doesn’t sound like she’s being paranoid to me, Eli.”
“Shut the fuck up, Rafe. Come on, Ry.”
He manhandled me out the door and into the car and I was utterly powerless to stop him, literally hanging all over him—but his words still nagged at my brain like a relentless itch.
“What did you mean, Eli?”
He stopped and stared hard at me.
“What?”
“You called me Eli. You never call me that.”
“So what? Answer the question, Elijah. Do you think I party too much? Because Rafe’s right, that would be hyp-hypo . . .”
“Hypocritical?”
“Yes, that! Because I do all my partying with you.”
“And that would be why I do not think that. Okay? You happy now?”
“Not really.”
He smiled softly and any lingering irritation floated right out the open window. “You will be once you get some sleep.”
Getting into the house became its own brand of obstacle. I couldn’t walk straight to save my life, so Elijah had to help me in and upstairs. Right past my parents’ room, which became another problem when I couldn’t stop giggling.
“You’re killing me here.” Elijah pushed us into my room and kicked the door shut with his hand planted firmly over my mouth. “There, you’re in. Now get some sleep.”
“Okay.” I didn’t have to be told twice. I crawled right onto the mattress and face planted in my pillow.
“Don’t you at least want to change first or something?”
“No.” I groaned into the pillow and heard his exasperated sigh.
“Alright. Well, I’ll see you in the morn—”
“Wait.” I rolled over to see his dark silhouette against the streetlight coming through my window. “Don’t go. Stay?”
“You want me to stay? Here? Ry, your parents are one door down. I don’t think—”
“Please? I just . . . It’s always when I’m lying in my bed in the dark that I feel the most alone. I don’t want to feel alone tonight, Elijah. Please stay?”
“Princess . . .”
I could feel him ready to turn me down. I couldn’t take the rejection. Not tonight. “Just for a little while?”
When he sighed again, I knew I had him. “Just for a little while.”
“Okay.” I agreed far too excitedly and scooted over on the bed.
Elijah stretched out behind me, bending to fit the curve of my body. With the heat of him radiating against my back and his arm wrapped firmly around my waist, I drifted off quickly.
Chapter Twenty
Morning came far too early with the alarm blaring, birds singing, sun shining, and . . . Elijah in my bed? Holy crap!
“Wake up.” I shook him with no response. “Elijah, wake up. Wake. Up.”
Jesus, it was like trying to wake the damn dead. Finally, he groaned and rolled over to bury his face in my pillow. Seriously?
“Elijah, my parents are going to be in here any minute.”
That did the trick. He shot up in the bed like a freaking Jack-in-the-Box, startling a slight scream out of me.
“Shit. I fell asleep. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“It’s fine. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is getting you the hell out of here before my father shoots and stuffs you.”
Elijah tilted his head at my particularly strange metaphor and I groaned in frustration. “Just move, would you?”
I practically shoved him out of the bed and that’s when I realized he wasn’t wearing any pants. Good Lord, I’d spent the night in bed with a boy with no pants on. A situation to overanalyze at a later time. He stumbled around the room, pulling on his jeans, and made his way to the window.
“We’re on the second floor.”
Elijah pulled back the curtains to examine his chosen escape route. “I think I can make it.”
“Are you insane? Hide in the closet or something until they go to work.”
“I’ll be late for school.”
“Really?” That was his biggest concern? “You’re willing to risk life and limb to get to school on time.”
“Yeah, on second thought,” he took another peek out the window, “not so much.”
The
“Shut the fuck up, Rafe. Come on, Ry.”
He manhandled me out the door and into the car and I was utterly powerless to stop him, literally hanging all over him—but his words still nagged at my brain like a relentless itch.
“What did you mean, Eli?”
He stopped and stared hard at me.
“What?”
“You called me Eli. You never call me that.”
“So what? Answer the question, Elijah. Do you think I party too much? Because Rafe’s right, that would be hyp-hypo . . .”
“Hypocritical?”
“Yes, that! Because I do all my partying with you.”
“And that would be why I do not think that. Okay? You happy now?”
“Not really.”
He smiled softly and any lingering irritation floated right out the open window. “You will be once you get some sleep.”
Getting into the house became its own brand of obstacle. I couldn’t walk straight to save my life, so Elijah had to help me in and upstairs. Right past my parents’ room, which became another problem when I couldn’t stop giggling.
“You’re killing me here.” Elijah pushed us into my room and kicked the door shut with his hand planted firmly over my mouth. “There, you’re in. Now get some sleep.”
“Okay.” I didn’t have to be told twice. I crawled right onto the mattress and face planted in my pillow.
“Don’t you at least want to change first or something?”
“No.” I groaned into the pillow and heard his exasperated sigh.
“Alright. Well, I’ll see you in the morn—”
“Wait.” I rolled over to see his dark silhouette against the streetlight coming through my window. “Don’t go. Stay?”
“You want me to stay? Here? Ry, your parents are one door down. I don’t think—”
“Please? I just . . . It’s always when I’m lying in my bed in the dark that I feel the most alone. I don’t want to feel alone tonight, Elijah. Please stay?”
“Princess . . .”
I could feel him ready to turn me down. I couldn’t take the rejection. Not tonight. “Just for a little while?”
When he sighed again, I knew I had him. “Just for a little while.”
“Okay.” I agreed far too excitedly and scooted over on the bed.
Elijah stretched out behind me, bending to fit the curve of my body. With the heat of him radiating against my back and his arm wrapped firmly around my waist, I drifted off quickly.
Chapter Twenty
Morning came far too early with the alarm blaring, birds singing, sun shining, and . . . Elijah in my bed? Holy crap!
“Wake up.” I shook him with no response. “Elijah, wake up. Wake. Up.”
Jesus, it was like trying to wake the damn dead. Finally, he groaned and rolled over to bury his face in my pillow. Seriously?
“Elijah, my parents are going to be in here any minute.”
That did the trick. He shot up in the bed like a freaking Jack-in-the-Box, startling a slight scream out of me.
“Shit. I fell asleep. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“It’s fine. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is getting you the hell out of here before my father shoots and stuffs you.”
Elijah tilted his head at my particularly strange metaphor and I groaned in frustration. “Just move, would you?”
I practically shoved him out of the bed and that’s when I realized he wasn’t wearing any pants. Good Lord, I’d spent the night in bed with a boy with no pants on. A situation to overanalyze at a later time. He stumbled around the room, pulling on his jeans, and made his way to the window.
“We’re on the second floor.”
Elijah pulled back the curtains to examine his chosen escape route. “I think I can make it.”
“Are you insane? Hide in the closet or something until they go to work.”
“I’ll be late for school.”
“Really?” That was his biggest concern? “You’re willing to risk life and limb to get to school on time.”
“Yeah, on second thought,” he took another peek out the window, “not so much.”
The
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