Page 54 of His Every Move

I closed my eyes, letting his words wash over me, letting the warmth of his body pull me deeper into the comfort I’d been craving for so long.

I was safe.

And for the first time in weeks, even after everything that happened tonight, I finally believed it.

Chapter19

Benji Morrison

The gym Elitook me to today was one of those fancy places with celebrities casually walking between machines, warm towels that were spritzed with eucalyptus, and personal trainers that looked like Greek gods. I didn’t care much for all the glitz and the glam in a place where everyone should be sweaty and messy, but I could also see the appeal.

“Want to start with some cardio?” Eli asked. He looked like a damn snack today in tiny blue shorts and a black tank top, his hair having been freshly cut so that the blond curls were perfectly trimmed and styled.

“Sounds good to me,” I said and followed Eli to the treadmills.

It had been a couple of weeks since the incident on Broadway. Maybe Nomad felt like they’d gone too far because they were lying low ever since the bomb threat. Eli hadn’t had any more weird DMs or sketchy letters in his mailbox. Even then, I still told him to be more careful in the coming wakes. I wasn’t sure if this silence was a precursor to good news or bad.

One of the things I asked Eli was to never go anywhere alone. It didn’t matter if it was me with him or Zack or even his roommate, Fran. I just wanted someone around him as often as humanely possible. There was safety in numbers, and I didn’t want Eli taking any unnecessary risks.

Something else that had changed since the bomb threat? Eli had been spending more and more nights at my place. It wasn’t every night, but it was enough for me to take notice and leave me with a smile every time we went to bed together.

I loved those nights. The circumstances under which they happened weren’t ideal—obviously—butfuck, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy with the way things were going.

Eli just… he had it all. He was funny, he was hot, he was passionate, he was intelligent, he was kind. Time flew by whenever he was around. Yes, a lot of that time was spent naked, our bodies doing most of the talking, but even when we weren’t fucking, I found myself happier than I’d been in a long,longtime.

It was almost frightening. The connection formed itself practically overnight. The last time I felt this drawn to someone was… well, it was Michael.

I uncapped my bottle and took a chug of the ice-cold water. Eli finished stretching and hopped onto the treadmill next to mine. They were pushed up against a window that looked out on the busy Fifth Avenue. Rain streaked down the glass as people huddled together under umbrellas and tossed on their hoods.

“What do you think about the gym? Like it?” Eli asked as he adjusted his settings on the treadmill.

“I do. I’m not used to working out in a place that offers complimentary massages after your workout.”

Eli laughed, flashing that megawatt grin that wrecked me every damn time. “Yeah, my membership is kind of a splurge, but I spend so much time here. Gotta stay fit.”

I raised a brow, keeping my tone light. “You trying to impress someone?”

He shot me a sideways look. “Maybe.”

I shook my head, chuckling. Fucking tease.

We settled into a steady pace, side by side. Neither of us was pushing ourselves today so we could keep the conversation flowing without being short of breath.

“What part of Jersey did you live in?” Eli asked.

“Paramus for a little bit until we moved in with my grandma in Newark. I was always out of the house by then, biking up and down the street with my best friend, Michael.”

“Sounds like a great way to get into some trouble.”

“Eh, we were pretty good kids. Only got in trouble for trespassing once, and it’s because Michael wanted to show me this cool tree house he found. Except it was in someone’s private yard. The homeowner came out wearing just underwear and holding a shotgun.”

“Holy shit. Jersey doesn’t play.”

“No, no they don’t,” I said, laughing. The memories of those days were warm and tinged with rose-colored gold. My life hadn’t been easy by any stretch of the imagination. I was a rebellious teen struggling in school and dealing with problems at home that could crack even the most stable of foundations. But hanging out with Michael helped me forget all of that. Our silly adventures were enough to lift me out of the pit of despair and depression my life had become.

Only for me to be tossed right back in once I lost him.

“Are you and your friend still close?”

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