And now this beast is standing in front of me and I have no idea what to say.
“Ummm…” I mutter as my wide eyes slide down his incredible body, taking every inch of it in.
He’s wearing shorts and nothing else.
Elijah is no longer a boy. He’s a man and this man is jacked.
I’m not normally attracted to muscles, but Elijah’s well-defined six-pack and big round biceps are getting me all shaky inside.
I can’t seem to breathe right. I can’t seem to think beyond screaming at myself to say something.
“Ummm…” I mutter again.
His eyes narrow on me and I realize that he looks as stunned as I am. He’s staring at me like he’s seeing something he really wants but didn’t know existed, like the time I walked into a donut shop in Maine and saw a triple-dipped chocolate glazed donut.
“Is… Ummm… Collin here?” I manage to squeak out in a shaky voice.
He never takes his fixated eyes off of me as he slowly shakes his head.
“Collin is out of town,” he says in a rumbling voice that’s all deep sexy bass. “Are you his girl?”
His muscular neck tightens after he says it. The large vein running along it begins pulsing like it can’t contain its anger.
“No,” I quickly say. “I’m his cousin. Ali.”
“Oh,” he says with a breath of relief. His body relaxes and he begins to breathe again as he studies me in a new light. “Ali.”
The sound of my name coming out of his mouth nearly makes my legs give out, but I manage to keep it together. There will be plenty of time to gush over my old crush when I get home and squeal into my pillow.
“Okay, sorry about that,” I quickly say before darting down the stairs.
“Wait!” he calls out right before I’m about to sprint down the street like a maniac. I turn with my heart thumping in my chest.
His mouth opens, but he doesn’t say anything. He’s just staring at me in wonder. In awe. In mesmerization.
That deep gaze… It’s hypnotic. It’s alluring. It’s so sexy.
“You’re Ali,” he says like a distant long forgotten memory is suddenly bubbling back to the surface. “Pigtails, right? Pink jacket?”
My jaw nearly hits the floor. “You remember that?!?”
“Of course,” he says with a sly smile. “You were so adorable. Still are.”
Now I’m blushing in front of my old crush. I drop my eyes to the pavement, but it’s hard to keep my eyes off him. It’s not long before I’m gazing back into those light brown eyes once again, all of those old feelings coming rushing back.
“You must be… how old?” he asks, waiting for my answer with interest.
“Eighteen,” I quickly answer. “I’m legal.”
Legal? What did you say that for? Legal for what?!?
He breathes a little easier as he watches me with a gaze that gets my blood boiling.
“Do you need to speak with Collin?”
“It’s okay,” I say, feeling all giddy and lightheaded. “I just… needed him for… something.”
He steps onto the porch and I can feel my eyes widening when I see his huge muscular body lit up in the sun. He looks like he can benchpress this house. He can certainly take on the entire football team, that I’m sure of.
“Is it something I can help you with?”
There’s a look in his eyes… almost like he’s in pain right now. It’s like I’m causing it, but I don’t know what I’m doing.
“Let me help you, Ali,” he says with a sexy desperation in his tone. “Let me take care of you. I can fulfill your every need. I want to.”
“It’s nothing big,” I hear myself saying, almost as if I’ve floated out of my body and am watching as an innocent bystander. “It’s just some guys at…”
He flies down the stairs in a blur and grips my arms with rage on his face. “What did these boys do to you?”
His body is tight and flexed, and I can tell his pulse is racing with fury. I’m not scared at all though, even though a furious beast is standing in front of me. I can tell he’d never do a thing to hurt me.
“Did they… take advantage of you?”
I quickly shake my head, feeling my cheeks burning a bright red. “No, nothing like that. Just some bullying. Some teasing.”
He takes several deep breaths, trying to keep himself together as he looks down at me with a protective gaze.
“Come inside, sweet girl,” he says as he slides that big palm on my lower back and guides me back up the stairs, “and tell me everything. Tell me who these boys are and I’ll fix everything. I’ll take care of you.”
That’s all I want—for him to take care of me.
So, I go into the house.
And let him.
CHAPTER TWO
Elijah
* * *
I can’t believe that Collin’s adorable little cousin is all grown up.