Page 8 of His Every Move

“That’s already bad,” I said, keeping my voice neutral.

Elijah nodded. “Yeah, but then it got worse. He started talking like we were in a relationship, saying shit like, ‘You don’t have to fake it passion for me’ and ‘I know what you really need.’”

My jaw clenched.

“And then when you ignored him?” I asked, already figuring out the answer.

His gaze dropped. “That’s when the threats started,” Eli said.

My blood went cold.

“I don’t know why I let it go on for so long,” he admitted. “I should have blocked him the second things started getting weird.”

I exhaled slowly, forcing my body to unwind. “It’s not your fault, Elijah.”

He looked up at me, something hesitant in his aquamarine eyes.

“Yeah, but?—”

“No.” My voice was firm, cutting off whatever self-blame he was about to spill. “You didn’t do anything wrong. People like this? They don’t stop because you’re polite, and they don’t stop because you ignore them. They stop when they’re forced to.”

Elijah studied me for a long moment.

Then, slowly, his lips curled into something small, something real.

“Good,” he said, voice softer now. “Because I want him to stop.”

I nodded, my own smile sharp as a blade.

“Then let’s make that happen.”

“Thanks,Detective.”

There was a tone to the way he said detective that made my toes curl.

Fuck. This job was going to be hard, for a hundred different reasons.

Chapter4

Elijah Grant

The bar was packed.It was a small spot in Hell’s Kitchen with killer drink specials and some of the nicest bartenders in the entire city. Tonight was Latin night, which meant my favorite kind of music was guaranteed to be playing on repeat. I leaned against the bar and sipped on my Moscow mule, glancing toward the bathroom and wondering why my date was taking so long.

I’d had this night planned since the beginning of the week. I’d been looking forward to it, too. I already hooked up with this guy a couple of times, and we had some solid chemistry, so the next natural step in the gay dating ritual was to go grab drinks (after we had already jerked each other off, of course). He was a stand-up comedian and actually funny, which was a plus. I liked guys who could make me laugh.

Something new I figured out today was that I also liked men who happened to work as detectives…

Benji.

He’d made a mark on me in a very short amount of time. Maybe it was a savior complex that was beginning to brew inside me, but I couldn’t help it. The man was not only handsome in a broody, intriguing kind of way, but he was also intelligent and kind. Stepping into his office instantly made me feel comforted. It was weird to explain but undeniable.

Kevin, my date, appeared from the bathroom, wiping his hands on the side of his jeans.

Interesting.

“Sorry about that,” he said, sitting on the stool next to me.

“No worries. I was going to order you something but didn’t know what to get.”

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