belt. It was then Caden’s laughter filled the cabin.
Caden was true to his word. He even walked me to my bedroom door and kissed me speechless and stupid before he gently pushed me into my room and shut the door...only with him on the other side.
Eli’s date was a lot of fun. He was wilder than Caden. Where Caden preferred the quiet, Eli preferred the noise, which explained how we ended up at Luna Park on St Kilda. It was early, so we walked around holding hands while checking things out. Eli had me giggling a lot at his antics. He didn’t care if he made a fool of himself if it caused me to laugh. He always seemed on a high and I loved that about him.
What I also had to watch out for was his short fuse. His temper was never at me. I knew that with my whole being, I was safe with Eli. But if someone jostled me or looked at me wrongly, Eli would snap into the man I saw in Marybeth’s diner. Even one time I had to hold him back when a teenager, a kid of about seventeen, walked by with some mates and said something crude, that he wouldn’t mind having me in his bed.
Eli spun around and grabbed the kid’s tee. “What the fuck you say?” he hissed in his face.
“Dude, calm down. He was only joking,” one of the kid’s mates said.
“I don’t give a fuck if he was joking. Learn some fuckin’ manners. She’s my woman and I don’t like other guys talkin’ crap about her.”
“Yeah, yeah, all right, brother.”
“I ain’t your fuckin’ brother.” Eli jostled the kid back and forth by his tee.
It was then I snapped out of my shock and went to Eli’s side. “Stop it,” I demanded. “Eli, he was only joking around. He meant nothing by it.”
“He was—”
“Eli, please just let him go so we can get back to the fun we were having. Please.” I reached out and grabbed his arm. He looked at me and let go of the kid straight away. I started for the opposite direction knowing Eli would follow and he did, leaving the group of teens alone.
“Jose—”
Stopping, I turned to face him. “Eli, you can’t keep doing that,” I said calmly. “Not everyone is out to harm me in some way. They were just teens, Eli, mucking around and having fun. I didn’t take offence to it and neither should you.”
He took the last step toward me and his hands went to each side of my neck. “Babe, I’m sorry, okay. I know I suck at controlling myself, but it’s because I watched my father verbally abuse my mum for years. He’d never get physical with her, but what he said was enough to get to her. Every fuckin’ time it cut her deep and I don’t want you to feel that cut. But for you, I will try to curb it...somewhat.”
Eli had never spoken of his parents and I was glad he was opening up about them to me. In a way, I could understand his behaviour, but he needed to learn that I was not fragile any longer, not when I had my two knights beside me.
Stepping in close, I wrapped my arms around his firm waist, my head resting against his chest, where I could hear his heart thumping.
Goodness, was my bad-boy biker nervous?
That thought was crazy. He couldn’t be.
“Okay, Eli. Thank you for telling me that. Does...is your mum still with your dad?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. I’d asked her to leave many times, but she never will. No matter how much she knew that shit was hard for her kid to hear and see, which was why I got outta the house so young.”
Resting my chin on his chest, I looked up at him. “Sorry you had to deal with that growing up.”
“Babe, it was nothing really. Not fuckin’ worth mentioning. Not when many go through tougher times.”
He meant me.
Still, it didn’t matter that mine was harder or different. What mattered was that Eli seeing his parents like that hurt him, and I hated that for him.
Sliding my hands up his chest, I watched with fascination as he stopped breathing. His eyes sprung wider and the pulse in his neck jumped.
As soon as my hands were curled into his hair, I pulled
Caden was true to his word. He even walked me to my bedroom door and kissed me speechless and stupid before he gently pushed me into my room and shut the door...only with him on the other side.
Eli’s date was a lot of fun. He was wilder than Caden. Where Caden preferred the quiet, Eli preferred the noise, which explained how we ended up at Luna Park on St Kilda. It was early, so we walked around holding hands while checking things out. Eli had me giggling a lot at his antics. He didn’t care if he made a fool of himself if it caused me to laugh. He always seemed on a high and I loved that about him.
What I also had to watch out for was his short fuse. His temper was never at me. I knew that with my whole being, I was safe with Eli. But if someone jostled me or looked at me wrongly, Eli would snap into the man I saw in Marybeth’s diner. Even one time I had to hold him back when a teenager, a kid of about seventeen, walked by with some mates and said something crude, that he wouldn’t mind having me in his bed.
Eli spun around and grabbed the kid’s tee. “What the fuck you say?” he hissed in his face.
“Dude, calm down. He was only joking,” one of the kid’s mates said.
“I don’t give a fuck if he was joking. Learn some fuckin’ manners. She’s my woman and I don’t like other guys talkin’ crap about her.”
“Yeah, yeah, all right, brother.”
“I ain’t your fuckin’ brother.” Eli jostled the kid back and forth by his tee.
It was then I snapped out of my shock and went to Eli’s side. “Stop it,” I demanded. “Eli, he was only joking around. He meant nothing by it.”
“He was—”
“Eli, please just let him go so we can get back to the fun we were having. Please.” I reached out and grabbed his arm. He looked at me and let go of the kid straight away. I started for the opposite direction knowing Eli would follow and he did, leaving the group of teens alone.
“Jose—”
Stopping, I turned to face him. “Eli, you can’t keep doing that,” I said calmly. “Not everyone is out to harm me in some way. They were just teens, Eli, mucking around and having fun. I didn’t take offence to it and neither should you.”
He took the last step toward me and his hands went to each side of my neck. “Babe, I’m sorry, okay. I know I suck at controlling myself, but it’s because I watched my father verbally abuse my mum for years. He’d never get physical with her, but what he said was enough to get to her. Every fuckin’ time it cut her deep and I don’t want you to feel that cut. But for you, I will try to curb it...somewhat.”
Eli had never spoken of his parents and I was glad he was opening up about them to me. In a way, I could understand his behaviour, but he needed to learn that I was not fragile any longer, not when I had my two knights beside me.
Stepping in close, I wrapped my arms around his firm waist, my head resting against his chest, where I could hear his heart thumping.
Goodness, was my bad-boy biker nervous?
That thought was crazy. He couldn’t be.
“Okay, Eli. Thank you for telling me that. Does...is your mum still with your dad?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. I’d asked her to leave many times, but she never will. No matter how much she knew that shit was hard for her kid to hear and see, which was why I got outta the house so young.”
Resting my chin on his chest, I looked up at him. “Sorry you had to deal with that growing up.”
“Babe, it was nothing really. Not fuckin’ worth mentioning. Not when many go through tougher times.”
He meant me.
Still, it didn’t matter that mine was harder or different. What mattered was that Eli seeing his parents like that hurt him, and I hated that for him.
Sliding my hands up his chest, I watched with fascination as he stopped breathing. His eyes sprung wider and the pulse in his neck jumped.
As soon as my hands were curled into his hair, I pulled
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