The blast of my ringtone made me jump and I shoved my hand into my pocket, trying to get it out before Elodie would know someone was here, but…wait. Why was Elodie calling me? I jammed my thumb onto the answer call button and brought it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” her soft voice greeted. “I, erm…”
Did she know I was here at the bottom of her stairs? Shit. Could she see me?
Her breath sounded over the line. “Okay, so, I’m trying to do better with this whole asking-for-help thing.”
My lips lifted into a smile, and I leaned my shoulder against the wall. Her voice did things to me that I couldn’t explain. It relaxed me but also had me on edge. “Okay.” I drew the word out, waiting to see what she’d say.
“My erm…ugh. My car won’t start.”
“What?” I straightened up and glanced at her apartment door. “Where are you?”
“At the club.” She paused, but I was already making sure the back door was locked, then heading through the shop. “Lara said you had a late client, so I thought maybe you were still awake and could—”
“I’m on my way.” I ended the call and shot out of the front door, locking it behind me, then ran to my truck. Elodie needed me, and for once, she’d actually asked for my help, so I needed to get there as soon as I could. It was only a five-minute drive to the club, and by the time I pulled into the lot, I saw her car toward the back. I drove toward it and pulled up right behind it, glancing around and looking for her.
I pulled my cell out to call her, but as I was about to click the call button, the passenger door opened, and she practically threw herself into the truck. “Hey.” She grinned over at me as she clipped her belt around her. “So, it was actually easier than I thought it would be.”
I blinked several times, but all I could remember was the way she looked the last time I’d seen her. She’d been half-naked and it was almost impossible to scrub the image out of my head. “Easier?” I asked, not sure what she was talking about.
“Yep.” She placed her hands on her lap, and I darted my attention down to them. She had on a pair of shorts and her silky-smooth skin was showing. “Asking for your help wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. Asher? Asher?”
I shook my head and turned my attention to my windshield. “Right. Yeah.” I cleared my throat and backed up. “I didn’t realize you were at work tonight.”
“Yeah. Two shifts a week.” She sighed. “I normally work Sunday too, but I already have enough money for next month’s rent, so I don’t need to go in.” She laughed, the sound a soft tinkle, and all I could do was grip my steering wheel tighter, so I didn’t reach out and touch her. I needed to keep my attention focused on the road ahead of me and not on her, but it was hard as fuck.
“That’s good,” I commented, not really sure what I was even saying. The drive back to the shop seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, I was parking near the side entrance. I turned the engine off, fully intending to make sure she was in her apartment safe and sound.
“Thanks for picking me up,” she said, her face turning toward me.
I looked at her, then flicked my gaze away. “Anytime. You know that.” I pushed my door open and jumped out of my truck, and Elodie was already halfway to the door by the time I clicked my fob to lock it.
“You coming up?” she asked, but this time she didn’t turn to face me. This time she kept her attention solely on the door in front of her as she opened it up. I didn’t answer her as I followed her inside and up the stairs. The atmosphere swirled around us, and I knew I should have walked away then and there. I knew I shouldn’t have followed her into her apartment. But I couldn’t stop myself. She was eighteen. I was thirty-two. And yet, I couldn’t even use that as an excuse not to want to touch her.
She clicked on one of the side lamps in the corner of the living room, basking us in soft light, and the door clicked closed behind me. I wasn’t sure what it was about the closing of the door, but the echo made my mind up. I couldn’t walk out of this apartment without touching her. I couldn’t stare at her lips once more and not press mine against them.
Her hand fluttered to her chest and she whispered, “Asher.”
“I’ve tried to hold back,” I murmured, stepping forward. The room was small, but it seemed impossibly large as I moved toward her. “From the moment I touched my lips to yours a month ago, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.” I swallowed, telling myself to slow down, but it was impossible. I needed her to know. I needed her to see how I felt. “Fuck, Elodie, even after finding out who you really are and everything that has happened since, I want you even more.”
“I feel the same,” she whispered, and it was all I needed to completely close the distance between us. I didn’t reach for her, though. I waited. Waited for her permission. Waited to make sure this was exactly what she wanted, and as a final warning, I growled, “If you don’t want this—don’t want me to touch you—then you need to tell me now.” I heaved a breath. “Because I’m not sure I can hold back with you. You drive me crazy and—”
“Insane,” she finished for me, closing those last few inches. She placed her hand on my chest, over my fast beating heart. “If you only knew how long I’ve been waiting for you to kiss me again.” She smiled up at me, her full lips inviting. “I’ve learned to live in the moment, Asher.” She leaned closer, her lips a hairsbreadth from mine. “And I want to live in the moment with you.”
Chapter Fifteen
ELODIE
I waited with bated breath for what he was going to do next. He’d been honest with me. I’d told him the truth. And now we were in this waiting space. I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I move to kiss him first, or—
He made the decision for me.
He cupped both sides of my face, then pushed his fingers into my hair. His eyes flared before he oh so slowly pressed his lips against mine. It was soft and gentle. He took his time, pressing each kiss lightly, but I didn’t want soft and slow. I wanted him. All of him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pressed my lips harder to his. I ran my tongue over the seam of his lips, demanding he open up for me, and his guttural growl vibrated through his chest.
“Fuck.” He grasped my thighs and boosted me up, and I didn’t think twice about wrapping my legs around his waist. We were moving, but I wasn’t even sure where until the cold counter touched the bare skin of my thighs. The temperature in the room was soaring, and I was loving every second of it. Gone was sweet and careful, and in its place was carefree and wanting.