I had no idea how long we stood there for, but at some point, Eli’s free hand had wrapped around my back and I could feel his fingertips pressing into me, their warmth heating my skin through the thin material of my shirt. His sobs had eased, but he was still holding onto me like I was his lifeline. And the only thing that kept me from crushing him against me the way I wanted, was his injured arm which was pressed against my abdomen.
The door leading to the stairwell opening caused Eli to jerk away from me and he let out a gasp as he bumped his injured wrist against me. His wide eyes shot to the doorway where a woman in nurse’s scrubs was searching out her keys from her purse. She gave us both a quick once over and then hurried towards the opposite side of the lot. Eli managed to gather himself as he stepped away from me.
“Sorry,” he whispered.
“I’m not,” I said before I could think better of it.
Eli’s eyes lifted to mine in surprise and I took advantage of his distracted state to reach up and wipe away a small dot of fresh blood from his lip. He trembled at the contact and I had trouble hiding my own reaction at the feel of the smooth pink flesh against the rough pad of my finger.
“I should go,” Eli managed to say and then he was stepping away from me again. I knew I should just let him go since he clearly didn’t want my help, but I followed him to his car anyway. But as he neared an older model sedan that seemed to have more rust on it than paint, he stopped and just stared at the car. I scanned the vehicle for any damage or sign it had been messed with, but didn’t see anything.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I came to a stop next to him and angled my body so I could see his face. He looked at me as if just realizing I was still with him.
“It’s a stick shift,” he finally said and raised his injured arm slightly. His right arm.
“Where are your keys?” I asked. “I’ll drive you home.”
Eli took a small step away from me and I felt a mix of anger and frustration go through me, but I quickly quelled it. Fine, the guy didn’t like me…didn’t mean I should be a prick and ditch him like I was half tempted to do, though.
I pulled out my cell phone and held it out to him. “Then call someone…a friend, a cab, whatever.”
I couldn’t keep the irritation from my voice and Eli flinched at my tone. I tried to remember what the young man had just been through, but his rejection still stung. Which was the epitome of stupid because I’d been rejected my entire life. It certainly wasn’t a new feeling for me.
Eli still hadn’t moved or responded in any kind of way so I stepped away from him and shook my head. I had already turned to go when he finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper.
“You scare me.”
I stilled and then slowly shifted so I was once again facing him. His admission surprised me and I had no idea what to say to that. I finally settled on, “I have that effect on a lot of people.” I forced out a small laugh in an attempt to add levity, but Eli didn’t react. Instead his eyes scanned my entire body and I felt my dick starting to fill with excitement.
“That’s not why you scare me,” Eli said quietly. “Not anymore,” he added.
I didn’t know what to make of that statement, but I didn’t get a chance to ask him what he meant because he said, “It’s Mav, right?”
I nodded.
“Matty talks about you a lot. He says you and his daddies saved him. He calls you Thor.”
I smiled at that. Matty’s obsession with superheroes was well known, but I hadn’t realized I’d been included in the fold. “He’s a good kid,” I murmured.
“He is,” Eli responded. He turned so he was facing me head on and quietly said, “Mav, I’d be grateful for a ride home.”
I loved the way my name fell from his lips…like a subtle caress with the promise of something more. His dark eyes held mine, drawing me in and I moved towards him. “Keys?” I finally managed to ask, my voice sounding thick and husky even to my own ears.
“My pocket,” Eli responded. “My right pocket.”
I swallowed hard at that. With his injured arm, there was no way he’d be able to reach into his pocket and fish them out. And since he was wearing jeans that hugged his lithe body…
Fuck.
I told myself to make it quick as I reached my fingers into his pocket, but between the subtle increase in Eli’s breathing and the feel of his firm flesh beneath my fingers as I pushed into the too small pocket, I was struggling just to keep control of my own raging desire. It took several tries to snag the key ring and when I finally hooked the keys, I swore both Eli and I let out a sigh of relief at the same time.