Page 82 of Seven Minutes
Eli curled around me, finally still. Finally warm. I eased the blankets over us, ran my hand through his hair, and kept him tucked against my heartbeat.
After a minute, his voice drifted up, sounding quiet and fragile and honest.
“Adrian… will you hold me till I fall asleep?”
Fuck… every night until I’m old and dead. I kissed his temple and tightened my arms around him.
“Always.”
Chapter 31
More Than Want
ELI
Iwoke up in Adrian's arms.
For the first time in… hell, I couldn’t remember how long, I wasn’t counting the reasons I should get up. I was just warm. Held.
His chest rose steadily against my back. His arm lay heavy around my waist, protective even in sleep. Our legs were tangled, one of his hooked over mine as if he refused to let me drift anywhere but here.
I closed my eyes and inhaled.
Adrian. Clean skin, a faint hint of cedar from his shampoo, and that warm, impossible scent that was justhim. It washed through me instantly, calming something deep in my chest I didn’t realize had been tight.
He was home.
Adrianwas home.
His touch, his laugh, his mouth on my skin last night—every inch of him was the place I belonged.
Heat crept up my neck as the memories replayed: the way he’d taken his time, the way he’d held me when I couldn’t hold myself together, the way I’d drifted off with his fingers slipping through my hair.
He’d given me everything.
And I hadn’t given anything back.
A spark of determination stirred low in my belly. I shifted carefully, testing the soreness in my leg, and began easing down the bed, slow enough not to wake him. If I could just get between his legs—if I could just?—
A sharp pull lit up along my side, ripping a gasp out of me before I could bite it back.
The sound was tiny, but apparently, tiny was all Adrian needed.
His arm snapped tighter around my waist. He jerked awake with a sharp inhale, eyes wild for half a second as he looked down at me.
“Eli?” His voice was rough and full of concern. “What hurts?”
I froze halfway down his torso with my hands braced on his stomach as if I’d been caught stealing. Another throb radiated through the tender muscle and dragged a humiliating little whimper out of me.
Adrian’s gaze sharpened instantly. He cupped my shoulder and stopped me before I could move further.
“Baby, what were you doing?”
Heat scorched my face. “I—uh—I was… trying to…”
His brow lifted, worry giving way to the beginning of amusement. “Trying to…?”
Fantastic. No escape.
