her.
Like she’d never been before, I wanted her to know the greatest joy she could feel. My mouth worked against her, moving with her, my fingers delving inside her warmth and pulling the pleasure from her writhing hips. Over and over, I watched as she tensed and relaxed, her face rolling in ecstasy, making my heart swell as her pleasure flowed over my fingers.
When she slowed, I lifted myself up, hovering over her and staring into her shining eyes. Her face relaxed now, those hardened eyes as soft as silk now, she was more beautiful than ever. My hardness throbbed between us painfully.
“Sophia,” I whispered, “you’re so beautiful.”
Her hands ran over my shoulders, gripping my biceps gently as she stared up at me.
“Take me, Eli, please,” she murmured.
I growled with desire, all control threatening to disappear with her words.
Slowly, my aching cock slid inside of her, her quivering warmth wrapping around me like a blanket as I drove myself deeper. Her softened eyes were glued to mine, our souls mingling in the darkness as I found the home I’d been dreaming of…