Quinn
“Quinn?” Eli walks toward me. I rush forward, grab his hand and pull him to his room.
I close his door behind me and try to think of how I can tell him without telling him.
“What’s wrong?” he asks and this time his voice is laced with worry.
“It’s Finlay. Something happened to her. I promised her I wouldn’t tell.”
I walk deeper into his room and cover my face with my hands as my tears start to fall. My heart is broken for her. How could he do that to her? Finlay is the sweetest person I know.
Eli’s hand rests on my shoulder, and I let my hands drop to my sides. I look up at him, and his face turns to stone.
“Is she in danger?” he asks.
“I don’t know. I don’t know who he is. She says he works at the local grocery store. I don’t know if she even knows what his name is.”
“Do you think there’s a way for him to find her?”
I shake my head. “She didn’t know where you lived. Maybe my dad’s address, but definitely not yours.”
“Can you try to find out more from her? What his name is?”
“If she starts to talk about it, I can try. I’m not going to bring it up first.”
“I know you promised her, but if she’s in danger, I need to know, Quinn. If he follows her here, it could put you in danger.”
“I told her I wouldn’t tell, Eli.”
“Then don’t tell me, just nod if I’m right, okay?”
I wrestle with my conscience for a minute before I say, “Okay.” I feel torn in two. I want to do right by Finlay, but I also want to do the right thing and tell someone.
“I’m guessing the guy forced himself on her?”
I nod as more tears start to flow. Eli pulls me into his arms and he holds me as I cry for my cousin.
“Why do bad things happen to good people?”
“I don’t know, babe.” He wipes the tears from my cheeks and says, “We’ll keep her safe. Try to get his name so we know what we’re dealing with.”
“I’ll try.”
I slide my hand down his arm and take hold of his bandaged hand.
“How does your hand feel?” I ask, hating that he got hurt.
“It’s nothing.”
He brings his left hand to my face and brushes his fingers over my cheek. For a moment, he just looks at me as if I’m the beginning and end of his world.
The air around us shifts as if it’s pressing us together.
It’s been an awful day, and I want to be with Eli. I just want to get lost in him until I find my balance again.
I reach down and grab hold of the hem of my shirt, and pull it over my head.
Eli’s eyes follow the shirt as I drop it on the floor. His eyes come back to me, and they start at my feet, slowly caressing their way up my body.
He takes a step closer to me, then another, until my back is against the door. I lean against it and look up at him, waiting to see what he’ll do next. My muscles tense in delicious anticipation.
He brings his hand to my shoulder, and his fingers trace over the bra strap, but he doesn’t do anything to remove it.
He drops his hand away from me, and just before I can start doubting myself, he whispers, “Take it off.”
I suck in some air, trying to keep from getting nervous. This is our second time after all. I know what to expect now. None of the thoughts help, because it feels like the first time all over again.
He leans closer to me and places his right arm on the door next to my head. His face is inches from mine and if I just lean forward, I’ll be able to kiss him.
I reach behind my back, unclasping the bra, and I’m not nearly as fast as he was the night before. I keep my eyes on his as I drop the bra to the floor.
Eli’s eyes drop to my breasts, and he stares at me until my breathing starts to speed up. He raises his left hand, and the back of his knuckles brush lightly over the sensitive stretch of skin from my stomach to my ribs.
I’m going to go up in a puff of smoke if he doesn’t do something real soon. I suppress the urge to grab his hand and to place it where I want it, but him being in control is too much of a turn on.
With two fingers he traces up the valley between my breasts, and follows the swell until he offers my nipple the barest of touches. My skin feels over sensitive, like it might burst into flames.
I reach for the hem of his shirt, and he rewards me by yanking it over his head. When he drops it to the floor, he leans back over me, placing his hands on either side of my head.
I have an amazing view of his chest. His skin is a perfect shade of bronze, accentuating the rippling cords of muscle that leads down to a perfect V.
Eli should just stop wearing clothes. At least, when he’s around me.
I press my fingers to his chest and slowly trail them over his skin until I reach the waistband of his jeans. I slip my fingers in and trace them from one side of his hip to the other.
He makes a sound in the back of his throat before his mouth slams into mine. It’s not like the slow and passionate kisses of the night before. This time the kiss is wild and fast.
It’s filled with an insatiable hunger.
He moves his hands down until they cover my butt and he lifts me up to his body. As our skin touches, sparks ignite between us. I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. My hands get lost in his hair.
Holding me, he turns around and walks over to his bed. He leans forward, laying me down on it. He places a kiss on the side of my neck, then on my collarbone, and then finally sucks my nipple into his mouth.
I let out a groan of pleasure and push my back up to give him better access.