“Feels alright?” Eli sounded far away.
I nodded. “Yeah,” I said, ignoring the ache in my muscles. It all paled in comparison to having him this close to me. Inside me. “Don’t stop.” I untangled one hand from the sheets to reach for him, but I couldn’t quite reach…
I settled for my hand on his forearm, squeezing gently. The feel of his skin, the raw strength of him…that alone was enough to send another shiver up my spine. It was like the alpha energy just rolled off his body, and both my wolf and I lapped it up. I clenched down on him again, and Eli groaned quietly, grinding into me further.
“Good. Good girl,” he murmured, finally moving one hand to press two of his fingers to my clit. “You feel so fucking good, Iris.”
I almost shrieked, eyes flashing open as he began to rub the sensitive nub of flesh expertly. I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t remember a single word. Tiny noises escaped and nothing else. I wasn’t sure what felt better — the way he rolled my clit against his thumb like I was an instrument, playing each note like a master musician, or the words falling from his lips, sweet as honey.Good girl, he’d murmur, and my entire body would tense, just a little. It was like he had secret access to the most private parts of my mind and knewexactlywhat to say to make me feel warm all over.
Even if he wasn’t rubbing against me, even if he wasn’t fucking me with absolute confidence, I was pretty sure I could reach my peak just listening to himtalkto me. Listening to those precious little pet names.
The very thought made me moan, soft and sweet.
Eli grinned, clearly pleased with the effect he was having on me. “Come for me, sweetheart. Let me see you.”
It sounded like the best idea I’d heard all year — so I did just that.
I’d fallenasleep with Eli’s arm tucked around me, but when I woke up the next morning, I was alone. My wolf whined quietly as I peeled the sheets back, grimacing at how tired I felt. How sore. I definitely shouldn’t have done that much physical work, but it was worth it. So worth it.
I made a low noise and pulled on my pajamas before making my way to the bathroom. Once I was in the hallway, I realized Bella’s bedroom door was open — but the little girl wasn’t in her room. A cold flash of fear rushed through me before I paused, listening. I heard the sound of pans downstairs, and maybe the television?
Eli’s making Bella breakfast.
Something like relief flooded through me, and I smiled, allowing myself a moment of peace as I stepped into the bathroom to wash up.
By the time I got dressed and made it downstairs, Bella had already finished her meal. She was back on the couch, her toy wolf arranged carefully in her lap. Eli smiled at me as I sat at the table, and a plate of scrambled eggs appeared in front of me a few moments later. “Good morning,” he said, turning off the stovetop before joining me at the table with a cup of coffee.
I took a bite of egg and smiled back. “Good morning. Look at you, being all domestic,” I teased.
“Iamcapable of feeding myself if I need to,” Eli replied, clearly trying to hide a smirk behind his coffee mug. He failed spectacularly. “Besides, Bella was hungry. Somehow, none of us thought to pick up cereal.”
I laughed softly. “That would have been easy, huh?”
Eli shrugged, looking back over towards the living room. “Fortunately, she doesn’t seem to be very picky, though ketchup on eggs is a hard pass for her.”
I made a face. “Yeah, because that’s gross, Eli.”
“It is not,” he countered, making a face. “It’s like the precursor to hot sauce on eggs.”
I shook my head, choosing not to pursue this argument. “What’s she watching?”
Eli shrugged. “Some princess show. I can’t say I’m very well-versed in children’s shows. My nephews aren’t quite at the point of having favorite programs yet.”
I laughed. “When did we become adults, Eli?” It felt so strange, talking about kids shows. “I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
“Me either,” he admitted, smiling at me. “I do remember being a kid and wanting nothing more than to be an adult, though. No one warned me.”
“If we were warned, I don’t think anyone would want to be an adult,” I remarked, shaking my head. “Bills. Responsibilities. Schedules. High school sucked and all, but at least no one made me pay taxes.”
Eli wrinkled his nose. “I suppose there are a few perks,” he said after a moment. “My own space.”
“My own car.”
“You know, for all that, I still don’t feel like I’m old enough to take care of a child,” Eli admitted quietly, looking over at Bella again. “Even though I’m already an uncle, but that’s different. You watch them for a few hours, spoil the hell out of them, and then you give them back to their parents.”
I laughed softly, amused. He had a good point. “I never even babysat kids before,” I admitted, some of my good humor fading away as I shrugged. “Several girls did that to earn money when I was in middle school and high school, but…I don’t know. I never liked the idea of being responsible for anyone other than myself. Even when I was asked to watch my foster siblings, it made me uncomfortable.”
Eli didn’t say anything for a moment as we both stared across the kitchen, watching Bella pet her stuffed animal’s head as she watched her show. “I still can’t believe Bella’s mother looked at me and went ‘Yeah, I’ll trust her,’ you know? I mean…she didn’t have a choice, I get that. If I didn’t take Bella, she probably would have been recaptured, and…” I stopped myself, shaking my head. “But that doesn’t make me feel any more like I know what I’m doing. I’m…shit. What if I fuck it up, Eli? What if I fuck this little girl up? I haveno ideawhat I’m doing.”