Sugar Rush by Elaine Overton Page B

night, if she were still awake, she would probably be watching TV.
    If he came in the back door and stayed close to the wall, she would never hear him. He could get into the office and slip right back out with the book. Then disappear into the night, never to be seen or heard from again.
    Turning off his car, he glanced around. The little sleepy town was completely dark. Eliot was pretty sure even the police went home at night, since he’d never seen a patrol car on the streets after dark. If he hadn’t spent the last few weeks working here, he would have never believed towns like this still existed.
    He crept around to the back of the building. Using the set of keys she’d given him, he carefully, quietly, opened the back door. Eliot stepped inside and gently closed the door behind him. The kitchen was pitch-black and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. As he moved farther inside, he could see a light coming from Sophie’s apartment. He silently cursed. She was still awake.
    He headed in the direction of the office, creeping along the wall, careful not to bump into anything, moving with the stealth of a cat burglar. Then he was standing in the office doorway.
    The desk was cluttered with papers and files. Sophie kept a messy desk but was surprisingly organized despite it. On a corner of the desk, where it sat most of the time, was the large book. He swallowed hard, crossed the room and picked it up.
    He stood frowning at the book for several seconds, convincing himself that the tingling in his fingers was completely imaginary. All he had to do now was walk back out the door with it. Just turn around, walk out the back door, get in his car and drive away. That was all he had to do. Just leave…. Just leave.
    Five minutes later, he still stood in the exact same spot, holding the book. He released a deep sigh. “What the hell am I doing?” he muttered to himself, before putting the book back. As he turned to leave, he realized the whole evening had been a waste of time. He could have no more taken her book tonight than he could have the day Sophie offered it to him.
    Careful to keep quiet, he moved out of the office and stayed against the wall as he worked his way back to the door. He was almost there when he heard a voice that froze his blood in his veins.
    “El.”
    The whispered word came to him from Sophie’s apartment. He looked in the direction, expecting to see her sitting in her doorway, watching him in the dark. But instead all he saw was just the faint light from the room.
    “El.”
    He frowned, wondering if it were his imagination. Was she actually calling his name? Or saying something that just sounded amazingly similar?
    “El.” His eyes widened. Definitely his name.
    He stood torn, knowing he should just go out the door and drive away as quickly as possible, but he couldn’t. Not until he checked on her. What if she was hurt—in fact, she didkind of sound like she was in pain.
    He moved along the wall, still careful. He glanced around, fairly certain he was alone in the kitchen, but he double-checked anyway. As he came to her apartment, he was in no way prepared for what he saw.
    Eliot was certain he’d never seen anything so incredibly beautiful in his life.
    She was spread wide open on the small twin bed, her beautiful, dark brown body completely exposed. Her soft blue cotton gown lay unbuttoned beneath her, her head against the pillow, eyes closed. The small fingers of one hand manipulated the tiny piece of flesh at her opening and the other toyed with one hardened nipple. It was the fulfillment of his most recent wet dream being acted out before his eyes. And best of all, it was his name on her lips, as she reached for the final destination.
    There was so much to explore, so much to see. He’d wanted to see this view of her from the moment he’d met her, and she was more than he even imagined. Long, slender, flawless brown legs lay apart, slightly bent at the knees, revealing a dark pink