Page 45 of Beautiful Trauma

“I need to touch you,” I told him, wriggling my hands in his wrist.

“You had your turn.”

He trailed kisses over my jaw and across my collarbone as his fingers continued their mission. I let my head rest on the pillow, reveling in the way his heavy body felt on top of mine and in the realization that I was about to have sex with Elijah Jenkins.

Everything about this felt different. I was hardly a virgin, but sex had never felt intense in that way. Like my heart could burst with happiness. I felt loved. In that moment, I knew for sure everything my sister had ever said about love being bullshit was completely off-base, because I couldn’t imagine lust ever feeling like this.

“I love you, Eli,” I whispered.

His hips ground into mine in response, but he continued to caress my body with both his hands and mouth. The slow pace was bringing me closer and closer to combustion, but not quite reaching that peak. The wicked grin on Eli’s face led me to believe he was enjoying driving me crazy.

“More. Please. I need more,” I whimpered.

“Fuck, I love hearing you beg,” he groaned. His thumb pressed onto my clit for a second before he released the pressure and just brushed the digit over my sensitive spot. I lifted my hips to bring the pressure back, moaning when he rubbed tiny circles.

“Oh yes,” I was so close.

He took my mouth with his once more and worked his hand until my orgasm came crashing down around me. As I writhed below him, he swallowed my cries and held me to the mattress when I thought for sure I could float away.

Lost in bliss, I didn't notice he had grabbed a condom and rolled it over his length. He positioned himself between my legs, kissing my neck before thrusting in with a groan. I wrapped my legs around his waist, wanting all of our body parts to be as close as humanly possible. For a minute we just stared at each other, not moving, just breathing in the other. I don’t think either of us believed it was happening.

“Eli,” I whispered.

“Yeah, baby?” he replied just as quietly.

“It’s time to move.” I kissed his neck, and he rolled his hips to create the friction we craved.

“You feel so fucking good,” he grunted as he pumped into me over and over. My fingernails scraped down the hard planes of his back to grab his ass. He licked his thumb and brought it back to my clit.

“Fuck. Fuck. Yes. Oh, God, yes,” I cried as another orgasm built in my core.

“Shit, I’m not gonna last like this, baby.”

“Don’t. Come with me,” I begged, breathless and so close to the edge the rest of the world had long since ceased to exist. Seconds later, we were both crying out with pleasure.

He rolled to the side to take some of his bodyweight off me, and I missed it instantly. We were covered in sweat and my bones had melted, but I still needed him close.

Eli kissed the side of my head, and I smiled. “That better not have been a dream,” he murmured into my hair.

I giggled. “That’s the second time you’ve said that. It’s real, I promise. At least, it sure as fuck felt real.”

“I’ve woken up from this dream more times than I can count,” he confessed. “Every time I have to go back to keeping my hands to myself, I die a little inside.”

“I’m so glad you waited for me.” Tears were back in my eyes as I processed the major shift in our relationship.

“I would’ve waited forever, Katie. But I’m fucking thrilled I don’t have to anymore.”

Eventually, we gave in to the need to get cleaned up and for Eli to eat. I would’ve preferred to stay in bed for the rest of the night, but I had laundry and other things to catch up with before I could get to sleep.

Though, sleep wasn’t my priority that night. Eli ate his dinner as I folded the laundry. Stacks of clothing for a small child sat on the coffee table, only a couple of items of my own folded next to them.

“You’re terrible at folding laundry,” Eli observed.

“Thank you.” I grinned.

“His clothes are so small. They are basically little balls when folded.”

Eli helped me clean up the kitchen and then I announced I was ready for bed. Eli kissed my cheek. “Goodnight,” he said, as if our time together had come to a close for the evening.