“There’s things I need to do, stuff I need to take care of, and it might take some time—”
I interrupt her words with another quick kiss, pressing my forehead to hers once again.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her. “I’m all in, Shelby. I was all in the minute I knew I wasn’t going to die in that prison. I was all in the first time I saw you again and knew I wasn’t dreaming. I’ll wait for you, as long as it takes.”
She cuts me off this time, slamming her mouth against mine as I wrap my arms around her and push her back to the bed, yanking the T-shirt up and off her body in my hurry to get her naked and feel her skin against mine.
Her legs come around my hips and I push my boxer briefs down just enough to free myself and quickly push inside her, needing her more than I ever thought possible. With each thrust, each slide of my cock through her hot wet heat, and each chant of my name that falls from her lips, I feel myself letting go of doubts and insecurities and I finally feel like I’m home, where I belong.
There are still so many things I need to tell her, something important that tries to claw its way to the front of my mind, something I know will change everything and try to ruin the happiness we’ve finally found, but I push it back because it doesn’t matter. Nothing else matters right now but this moment and finally having everything I’ve ever wanted. I forget about everything but the feel of Shelby wrapped around me, the sound of her voice in my ear, and the smell of peaches that always makes everything better.
She makes the bad things all go away…
Chapter 24
Shelby
All right, I have one really important question that needs to be answered,” Eli tells me seriously, pushing himself up on one elbow on the blanket next to me.
Following our night together at his house two weeks ago when I showed him his dog tags, we’ve spent as much time together as possible, knowing that everything will change as soon as I figure out how to stand up to my mother.
After spending all of our time with each other in the tack room and then not changing it up much by locking ourselves in Eli’s bedroom for a few days, we finally managed to get out of bed so Eli could give me a tour of his new house and actually do something normal for a change, with our clothes on. I’ve had a hundred different opportunities to tell him about the things my mother threatened me with over the years to keep Eli protected, but each time I open my mouth to give him the last of my secrets, he laughs or he smiles and I stop myself. I’m not ready to watch the happiness leave his face and I’m not ready to be the one to bring more pain and guilt into his life. Not now. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
I feel horrible that I’m keeping such a big secret from the man I love, but I just want to enjoy these peaceful moments with him and pretend like the rest of the world doesn’t exist, is that too much to ask after all we’ve been through? Does he really need to know about the sacrifices I made to keep him safe? All it will do is pile up guilt onto his already heavy shoulders and I don’t want to do that to him. I don’t want to be the one to bring him any more pain after what he’s gone through.
When we woke up this morning, Eli packed us a lunch, grabbed a blanket from his hall closet, and drove us out to the plantation, pulling up to the stables and giving me a wink when I asked him what we were doing. As soon as we got inside the barn, we found Paul standing beside two horses all saddled up and ready for a ride—Ariel, and Belle’s foal, Tiana. I’d broken the news to Eli a few days ago that his favorite horse, Belle, had died giving birth to Tiana. He was sad that he didn’t get to say good-bye to his favorite mare, but more than happy to shower Tiana with the same love and attention he did her mother.
Eli helped me up onto Ariel before getting into the saddle of Tiana, and we rode out side by side into the back acres of the property until we were as far away from the stables as possible while still being on Eubanks land. We tied up the horses to a tree, spread out the blanket in the grass, and curled up next to each other just like we used to do that summer long ago. We talked about everything and we talked about nothing and it was perfect. I knew we were living in the past, trying to re-create a moment in time that was long gone, but I didn’t care. It felt good and it felt right lying here next to him under the shade of a big oak tree. It was like we were getting to know each other and falling in love all over again, just like we did six years ago.
“Go ahead, ask your important question,” I tell him, turning on my side to face him.
“I have to know. After all this time, you have to tell me…” He speaks softly, dragging out his question. “How in the hell do you always smell like peaches?”
It definitely isn’t the question I thought he would ask, figuring he knew it was time to come back down to reality and talk about something serious, but his silly question makes me throw my head back and laugh.
“Why are you laughing? This is a serious question that has plagued me for years. You bathe in the juice of fresh peaches every night, don’t you?” he asks, just making me laugh harder when he dips his head down to my neck, runs his nose along my throat, and takes a deep breath.
Knowing this “getting to know each other again” moment will be cut short if he continues breathing against my neck and sliding his lips across my skin, I press my hands to his chest and gently push him away.
“I use peach-scented body wash, shampoo, and lotion,” I tell him, laughing again as his face falls when he finds out I don’t take baths in peach juice like he imagined. “My dad used to give me that stuff every year for my birthday, and after he died, I kept buying it because it reminded me of him.”
Eli presses a kiss to my forehead and holds his lips there comfortingly for a few seconds, still knowing after all this time that memories of my father are like a double-edged sword. I love talking about him and remembering him, but at the same time, thoughts of the only parent I had who actually loved me unconditionally make me sad and wish he were still here with me.
“Well, I’ll always be grateful to that man for giving you something that smells so delicious and kept me going for five years when I would dream about that damn smell,” he tells me, smiling to lighten his words.