Wrong (4 page)

The emptiness in her stomach was suddenly a huge, aching void, and she could barely keep herself from crying, where just a few seconds ago she’d been smiling and happy.

“Three Alabama Slammers,” the bartender called out, pushing the three shot glasses toward Caelyn.

She paid for the drinks above the protests of her roommates, and then they each picked up a glass and held it.

“Here’s to new beginnings and strong friendships,” Alicia said, raising her glass.

“Strong friendships,” Nellie echoed.

Caelyn nodded, and they clinked glasses and then drank their shots.

The alcohol soared down her throat, burning as it went. Caelyn closed her eyes for a moment, while the burning slowly faded.

“Easy does it, kid,” a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

It couldn’t be. It was impossible. Caelyn opened her eyes and turned to find Elijah standing next to her at the bar, his impossibly handsome face somehow even more gorgeous than she remembered.

His eyes were soft and kind, but concerned.

“What…what are you doing here?” she said, her voice fluttering as she tried to sound composed.

Alicia was watching them closely. “Hey, we’re just having a girls’ night out,” she said to Elijah. “Sorry, not trying to be rude or anything. It’s just not that kind of night.”

Elijah grinned his lopsided grin at Alicia. “Oh, yeah? What kind of night do you think I was hoping for?”

Alicia rolled her eyes. “Listen, you’re cute and all, but we’re not interested.”

“I didn’t realize I was talking to you all. Last I checked,” he said, his voice showing that he found the whole conversation entertaining, “I was only talking to one person here. And she can decide if she wants to have that kind of night or not.”

Alicia grabbed Caelyn’s hand and started to tug her away from Elijah. “Let’s get out of here. He’s super cute but definitely not marriage material.”

“Hold on,” Caelyn said, resisting. “I can’t just leave.”

“Why not?” Alicia said. “I get it, Caelyn. He’s hot and all. But you don’t need to jump into some one night stand after everything else you’ve been through.”

“I know him.”

“You know him?”

“That’s Elijah.”

Alicia’s eyes widened. She looked at Elijah again, and her eyes narrowed. “So you’re the mystery man that Caelyn’s told me so much about?”

Elijah’s smile faded. He glanced at Caelyn as if trying to evaluate the truth of what Alicia was saying. “She talked about me?”

“Of course she did. Girls talk to their friends.”

“Alicia,” Caelyn said. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Alicia asked, feigning innocence. “I’m just talking to him.”

“Don’t be mean to him, okay?”

Elijah was watching Alicia with a new expression—he was suddenly less friendly.

“Look, I don’t know what Caelyn told you about me—“

“Enough to know that you should leave her alone. I don’t know what you’re doing here,” Alicia said. “Stalking her or something.”

Elijah laughed harshly. “I just got here. This is a place that me and my friends come to all the time. Not my fault you decided to show up here for your girls’ night out.”

“Well, either way, I think we should go or you should go.”

“I think Caelyn can decide for herself,” Elijah replied. “What are you, her chaperone?”

“I’m someone who actually cares about her.”

Finally, Caelyn had had enough. She turned to Alicia and put her hand on Alicia’s arm. “Okay, that’s enough. I need to talk to Elijah alone for a minute.”

“Caelyn, don’t let him sweet talk you. He’s just going to try and charm you, make you think he’s changed, but guys like him never do.”

“It’s okay, Alicia. Really, I can take care of myself.”

“All evidence to the contrary,” Alicia muttered.

Caelyn felt her stomach tighten. “Don’t talk to me like that.”

“Whatever,” Alicia said. “Nellie, want to get out of here?”

Nellie shook her head. “Why don’t we stick around for a few?”

“God, I’m so sick of hanging out with weak willed little girls.” She stomped away from them and into the crowd.

“I’ll go check on her,” Nellie told Caelyn. “You okay to be alone?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Caelyn told her.

Nellie gave a comforting smile and then went after Alicia.

Caelyn turned back to Elijah, who stepped closer to her at the bar. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt and jeans, and she could already see other girls nearby were watching him with furtive, intrigued glances.

But Elijah was only looking at her. His eyes were intense and dark and hungry.

“Didn’t mean to piss off your friend,” he said, but his voice told her that he wasn’t all that sorry.

“She’s just overprotective,” Caelyn sighed.

“I know how she feels.”

Caelyn looked to see him smiling a little. She smiled back. “So, what are you doing here, Elijah?”

“I came out to celebrate.” He held up a beer that was a little more than half full.

He took a sip and licked his lips. “You’ll be glad to know that I’m still a free man.”

“What do you mean…” she started to ask, and then she realized that he must have had his court hearing about his parole violations. “You don’t have to go back to jail?”

she said, her heart soaring for him.

“Nope, the board was lenient because my parole officer said that I’m a nice guy who’s been making strides to improve my position in life.”

“Oh my God, Elijah, that’s so amazing.” Caelyn couldn’t help herself, and she threw her arms around him without stopping to think if that was such a good idea.

The moment their bodies connected, she found herself bathed in his protective heat, and it was as though she’d truly come home. He put his arms around her in return, squeezing her close to him. His chest was strong and hard and his shoulders were like a knight’s, with armor that could never be penetrated.

I’ll never be hurt again if he just holds me like this forever.

Elijah looked down at her. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you. Not for a single second.”

“Elijah—“ she started, but his lips were so close to hers, she could hardly think straight.

“I prayed to God to find a way to make things right, to make it so that you and I could be together.”

“Don’t joke like that,” she told him.

But his expression was sincere. “I’m not joking. I’ve never prayed, not even when I was facing hard time. But I prayed about you and me. I asked for a sign. And then here I am, going to some random Boston bar, and who do I see?”

“Me.” She looked into his eyes and it was as though she was falling into them somehow.

“You.” He leaned down and kissed the corner of her lips. “It’s always going to be you, Caelyn. And I think I’m finally getting that simple fact.”

“But what about the other morning? You said I wasn’t safe with you. You said I had to leave and never come back.”

“It was complicated.”

“It’s not complicated anymore?” Her hands wandered across his strong, broad back, as she pressed herself even closer to his body.

“No, it’s still just as complicated,” he grinned.

“Then what’s changed?”

Elijah hesitated. He looked away, but then his eyes returned to hers once more.

“I’ve changed. Or…I guess the truth is that you changed me.”

“But we still have all the same problems.”

“Yeah, but problems are made to be solved.”

“That’s not what you said before.”

“Forget what I said before.”

She laughed. “Elijah, this is crazy.”

“When hasn’t it been crazy with you and me?”

And then they laughed together, because something really had changed. Caelyn didn’t know what it was, didn’t understand what it was that kept bringing Elijah back into her life again and again. All she knew was that being with him, being close to him, felt right.

It felt right even when it was wrong.

“Let’s get out of here,” she whispered in his ear, her hand against the back of his neck. She could feel the strong cords of muscles as she caressed his hot skin.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “What about your friends?”

“They’ll be fine. I’ll text them.”

“Okay.” He grabbed her hand and started for the exit. “Come on,” he said.

She knew that this was dangerous, and that leaving with him went against everything she should have done. She knew that being with Elijah would throw her whole world into disarray again, when she’d only just started putting the broken pieces back together these last few days.

But Caelyn couldn’t help herself. She was free, and she was wildly excited and Elijah was everything she’d ever wanted.

She didn’t care what it would cost her to be with him again. She was willing to pay any price.

***

Elijah threw open the door to his apartment and began kissing Caelyn passionately as they walked inside.

His lips were somehow more seductive, more sensual than they’d been the last time she’d felt them. He was probing, wanting, needing, and as his tongue slid into her mouth, she moaned softly.

The first and only time they’d made love, it had been sweet and beautiful and amazing.

But somehow, this time, Caelyn was ready for a more intense experience. Maybe it was the alcohol flowing through her blood stream, maybe it was the time they’d spent apart making her more desperate for his touch. Whatever it was, all Caelyn knew was that she wanted him inside her, wanted to feel Elijah’s naked body pressing down on her with the fullness of who he was.

She wanted to be enveloped by him, taken by him, she wanted to give herself over without any restraint.

After all, she reasoned, this might be their last night together. Everything with Elijah was unpredictable, anything could happen. She didn’t want to waste a single second of their time with one another.

They were still kissing with the apartment door open. Elijah broke off and took a breath. “Jesus, you’re gonna kill me, Caelyn.”

She leaned against the wall, watching him. “What do you mean?” she asked him innocently.

“I mean, you’re going to kill me. I can’t take it.” He shut the door and ran a hand through his hair.

“Well don’t worry. I think I’m the one who’s going to have to take it,” she said, grinning.

He looked at her, and his eyes blazed again. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never felt more sure of anything in my life, Elijah.”

And then he was coming to her, only this time there was more certainty, more knowing in his expression. Caelyn could see that Elijah could hardly contain himself.

This time, when they kissed, it was like an explosion inside her. She nearly convulsed with the pleasure, the heat, the intensity of everything that her body was experiencing.

It almost seemed as though she could die from how much she needed him.

As his hands moved to her hips, then slid down to her buttocks, as his lips continued to tease her lips, as his tongue played with her tongue.

She moaned louder this time.

Elijah’s hands were in her hair now. He was kissing down her neck.

He was kissing her breasts.

Pulling off her shirt.

Once her shirt was off, she pulled his shirt off too, and again she was shocked by the power and raw excitement that his muscular torso made her feel. She ran her hands over his chiseled stomach and over his chest.

He unsnapped her bra and it fell to the ground with a gentle whisper of cloth.

Now she was exposed, but she didn’t mind. She didn’t mind at all.

Before long, they were both on the floor of his living room, kissing, their bodies intertwined, writhing against one another, grinding into each other.

Elijah’s body was slick with sweat from the heat that was being generated as the two of them continued to kiss and run their hands all over one another’s bodies.

His skin was hot to the touch, his muscles firm. She could sense his strength even though he was relaxed and gentle with her. At times, he grew slightly more aggressive as his need for her seemed to grow and become more intense.

She almost thought she heard a low growl, or perhaps it was a groan, coming from deep within his throat as he kissed her breasts and then slowly moved down her stomach.

She closed her eyes as Elijah began unbuttoning her jeans. He licked along her lower belly and then kissed along the top edge of her panties.

“Elijah,” she whispered. She couldn’t take it.

He slid her pants down her legs and then he pushed her legs apart and moved between them.

“I need you,” he said, hovering above her and then leaning down to kiss her.

“I need you more,” she replied, grabbing him by one of his belt loops and pulling them further toward her. She unzipped his jeans with her free hand, as Elijah looked down at her with his burning gaze.

“Are you still sure it’s okay?”

“Yes. Yes.”

Now his pants were off too. She was still in her panties, Elijah in his boxers, as he slowly lowered himself on top of her.

They kissed again, and the passion had grown, because now they were almost completely undressed.

She could feel all of him and she wanted all of him this very second. She was moaning, her muscles quivering to his touch, everything was so sensitive that she wanted to cry out.

Gently, he took her panties off and then removed his boxers. He was on top of her again, and now there was nothing between them.

Nothing at all.

When Elijah thrust into her, Caelyn cried out, but it was with pleasure. There was no pain, only the exquisite sensation of Elijah molding against her in total perfection, a perfect fit.

She trusted him completely. There was no fear, no regret, no thoughts of the past.

They looked in one another’s eyes, both of them knowing that this was what each wanted, and as Elijah gazed at her, she wanted to cry.

Emotion welled up inside of her.

He loves me.

And then he was moving, slowly at first, but then faster, and eventually she saw that he couldn’t stop himself.

He was a force of nature, and he was hers.

***

When it was over, they went to the bedroom and lay together, still naked. Their bodies were soft and warm, but there was none of that restless, anxious energy that had been present earlier in the night.