“I know he’s just going through a rough patch right now,” she’s saying, “but I love that boy. A mother worries, you know. I worry about what’s next in his future.” She pauses to hand me a steaming cup of ginger-lavender tea. “You wouldn’t believe how smart Eli was as a child. He always made me look at his grades in private, because he was embarrassed to make straight A’s.”
“You’re kidding. Why would he be embarrassed about that?” I ask with a laugh before lifting the cup to my lips.
She smiles, getting a faraway look in her eyes. “Well, when you have three rowdy brothers, they tend to torment you about everything. They would tease him mercilessly about how much of a good boy he was.”
“He was a good boy?” I question.
“The best,” Diana confirms with a proud smile.
The girls start cheering and my eyes go across the room to where Lexi is spinning in a dizzying circle as the other women drape bathroom tissue around her body.
One of Penny’s former coworkers from her bartending days declares that they’re designing wedding dresses out of toilet paper. Fun times.
When Diana turns back to piling some cucumber sandwiches onto a plate, she’s somber again. “I knew, even when Eli was in elementary school that he wanted to be a part of the family business,” she continues. “He just had a knack for the type of focus and leadership he needed to succeed there.” She sets down her plate on the pristine white table cloth and gazes out the window. A lot is weighing on this mama right now; I can see it in the wistful glint in her eyes. “Eli must be so heartbroken that he isn’t working there now. I don’t know what else to do. I just wish he’d set his pride aside and accept Cannon’s offer.”
I recall the tense conversation those two Kingston brothers had on the porch a few weeks ago. Their loud, harsh words seemed to seep in through the walls of the house.
“I think…,” I start, wondering how much I should share. I really shouldn’t get involved in Eli’s personal matters. But then again, Mrs. Kingston is my friend, too. She’s almost like a second mom to me. And right now, she needs some clarity on what’s going on with her enigmatic son.
Also, we’re both kinda drunk.
“I think it must be hard for him to come back and see that everything’s changed. Everyone’s moved on without him.”
Mrs. Kingston sends a smile my way, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “You just might be right, dear.”
My heart melts a little when I think about all the pain Eli has gone through. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that he has feelings, too. Especially since he’s so detached and angry all the time. There are just so many layers to the man who sleeps in the basement each night, one staircase away from my bed.
Oh, how I’d like to peel away a few of those layers…
I don’t get a chance to ponder that line of thought any more because now Penny’s aunt, Miss Lucille is pinning an oversized picture of Walker’s face to the wall. Meanwhile, Iris is handing out paper moustaches around the room and explaining the rules of the next game.
A smile sneaks across Diana’s lips. “Come on, Jess. It’s time to go play ‘Pin the Mustache on the Groom’.” She snickers. “I’m sure Walker would be thrilled about that.”
I echo her laughter. “Let’s do this!”
40 Eli
It’s just after 9:00 and I’m sitting in the unlit kitchen, nervous as fuck, when I hear the front door click open.
Jessa’s high heels echo quietly throughout the house as she makes her way through the dark. Her footsteps stutter in the doorway when she sees me sitting at the island. “Hi…” She smiles softly.
My gut hardens up into a concrete fist. She’s so freaking pretty. “Hi…” I reply, some invisible force pulling me up to my feet.
That airy, luminous smile of hers radiates in the shadows of the room as she approaches, a foil-covered paper plate in hand. “I can’t believe how late it is,” she says in a whisper.
I nod, unable to take my eyes off her. All day, I’ve been aching for her. Wanting to get my hands on her. Obsessing over the sweet taste of her mouth, her skin, her pussy. Replaying the way her tight, little opening throbbed greedily around my big, hard cock.
I went for years without making love to a woman. But after one night with Jessa, I don’t think I’ll survive another hour without getting her on my dick again.
Fuck—her pussy is the kingdom of heaven. And all I keep thinking is how much I can’t wait to get back in there.
“I’d expected to leave the party earlier but things got a little out of hand.” She chuckles lightly as she stretches the paper plate to me. “I grabbed you guys some cupcakes.”
I take one step closer, trapping my militant erection against her diaphragm. My fingers skim gently down the length of her bare arm. The hunger I feel for her swells up to charge the whole room. She can feel it. I see it in the way her pupils dilate when she tips her head back to look at me, I hear it in the shaky breaths that leave her parted lips.
But as usual, she resorts to rambling. “It’s from the Broken Cupcake. Best bakery north of Chicago. It’s got truffles and chocolate shavings on the top but I can’t figure out if the filling is roasted hazelnut or coffee cream with—”
My eyes don’t leave hers when I snatch the damn plate and drop it onto the counter. I lift her by the waist.
She yips in surprise. On instinct her legs wrap around my back. “Eli, what are you doing?” she asks as I bury my face at her throat.
“I’ve been going
